This talk is continuing our series with Chapter 6 of Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. The theme is “Working with Anger” specifically cultivating Patience.
This week I will complete the Shantideva series with his final chapter on the power of dedicating your actions as an act of generosity. We often end the sittings or a period of practice by sharing any merit for the benefit of all beings. This practice can be used in very simple but potent ways as a method for brining a heartfelt sincerity to your practice for the benefit of specific individuals. For instance if you’re trying to change a habit, offering the merit of that wholesome change to someone who is having a hard time in their life.
This practice of dedicating merit both connects you with others and motivates you beyond mere self-improvement. We’ll be exploring just how this can work in our daily life to give energy and enthusiasm to our practice.
A discussion with community member Janet Keyes about a proposal to create a community support network with the intention of helping the IMCB sangha grow in caring and connection. The evening includes an invitation to attend an introductory meeting to help identify priorities and move forward in creating a more caring community. The talk also includes James reading a moving letter from Barack Obama to a 4-year old girl.
An introduction to next week's (1-15-08) guest Paul Ekman, psychologist, leading expert on human emotions and facial expressions and co-author with the Dalai Lama on the recent book Emotional Awareness
