In the Theravada Buddhist tradition, the path of awakening has two components: Insight and Cultivation, which are said to work like two wings of a bird. 

Insight, in the context of "Insight” or “Vipassana” meditation, is the deepening of the quality of wisdom that is able to see life through the lenses of  three characteristics of existence: impermanence (anicca), the nature of what we call self (annata) and what causes suffering (dukkha). When we develop the wing of insight we begin to understand that our suffering comes from forgetting or resisting these three truths of life. Insight helps us begin to see clearly the changing nature of everything, helps us see the causes and conditions that give rise to thought patterns, mindstates and moods, and helps us remember that when we try to find a lasting sense of happiness in conditions that are always changing, we won’t find it.

That said, when opening to dukkha, anicca and annata feels challenging, there is a deep well of resource to be found in the wing of cultivation. Here, we are opening our heart’s capacity for lovingkindness, generosity, gratitude, joy, compassion and equanimity. Such cultivation awakens our natural ability to love and care for ourselves and this world around us exactly how it is, to open and be nourished by the beauty of this present moment.
 
In this class, we will explore these two wings of the Dharma through meditation practice, Dharma reflections and group dialogue. Over the course of the six weekly gatherings, participants will better understand how insight and heart cultivation each support the arising of the other, and how, when developed in balance, the two sides work in tandem to lift us into the skies of freedom.