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.
If we can leave our fixed ideas behind, and return to the openness of our direct experience, we gain a new kind of knowledge, independent of our thinking mind that is immediate, fresh and deepens our trust in the natural unfolding.
More on how to practice the 32 Parts of the Body meditation. Then an exploration of why we practice and the story of the Buddha's awakening and the 4 Noble Truths and 3 marks of existence.
