Continuing from the Anapanasati sutta we turn to vedana, the 2nd foundation of mindfulness. With great courage. we can develop contentment no matter the pleasure, pain or neutrality of any give moment. In not understanding vedana we are forever imprisoned by our wrong views. When we can breath consciously in a greater range of pain, pleasure and neutrality we find the path to non-conditional contentment.

Inviting our heart to let go of all reservations and conditions to universal friendliness and kindness. This heart which can hold all beings in kindness becomes a refuge for our own well being and the well being of others.

A guided practice for letting go of specific objects or sense doors to practice open or choiceless awareness. For some people this is a more natural way of practicing. The intent is to become mindful of one’s mental activity as it is drawn to different experiences arising at any of the six sense doors. From this practice you can gain insight into how the mind works and find freedom no matter what the experience.

The Buddha said that karma is all based on intention. In every moment we are sowing the seeds of suffering or happiness. In addition to this moment to moment aspect, intention also refers to a wider motivation—Clear Comprehension of Purpose—our aspiration and vision that fuels and inspires us to practice. Both of these dimensions of intention are explored.

Last Day of Morning Instructions

The seven factors of awakening develop and strengthen naturally as we practice, but knowing this map helps us incline towards them.

There are two larger categories of meditation: samatha meditations and vipassana meditations. Samatha meditations are intended to calm, unify, balance and develop strengths of the heart, and vipassana meditations lead toward insight into our patterns of suffering, confusion, clarity and freedom. The samatha meditations can develop to the point where we are fully absorbed into our meditation subject. This talk describes this process.

Big Mind/Big Sky Meditation Practice

The flow of experience that we experience as component parts of a sense of self, and how that is always appearing, changing, and disappearing.