Homework

Homework may be posted a day or two after any class. We appreciate your patience. If you do NOT see the most recent homework, please refresh or reload the Homework page: Press the F5 key (PC), or Command+R (Mac). Most web browsers also have an icon in the shape of a circular arrow next to the web address in the top bar. Click this to refresh the page.

bWeek1

Way of Awareness Week 1 (9/12/24) Home Practice

I will arrive at 6:30 pm on the day of our practice group- in case you have a question and of course, there will also be Q & A during the class as well.

Gratitude Practice. Text or e-mail your buddies from class 3 things you are grateful for each day. Can be anything. (If you haven’t sent me your group names, please do)
Sitting practice: Try sitting for a minimum of 5-10 minutes per day. (more if you are able) It is helpful to find a quiet space or room, a consistent time, and a chair or cushion that best supports your sitting practice. It is helpful to use a timer (if using your phone, place it a distance away from where you are sitting)
Please practice your meditation in silence. (if you use an app, try using it only a couple times a week)
Experiment with different postures and meditation supports — a cushion, a chair, or a bench. (if lying down-change sides, if possible) Find what works best for your body to help develop an alert and easeful posture. One that supports your attention to the present moment experience of the body/breath or body/touch points or body/sounds.
Bring an attitude of kindness, curiosity, and interest into your sitting (lying down) practice. As you meditate, begin by settling into the body. Aware of sitting (lying down) and the sensations such as the body making contact with the sofa, bed, mat, the floor, or your sitting bones on the cushion or chair. (if lying down notice the body making contact with the bed) Then gently bring the attention to rest on the breathing either at the nostrils, the chest area or the abdomen. Using the breath as an anchor. Feel the sensations of breathing. You can also use touch points- hands, feet, sitting bones, lips as your anchor. Simply receive the sensations Or you can use sounds as your anchor. Sounds near/far, all around you, spaces between sounds, tone, pitch, length, loudness. Simply listen- Please choose just one anchor, breath, touch points, or sounds. Stick with the one that is the easiest for you as the anchor.
This practice is a practice of remembering, so when your mind wanders and you notice it wandering or you wake up from the story/trance you are in.
Delight that you are awake, ground in the body and gently, simply escort the attention back to the breath, the touch points or the sounds as your anchor. The anchor is a place you return to when the story pops. Please let go of any judgments about returning to opening to the anchor. Every time you bring your attention back to the present moment, you are developing mindfulness.
HAVE FUN!

aWeek1

Session 1 (9/12/24) Home Practice

Here are the links to the first session’s handouts:

Home Practice

Become aware of the connection between the breath and the body in terms of energy. Which ways of breathing feel calming? Which ways of breathing feel energizing?
If you already have a meditation practice that uses awareness of breathing, try feeling the breath in a location other than your usual or favorite location.
Spend five to ten minutes (or longer) feeling the breath in each of the breath centers in this ‘map’:
- Below the navel
- Above the navel and below the sternum
- Center of the chest at the breastbone
- Feeling the flow of breath at the throat
- Somewhere in the head, at the tip of the nose or farther back in the nasal or sinus cavities
Count the length of the inhale and the length of the exhale. To count five breaths in each area, you can count like this for each round of inhalations and exhalations:
- (inhale) “1 2345…” (exhale) “1 23456…”
  (inhale) “2 2345…” (exhale) “2 234567…
  (inhale) “3 23456…” (exhale) “3 23456…” and so on for 4 and 5

Thank you all for your practice.

Click here for a PDF of the home practices.

Seven Factors of Awakening – A Year Living These Treasures – Home practices #7
(Next class 9/13/24 at 6:00-8:30pm). HAVE FUN with these practices! Happy Summer!

1)Sit every day. Try sitting for a minimum of 15-30 minutes per day. (More if you are able) Practice your meditation in silence.

Start your sitting practice remembering your intention to be Mindfulness is, the 1^st factor of awakening. Asking: “What is being know right now? Is Mindfulness present right now or not? (laugh if not). The 2^nd is investigation Asking: Is there interest & curiosity about your experience? Begin to understand what are wholesome/skillful states of mind & what are not.

“What is this?” or ”What is happening in this moment? 3^rd is energy. Asking: Is there energy right now or not? “Is this suffering or not suffering? Is this wholesome or not wholesome?” Check & see, Are you applying effort by striving or by softening? Asking: Is there joy or rapt interest, right now or not? Is there a spark of joy-delight or not?

This month, Opening to Tranquility, Passaddhi, in Pali,- the Fifth Factor of Awakening… (also, please continue with joy & try some of the reflections you didn’t try last month. You have two wonderful months! July & August!) see below…

Tranquility is the first of the three stabilizing factors. (the other two are concentration and equanimity) Passaddhi is translated as calm, tranquility, serenity, stillness, composure, ease.
It is the soothing factor of the heart/ mind. It quiets disturbances or can maintain tranquility in the midst of disturbances. It can manifest as peacefulness or coolness in the body, mind/heart. Like a shade tree in the heat wave.- both physical and mental tranquility. The quality of calm or ease that can keep the mind unruffled in times of stress. Other qualities are lightness, know-how or competence, sincerity, authenticity, honesty.

Some ways we can support these qualities of calm or tranquility is by nurturing, caring for, and developing our attention to the breath in the body, through inner ease and restfulness. Allowing the breath-receiving and letting go. Or doing just one thing at a time, letting go of trying to control, ourselves, each other, the moment. Trying to control brings agitation.

The Buddha spoke about ways to develop calm. Internally- wise or careful attention- and Externally-good friendship.. Remembering, to recognize calm, Tranquility for what it is:
When the mind is tranquil, free of desire, even for a nanosecond, a kind of happiness and ease arise. Subtler than joy or rapture. There is a sense of serenity and peace. Calm can counteract the hindrance of Restlessness & Worry. Look out for clinging and attachment- our hindrance friend-Desire- Understanding all these states are impermanent, impersonal imperfect- insight- understanding what is the path and what is not.

Asking: How is the mind right now? Is there some sense of Tranquility, Calm, Stillness, Ease, Quietness arising right now or not? If there is some sense of agitation how might that release? As the agitation settles down, the mind/heart becomes quieter and quieter. If Tranquility feels like a stretch connecting to what registers as calm may help us connect to the experience.

2) Below are In reflections & practices for Tranquility in daily life & formal meditation-
Please choose & experiment with at least 2 of the following in July and 2 in August.

a) Reflections: What helps you feel tranquil, calm, easeful or peaceful? What are the activities that most easily bring you a sense of tranquility? Do you generally feel more peaceful indoors or outdoors? When you’re alone or with others? Do you feel more tranquil while talking or listening?
Practices: At the end of each day, reflect on when you felt the most calm or peaceful. Reflect on the conditions that supported that feeling & then reflect on the conditions that disrupted that feeling. Reflect on whether your level of calmness affected the calmness of others around you.

b) Reflection: How does it feel to be tranquil? What is the feeling in your body? How is your mind state when you’re tranquil? How is feeling tranquil different than feeling “spacey” or complacent?
Practices: Spend more time than you normally would with activities that support a feeling of calmness or easefulness. Notice how your body feels when you feel at ease. Notice your mind state & emotional state when you have this feeling. Is the feeling of tranquility consistent or does it fluctuate?

c) Reflections: Come up with a list of easy ways that you can increase the frequency & amount of calmness during your daily life. What are some of the easy ways you can avail yourself of more serenity? What are some of the obvious things in your daily life that you often overlook which would support a feeling of calmness if you really noticed? Are there activities in your life that detract from your sense of calmness that can be easily minimized?
Practice: Spend more time than you normally would -doing activities that support a sense of calmness. Notice how you feel before, during & after the activities. Notice how your meditation practice is affected by your degree of calmness. Also notice how your meditation practice affects your peacefulness in daily life.

d) Reflections: During meditation do you find that tranquility or calmness arises? Do you value your meditation sessions based on the amount of calmness you experienced? Do you think it was a “bad” meditation if you felt restless?
Practice: During your meditation practice notice if you feel calm or tranquil. Notice whether you feel attached to the calm feeling. Also notice if you feel agitated or restless. Can you calmly note the agitation?

3) Continue this month of practice-
When the awakening factors are present there is no room for the hindrances. The hindrances are absent. One simple way of understanding our practice is to nurture or let go-to release or let go of the hindrances and to strengthen or cultivate the awakening factors. It is possible to be mindful of the hindrances as an object of meditation Both in formal practice & daily life practice! This Month explore how Tranquility, calm can be a stabilizing factor with Restlessness and worry or how it can become a hindrance of desire.
Recollect that the awakening factors point to freedom-free from greed, hatred, delusion- We can experience that in clear moments when the hindrances are absent. Might be nanoseconds and those moments can begin to grow. Ahh… Awakening is a verb, a process!

4) Walking Meditation: Be Mindful when you are walking. Notice rushing– when we are ahead of ourselves or energetically toppling forward. See if you can allow for ease, composure, tranquility of heart/mind. (Hint: when walking just walk, when standing just stand.)

5) Gratitude Practices: 3 things you are grateful for daily. Email or Text your buddies.

6) Pause Meditation: (Several times in your day)

7) Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s book, Factors For Awakening, Please read pages 27-34

8) DON’T FORGET IN AUGUST-JOY & TRANQILITY PRACTICES

Below are In reflections & practices for joy in daily life & formal meditation-Please choose & experiment with at least 2 you didn’t try in July of the following 5 Reflections & Practices

a) Reflections: What helps you feel ease, contentment or joy? What are the activities that most easily bring you joy? Is it some kind of physical activity? Are you more likely to feel joy when you are with others or when you are alone? Do you experience joy that is not dependent on any particular activity? If so, what conditions bring about that joy? How easy is it for you to be in touch with the sources for your joy? (from class)
Practices: At the end of each day reflect on when you felt the greatest sense of well-being, joy or contentment. Is there a rhythm of your sense of well-being on most days ; e.g. do you feel the most ease in the morning or evening ? Or does your sense of well-being depend mostly on the activities you’re doing? If possible, try meditating at different times in the day. Is there a time of day when you feel more of a sense of well being and ease in your meditation?

b) Reflections: How do you know when you have a sense of well-being, contentment or joy? Is it more of a physical sensation or a mental sensation for you? How is feeling joyful different than feeling ill-at ease or uncomfortable? What affect does joy have on you? What happens to your thinking & level of pre-occupation when you are joyful? (from class)
Practices: Spend more time than you normally would with activities that support a feeling of well-being or joy. Notice how your body feels when you feel content. Notice your mind & emotional state when you have this feeling. Is the feeling of joy consistent or does it fluctuate?

c) Reflections: Please come up with a list of easy ways that you can increase the frequency and amount of joy during your daily life. What are some of the easy ways you can help yourself to have more delight? What are some of the obvious occurrences in your daily life that you often overlook which would bring some degree of joy if you really noticed?
Practices: Spend more time than you normally would doing a hobby or activity that requires you to be focused & engaged. Notice the sense of well-being you have before, during & after being absorbed or engaged in an activity . When did you feel the most ease? Notice whether you have any beliefs, judgments about or resistance to the activity & notice how that mind – set affects your feeling of contentment or well-being.

d) Reflections: During meditation do you find that contentment or joy arises? How can you tell whether you are creating conditions for joyfulness or repressing joy due to an underlying belief that joy should not be experienced during spiritual practice?
Practices: Just before meditating, reflect on those things that inspire your practice. In the course of your meditation, notice any feelings of joy, well-being or pleasure that occurs. Be sensitive to the physical sensations that come with the joy. Allow yourself to enjoy those feelings. Gently, patiently, let those feelings grow as you continue your meditation. If possible, have the sensations of joy be a source of biofeedback for your steadiness, encouraging you to continue to practice After the mediation, briefly reflect if there is a relationship between your daily behavior & the experience of joy during your meditation.

e) Reflection: How is your sense of well-being, when you are present in the moment?
Practices: Experiment with applying more mindfulness to your life. This can be done either by increasing the time in formal meditation practice or by applying more mindfulness during particular daily life activities; e.g. while brushing your teeth or doing the dishes. Notice whether your sense of contentment or well – being increases or decreases when you’re mindful.

9) Continue from last month of practice-.
When the awakening factors are present there is no room for the hindrances. The hindrances are absent. One simple way of understanding our practice is to nurture or let go-to release or let go of the hindrances and to strengthen or cultivate the awakening factors. It is possible to be mindful of the hindrances as an object of meditation Both in formal practice & daily life practice! This Month explore Joy & how it can be an arousing factor with slough & torpor or how it can become a hindrance of desire.
Recollect that the awakening factors point to freedom-free from greed, hatred, delusion-Experience that in clear moments when the hindrances are absent. Might be nano-seconds and those moments can begin to grow .Awakening is a verb, a process!

10) Please read daily, The Seven Factors of Awakening: Notice in sitting practice & daily life when any of the above states of heart or mind are present in your body, heart, and mind.

Mindfulness (sati)
Being aware of what is happening in the present moment
Investigation (dhamma-vicaya)
Investigation supported by wisdom.
Understands what are skillful/healthy/beneficial states of mind
and what are not.
Energy (viriya)-Diligence, effort.
Increased engagement with practice, especially freeing oneself from unskillful states.
Joy (piti)
Feeling of delight, rapture.
Touching that which is refreshing and beautiful, both within and without.
Arises when attention is absorbed
Tranquility (passaddhi)
Calming and stilling of body/ mind,
Ease, quietness of mind, relaxation
Concentration (samadhi)
The mind is focused, settled, steady and composed
The mind becomes unified around what we’re concentrating on,
one-pointedness of mind.
Equanimity (upekkha)
Balance, spaciousness, and non-reactivity of mind,
balance in the face of change, being aware of all phenomena w/o grasping or aversion
Sublime and extremely satisfying state of heart/mind

11) Please get to know, The Five Hindrances: Can you surround each with acceptance?

Sense-desire: wanting, lust or greed, craving-fantasy.
Aversion: ill will, hatred, anger, fear, boredom, annoyance, irritation, impatience, judging- guilt.
Sloth & torpor: sleepiness, sluggishness, dullness, fogginess, lack of vitality.
Restlessness and worry: anxiousness, agitation, nervousness, jumpiness.
Doubt: Uncertainty, self doubt, skeptical doubt, uncertainty/indecision
A Gentle Hindrance Hint: How did/do we relate when these Hindrances arise in meditation & in our daily life? The best way is to relate with skillfulness is to recognize, know what is happening in the present, to be mindful. Simply acknowledge the hindrance is that has arisen in this moment in your life, in your practice. If possible, touch them with your heart. To connect with tenderness or caring, to befriend the hindrance, do your best not to judge them.

Click here for a PDF of the home practices.

Seven Factors of Awakening –A Year Living These Treasures- Home practices #6
(Next class 7/12/24 at 6:00-8:30pm). HAVE FUN with these practices! Happy Summer!

1) Sit every day. Try sitting for a minimum of 15-30 minutes per day. (More if you are able) Practice your meditation in silence.

Start your sitting practice remembering your intention to be Mindful, the 1^st factor of awakening. Asking: “What is being know right now? Is Mindfulness present right now or not? (laugh if not). The 2^nd is investigation Asking: Is there interest & curiosity about your experience? Begin to understand what are wholesome/skillful states of mind & what are not.

This month, open to Joy-(Pali is Piti) the Fourth Factor of Awakening.

Piti is translated as joy or rapture and is the last of the uplifting or arousing factors. It’s an aliveness, joyful or rapt interest. It’s a state of happiness, delight, gladness of the heart in seeing truth clearly. The joy that comes out of being open to life as it is. In practice, we discover joy. There is a willingness to let go of concepts, agendas, ideas, conclusions of how we think things are for the knowing how things are and being in the present moment. To know things as they are, in the present, we can know joy, delight, contentment, and ease.
Remembering, to recognize joy, rapture for what it is: usually pleasurable in the body, delight in the mind, heightened interest- please see what is our relationship to it. Any clinging? This is mine or it has arisen in me? This is who I am? I am like this. I want this to continue? Now I know.? Or even if a sense of disappointment or longing arises when joy or rapture fades. Or an attempt to create the conditions again- walk a certain way, sit a certain way. Yikes- clinging and attachment- or our hindrance friend-Desire- Understanding all these states are impermanent, impersonal imperfect- insight- understanding what is the path and what is not.

Asking: Is there joy or rapt interest, right now or not? Is there a spark of joy-delight or not?

However, If joy feels like a stretch knowing that all these factors have a range of intensity- maybe simply noticing a sense of appreciation, or gratitude, or just connecting to what registers as pleasant can help us connect to the experience of rapt interest or joy.

2) Below are In reflections & practices for joy in daily life & formal meditation-Please choose & experiment with at least 2 of the following 5 Reflections & Practices

a) Reflections: What helps you feel ease, contentment or joy? What are the activities that most easily bring you joy? Is it some kind of physical activity? Are you more likely to feel joy when you are with others or when you are alone? Do you experience joy that is not dependent on any particular activity? If so, what conditions bring about that joy? How easy is it for you to be in touch with the sources for your joy? (from class)
Practices: At the end of each day reflect on when you felt the greatest sense of well-being, joy or contentment. Is there a rhythm of your sense of well-being on most days ; e.g. do you feel the most ease in the morning or evening ? Or does your sense of well-being depend mostly on the activities you’re doing? If possible, try meditating at different times in the day. Is there a time of day when you feel more of a sense of well being and ease in your meditation?

b) Reflections: How do you know when you have a sense of well-being, contentment or joy? Is it more of a physical sensation or a mental sensation for you? How is feeling joyful different than feeling ill-at ease or uncomfortable? What affect does joy have on you? What happens to your thinking & level of pre-occupation when you are joyful? (from class)
Practices: Spend more time than you normally would with activities that support a feeling of well-being or joy. Notice how your body feels when you feel content. Notice your mind & emotional state when you have this feeling. Is the feeling of joy consistent or does it fluctuate?

3) Continue this month of practice-.
When the awakening factors are present there is no room for the hindrances. The hindrances are absent. One simple way of understanding our practice is to nurture or let go-to release or let go of the hindrances and to strengthen or cultivate the awakening factors. It is possible to be mindful of the hindrances as an object of meditation Both in formal practice & daily life practice! This Month explore Joy & how it can be an arousing factor with slough & torpor or how it can become a hindrance of desire.
Recollect that the awakening factors point to freedom-free from greed, hatred, delusion- We can experience that in clear moments when the hindrances are absent. Might be nano-seconds and those moments can begin to grow .Awakening is a verb, a process!

4) Walking Meditation: Be Mindful when you are walking. Gently aware of the feet making contact with the ground. Take a moment to notice your surroundings. If outside, notice the sky.

5) Gratitude Practices: 3 things you are grateful for daily. Email or Text your buddies.

6) Pause Meditation: (Several times in your day)

7) Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s book, Factors For Awakening, https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/#FactorsforAwakening Please read pages 23-26

8) Please read daily, The Seven Factors of Awakening: Notice in sitting practice & daily life when any of the above states of heart or mind are present in your body, heart, and mind.
1. Mindfulness (sati)
Being aware of what is happening in the present moment
2. Investigation (dhamma-vicaya)
Investigation supported by wisdom.
Understands what are skillful/healthy/beneficial states of mind
and what are not.
3. Energy (viriya)-Diligence, effort.
Increased engagement with practice, especially freeing oneself from unskillful states.
4. Joy (piti)
Feeling of delight, rapture.
Touching that which is refreshing and beautiful, both within and without.
Arises when attention is absorbed
5. Tranquility (passaddhi)
Calming and stilling of body/ mind,
Ease, quietness of mind, relaxation
6. Concentration (samadhi)
The mind is focused, settled, steady and composed
The mind becomes unified around what we’re concentrating on,
one-pointedness of mind.
7. Equanimity (upekkha)
Balance, spaciousness, and non-reactivity of mind,
balance in the face of change, being aware of all phenomena w/o grasping or aversion
Sublime and extremely satisfying state of heart/mind

9) Please get to know, The Five Hindrances: Can you surround each with acceptance?

Sense-desire: wanting, lust or greed, craving-fantasy.
Aversion: ill will, hatred, anger, fear, boredom, annoyance, irritation, impatience, judging- guilt.
Sloth & torpor: sleepiness, sluggishness, dullness, fogginess, lack of vitality.
Restlessness and worry: anxiousness, agitation, nervousness, jumpiness.
Doubt: Uncertainty, self doubt, skeptical doubt, uncertainty/indecision
A Gentle Hindrance Hint: How did-do we relate when these Hindrances arise in meditation & in our daily life? The best way is to relate with skillfulness is to recognize, know what is happening in the present, to be mindful. Simply acknowledge the hindrance is that has arisen in this moment in your life, in your practice. If possible, touch them with your heart. To connect with tenderness or caring, to befriend the hindrance, do your best not to judge them.

Click here for a PDF of the home practices.

Seven Factors of Awakening –A Year Living These Treasures- Home practices #5
(Next class 6/14/24 at 6:00-8:30pm). HAVE FUN with these practices! Happy Spring!

1) Sit every day. Try sitting for a minimum of 15-30 minutes per day. (More if you are able) Practice your meditation in silence.

Start your sitting practice remembering your intention to be Mindful, the 1^st factor of awakening. Asking: “What is being know right now? Is Mindfulness present right now or not? (laugh if not). The 2^nd factor is investigation Asking: Is there interest & curiosity about your experience? Begin to understand what are wholesome/skillful states of mind & what are not.

“What is this?” or ”What is happening in this moment?

This month, open to Energy-(Pali is Viriya) the Third factor of Awakening.

Viriya is translated as energy, effort, strength, courage, vigor, perseverance & persistence. Energy is a sense of wakefulness, alertness, clarity. In the willingness to turn towards the present moment over & over again– the result is more energy. Energy Increases engagement with practice, especially cultivating wholesome, skillful, beneficial states & actions and letting go of unwholesome, unskillful states & actions. We are learning how to cultivate the skillful and learning how to abandon the habits that we get caught in that create suffering.
Remembering, it’s the energy-effort to turn toward our experience & allow, accept whatever our experience is. It is not the energy -effort to try & change anything, not the effort to attain anything in particular, not trying to become anyone. It’s the energy-To turn towards our experience, to sustain the energy, to see something different, something new-

Asking: Is there energy right now or not? “Is this suffering or not suffering? Is this wholesome or not wholesome?” Check and see, are you applying effort by striving or by relaxing? How do you know if you are applying the right amount of effort?** Too much, agitated? Restlessness? Not enough, sinking into sloth or torpor? Is it possible to come back into balance? Being present, neither too tight or too loose attention- OR…

**Reflect: Do you find that you are applying effort by striving or by softening, relaxing? How do you know if you are applying the right amount of effort? **Experiment with applying more effort in meditation. By mentally being alert & mindful of what is happening during the meditation or By sitting up straighter or by brisk walking meditation before sitting – If lying down raise your arm bending at the elbow, or your hand, or a finger. If applying more effort is agitating, try to match the increased effort with increased calm.

2) In daily life: The energy & effort of learning how to cultivate that which is skillful, wholesome — which means awareness, kindness, or caring for the world around you, or living more in the present and the energy, effort to abandon the habits, the fears of things that we get caught in that create suffering that keeps stuck, and the energy-effort to sustain them. This is a teaching that applies to our sitting & daily life;. Our life is made up of little activities, little habits, And we can begin to work with the way we drive our car, ride our bike, walk. The way that we relate to people at work, or the way we eat, what we choose to eat,— to make activities more conscious. To make our approach to daily life with greater mindfulness, awareness, attention, with more caring, kindness. Reflect: What are a few things in your own life that could benefit by bringing a little more of this energy, this effort- more attention? or the energy-effort to let go and abandon? What could you use in some way to wake up more, to awaken?

Please do your best with at least one of the following Reflections & Practices (a-c).

a) Reflections: How easy is it for you to stay with a task until it is completed? How do you relate to obstacles or difficulties that arise? Do you have the persistence to be with them? Do you work on tasks past a point of diminishing returns?
Practices: This week decide to complete a task that you have been intending to do, but haven’t. Notice your energy level when you think about doing this task, when you’re about to begin the task, while you’re doing the task & after you’ve completed the task. When did you feel the most energetic? Which part required the most energy? Did any give you energy? How might this affect your practice?

b) Reflections: Which requires more energy for you- releasing or acquiring? Which gives you more energy – releasing or acquiring? How does this affect your meditation practice? How does this affect the quality of your life?
Practices: This week decide to let go of an object or a habit that you believe hinders your meditation practice. It doesn’t have to be a big item or habit, but a meaningful one. Notice your energy level as you contemplate letting go of this item, as you let go and after letting go. What took the most energy? Which step gave you the most energy?

c) Reflections: In the list of the Seven Factors or Awakening, energy is listed after investigation & before joy. Why do you think this is? Do you experience a relationship between investigation and energy? Do you experience a relationship between energy and joy?
Practices: Explore or study something that is interesting to you. It could be as simply as looking something up in Google or Wikipedia, or talking to an “expert” about something you’ve been curious about. While investigating, notice your energy level & your sense of well-being. Have they increased or decreased since you’ve started investigating? During the week, pay attention if a sense of well-being arises. How is your energy level when you have a sense of well-being?

3) Continue this month of practice-.
When the awakening factors are present there is no room for the hindrances. The hindrances are absent. One simple way of understanding our practice is to nurture or let go-to release or let go, of the hindrances and to strengthen or cultivate the awakening factors. It is possible to be mindful of the hindrances as an object of meditation Both in formal practice & daily life practice! This Month explore energy & Restlessness & sloth or torpor.
Recollect that the awakening factors point to freedom-free from greed, hatred, delusion- We can experience that in clear moments when the hindrances are absent. Might be nano-seconds and those moments can begin to grow .Awakening is a verb, a process!

Hindrance Hint: If a hindrance arises- get to know it And If what is arising is too difficult in this moment-open to your anchor or the 3 E’s- eyebrows, earlobe, elbow. Sometimes it is skillful when something is very strong to put it aside, especially if you’re willing to open to it when there is more steadiness of heart & mind. Requires patience.

4) Walking Meditation: Be Mindful when you are walking. Gently aware of the feet making contact with the ground.

5) Gratitude Practices: 3 things you are grateful for daily. Email or Text your buddies.

6) Pause Meditation: (Several times in your day)

7) Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s book, Factors For Awakening, https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/#FactorsforAwakening Please read pages 18-22

8) Please read daily, The Seven Factors of Awakening: Notice in sitting practice & daily life when any of the above states of heart or mind are present in your body, heart, and mind.

Mindfulness (sati)
Being aware of what is happening in the present moment
Investigation (dhamma-vicaya)
Investigation supported by wisdom.
Understands what are skillful/healthy/beneficial states of mind
and what are not.
Energy (viriya)-Diligence, effort.
Increased engagement with practice, especially freeing oneself from unskillful states.
Joy (piti)
Feeling of delight, rapture.
Touching that which is refreshing and beautiful, both within and without.
Arises when attention is absorbed
Tranquility (passaddhi)
Calming and stilling of body/ mind,
Ease, quietness of mind, relaxation
Concentration (samadhi)
The mind is focused, settled, steady and composed
The mind becomes unified around what we’re concentrating on,
one-pointedness of mind.
Equanimity (upekkha)
Balance, spaciousness, and non-reactivity of mind,
balance in the face of change, being aware of all phenomena w/o grasping or aversion
Sublime and extremely satisfying state of heart/mind

8) Please get to know, The Five Hindrances: Can you surround each with acceptance?

Sense-desire: wanting, lust or greed, craving-fantasy.
Aversion: ill will, hatred, anger, fear, boredom, annoyance, irritation, impatience, judging- guilt.
Sloth & torpor: sleepiness, sluggishness, dullness, fogginess, lack of vitality.
Restlessness and worry: anxiousness, agitation, nervousness, jumpiness.
Doubt: Uncertainty, self doubt, skeptical doubt, uncertainty/indecision
A Gentle Hindrance Hint: How did-do we relate when these Hindrances arise in meditation & in our daily life? The best way is to relate with skillfulness is to recognize, know what is happening in the present, to be mindful. Simply acknowledge the hindrance is that has arisen in this moment in your life, in your practice. If possible, touch them with your heart. To connect with tenderness or caring, to befriend the hindrance, do your best not to judge them.

Click here for a PDF of the home practices.

Seven Factors of Awakening –A Year Living These Treasures- Home practices #4
(Next class 5/10/24 at 6:00-8:30pm). HAVE FUN with these practices!

1) Sit every day. Try sitting for a minimum of 15-30 minutes per day. (More if you are able) Practice your meditation in silence.

Start your sitting practice remembering your intention to be Mindful, the first factor

of awakening. Asking: “What is being know right now? Is Mindfulness present right now or not? (laugh if not) Is it possible to connect with any quality of Mindfulness? Or to notice how the mind feels, when mindfulness is present. Get to know a sense of awareness, alertness, presence, or even a subtly pleasant quality of mindfulness.

This month, open to Investigation, the second factor of Awakening.
Investigation allows us to look at our experience in a very fresh, inquiring way-it’s being with our experience with openness. Investigation has to do with a silent inquiry of our experience- We are not analyzing or trying to fix anything, or trying to figure it out- Instead we are learning what’s wholesome, skillful, beneficial (kusala-)& what is not (Akusala) **More info on investigation at the end of home practices

Asking: Is there interest and curiosity about your experience? Asking the question itself is a form of investigation. Helps us not to assume that things are a certain way-not to draw conclusions without inquiring if they are true.

Technically this factor is known as investigation of Dharma’s – the 3 characteristics of all experiences- Knowing Impermanence– that everything changes–
Knowing Imperfect– experience is unsatisfactory, often we are discontented –we want more, or afraid of losing it, or don’t like it so we push away, or neutral- space out- just not satisfied Knowing impersonal—not self -it doesn’t belong to me, I am not in control of it. These 3 help us to release whatever the clinging is. Investigation discerns & illuminates the truth through discriminating wisdom-Knowing what’s what. Is there interest & curiosity, about your experience, right now or not? Begin to understand what are wholesome/skillful states of mind & what are not. It’s like we are turning on a light in a dark room & seeing clearly. Investigation can be understood as turning on the question, “What is this?” or ”What is happening? & letting the light of that question reveal the particulars of the present moment experience. (also see how we react to what is happening)

2) Continue this month of practice-. (Investigation can counter the hindrance of doubt)
When the awakening factors are present there is no room for the hindrances. The hindrances are absent. One simple way of understanding our practice is to nurture or let go-to release or let go, of the hindrances and to strengthen or cultivate the awakening factors. It is possible to be mindful of the hindrances as an object of meditation Both in formal practice & daily life practice! Recollect that the awakening factors point to freedom-free from greed, hatred, delusion- We can experience that in clear moments when the hindrances are absent. Might be nano-seconds and those moments can begin to grow .Awakening is a verb, a process!

3) Walking Meditation: Be Mindful when you are walking. Gently aware of the feet making contact with the ground.

4) Gratitude Practices: 3 things you are grateful for daily. Email or Text your buddies.

5) Pause Meditation: (Several times in your day)

6) Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s book, Factors For Awakening, https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/#FactorsforAwakening Please read pages 13-17

7) Please read daily, The Seven Factors of Awakening: Notice in sitting practice & daily life when any of the above states of heart or mind are present in your body, heart, and mind.
1. Mindfulness (sati)
Being aware of what is happening in the present moment
2. Investigation (dhamma-vicaya)
Investigation supported by wisdom.
Understands what are skillful/healthy/beneficial states of mind
and what are not.
3. Energy (viriya)-Diligence, effort.
Increased engagement with practice, especially freeing oneself from unskillful states.
4. Joy (piti)
Feeling of delight, rapture.
Touching that which is refreshing and beautiful, both within and without.
Arises when attention is absorbed
5. Tranquility (passaddhi)
Calming and stilling of body/ mind,
Ease, quietness of mind, relaxation
6. Concentration (samadhi)
The mind is focused, settled, steady and composed
The mind becomes unified around what we’re concentrating on,
one-pointedness of mind.
7. Equanimity (upekkha)
Balance, spaciousness, and non-reactivity of mind,
balance in the face of change, being aware of all phenomena w/o grasping or aversion
Sublime and extremely satisfying state of heart/mind

8) Please get to know, The Five Hindrances: Can you surround each with acceptance?

Sense-desire: wanting, lust or greed, craving-fantasy.
Aversion: ill will, hatred, anger, fear, boredom, annoyance, irritation, impatience, judging- guilt.
Sloth & torpor: sleepiness, sluggishness, dullness, fogginess, lack of vitality.
Restlessness and worry: anxiousness, agitation, nervousness, jumpiness.
Doubt: Uncertainty, self doubt, skeptical doubt, uncertainty/indecision
A Gentle Hindrance Hint: How did-do we relate when these Hindrances arise in meditation & in our daily life? The best way is to relate with skillfulness is to recognize, know what is happening in the present, to be mindful. Simply acknowledge the hindrance is that has arisen in this moment in your life, in your practice. If possible, touch them with your heart. To connect with tenderness or caring, to befriend the hindrance, do your best not to judge them.

9) **More on Investigation: Investigation is awakening from ignorance. It is the wisdom factor of the mind, the investigation of truth. This factor discerns & illuminates the truth by discriminating wisdom. It distinguishing between what is skillful to the development of our practice & what is not. We discern to abandon the unwholesome & to cultivate the wholesome. We can choose to cultivate the wholesome & let go of the unwholesome. Example: If you feel an inclination to be generous, you can choose to water the seeds of generosity by following through on that inclination. Or you may be able to distinguish mean-spirited feelings & choose to let them go.
Questions to explore:

Is this experience/action skillful or unskillful? Unskillful actions stem from desire, aversion, delusion. Skillful actions are rooted in generosity, compassion, loving-kindness. This can be our moral compass.
Is this a habit pattern, a tendency?
Are you taking this personally?
Do you understand the nature of thought?

Click here for a PDF of the home practices.

Seven Factors of Awakening –A Year Living These Treasures- Home practices #3
(Next class 4/12/24 at 6:00-8:30pm) . HAVE FUN with these practices!

As you begin this month of practice- Get to know the reciprocal relationship between the 5 hindrances and the 7 factors of Awakening. When any of the Hindrances are present, by definition the awakening factors are absent. The opposite is also true. When the awakening factors are present there is no room for the hindrances. The hindrances are absent. One simple way of understanding our practice is to nurture or let go-to release or let go, of the hindrances and to strengthen or cultivate the awakening factors. It is possible to be mindful of the hindrances as an object of meditation Both in formal practice & daily life practice!

Recollect that the awakening factors point to freedom-free from greed, hatred, delusion- We can experience that in clear moments when the hindrances are absent. Might be nano-seconds and those moments can begin to grow .Ahh..Awakening is a verb, a process!

1) Sit every day. Try sitting for a minimum of 15-30 minutes per day. (more if you are able) Please practice your meditation in silence. Experiment with not using apps.

Recollect: Mindfulness helps us to see things as they are. Mindfulness deconditions the mind. In practice, we are meeting our past, our conditioning, our habits, tendencies-With Mindfulness we are meeting our conditioning & we are letting go. We are not reinforcing that which led to sorrow, agitation, worry, fear- instead nourishing awakening- Every moment of Mindfulness is a moment of awakening.
Start your sitting practice remembering your intention to be Mindful, the first factor

of awakening. Ask: “What is being know right now? Is Mindfulness present right now or not? (laugh if not) Is it possible to connect with any quality of Mindfulness? Any foundation of Mindfulness? With Mindfulness, begin to notice how the mind feels, when mindfulness is present. Perhaps, in getting to know a sense of awareness, alertness, presence, you might recognize a subtly pleasant quality of mindfulness. HINT: If a Hindrance arises- get to know it And If what is arising is too difficult in this moment-open to your anchor or the 3 E’s- eyebrows, earlobe, elbow. Sometimes it is skillful when something is very strong to put it aside, especially if you’re willing to come back to it when there is more steadinesses of heart and mind. It requires patience.

2) Walking Meditation: Be Mindful when you are walking. Gently aware of the feet making contact with the ground.

3) Gratitude Practices: Write down, 3 things you are grateful for each day. Can be anything. Email or Text them to your buddies.

4) Pause Meditation: (Several times in your day)

Simply Pause
Feel your feet on the floor
Shift into relaxation-Soften muscles where you feel tension-
Notice how the body feels,
Widen attention over the entire body — Inhabit the body-
Pay attention as if listening to body- and float the question, “What is happening right now?”
Listen for the answer and let it go. Feel your feet on the floor.

5) Continue to Practice your Mindful activity of add another one in – Just pick an activity that you engage in daily—a simple, routine activity. Commit to integrating mindfulness into that activity every day. Such as: brushing one’s teeth, taking a shower, driving, standing, eating, walking, (up & down stairs), lying down, etc.

6) Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s book, Factors For Awakening, https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/#FactorsforAwakening Please read the chapter, pages 1-8 and Mindfulness 9-12 (if you haven’t already!)

7) Please read daily, The Seven Factors of Awakening: Notice in sitting practice & daily life when any of the above states of heart or mind are present in your body, heart, mind.

Mindfulness (sati)
Being aware of what is happening in the present moment
Investigation (dhamma-vicaya)
Investigation supported by wisdom.
Understands what are skillful/healthy/beneficial states of mind
And what are not.
Energy (viriya)-Diligence, effort.
Increased engagement with practice, especially freeing oneself from unskillful states.
Joy (piti)
Feeling of delight, rapture.
Touching that which is refreshing and beautiful, both within and without.
Arises when attention is absorbed
Tranquility (passaddhi)
Calming and stilling of body/ mind,
Ease, quietness of mind, relaxation
Concentration (samadhi)
The mind is focused, settled, steady and composed
The mind becomes unified around what we’re concentrating on,
one-pointedness of mind.
Equanimity (upekkha)
Balance, spaciousness, and non-reactivity of mind,
balance in the face of change, being aware of all phenomena w/o grasping or aversion
Sublime and extremely satisfying state of heart/mind

8) Please get to know, The Five Hindrances:

Sense-desire: wanting, lust or greed, craving-fantasy.
Aversion: ill will, hatred, anger, fear, boredom, annoyance, irritation, impatience, judging- guilt.
Sloth & torpor: sleepiness, sluggishness, dullness, fogginess, lack of vitality.
Restlessness and worry: anxiousness, agitation, nervousness, jumpiness.
Doubt: Uncertainty, self doubt, skeptical doubt, uncertainty/indecision
A Gentle Hindrance Hint: How did-do we relate when these Hindrances arise in meditation & in our daily life? The best way is to relate with skillfulness is to recognize, know what is happening in the present, to be mindful. Simply acknowledge the hindrance is that has arisen in this moment in your life, in your practice. If possible, touch them with your heart. To connect with tenderness or caring, to befriend the hindrance, do your best not to judge them.

Click here for a PDF of the home practices.

Home Practices #2

***(Next class 3/8/24 at 6:00-8:30pm)

HAVE FUN with these practices!

Get to know the preciousness of this life, of this moment

1) Sit every day. Try sitting for a minimum of 15-30 minutes per day. (more if you are able) Please practice your meditation in silence. Experiment with not using apps.
Start your sitting practice by calling to mind the qualities of Mindfulness:
Not forgetting what is before the mind in the present moment,
Presence of mind is standing near,
Remembering what is skillful, beneficial and what is not,
Close association with Wisdom through attention and clear comprehension. Listen to and be Mindful of whatever presents itself.
Also be Aware of any of the 4 Foundations of Mindfulness:
The body and it’s sensations (Sitting-touch points, sounds breathing) Or
The feeling tone, texture of your experience (Pleasant, Unpleasant, Neutral) Or
The condition of the mind clarity, alertness, quietness, busyness, greedy or not greedy, angry or not angry, deluded, confused or clear and stable OR an activity of the mind thinking about past of future, OR
Mindfulness of the Dhammas or Laws of Nature-Any Factor of awakening* arising or any hindrance* arising. (*see end of home practices for the lists of them) You can also simply sustain a present moment attentiveness- to know what your experience is.
Ask: “What is being know right now? Is Mindfulness present right now or not? (laugh if not) Ask, “How can I connect with this quality of Mindfulness?”

2) Walking Meditation: Be Mindful when you are walking. Gently be aware of the feet making contact with the ground.

3) Gratitude Practices: Write down, 3 things you are grateful for each day. Can be anything. Email them and if you all prefer to Text –exchange text info via e-mail and text your 3 gratitude’s daily. They can be 3 words or a phrase or a sentence.

4) Buddies and Groups: Make contact with you buddies. Decide how you will work together, what day & time you will meet, how frequently (could be monthly, once a month, twice a month, every week) Decide zoom, phone call, etc. Take time to discuss the practices you practiced in this second home practice sheet. If you don’t have a group, please let CIMC office know.

5) Practice the Mindful activity you wrote in the chat- Just one that you engage in daily—a simple, routine activity. Commit to integrating mindfulness into that activity every day. Such as: brushing one’s teeth, taking a shower, driving, standing, eating, walking, (up & down stairs), lying down, etc. This activity is designed to help bring mindfulness into your daily life.

6) Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s book, Factors For Awakening, will be our shared text. https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/#FactorsforAwakening Please read the chapter, Factors For Awakening pages 1-8 and Mindfulness 9-12

First Home practice:

7) Please read daily, silently or out loud, The Seven Factors of Awakening:

Mindfulness (sati)
Being aware of what is happening in the present moment
2. Investigation (dhamma-vicaya)
Investigation supported by wisdom.
Understands what are skillful/healthy/beneficial states of mind
And what are not.
3. Energy (viriya)-Diligence, effort.
Increased engagement with practice, especially freeing oneself from unskillful states.
4. Joy (piti)
Feeling of delight, rapture.
Touching that which is refreshing and beautiful, both within and without.
Arises when attention is absorbed
5. Tranquility (passaddhi)
Calming and stilling of body/ mind,
Ease, quietness of mind, relaxation
6. Concentration (samadhi)
The mind is focused, settled, steady and composed
The mind becomes unified around what we’re concentrating on,
one-pointedness of mind.
7. Equanimity (upekkha)
Balance, spaciousness, and non-reactivity of mind,
balance in the face of change, being aware of all phenomena w/o grasping or aversion
Sublime and extremely satisfying state of heart/mind

8) Notice in sitting practice and daily life when: (Please be gentle with this exercise. We are starting slowly.

any of the above states of heart or mind are present in your body, heart, mind. Even for a moment.
any of the above they are not present even for a moment.

9) Please read daily, silently or out loud, The Five Hindrances:

Sense-desire: wanting, lust or greed, craving-fantasy.
Aversion: ill will, hatred, anger, fear, boredom, annoyance, irritation, impatience, judging-mind, guilt.
Sloth & torpor: sleepiness, sluggishness, dullness, fogginess, lack of vitality.
Restlessness and worry: anxiousness, agitation, nervousness, jumpiness.
Doubt: Uncertainty, self doubt, skeptical doubt, uncertainty/indecision

A Gentle Hindrance Hint: How did-do we relate when these Hindrances arise in meditation & in our daily life? The best way is to relate with skillfulness is to recognize, know what is happening in the present, to be mindful. Simply acknowledge what the hindrance is that has arisen in this moment in your life, in your practice. If possible, touch them with your heart. To connect with tenderness or caring, to befriend the hindrance, do your best not to judge them.

Click here for a PDF of the home practices.

Home Practices #1

***(Next class 2/9/24 at 6:00-8:30pm)

1) Sit every day. Try sitting for a minimum of 15-30 minutes per day. (more if you are able) Please practice your meditation in silence. (Newer to practice 10 minutes a day– & check out CIMC”S Beginner Drop-in, Beginners workshop, Way of Awareness.)

2) Gratitude Practices: Write down, 3 things you are grateful for each day. Can be anything. When Buddies are assigned: Email them and if you all prefer to Text –exchange text info via e-mail and text your 3 gratitude’s daily. They can be 3 words or a phrase or a sentence. (More buddy info in next class)

3) Setting A Year Long Intention, Vow, Dedication: Finish writing your year long intention, vow, dedication. (What is my motivation in the Seven Factors of Awakening-A Year of Living these Treasures? What is my aspiration in life? What is my intention/vow right now?) Then put it someplace where you keep special things. Then, as you go through the year, let it be your compass, your underlying direction, in spite of changing outer circumstances. Let it carry you.

4) Please read daily, silently or out loud, The Seven Factors of Awakening:

Mindfulness (sati)
Being aware of what is happening in the present moment
Investigation (dhamma-vicaya)
Investigation supported by wisdom.
Understands what are skillful/healthy/beneficial states of mind
And what are not.
Energy (viriya)-Diligence, effort.
Increased engagement with practice, especially freeing oneself from unskillful states.
4. Joy (piti)
Feeling of delight, rapture.
Touching that which is refreshing and beautiful, both within and without.
Arises when attention is absorbed
Tranquility (passaddhi)
Calming and stilling of body/ mind,
Ease, quietness of mind, relaxation
Concentration (samadhi)
The mind is focused, settled, steady and composed
The mind becomes unified around what we’re concentrating on,
one-pointedness of mind.
Equanimity (upekkha)
Balance, spaciousness, and non-reactivity of mind,
balance in the face of change, being aware of all phenomena w/o grasping or aversion
Sublime and extremely satisfying state of heart/mind

5) Notice in sitting practice and daily life when:

any of the above states of heart or mind are present in your body, heart, mind. Even for a moment.
any of the above they are not present even for a moment.
Please be gentle with this exercise. We are starting slowly.

6) Please read daily, silently or out loud, The Five Hindrances:

Sense-desire: wanting, lust or greed, craving-fantasy.
Aversion: ill will, hatred, anger, fear, boredom, annoyance, irritation, impatience, judging-mind, guilt.
Sloth & torpor: sleepiness, sluggishness, dullness, fogginess, lack of vitality.
Restlessness and worry: anxiousness, agitation, nervousness, jumpiness.
Doubt: Uncertainty, self doubt, skeptical doubt, uncertainty/indecision

HAVE FUN!!

7) Book & Guidelines: No reading this month Factors For Awakening – (for those who want a book) It can be found online here (in HTML, PDF, epub, mobi,etc.)

8) Agreed upon Guidelines for Yearlong Program. Practicing the ways below, together, every month can support us in our everyday lives thru noticing our immediate reactions. Remembering that we have an opportunity to pause, check in, & choose how we respond.

Show up. Pay Attention. Speak your truth without blame or judgment. Let go of outcome and be open to outcome.
All perspectives are welcome here. Notice your reaction to what is shared and have that be your practice in that moment.
Everything we do here is voluntary. It is a courageous & generous act to share. It is a compassionate & generous act to deeply listen.
Speak about what’s alive for you in this moment from your heart, your own experience, refrain from intellectual or philosophical sharing or long story telling, notice if may be judging or blaming another’s perspective. Is it possible to talk from a place of kindness and love?
Notice what arises as you speak. Are we in touch with what is true and alive or we wanting to impress, to feel important, to be liked?
Listen deeply; notice what arises within you as you listen. Where do we go when someone says something we agree with? When we hear something that triggers us?
Please be lean of expression, meaning be mindful to stay on point vs. going tangential. We are a large group, and it would be good to hear from as many voices as possible. WAIT “Why Am I Talking?”
If you’ve already spoken, think twice before choosing to speak again as it would be good to hear from those who have not yet
Please refrain from offering advice unless it is specifically solicited or unless you ask the person’s permission.
Please honor confidentiality. If you need to share with others out-side of this circle, please share from your own direct experience not that of other members in the sangha.-community

The next two were added from the workshop-chat ( I changed the second one to fit the program)

Assume best intention from others.
Share the learning you understood from the teachings & practices, not the personal story.

HOME PRACTICE for September 10, 2024 Elders Sangha

Books:

The Magnanimous Heart: Compassion and Love, Loss and Grief, Joy and Liberation by Narayan Helen Liebenson
Awakening Through Love: Unveiling Your Deepest Goodness by John Makransky

Other suggested reading:

The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions by Christopher K. Germer
Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive by Dr. Kristin Neff
Compassion by Christina Feldman

Suggested programs:

Cambridgeinsight.org: The Magnanimous Heart: Loss and Grief, Love and Compassion, Joy and Liberation (hybrid: online) with Narayan Helen Liebenson Saturday, September 28 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
sustainablecompassion.org Meditations to access unconditional qualities of love, compassion, and wisdom. Sustainable Compassion Training supports people in caring roles and professions, modern Buddhists, and people of other spiritual traditions who want to access a power of unconditional love, compassion and wisdom for living, service and action.

HOME PRACTICE for May 28, 2024 Elders Sangha

We picked up on the theme of gentleness and kindness in our practice, which was sounded during the last session in the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, who always reminded us that happiness was close at hand by touching the present moment with our mindfulness.

We introduced this poem, or Vajra Song, which Larry Rosenberg would often hand out near the end of his 9-day IMS retreats as a reminder to release our grasping and relax our striving.

“Free and Easy” – A Spontaneous Vajra Song
by Venerable Lama Gendun Rinpoche

Happiness cannot be found through
great effort and willpower,
but is already present,
in open relaxation and letting go.

Don’t strain yourself,
there is nothing to do or undo.
Whatever momentarily arises
in the body-mind
Has no real importance at all,
has little reality whatsoever.
Why identify with,
And become attached to it,
Passing Judgment upon it and ourselves?

Far better to simply
let the entire game happen on its own,
springing up and falling back like waves
without changing or manipulating anything
and notice how everything
vanishes and reappears, magically,
Again and again, time without end.

Only our searching for happiness
prevents us from seeing it.
It’s like a vivid rainbow which you pursue
without ever catching,
or a dog chasing it’s own tail.

Although peace and happiness
do not exist as an actual thing or place,
it is always available
and accompanies you every instant.

Don’t believe in the reality
of good and bad experiences;
they are today’s ephemeral weather,
like rainbows in the sky.

Wanting to grasp the ungraspable,
you exhaust yourself in vain.
As soon as you open and relax
this tight fist of grasping,
infinite space is there –
open, inviting and comfortable.

Make use of this spaciousness, this
freedom and natural ease.
Don’t search any further
looking for the great awakened elephant,
who is already resting quietly at home
in front of your own hearth.

Nothing to do or undo,
nothing to force,
nothing to want,
And nothing missing.

Emaho! Marvelous!
Everything happens by itself.

HOME PRACTICE for May 15, 2024

Why do I meditate? What calls me to sit? Does Meditation help me to manage suffering?

Thich Naht Hanh in Tricycle (June 28, 2017) talks about the energy of mindfulness helping us to no longer be afraid of being overwhelmed by the energy of suffering.

Mindfulness can be defined as learning to bring our attention to the present moment and seeing what arises, without judgment or bias. Paying attention to exactly what is, and being able to be with what arises from that seeing.

Meditating is a training ground for mindfulness. We learn it on the cushion, and slowly move it into a way of life, off the cushion.

Pema Chodron, in The Wisdom of No Escape, talks about three qualities we can cultivate, in our mindfulness meditation, and in our living a mindful life. They are precision, gentleness, and the ability to let go.

Precision – to see clearly ourselves and our world, with honesty.

Gentleness – to incline ourselves, our attitude, to gentleness, relaxation. No critic.

Letting go – to notice our mind is telling a story, is part of the narrative, and let it go.

We soften ourselves, our attention, our breath, with precision and gentleness. We learn to befriend ourselves. By befriending ourselves, we can befriend the world.

Sebene Salassie: “Our practice is our whole life. It’s not about the fifteen or thirty minutes on the cushion; it’s about seeing how much presence, awareness, kindness, joy, and freedom we’re bringing to each moment.”

Things to ponder:

Why do you meditate? Do you feel that you can take your mindfulness off the cushion and into your daily life?

Do the terms “precision, gentleness, and letting go” resonate with anything you’re experiencing or have experienced – in your meditation practice or in your life? Or conversely, are any of the terms off-putting or simply don’t work for you?

Poem by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, called “With Astonishing Tenderness.”

When, in the middle of the night,
you wake with the certainty you’ve
done it all wrong, when you wake
and see clearly all the places you’ve failed,
in that moment, when dreams will not return,
this is the chance for your softest voice—
the one you reserve for those you love most—
to say to you quietly, oh sweetheart,
this is not yet the end of the story.
Sleep will not come, but somehow,
in that wide awake moment there is peace—
the kind of peace that does not need
everything to be right before it arrives.
The peace that comes from not fighting
what is real. The peace that rises
in the dark on its sure dark wings
to meet you exactly as you are.

Practice and Compassion

There are times when things seem to fall apart, times we need to remember our practice, and compassion. It’s often useful to remember the Buddha’s First Noble Truth – There is suffering. And that all is impermanent, one of the Buddha’s Three marks of existence. And the Five Recollections: We age, we can get ill, we will die, we will know loss, my actions are my only true belongings.

We seem to suffer most when we are attached to the way things are, when we are full of aversion to change, to impermanence.

From Tricycle, Cultivating Courage (intro, Feb 8, 2024):

We must become brave in the face of all we fear. The Buddha as an embodiment of Compassionate Courage. We must learn to not turn away. To stay present. To meet every challenge and difficulty with compassion…. That courage isn’t about battling our demons so much as it is about dropping our armor – opening our hearts to embrace all of our experience.

Pema Chodron’s book – When Things Fall Apart. She talks how the practice of metta, and of compassion, can create a steadiness and peace, that is independent of condition. And as we steady and ground ourselves, we offer it to others.

Which requires Attention, Intention, and Effort, to support this steadiness.

From Pema: We need room for it all, the entire gamut of our feelings, of life. We are vulnerable, we are tender, and we can touch in on that vulnerability, that tenderness. We can hold ourselves with compassion.

What is compassion? From Sharon Salzberg: “Compassion is known in Buddhist teaching as the quivering of the heart in response to pain or suffering.” Which requires bearing witness, to our pain and the pain of others. Even when it feels unbearable. We can offer kindness rather than withdraw.

Things to ponder:

What does compassion mean to you? Self-compassion? Compassion for others.

When compassion feels too hard, how might you use practice and sangha to help?

Allow – Danna Faulds

There is no controlling life.
Try corralling a lightning bolt, containing a tornado.
Dam a stream and it will create a new channel.
Resist, and the tide will sweep you off your feet.
Allow, and grace will carry you to higher ground.
The only safety lies in letting it all in —
the wild and weak —
fear, fantasies, failures, and success.

When loss rips off the doors of the heart
or sadness veils your vision with despair,
practice becomes simply bearing the truth.
In the choice to let go of your known way of being,
the whole world is revealed to your new eyes.

2/13/24

We talked about viewing things in new ways. For example Sayadaw U Tejaniya says the mind “never wanders, where would it go?”.
Even though we have all used that language of the ‘wandering mind’, since it feels experientially true, U Tejaniya says that the mind is merely becoming absorbing into our thinking instead of absorbing into our breath, body sensations, or whatever object we originally chose. Does using that language give us a different perspective?

Another example is the wonderful way that Thich Nhat Hanh has used language to describe the steps of meditation practice. This video, called “Stop Running,” which was mentioned in our session, is a wonderful example of using the word “stopping’ to describe the practices of calming the mind, traditionally called Samatha practice.

Also mentioned was this technique, called the Six R’s, that describes the steps of coming back from the “wandering mind” or the “mind absorbed in thinking” when this inevitably happens:

Six R’s – Ven. Vimalaramsi

Recognize – What we are attending to: A plan, scheduling, a memory, a fantasy, a brilliant idea?
Release – the energy around thinking about that now. It can be done later.
Relax – Any tension in the body that resulted from the thinking
Re-smile – Came back to resting in the present moment
Reconnect – your attention to the breath or your meditation object
Resume – wash, rinse, repeat!

Refuge and Sangha

Traditional Buddhist Precepts ceremony: Taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha.

Sangha as a refuge, a way to be connected, be supported, a way to offer support to others.

Thich Nhat Hanh: “Members of your sangha may be your child, your partner, and a beautiful path in the woods. The blue sky and beautiful trees are also members of your sangha.” (Tricycle, The Next Buddha may be a Sangha, Jan 22, 2023)

Sangha as an essential part of our practice; it can hold us, make a container for us.

Thich Nhat Hanh: “The next Buddha may take the form of a community, a community practicing mindful living. And the practice can be carried out as a group, as a city, as a nation.” (Tricycle, Jan 22, 2023)

Zen Peacemaker’s Order, Three Tenets: Not Knowing, Bearing Witness, Loving Action.

In Sangha, we bear witness to others; they bear witness to us.

As elders, we can be held, and we can hold others. Sharing the wisdom of aging.

Larry Rosenberg: Our Practice is the Practice of Intimacy. Intimacy with ourselves, with others, with the present moment. (CIMC Newsletter Jan 31, 2023; Mar 3, 2023.)

In Sangha, we can be reminded of our own Buddha nature.

Thich Nhat Hanh poem, from (from “Call me by My True Names – The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh”, Parallax Press, 2005.)

You are me and I am you.

Isn’t obvious that we inter-are?

You cultivate the flower in yourself

so that I will be beautiful.

I transform the garbage in myself

so that you don’t have to suffer.

I support you – you support me.

I am here to bring you peace,

you are here to bring me joy.

November 28, 2023

We discussed using the Four Noble Truths as a daily refuge and actual framework for exploring stress, (Dukkha), and the cessation of Dukkha, in other words, as a practice instead of a view.

Readings from a wonderful little book from Ajahn Sumedho were discussed.

Here is the link to download a free copy of his revised book on the Four Noble Truths. This site is a rich treasure of Dharma writings and talks from Ajahn Sumedho and the other U.K. forest sangha.

November 14, 2023

Intentions, Effort, and Hooks.

We have intentions, aspirations, things we wish to do, ways we wish to be. This is often hard, especially in times of inner and outer distress, of high emotion. We need effort, often, to stay true to these intentions, to help us to make them manifest. And so we work with Wise Intention and Wise Effort, path factors on the Eightfold Path.

How do I use my practice to support my intention? How can my practice help me to notice what I’m doing, where I’m distracting myself from my intention? We come back to the breath, to our body. We come back to attention, noticing what is attracting us, what we’re pushing away. And being with that, accepting even our resistance.

From the early suttas:

Wise Intention: Whatever you intend, whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will become the basis on which your mind is established. (SN 12.40)

Wise Effort: And when we notice our tendency is towards the not-so-skillful, or the non-beneficial, we need to Rouse the will, make an effort, stir up energy, exert our mind, and strive. (MN 141)

From Pema Chodron –

Don’t Bite the Hook (audiobook).

“How we get hooked, and how we can unhooked.” (Lion’s Roar, Jan 13, 2023).

Shenpa, the urge, the hook, that triggers us into tightening, into contraction, into habit. How can we not get hooked? We use effort to remember our practice of being with what is. With effort, we practice not contracting; by accepting that realities of impermanence and change.

By noticing, and accepting, we create space, and allow for possibility of not biting that hook. The global hook; personal hook. Both so important. We practice being with what is, seeing how we might be resisting, and loosening into the reality of what is.

We use our practice to not get hooked, to remember our intentions, and to use our effort to come back to the breath, to our body, to our wholeness. And just be, right here, right now.

—

The CIMC Sangha Life Committee (SLC) is a group that represents different sanghas of the CIMC community. See more about them on the CIMC website:

https://cambridgeinsight.org/our-community/sangha-life-committee/

Kathy Holmes represents the Elders Sangha on the SLC. She invites any of the Elders Sangha who have questions or concerns, or are simply curious, to contact her via email. Please include “Elders” in the subject line. kholmes45@gmail.com

Adrift (Mark Nepo)

Everything is beautiful and I am so sad.

This is how the heart makes a duet of

wonder and grief. The light spraying

through the lace of the fern is as delicate

as the fibers of memory forming their web

around the knot in my throat. The breeze

makes the birds move from branch to branch

as this ache makes me look for those I’ve lost

in the next room, in the next song, in the laugh

of the next stranger. In the very center, under

it all, what we have that no one can take

away and all that we’ve lost face each other.

It is there that I’m adrift, feeling punctured

by a holiness that exists inside everything.

I am so sad and everything is beautiful.

She Let Go (Rev Safire Rose)

She let go.

She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of the fear.

She let go of the judgments.

She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.

She let go of the committee of indecision within her.

She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons.

Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice.

She didn’t read a book on how to let go.

She didn’t search the scriptures.

She just let go.

She let go of all of the memories that held her back.

She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.

She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go.

She didn’t journal about it.

She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer.

She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.

She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.

She just let go.

She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.

She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.

She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.

She didn’t call the prayer line.

She didn’t utter one word.

She just let go.

No one was around when it happened.

There was no applause or congratulations.

No one thanked her or praised her.

No one noticed a thing.

Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.

There was no effort.

There was no struggle.

It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.

It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be.

A small smile came over her face.

A light breeze blew through her.

And the sun and the moon shone forevermore…

She Let Go (poem by Rev. Safire Rose, c. 2003)

She let go.
She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.
She let go of the fear.
She let go of the judgments.
She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head.
She let go of the committee of indecision within her.
She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons.
Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.
She didn’t ask anyone for advice.
She didn’t read a book on how to let go.
She didn’t search the scriptures.
She just let go.
She let go of all of the memories that held her back.
She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward.
She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.
She didn’t promise to let go.
She didn’t journal about it.
She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer.
She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper.
She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope.
She just let go.
She didn’t analyze whether she should let go.
She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter.
She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment.
She didn’t call the prayer line.
She didn’t utter one word.
She just let go.
No one was around when it happened.
There was no applause or congratulations.
No one thanked her or praised her.
No one noticed a thing.
Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.
There was no effort.
There was no struggle.
It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad.
It was what it was, and it is just that.
In the space of letting go, she let it all be.
A small smile came over her face.
A light breeze blew through her.
And the sun and the moon shone forevermore…

Homework

Besides continuing or renewing your daily meditation practice, (Fall is a great time to recommit whole heartedly!) bring awareness to experiences of change:

Changes in outer circumstances

Changes in the body, changing emotions, recurring thought patterns, etc.

Watching the dance between resistance and letting go

Quotations from the talk on “Dealing with Change:”

N.Y.T. Op Ed “Stop Resisting Change,” Brad Stulberg

Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything is Changing – Including You, Brad Stulberg

“You have to become a chaos to give birth to a dancing star.” – Nietzsche

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it and join the dance.”- Alan Watts

“The sanctity of now” – Rupert Spira, You Are the Happiness You Seek

“When you’re completely in the now, you’re always standing in the middle of a sacred circle.” – Pema Chodron

Experiment with your personal ways of homecoming, centering.

It may be helpful to list them, knowing clearly what really helps.

Your daily practice, both meditation and throughout the day, moments of remembering, coming home to yourself, shifting from the world of distraction – (both external and within)

2) Hokusai (Most famous 19^th century Japanese artist) Also most famous exponent of positive aging:
“Everything I have done before the age of 70 is not worth bothering with. At 75, I will have learned something of the pattern of nature, of animals, of plants, of trees, birds, fish and insects. When I am 80 you will see real progress. At 90 I shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself. At 100, I shall be a marvelous artist. At 110, everything I create […] will jump to life as never before. […] I used to call myself Hokusai, but today I sign myself ‘The Old Man Mad About Drawing.”

7 Homecomings:
1) Breath
2) The body, beginning of meditation, including subtle body or energy body
3) The body in movement: Gentle stretching, etc.
Walking: slow, mindful walking or walking for exercise
Personal practice: “With great respect & love I bow to this body:
Home of the self (essence self), Vehicle for awakening
Abode of pure awareness
4) Sacred place
5) Natural world Finding refuge in nature
6) Daily practice: meditation ideally 20-30 minutes and awareness practice throughout the day
7) 3 words from Shiva Sutras: “Remembrance is Bhairava” (Bhairava means the Lord, Mystery, That which is beyond words, God)

**Any moment of remembrance is sacred (the inner shift to remembering your refuges, homecoming)**

Two more this morning: 1) Stopping 2) Awareness to the heart center

Inspiring interview with Brother David Steindl-Rast (97 years old)

Poem: https://poets.org/poem/morning-i-pray-my-enemies

Lessons from the Dharma for coping with a significant loss

1) The Five Recollections:

I am of the nature to age.
Aging is unavoidable.

I am the nature to get ill.
Illness is unavoidable.

I am the of the nature to die.
Death is unavoidable.

All that is dear to me and everyone I love
are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.

My actions are my only true belongings.
I cannot avoid the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground on which I stand.

2) Read The Magnanimous Heart by Narayan Helen Liebenson

3) Read Awakening Through Love: Unveiling Your Deepest Goodness by Lama John Makransky

HOME PRACTICE for June 13, 2023 Elders

Our elder years are so often times of aging and separation and loss, often times of experiencing fear, and finding the courage to face that fear. How might we meet those fears, what can we practice to help us remember courage?

We can practice the Buddha’s Five Recollections, or Five Remembrances.
1. I am of the nature to grow old; there is no way to escape growing old.
2. I am of the nature to have ill health; there is no way to escape having ill health.
3. I am of the nature to die; there is no way to escape death.
4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
5. My deeds are my closest companions. I am the beneficiary of my deeds. My deeds are the ground on which I stand.

In those recollections, we are reminded to let go of self, and to remember that what is happening to us is part of life, not personal nor punitive. We experience all that life offers, pleasure and pain; we are not exempt from the full gamut of life’s experiences.

We can practice Right View, the first of the path factors of the Eightfold Path. Right View can be a way of alleviating suffering. By seeing that what is happening is simply what is, we can alleviate the extra suffering we often add with our second arrows, by wanting things to be other than they are.

Thich Nhat Hanh: Right View is not an ideology, a system, or even a path. It is the insight we have into the reality of life, a living insight…

Right View is a compass, an aspiration, a reminder. It is an insight and an acceptance of the reality of things, of how life is.

We can accept being in the in-between place, and not knowing.

Pema Chodron: The in-between place: …We aren’t told all that much about this state of being in-between… The challenge is to let it soften us rather than make us more rigid and afraid. Becoming intimate with the queasy feeling of being in the middle of nowhere only makes our hearts more tender. When we are brave enough to stay in the middle, compassion rises.

Compassion for ourselves, for those we might be caring for, for all beings also experiencing the whole gamut of life.

Koan: Not-knowing is most intimate
It takes courage to be in this in-between place, this place of not knowing. We can remember to soften into intimacy, with ourselves, with the moment, with this in-between place.

Poem: Allow, by Danna Faulds: There is no controlling life.… and practice becomes simply bearing the truth… (You can access the entire poem via Google.)

From Larry Rosenberg:

May we continue to look into ourselves.
May we see things exactly as they are.
And may such clear, direct seeing free us.

May 9 Homework – Kate Beers

The Wisdom of the Body

Your body is always present:

1. Think of a time when your mind and thoughts told you one thing but your body reactions told you something else. For example, denying you are angry to yourself and others but your body reactions reveal that you angry.

2. Take sometime to discover and experience your own body sensations. For example, when angry, perhaps your jaw tightens, your breathing becomes forced, your eyes narrow, etc.

3. List a few words that reflect your deepest values; and, using them as a mantra, discover your body sensations. For example, Integrity; kindness, gratitude, grace.
Let yourself appreciate how your mind/body is fully connected.

References:
Awake Where You Are: The Art of Embodied Awareness by Martin Aylward
The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom by Willa Blythe Baker

Website:
Dialogue between John Makransky, Lama in Tibetan Buddhism and Richard Schwartz, Family systems therapist and founder of Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Becoming Our Compassionate Self: Integrating Parts of Ourselves into the Process of Spiritual Awakening
A Conversation Between Internal Family Systems and Tibetan Buddhism

April 11 Homework – Kate Beers

Bring kindness to your body

Suggestions:
• Metta / Body Scan
• Gentle Yoga
• Massage

Reference: Sharon Salzberg – Aging Wisely

Discover your own embodied wisdom

Meditate on a word or words that reflect a deep value and note your own body sensations. Allow yourself to experiment. Stay with words that fully resonate in your body. Let go of words that may feel conflicted. What do you discover?

Examples:
Gratitude, kindness, compassion, grace, integrity, authenticity, love, etc

References:
Martin Aylward – Awake Where You Are: The Art of Embodied Wisdom
John Makransky – Awakening Through Love: Unveiling Your Deepest Goodness

Our body is the first of the four foundations of Mindfulness – from the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha’s Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness. Often it’s our body where we first notice signs of aging, of becoming an elder.

The practice of acceptance, of ourself, of our body, of kindness towards ourselves, even our losses, is crucial. To accept, to witness ourselves, without judgement, and with care; to love them, to lean towards them, to embrace them.

Thich Nhat Hanh in his book No Mud, No Lotus, talks about the Sallatha Sutta, the Arrow sutta. The first arrow is that which happens, causes pain; the second arrow is fired by our own selves, is our reaction, our storyline, our anxiety. We add to our suffering with these second arrows.

Sharon Salzberg as she was turning 70 wrote a Tricycle article, Aging Wisely, with much the same themes – what happens to the body as we age as the first arrow, and “our tendency to rehearse some catastrophe, and thereby live it several times.” This rehearsing as the second arrow. One way to work with these, a doing a body scan along with the loving-kindness meditation; may each part of the body be happy.

Ruth King, in a Tricycle podcast, writes about kindness. “Kindness is a decision, a decision to incline the heart toward goodwill for all beings.”

Narayan tells of a Zen teaching:

A student asks his Zen master: How to be happy. The teacher replies: Complete unrestricted cooperation with the unavoidable.

Nancy Mujo Baker – “Living Without Why,” from Meister Eckhart. Without “why me, why now, why this?” Depersonalize the suffering that is innate in nature – the First Noble Truth: There is suffering. Personalizing our suffering is another form of second arrow.

How do we cooperate with those hard parts? What can we count on, rest in, to see us through, to sustain us. We come back to the first foundation, to our body, to our breath, to our center.

TNH poem – This Body is Not Me: (first lines)

This body is not me; I am not limited by this body,
I am life without boundaries.

Rumi poem –

I am not this hair
I am not this skin.
I am the soul
That lives within.

February 14, 2023 Homework

Focus on bringing metta or loving -kindness into both your meditation and at other times, perhaps using one of the traditional phrases. Examples: (create your own phrases)
May I and all beings live with loving-kindness
May I and all beings have ease of heart
May I and all being live with peaceful hearts

Refresh your practice. Always an invitation to re-commit to a daily practice of sitting meditation even if it’s for a short time. Increase your sitting to 20-30 minutes or more.

Remember how helpful it is to start with the body: a few minutes of gentle stretching or yoga shifts your energy and eases you into meditation more easily.

Simple exercise: breathing in metta, breathing out and sending metta to others

Reflections from the talk on Metta – loving kindness

Thich Nhat Hanh:
“Love is made of four elements: loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), joy (mudita) and equanimity (upeksha). If your love contains these elements, it will be healing and transforming, and it will have the element of holiness in it. True love has the power to transform any situation and bring deep meaning to our lives.”
–From his little book How to Love

Love is a verb – it’s the energy of the heart

Unconditional love: Tulku Thondup’s book titled: The Heart of Unconditional Love: a Powerful New Approach to Loving-Kindness Meditation

“The good heart practice”
We can simply do what’s called ‘good heart practice,” called sampa zangpo in the Tibetan tradition.Tibetan Buddhist masters consider it the most important thing on the spiritual path, the dharma in a nutshell… It’s the universal dharma that can set our heart free from the constraint of self-centeredness, and from the inner poisons, like hatred and envy.” Anam Thubten

Rumi quotation:
“Always check your inner state with the lord of your heart.
Copper doesn’t know it’s copper until it’s changed to gold.
Your loving doesn’t know its majesty until it knows its helplessness.”

Thich Nhat Hanh:
“You need your own love very much. You have to be there for yourself . When you sit for meditation, you practice love.

January 10, 2023 Homework

Heroism, Courage, Love and Fear

Olivia Hoblitzelle: “The later years are most heroic.”

Heroism often requires effort and courage.
How do we remember to be the Heroes of our own lives?
How do we respond to our fears?

Metta – Love or Loving-Kindness – one of the four Brahmaviharas, the four Immeasurables, the Divine Abodes. The Buddha gave his Metta Sutta as the antidote to fear.

Metta as the antidote to fear. To confront Fear with Courage requires Love.

Here are some traditional Metta Sutta and phrase variations. Find or create what works for you.

May all beings be happy.
May they live in safety and joy.
All living beings,
Whether weak or strong,
Tall, stout, average or short,
Seen or unseen, near or distant,
Born or to be born,
May they all be happy.
– From the Insight Meditation Center in California

Some sangha versions:
May I be happy. May I be safe. May I be free.
May we be happy. May we be safe. May we be free.
May all beings be happy. May all beings be safe. May all beings be free.

May all beings be safe
May all beings be happy
May all beings have strength of heart.
May all beings know ease of well-being.

Poem by Michael Leunig:
Love and Fear
There are only two feelings, Love and fear;
There are only two languages, Love and fear;
There are only two activities, Love and fear;
There are only two motives, two procedures,
Two frameworks, two results,
Love and fear, Love and fear.

Krishnamurti: “Fear is an extraordinary jewel … which has dominated human beings for forty thousand years and more. And if you can hold it and look at it, then one begins to see the ending of it.”

Rumi poem: The Guest House – last stanza:
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Even fear is a guest to be welcomed and treated honorably, an extraordinary jewel, a guide. To be welcomed and offered Metta. An extraordinary practice.

Galway Kinnel poem extract, from Flying Home:
From then on, love is very much like courage,
perhaps it is courage, and even
perhaps
only courage.

Reflections:
– Is the word “heroic” meaningful to you? Useful? In what way? Or not at all?
– Was there a challenging situation where you felt afraid, and managed to remember love, find courage?
– How might you have witnessed courage in another/

Homework for Elders:
Most important is your daily meditation practice. Focus especially on bringing awareness to subtle mood/emotional states.
Sometimes helpful to label: “worried” “content” “frustrated,” etc.
Pause practice: stop several times during the day, tune into your body, your feelings, and breathe with loving awareness

3rd Foundation of Mindfulness: emotions

Ajahn Chah: “Anything which is troubling you, anything which is irritating you, that is your teacher.”

“The Guest House” by 13th-century Sufi mystic Rumi (searchable online)

6 Steps for dealing with emotions
1) “welcoming practice” or “handshake practice”.
2) “Entertain them all” Invitation to investigate. Bring awareness to the body; come to the breath.
3) Bring awareness to emotions is a process of purification:
4) Meditation: most important ally: creates space. Every emotion has its wisdom — something positive to be discovered. “like a tiny flame of love in the heart waiting to guide you”
5) Expand your field of awareness: Tune into vast field of interconnectedness.
6) Metta/lovingkindness: “May I/you be free of fear and have ease of heart.” Whenever you turn your attention away from self to others, heart feels lighter. Transforms darkness of separation into feelings of connection

Hafiz, Sufi mystic, called it: “the encouragement of light”

Isabel Allende: “We all have an unsurpassable reserve of strength inside that emerges when life puts us to the test.”

Follow up to Emma’s’ presentation:
Link to Google Groups Tutorial
Link to join Elders Group
Link to join other Google Groups

Key points for review:
• “This Precious Human Body:” key contemplation in Buddhist tradition
• View: body as a mandala– a sacred universe
• Experiencing “the body in the body”
Reference to the subtle body, or the energy body
Includes chakra system from yogic traditions
Breath: bridge between the physical & subtle bodies

• Honoring the body before yoga, tai chi, chi gong, etc. (the words I use)
Hands in namaste: “With great respect and love I bow to this body, abode of pure awareness, vehicle for awakening.”

Feel free to experiment with phrases that feel right to you.

Pain meditation with Stephen Levine:
https://www.livingdying.org/softening-pain-meditation/

Grace and Grit: A Love Story, by Ken and Treya Wilbur

The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom, by Lama Willa Blythe Baker
Hevajra Tantra says: “Great wisdom lives in the body”

Homework: Find ways to practice mindfulness of the body through your day

Remember the “Pause Practice:” stopping for 3-4 breaths, dropping awareness into the body.

Experiment with taking more time with the body scan at the beginning of meditation, or returning to it, as a way to bring awareness down into the body.

Remember to open, soften, and embrace whatever is happening and send kindness and compassion to your body.

Homework:
Bring careful attention to the nature of thoughts arising in meditation:
Do thoughts tend to go into the past or toward the future?
Notice when there is clinging/attachment or aversion.
Identify recurring mental habits that cause the most distraction, stress, suffering.
What quality do you need to cultivate in working with the mind?

Three resources:
Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness
Bhante Gunaratana, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English
Joseph Goldstein, Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening

Click here for the Elders Sangha listserv/google group.

Click here to learn more about kalyana-mitta groups at CIMC.

Play with the concept of centering, finding your center

Notice how meditation strengthens that, even if the mind is busy

Recommit to your practice: both sitting meditation and cultivating mindfulness throughout the day

Reflect on the phrase “the courage to suffer.” How do we find meaning in suffering, and where does our practice come in?

Remember to pause: stop! and simply come to the body and breath, centering yourself.

Quotes: “A mandala is a secret realm… Let’s each try to regard ourselves as a mandala, the sacred dimension that is made up of many sacred components….Because we are this living, intricate mandala made of so many components, we are ready to fall apart at any given moment…

This Mandala, this sacred universe, is who we are… This realization — knowing that there is no singular self in each of us, and instead we are this complex, beautiful, living

Mandala — is very liberating. It can give rise to courage, love, and joy in our hearts”

Anam Thubten

“There was no need to be ashamed of tears, for tears bore witness that a (person) had the greatest of courage, the courage to suffer. What is to give light must endure burning.” Viktor Frankl

Google link for Elders Sangha: http://groups.google.com/group/cimcelders?hl=en

Link to sign up for CIMC Newsletters: www.tinyurl.com/cimcaffinitygroups

Five Wisdom Treasures: Reflections on Practice

1) Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay)
“Approach your practice with a joyful heart. For me, breathing in and out is a great joy. Organize your practice so it is very joyful.”

2) Thay “Bring a unique dimension of love and devotion to your practice. You need your own love very much. When you sit for meditation, you practice love.”

3) Inspiring our practice: how do you do that? Know all your sources of inspiration: teachers, teachings, books, friends, situations, nature, etc.

4) Cultivating the quality of acceptance toward whatever arises either in meditation or during the day. A spontaneous mantra: “accept the losses”

5) Thay’s response to someone in pain: “Trust in the energy of mindfulness to hold everything that arises… Your wounded heart, your pain – that’s what brings you to the heart of the Buddha.”

Contemplate and experience the subtle power of Thay’s phrase “the energy of mindfulness”

Richard Rohr: “Your True Self is Life and Being and Love. Love is what you were made for and love is what you are.”

Homework:
** Choose a couple of ways to inspire your practice.

** If your meditation practice has been intermittent, make a commitment to deepen it. Even 5-10 minutes a day (best at the same time and in the same place), is better than no meditation at all.

** Remember: you can come home to yourself at any moment by simply pausing and tuning into the preciousness of your breath.

** When challenged by difficult circumstances or emotions, remember Thay’s phrase “the energy of mindfulness” and trust that it is stronger than the pain.

Remembering wise view: see impermanence of everything
Seeing world as play of consciousness
Everyone is a holy mystery:
Lakota Chief Noble Red Man
“Everyone is sacred. You are sacred. I am sacred. Every time you blink your eye or I blink my eye, God blinks Her eye. God see through your eyes and my eyes. We are sacred.”

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