Liberation From Within: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life. A Five Week online journey through the Four Noble Truths

Description

In a world of constant change and challenge, the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths offer a timeless path to peace and freedom. This five-week series invites you to explore these foundational teachings as living practices—ways to meet life’s suffering with wisdom, compassion, and inner liberation. Each session includes reflection, discussion, and guided meditation. Open to all levels of experience.

The five sessions, held online via Zoom, are scheduled as followed:

• Session 1: Monday, January 26th, 5:30pm - 6:45pm

• Session 2: Monday, February 2nd, 5:30pm - 6:45pm

• Session 3: Monday, February 9th, 5:30pm - 6:45pm

• Session 4: Monday, February 16th, 5:30pm - 6:45pm

• Session 5: Monday, February 23rd, 5:30pm - 6:45pm

For those wishing to go deeper, a daylong retreat on Saturday, February 28, 2026 (10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. ET) will offer extended time for meditation, reflection, and community practice.

Teacher Bio
Aishah Shahidah Simmons (she/her) is a Black feminist lesbian survivor-healer, Sufi Muslim raised Theravāda Buddhist. She has practiced vipassanā meditation since 2002. A trauma-informed, certified mindfulness meditation teacher and qualified MBSR teacher, she is currently in the 2025–2028 Spirit Rock/IMS Dharma Teacher Training Program.

Aishah practiced exclusively in the S.N. Goenka tradition for 17 years before continuing her path in the Insight tradition with primary teachers Tuere Sala and DaRa Williams, and studying Vajrayana Buddhism, for two years, with Dr. Shanté Paradigm Smalls. Her daily practice centers the brahmavihāras, Kuan Yin Dharmas, and the Five Recollections, grounded in a deep commitment to engaged, liberatory practice that turns toward suffering with awareness and compassion.

An award-winning filmmaker, author, and lecturer, Aishah’s groundbreaking work—including the ground-breaking feature film NO! The Rape Documentary and the Lambda Literary Award–winning anthology love WITH accountability—illuminates paths of healing and non-carceral accountability in response to sexual violence. Learn more about Aishah here.