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Practice Interviews

Bellingham Insight offers sangha members the opportunity for one-on-one practice meetings with senior Dharma practitioners. These meetings are usually scheduled for 30 minutes and are available to anyone with specific questions about their meditation practice as well as those who are interested in deepening their practice.

Preparing for a Meeting

Consider these meetings as a part of practice, and treat this time with relaxed care and respect. Take time to frame your thoughts and questions as clearly as possible. Everything shared in a practice interview is treated with complete confidentiality. Some examples of appropriate areas of inquiry include:

  • how to practice
  • understanding a Dharma talk
  • questions that come up from reading that you are doing
  • relating skillfully to a meditation experience
  • concerns about the integration of practice and daily living

Please be on time, turn electronics off and be mindful to end your meeting on time.

A practice interview is not a kind of therapy. Although psychological issues may arise, generally no effort is made to explore the content a story or to "fix" problems. What and how things happen are the focus, rather than why. For those who need more regular support, mental health counseling is recommended for serious issues such as depression, anxiety, trauma, family of origin issues, addictions, and crisis intervention.

Dana (The Practice of Generosity)

The interview leaders welcome all sincere practitioners. In keeping with Buddhist custom, there is no set fee for these meetings; they are freely given, in gratitude for the teachings and a wish for their continuation. There's also a Buddhist custom of dana (generosity) - offerings in appreciation of the Dharma and gratitude to those who share it. If you'd like to include this custom in your practice, you may offer dana to the interview leader. The dana system acknowledges our interconnectedness and interdependence, and is based on mutual generosity.

To schedule a Practice Interview

You may contact the interview leaders directly to schedule a meeting.

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