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Sunday Sangha – 2nd November 2025

Ronya Banks

This session is led by Ronya Banks.

Start Time: 11 am PST (LA) / 2 pm EST (NY) / 7 pm GMT (London) / 8 pm CET (Paris). 90-minute live session.

This week’s theme: Practicing with Varying Viewpoints

Because today’s world appears to be reflecting times of great polarization and divisiveness, you probably have felt disturbed after hearing varying viewpoints that do not align with your priorities and values. In fact if you’re like most people, you have most likely felt rather emotionally triggered and incredulous when faced with radically different views. Join Asheville Insight Meditation’s founding Buddhist teacher and therapist, Ronya Fakhoury Banks as she explores how to bring your practice to include varying viewpoints with the outcome of feeling less reactivity and more love and acceptance of other’s views, without compromising your ethical values. Some of the points we will cover, include:

  • Bringing your mindful awareness practice to the actual moments of feeling triggered;
  • Accepting things as they are, while also bringing self-compassion in as needed;
  • Learning to soften and be open to other’s viewpoints without needing to agree;
  • Letting go of attachments to your viewpoints, while feeling compassion for yourself and others….

This session is freely-offered, but dana/donations are invited to help us meet our substantial running costs and to support our teachers. To donate, please click here. We appreciate your generosity 🙏

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Ronya Banks

Ronya Banks

The founding teacher of the Asheville Insight Meditation community in Asheville, NC, USA, Ronya Banks has over 38 years of intensive Vipassana meditation practice, spending more than two years cumulatively on numerous silent meditation retreats, as well as having lived as a Theravada Buddhist nun. In addition to working as a mental health counselor, Ronya also has over 25 years of entrepreneurial experience and before the pandemic, she was a black belt martial arts instructor.  Born originally in Kuwait of Palestinian-American descent, Ronya values diversity, inclusiveness, and respect for all sentient beings. Click here to learn more about Ronya Banks.

View Recordings of Past Sunday Sangha Sessions

What does Liberation Mean?

With Christopher Titmuss Recorded : June 22, 2025

Buddha-Dharma teachings offer unparalleled insight into Truth, both ultimate and relative. Yet many practitioners fall into the belief that regular meditation alone will lead to breakthrough experiences and liberation-reinforced by the image of Buddha...

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Wiebke Pausch

Embracing the Radical Act of Rest

With Wiebke Pausch Recorded : June 15, 2025

Global challenges, economic uncertainty, and information overload can trigger fear and anxiety, leading us to overactivity and survival mode driven by guilt or inadequacy. The simple act of resting offers a powerful path to...

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Toby Sola

The Concentration Algorithm

With Toby Sola Recorded : May 4, 2025

Discover a “concentration algorithm” that transforms your practice. Instead of fighting distractions, this approach teaches you to work with them skillfully. When your concentration wavers, notice what captured your attention, then make that distraction...

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Shaila Catherine

Protecting the Mind

With Shaila Catherine Recorded : April 20, 2025

The encounter with sensory experiences can lead to insight and calm, or reactivity and suffering. How do you guard your mind in the midst of a daily barrage of sensory input? How do you...

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Celeste Young

Finding Refuge Within Uncertainty

With Celeste Young Recorded : April 6, 2025

During these unprecedented times, it can be challenging to find a sense of refuge amidst the storms of uncertainty swirling around us. While the timeless teachings of the Buddhist Tradition don’t offer us lasting...

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