Kamala Masters | Exploring the Depths of Insight Meditation

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Kamala Masters is one of the founders and teachers of the Vipassana Metta Foundation on Maui. She teaches retreats in the Theravada tradition at venues worldwide, including being a Guiding Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts. Practicing since 1975, her teachers have been the late Anagarika Munindra of India and the late Sayadaw U Pandita of Burma, and Sayadaw U Tejaniya of Burma with whom she continues to practice. Kamala has a commitment to carrying and offering the purity of the teachings of the Buddha in a way that touches our common sense and compassion as human beings, and allows the natural inner growth of wisdom. She lives on Maui where she raised four children, and is now blessed with seven grandchildren. Kamala practiced both insight and loving kindness meditations intensively under the guidance and preceptorship of Sayadaw U Pandita, in the USA, Australia and in Burma as a nun and a lay woman. 

Kamala Masters’ website: www.vipassanametta.org

Summary

In this conversation, Josh Summers and Kamala Masters explore the profound teachings of Insight Meditation, reflecting on their shared experiences with influential teachers like Munindra, Jack Engler and Sayadaw U Pandita. They discuss the importance of compassion, equanimity, and the role of generosity and ethical conduct in deepening one's practice. Kamala shares her journey to the Dharma, the significance of Nibbana, and the challenges of navigating inner conflict and reactivity in a troubled world, and the necessity of self-compassion and the ongoing journey of understanding the self and the nature of suffering.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

08:31 Meeting Munindra-ji and the Importance of Generosity and Ethical Conduct

15:50 Munindra's Role as a Teacher and the Development of Insight

25:00 The Role of Sila in Insight Meditation

35:20 The Challenges and Benefits of Deepening the Practice

46:53 Uncovering Hidden Habit Patterns through Mindfulness

48:23 The Transformative Journey of Insight Meditation

48:53 Understanding Non-Self and a Healthy Sense of Self

50:44 The Role of Compassion in Navigating the World

01:02:39 Cultivating Equanimity and Addressing Reactivity

01:23:15 The Ongoing Nature of the Spiritual Path