In this introductory talk to the retreat, Martin invites us to practice by doing nothing, not in terms of the retreat format, but in the midst of all activity. He explores how we can speak, move and direct our attention and intention, from a place of profound rest, allowing and inviting everything to happen naturally.

Martin looks at the constructs of human experience (Nama-Pupa or the aggregates) and explores the transformative insights available to us in looking closely at our moment to moment sense of ourselves and the world around us.

Martin explores the twin aspects of Wisdom and Love, as they are expressed in relating to our experience. He looks at the compulsions that easily takes up space in our consciousness, and shows how we can soften around them, and at the tendency to be intolerant, both of ourselves and others, and how we can be forgiving and gracious with our own humanness.

Martin explores the twin aspects of Wisdom and Love, as they are expressed in relating to our experience. He looks at the compulsions that easily takes up space in our consciousness, and shows how we can soften around them, and at the tendency to be intolerant, both of ourselves and others, and how we can be forgiving and gracious with our own humanness.

We rely on a sense of certainty and familiarity with how things are, yet when we look closely our experience is uncertain and always presenting anew. Martin looks at the big reference points for our experience; Life, Death, Self and World, pointing to a liberating way of understanding and relating to them that is free of the narrowness of certainty.

This talk was given on the Summer solstice, and the teachings were held outside under the large Plane tree in the Gaia House gardens. Martin explores 3 facets of awareness practice, seeing how they can be applied in any moment, both within the formality of meditation and moment by moment in our wider lives. The 3 are Embodied Presence, Exploration and Inquiry, and Openness to the Nature of experience.