An inquiry as to why we are motivated to make things - poems, paintings, stories, plays. The lives of three contemporary artists are examined - two painters and a playwright, and the parallel between our mindfulness practice and the creative process is explored.
With a light hearted tone, the talk outlines five key areas of practice in working with the judgmental mind; Mindfulness, Somatic Practices, Heart Practices, Inquiry into habits and the role of wise friends, Spiritual Community.
We situate the transformation of the judgmental mind in the context of the path of awakening - distinguishing reactive judgments from nonreactive discernment, clarifying why working with judgments is important and pointing to several ways of practicing with the judgmental mind.
We explore the metaphor of the "spiritual journey" to help illuminate phases of our practice, using three reference points: 1. Mary Oliver's poem, "The Journey" 2. The journey of the Buddha and 3. Our own individual journeys.
What did the Buddha actually teach about mindfulness? How does it differ from a simple attention? This talk explores mindfulness in the context of the Buddhist Path and it leading from pain to peace.
