Undoing the engine of samsara through the four noble truths, the peaceful is ever timelessly present - a bow is a perfect approach to life because it allows us to pause and listen to another pulse - the pulse of the living Dharma.

Non-separative consciousness, beyond the walls of the mind, all is resident in one awareness, compassion as depth listening.

It's important for our teachings and practices to help orient us in relationship to all parts of our lives, including the larger social and political dimensions of our lives. In this session, we explore one core teaching and one central practice that together help us to respond skillfully to differences in political views. The teaching is that of dependent origination, particularly the sequence from contact to grasping. We see how the two forms of reactivity, grasping and pushing away (each potentially manifesting in many ways) result from pleasant and unpleasant feeling-tones, when there is a lack of mindfulness and background habitual tendencies. We can see how the underlying pain, for example, of many working-class people (economic pain; and the pain of feeling disregarded, left behind, and/or not respected), or the pain related to anxiety about changing gender roles, can, especially when manipulated by those in power who provide scapegoats, lead to reactivity. After presenting a model of empathy practice as crucial for bringing our practice to interacting with those with different views, we can also, through such practice, tune in with compassion to the underlying pain, and have a sense of the deep genuine needs, in our examples, for economic well-being, respect, and clarity around gender. We explore all of this in an exercise with the "empathy map," which is followed by discussion. (There were several files shared via screen sharing during the talk. These files can be accessed below and potentially downloaded, by clicking on the "Q" under "Documents," and looking for documents 229, 273, 274, and 275.)

After setting the posture and tuning into intentions, we have a short period of settling, typically through the breath or some other anchor. Then there is guidance to tune into the feeling-tone, especially when there is a "moderate" level pleasant or unpleasant feeling-tone, noticing tendencies to move to wanting/not-wanting or grasping/pushing away--the two forms of reactivity. We can also, when there is reactivity, tune into the pleasant or unpleasant "beneath" the reactivity, finding, for example, some compassion when there is underlying pain. Near the end, we also explore being with all feeling-tones for a very short period of a few minutes.

Reflection and practice around the sky-like mind. Radical reflection, returning to the root, turning the mind to the deathless. Contemplating "what remains."

From the Shurangama Sutra, reflecting how all phenomena arises within the Wonderful bright true mind." Two potent tools for dispelling the illusion of separative consciousness: the contemplation of change and the cultivation of kindness.

Reflections on compassion, love, care and our journey to wholeness. Touching on the stories of the ascetic Buddha, Sujata, Guan Yin/Avalokiteshvara.

Exploring refuge, presence and love as a journey to reclaim the sacred, touching on what we're doing on retreat (satisampajañña) and how to do it (with mettā).