As we begin a new cycle after Labor Day, it’s helpful to identify the basics of our practice, which I do with reference to a just-completed 3 weeks on retreat in the mountains. We look at 1. Foundations – ethics, intentions, creating a space away from habits. 2. Development of concentration and awareness. 3. Heart – practice and 4. Integration in our everyday lives.
We review the nature of the Bodhisattva, in its archetypal expression, its manifestation in extraordinary and ordinary human exemplars, and in ourselves. We focus on the qualities of wisdom and skillful action especially and end with a short ceremony in which the participants develop their own version of the Bodhisattva, and express some of them publicly.
