Beyond Distraction:
Five Practical Ways to Focus the Mind
with author and meditation teacher, Shaila Catherine
In this workshop we will explore a series of traditional Buddhist strategies that are used to overcome distraction in meditation practice and develop clarity in relationships, work, and daily life.
In her latest book, Beyond Distraction, Shaila Catherine offers an accessible approach for training the mind that is guided by the Buddha’s pragmatic instructions on removing distracting thoughts. Following the Buddha’s approach, she will guide us through five steps for overcoming distraction and focusing the mind: replacing, examining, ignoring, investigating, and resolving.
Beyond Distraction will help participants unlock the incredible capacities of the mind to think clearly, reflect deeply, discern what is real, and pay attention to what is actually happening in life. By working with this training, you can develop skills to recognise the nature of your own mind, free yourself from habitual thought patterns, and support others as they overcome obstructive habits.
Whether you’re a beginner who struggles to tame a restless mind, an advanced meditator who strives to deepen concentration and insight, or a clinician seeking methods that will help clients skilfully direct their attention, these techniques to remove distracting thoughts will increase concentration, stability, and clarity in meditation and daily activities.
Shaila Catherine is the founder of Bodhi Courses, an online Dhamma classroom, and Insight Meditation South Bay, a Buddhist meditation centre in California, USA. She began practicing meditation in 1980, spent more than nine years in silent retreat, taught meditation internationally since 1996, and authored three books on mindfulness, concentration, and insight.
Her first book, Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity, introduces the deep concentration practices of jhāna. Her second book, Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastering Jhāna and Vipassanā, makes the systematic practices taught by Pa-Auk Sayadaw accessible to western practitioners. Her third book, Beyond Distraction: Five Practical Ways to Focus the Mind, teaches skills to overcome restless thinking, rumination, and obstructive habitual patterns. Shaila’s teachings emphasize deep samadhi, jhāna, and the path of liberating insight.
Date: Saturday October 22nd
Time: 9am - 12 midday AEST
AABCAP Members $40
Non-Members $60
Student / Concession $30
Sangha / Friends of AABCAP $0
ENDORSEMENTS:
With clarity and heart, Shaila Catherine shows us many effective ways to be free of stressful, anxious, hurt, and resentful thoughts. Her book is deep and vast, grounded in science and illuminated by Buddhist wisdom, and useful for both specific issues and a lifetime of practice. — Rick Hanson, author of Neurodharma: New Science, Ancient Wisdom, and Seven Practices of the Highest Happiness
This book contains a wealth of pragmatic advice for both new and experienced meditators, and it will be an invaluable guide for all those journeying on the path to greater freedom. — Joseph Goldstein, author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening
Shaila is a master of the mind. She brings deep wisdom from decades of personal practice and teaching, together with accessible and pragmatic tools in a user-friendly format. Whether you are just beginning to meditate, or have logged many hours on the cushion, this book is for you. — Judson Brewer, author of The Craving Mind
This is one of the most detailed and comprehensive guides to meditation out there. Deeply rooted in the dharma but easy to follow, this very practical book will transform your ability to meditate, so you can transform your mind. — Kristin Neff, author of Fierce Self-Compassion
Shaila offers readers a treasure trove of practices to live a fulfilled life. She offers skillful means to dissolve the notion of distraction and to engage fully with our priorities. Readable, clear and down-to-earth, Beyond Distraction deserves a wide readership. — Christopher Titmuss, author of The Spiritual Roots of Mindfulness
In the moment you recognise that a thought is just a thought, you will find yourself on the path to a life of remarkable freedom - Shaila Catherine
