A "talk from the heart" blending aspects of wisdom and compassion. Teachings on the five recollections, the three characteristics and how to work with difficulties in cultivating compassion are offered through stories from the life of the Buddha, Dipa Ma, Darlene Cohen, Ruth Denison and His Holiness the Karmapa.
The Buddha's criteria for regarding a statement as valid; a pragmatic view of the dharma; the "all" is equivalent to "experience" or "life" -- no need of metaphysical realities; supportive quote by Lucretius; awakening to the delight, tragedy and emancipation of life.
Deeply opening to the impact of the characteristics of human existence; anicca, anatta and dukkha, supports us to grow in wisdom and brings intimacy and aliveness to our being. From the silence of being flows the essential radiant qualities of mind and heart; love, compassion, joy and equanimity. Our unfolding is held and nurtured by the supporting containers of awakening practice; sila, samadhi and panna.
We explore the pivotal practice of mindfulness of feeling-tone (vedana), by 1) understanding feeling-tone in the context of the teaching of dependent arising; 2) examining the nature of pleasant, unpleasant and neutral; and 3) suggesting a number of ways of practicing with feeling-tone.
"There is a cry deeper than all sounds whose serrated edges cut the heart as we break open, to the place inside which is unbreakable and whole, while learning to sing" - Rashani There is an illness in being somebody and and illness in being nobody. When we meet that which is hard to bear in our experience in general, and the force of self judgement in particular, we can come to rest in natural being and open to the fullness of life.
