In order to awaken joy we have to learn to have a healthy relationship with ourselves - holding our pain and sorrows as well as learning to appreciate all of our beautiful qualities.
Focusing on aging, the stages of life, and dying is a major “dharma door” or gateway. We examine a number of different perspectives to orient us as we go in that door, including how such a focus helps us to clarify the centrality and urgency of spiritual practice, working through social conditioning regarding aging and dying, using the lenses of teachings and practices investigating impermanence and the nature of the self, and awakening.
Buddha's way of happiness that includes happiness of non-harming, happiness of sense pleasure, happiness of concentration , happiness of equanimity and happiness of freedom.
A guided meditation called Big Mind, based on instructions developed by Joseph Goldstein from the Tibetan book "Liberation through seeing with naked awareness."
This talk covers how the balance between faith and wisdom, and concentration and energy develops the balance of equanimity. This balance of equanimity greatly supports mindfulness.
After clarifying further the fundamental practices of our retreat, particularly the three ways of seeing leading to liberating insight, we examine the third way of seeing—seeing anatta (or not-self). We focus less on understanding this way of seeing conceptually, and more on identifying two main ways of practicing—(1) opening to being mindful of the flow of experience, increasingly with a “thinned out” self or lack of self, and (2) noticing and being mindful of when there is a “thick” sense of self.
Equanimity is central to the Buddha's teachings and practices, and so underlies and supports both mindfulness and metta (loving-kindness). For Samma Sati, Right Mindfulness, to develop, equanimity needs to function to keep us connected with experiences even when they are difficult or challenging, to deepen insight into the true nature of reality. In metta practice, equanimity keeps the heart open when conditions are not ideal for kindness - and they are often not ideal!
the Buddha taught that the recognition of arising and passion away (Anicca) is the doorway to freedom. In this talk, we explore impermanence and it’s relationship to dukkha. To let go ov our argument with the reality – with the way things are, to the nature of changing phenomena, opens up to the possibility of ease and freedom: “All things are impermanent/ They arise and they pass away./ To live in harmony with this truth/ Brings great happiness.”
After examining the nature and importance of samadhi practice, we focus on how to practice samadhi and the main challenges to developing samadhi (and how to work with these challenges).
Maranasati leads to being real and being grateful for both life and death. As we mature and deal directly with the truth of death we value life and the preciousness of existence. This reality brings gratefulness of all that is given–– our bodies, hearts, minds, the earth, sky, universe and each moment.
In this morning's guided meditation, first we settle in with the body, appreciating the intimacy and the impersonality of experience, holding both experiences equally valid. Then, we look at our lives from the vantage point of our deathbed (far in the future, only for the purpose of this thought exercise) and reflect on aspirations that arise for living our life in this precious human birth, however long we have left.
Three fruits of maranasati practice are discussed: 1) Preparing for our moment of death with fearlessness and peace. Topics of Near Death Experiences (NDEs) and rebirth are presented with a don't know mind. 2) Living THIS limited, precious life fully, with gratitude, forgiveness, generosity and letting go. 3) Awakening, liberation, nibbana -- Maranasati is a practice towards liberation, arising insights into the three marks of existence (anicca, dukkha, anatta).
Anathapindika was one of the foremost householder followers of the Buddha. As he is dying Sariputta and Ananda go to comfort him. Seeing his imminent death they offer teachings never before given to householders. He receives the radical teachings of not clinging, letting go of all experience and waking up.
In this talk, Nikki Mirghafori (first ~30 minutes) and Eugene Cash (the rest) discuss how death contemplation helps us awaken to living this life, with embracing letting go and not knowing.
The first part of the talk, the hindrances (Nivarana in Pali), also translated as veils, are discussed through the lens of Maranasati practice. The second part of the talk is devoted to sharing lessons from my mother's recent passing.
Exploring the Buddhist teaching of Maranasati: Mindfulness of Death How it’s taught and how one personally works with, recognizes and manifests this practice.
After a brief review of the previous sessions in this series, particularly the last one, we explore a fifth way that things are not as they appear, looking at the habitual tendency to separate oneself and everything else, to experience on the basis of a core duality of subject and object, knower and known, self and other, and the problematic nature of this habitual tendency.
An overview of the nature of the judgmental mind, how it is distinguished from non-reactive discernment, and ways of transforming the judgmental mind. With Q&A.
An introduction to a wisdom-awareness map from the Thai Forest tradition: Mindfulness - Great Mindfulness - Mindfulness-Wisdom - Wisdom which leads to Release. Includes metaphors & descriptions of maturing awareness which is able to release reactivity & access the 3 Lenses of Wisdom (impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, not self). Concludes with a fun somatic exercise on holding on & letting go, based on a teaching from Ajahn Chah. For more information about these teachings, visit Heather's website & look up Talks & Retreat Schedule.
After a brief review of the previous talks in this series, we look at the "constructed" or "empty" nature of phenomena (trees, chairs, and other "external" objects), with perspectives from psychology, philosophy, the neurosciences, and especially, Buddhist practice.
Further reflections on being an animal body and mind. Reflections on precepts, compassion and the fellowship of suffering. You are not alone, no matter what your trouble.
