As we go through this path, a natural inclination arises to want to go toward sīla, toward harmlessness of being, because it feels right. It feels good. It allows us to be with the flow of how things are instead of fighting against it. The Buddha talks of virtue as “a blessing supreme,” and that it supports a mind to be unshakable, sorrowless, stainless, and secure. I imagine this bed of sīla, of virtue, in which we—our mind, our body—is allowed to rest and relax in a blessing supreme.
Kate Munding
Residential Retreat Teacher
Kate Munding sits on the Spirit Rock Guiding Teachers Council and is the guiding teacher for Assaya Sangha, a women's Buddhist meditation community-based in the San Francisco East Bay. Along with teaching retreats and daylong at Spirit Rock and other retreat centers, Kate is a teacher for Spirit Rock's Family Days and Family Retreats. In addition to her Dharma teaching, Kate has been a mindfulness educator in schools since 2008. She is the co-founder and main teacher for Now Children. Now Children is a unique online learning environment designed to network, train, and provide professional development to educators and mindfulness teachers who want to bring mindfulness-based curriculum to kids. This work's nexus is based on the belief that mindfulness is not just a bandaid but a transformative technique that can help steer future generations towards a more conscious and compassionate future. When she's not teaching, Kate loves being mom to her young son. She lives with her family in the San Francisco East Bay.
Kate Munding's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | On-Land
Sunday, June 23 | 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Women's Dharma Day: Integrating Consciousness into Relationships, Communication, and Action
Open to all self-identified Women. The Buddha was clear that living wisely and not causing harm are the bedrocks of liberating the heart and mind from suffering. In parallel with cultivating a formal meditation practice, we must spend equal time cultivating ahimsa (non-harming) in our speech and actions. Not only does this support our own awakening process, but it ensures that our practice benefits all beings. This daylong retreat is for self-identified women who are interested in integrating more consciousness into relationships, communication, and action.
Kate Munding
Retreat | On-Land
July 15 - July 18, 2024 | Monday - Thursday | 3 nights
Tenderness Retreat: Compassion for Self and All Beings
A heart that can stay open and present in the face of dukkha (suffering or dissatisfaction) is one that is well-trained in compassion. Beginning with instruction designed to ease the nervous system and soften the barriers to a tender, open heart, we will learn the ancient radiating method of brahmavihāra practice, which opens the heart of compassion towards all beings, including oneself. It is a gentle but powerful approach to compassion practice suitable for newer and seasoned practitioners alike.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Kate Munding through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.