As the path unfolds, mindfulness and concentration lead naturally to the development of wisdom. Wisdom understands the difference between what is skillful and unskillful, perceives things as they are and knows suffering and its end.
The path of practice has many challenges. How we meet those and turn toward them and learn form them is possibly the most important aspect of our practice. This talk looks at these challenges in the retreat setting and suggests ways of meeting them.
Our practice aims at awakening (and awakened beings help others awaken). We review briefly the nature of awakening for the Buddha and later Buddhist traditions, and the centrality of the teaching of the Seven Factors of Awakening. We then explore the two foundational factors--mindfulness and equanimity--identifying their core qualities, as well as how to practice to cultivate each of these factors, both in formal meditation and in the movement of daily life. There is a talk and then discussion.
