Short Reflection & Guided Meditation | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene II | Online Wednesday-Mornings

How might you let Life play you like an instrument? In this talk James shares the evening with Sarah-Marie Hopf, a good friend, dedicated practitioner, coach and meditation teacher who shares about her journey of progressively deepening trust in the dharma and our True Nature and opening to what wants to flow effortlessly from the mystery into form. Becoming an unexpected singer-songwriter, she shares the origin story of her first album “Modern Mantras” which was inspired by songs that came through her spontaneously during a month long Spirit Rock retreat.

How can we rescue ourselves from the obstacles to our happiness? We must not disregard the power of awareness in the present moment to vanquish suffering. For in this very moment is everything we need to know. All moments, whether tainted or blessed, are conditioned by their predecessor. Without care and discernment, vigilance and integrity, we could easily fall into states of decline. Ill-will begets enmity, while joy begets ease and serenity, and each moment is the mother of the next. So too, stepping into the joys of life as it unfolds, we live by the best qualities we can reap. One bare insight into truth and we know what we truly are. Then we open the gates to the Deathless.

This dhamma talk and Q&A was offered on September 28, 2024 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!” 00:00 - DHAMMA TALK 18:25 - Q&A Article Mentioned: https://www.buddhisma2z.com/content.php?id=223

The original questions were live. They have been précised and read by a third person. Q1 A woman asks: I have a sister who's in a care home and lives far away. She's younger than I and I feel a degree of responsibility and want to help her. It's been discovered there's been some theft from her bank account which she has control over. The police and care home staff are involved. So the teaching on activation seems very appropriate for me. I'm noticing that my activation to get involved seems to take me over is getting really difficult to handle. What can you repeat or recommend? 03:02 Q2 I find as I practice more and more, I am less willing to deal with worldly things like money, focusing on the future. There's also a sense of contentment with the way things are. How can I go about my practice as this unfolds? 05:51 Q3 My question is similar to the previous one, finding opportunities to reflect internally rather than be wrapped up in work and everything. These opportunities exist and have improved but they seem to be fewer than I would like. How can I incorporate this with having to live my everyday life? I feel I can't leave everything and just go like the Buddha did and I don't seem satisfied with my current situation. Anything else you can offer? 10:19 Q4 Regarding the kandhas, did the Buddha or could you recommend any dedicated formal practice in this area? 15:39 Q5 I've recently extricated myself from a 5-year relationship which was very difficult for me. It seems like when we extricate ourselves from an arrangement like this it seems like it's become just a dream. All the entanglement and energy put into it and then it just ... ends. I'm asking myself 'Was there ever any love, any care?' And it seems very shocking and it seems like the whole of life is like that. Part of me wants to reach out and say: 'Did you care?' But it's over and that seems pointless. Could you say something about that please?

The Buddha's teachings are sometimes misunderstood or described out of context to give the impression that to awaken means that our sense of self must disappear, that our personality becomes flat-lined, and that we become indifferent to the world around us. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Buddha's teachings show us the way to fully embody this life. To be fully awake is to fully live! The Buddha did not teach vacancy; he taught people how to live without clinging. Please join me this evening for a talk that comes from the inspiration and the clarity this path has to offer on how to live in these times without shutting down, giving up, or turning away.

Short Reflection & Guided Meditation | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene II | Online Wednesday-Mornings. Medicine song (ikaro) by Manari Ushigua.