Week 1 (4/30/26)
Fathomless Treasures – Week 1 (4/30/26)
Reminder: Class starts at 6:30pm, and at 6:20 I will answer any questions each week.
Click here to see a PDF version of the home practices.
- Sitting: For a minimum of 10-20 minutes per day. Do your best! Keep your meditation simple (no apps or if you use them only a few times a week)
- Practice Gratitude: Text or e-mail your buddies, 3 things you are grateful for each day. Can be anything.
- Contemplate: What has already disappeared in your life:
- Contemplate that things that are here today are gone tomorrow
- Ask your self what really matters, what really counts?
- Reflect: All conditioned phenomena are impermanent. Their nature is to arise and pass away. Living in accordance or harmony with this truth brings the highest happiness.
- Notice: Impermanence around you. Aware of the changing nature of trees, the body (look in the mirror), other people or objects in your environment. What is your relationship to change?
- EXPLORE: As you go through your days, search for something that is permanent, notice all the things that are impermanent. Check this out with attitudes, perceptions, relationships, the body, feelings (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral), emotions, thoughts, experiences. Also explore impermanence as you go through your daily tasks, while at work, driving, cooking or preparing meals, going to bed at night. Is anything permanent? Impermanence is one of the three makes of existence. Is it true that impermanence is a trait of existence? Have Fun Exploring!
- The 5 Daily Reflections:
- Reflect: I am of the nature to age. I am subject to aging. Aging is unavoidable.
- Reflect: I am of the nature to be ill. I am subject to illness. Illness is unavoidable.
- Reflect: I am of the nature to die. I am subject to death. Death is unavoidable.
- Reflect: All that is mine, beloved and pleasing, will become separated from me. I will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.
- Reflect: I am the owner of my actions (karma), Heir to my actions. Born of my actions, Related through my actions, Abided supported by and live dependent on my actions. Whatever I shall do, for good or for ill, of that I will be the heir.
Updated reflections
- Reflect: I am of the nature to age. Aging is unavoidable.
- Reflect: I am of the nature to get ill. Illness is unavoidable
- Reflect: I am of the nature to die. Death is unavoidable.
- Reflect: 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.
- Reflect: My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot avoid the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.
Week 2 5/7/26)
Fathomless Treasures – Week 2 (5/7/26)
Reminder: Class starts at 6:30pm, and at 6:20 I will answer any questions each week.
Click here to see a PDF version of the home practices.
- Sitting: For a minimum of 10-30 minutes per day. Do your best! Keep your meditation simple —No apps. (if you use apps- try using only a couple of times during the week)
- Practice Gratitude: Write down or say to your assigned buddies from the first class, 3 things you are grateful for each day. They can be anything. Please also share with your “practice buddies” one thing you about aging that you noticed or explored each day.
- Read & Reflect: The 5 Reflections & Impermanence Reflection. (found at the end**)
- This week-Reflect: I am of the nature to age. I am subject to aging. Aging is unavoidable.
- Contemplate the following questions.
- What are your feelings about aging?
- What do you look forward to?
- What do you fear?
- What negative images have you internalized?
- What positive images have you internalized? (Have they come from the media? Books? Your family? Professional contacts? Your community?)
- Take a few moments to close your eyes. In your mind review your list of positive images. With this list in mind, create an image of your ideal elder.
- Imagine going through your day as your ideal elder…interacting with your family, friends, professional colleagues, younger friends and others you might meet. How does this feel? What might you be doing?
- Notice: Aging in Yourself & Others.
- This week imagine all young people around you as they might appear 50+ years from today. See them with compassion & appreciation, as you imagine them.
- When you are around older people reflect that they were young & envision them in their youth. Having lived all those years, they have a lifetime of memories and lessons that others often don’t realize are right inside. Treat them with honor & respect as you reflect on their lifetime of experience and wisdom.
- Explore: And appreciate the vitality you currently have knowing & accepting that it will likely diminish with time. Whatever your current age, envision yourself as moving into or further into Elderhood, whenever that time comes for you.
**The 5 Daily Reflections:
- Reflect: I am of the nature to age. I am subject to aging. Aging is unavoidable.
- Reflect: I am of the nature to sicken I am subject to illness. Illness is unavoidable.
- Reflect: I am of the nature to die. I am subject to death. Death is unavoidable.
- Reflect: All that is mine, beloved and pleasing, will become separated from me. I will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.
- Reflect: I am the owner of my actions. Heir to my actions. Born of my actions, Related through my actions, Abided supported by and live dependent on my actions. Whatever I shall do, for good or for ill, of that I will be the heir.
Impermanence Reflection:
All conditioned phenomena are impermanent. Their nature is to arise and pass away.
To live in harmony with this truth, Brings the highest happiness.
Week 3 5/14/26)
Fathomless Treasures – Week 3 (5/14/26)
NO CLASS NEXT WEEK 5-21-26 Next Class 5-28-26
Reminder: Class starts at 6:30pm, and at 6:20 I will answer any questions each week.
Click here to see a PDF version of the home practices.
- Sitting: For a minimum of 15-30 minutes per day. Do your best!
- Practice Gratitude: Write down, text or e-mail your buddies, 3 things you are grateful for each day. They can be anything. The Buddha pointed to awakening to help us discover aspects of life that are often overlooked, especially unconditioned awareness and boundless love. Reflect on conditional & unconditional love.
- Read & Reflect: Read the 5 Reflections daily Listed at the end.
- Reflect: I am of the nature to get ill. I am subject to illness. Illness is unavoidable.
- Notice: Everyone around you through these lenses:
- That they have already experienced or are currently experiencing or could experience a serious medical condition. See this not as some mistake but instead, in a world of impermanence, as part of what we are asked to come to terms within life.
- Hold your own past, present or future medical challenges as practice opportunities. How did you or might you use them as a source of awakening? What have you learned or are you learning? Share this reflection with your buddy.
- Explore: If you get a cold, flu, toothache, headache, have allergies to pollen, etc.- Do your best to use it as an opportunity to soften around the unpleasant & investigate how resistance turns pain into suffering, the unpleasant into the unbearable. Open to the discomfort. Meet it with kindness. Soften, open, explore, continue to soften, make room for your life. As you practice, notice the life force within and maybe Practice Living!
- Also Explore: Every day, every morning, ask yourself, “As I go into this day, what is the most important thing? What is the best use of this day?” When you go to bed at night, look back at the day. What did you do with it? Did you move any closer to being more loving, compassionate, caring — to being more fully awake? Is your heart-mind more open? What did you actually do? Feel how little time there is & how important it is- how we spend our time in this precious human birth.
Extra Credit: During your days, Pause, take l breaks from your usual thoughts & wake up to the magic & vastness of the world around you. Look outside! This easy & spacious type of mindfulness practice is one of the most important practices during this time of practicing the 5 reflections! Gratitude for your Practice!
**The 5 Daily Reflections:
- Reflect: I am of the nature to age. I am subject to aging. Aging is unavoidable.
- Reflect: I am of the nature to get ill. I am subject to illness. Illness is unavoidable.
- Reflect: I am of the nature to die. I am subject to death. Death is unavoidable.
- Reflect: All that is mine, beloved and pleasing, will become separated from me. I will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.
- Reflect: I am the owner of my actions. Heir to my actions. Born of my actions, Related through my actions, Abided supported by and live dependent on my actions. Whatever I shall do, for good or for ill, of that I will be the heir.
Impermanence Reflection:
All conditioned phenomena are impermanent. Their nature is to arise and pass away.
To live in harmony with this truth, Brings the highest happiness.