Buddhist teacher Beth Upton on vacation

Monthly update: a month offline. Please rejoice!

I was a British Buddhist nun in Burma

Hello, friends. Those who have been on retreat with me will know that love this part of the Vitakkasanthana Sutta (MN20):

“Just as a person walking quickly might consider, 'Why am I walking quickly? Why don’t I walk slowly?’ And that person would walk slowly. Then one might consider, 'Why am I walking slowly? What if I were to stand still?’ And one would stand still. Then one might consider, 'Why am I standing still? What if I were to sit down?’ And one would sit down. Then one might consider, 'Why am I sitting? Why don’t I lie down?’ And one would lie down.”

Buddhist meditation teacher Beth Upton 2025

This is me this summer. If August has been me slowing down, then September is me stopping. For the first time in a very long time, I do not have a single online commitment for the entire month. Please rejoice!

I will be using the time to meditate and nourish myself in the Dhamma, the Buddha's Teachings, and my sincere wish is that as I deepen my own practice, so do others.

Sangha Support Group (bethupton.com)

While I am offline, please make good use of our Sangha (Spiritual Community) support groups and our wonderful Team of Teaching Assistants to keep nourished and supported in Buddhist practice.

If anyone really misses me, then remember, I also have a YouTube channel. 😁

This week’s video is about a topic very dear to my heart: science and what I would like scientists to know about the Dhamma. So watch the video, spread the word, and let’s see if we can make some cross-cultural magic happen! WATCH:

Consciousness and science

• Meditation and Daily Life – Guided by Beth Upton

In addition, Kerem will kindly be leading September’s Full Moon Gathering. This month it lands on Sunday, Sept. 7th, and will be on the juicy topic of the third Noble Truth: Nirvana (Nibbana).

And for those of you wanting to deepen a sense of global Sangha, Jon Krop of Sit Heads Meditation Club is valiantly organizing an international “meditate-a-thon” in support for humanitarian aid for the children of Gaza. He welcomes all to join the global sitting on Sept. 6th, 2025, or sponsor a meditator, or both. Register to join the sitting here. And sponsor a meditator here. It would be great to see a lot of support for this, so please do join in if you can.

Urgent Gaza relief [from Israel's famine, genocide, extermination] needed (pcrf.net)

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We can all support each other and rest.

The plan is for me to be back online in October 2025 with the usual array of online groups and offerings to be announced in my October newsletter.

Lastly, thanks! Retreat time is only possible for me because of generous voluntary support. I will be sharing merits with all who have contributed to making this month happen. Support my work.

With much metta and gratitude,

Beth Upton

• Beth Upton, bethupton.com, Sept. 1, 2025; Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly