We continue the exploration from last week, beginning with Donald sharing a few of his experiences of being able to learn and practice when there have been differences of views and even conflicts. Then there is a review of some what we explored last week, including the importance in a functioning democracy of navigating differences of views, some of the factors making that harder in current times, and some of the practice supports for conversations when there are different views—both inner and outer (especially related to wise speech practice). We go further into exploring inner practices helpful when there are differences, including working with reactivity and difficult emotions, exploring views and options, and then the integrated inner and outer practice of cultivating empathy as a practice. The talk is followed by discussion, including several people sharing their own explorations with challenging conversations in the last week.

We begin with settling and developing more concentration for about 10-12 minutes. Then we shift to mindfulness practice. In the last third of the session, there are instructions for exploring one's own views and opinions, including in relationship to others (connected with the talk).

Reflections on cultivating viriya and piti on the path. How to balance and empower the awakening factors.

Q1 I couldn't keep up with this morning's talk. Could you talk about the meaning of kalyana? Q2 04:20 What can we doing instead of getting rid of stuff that bothers us? 09:49 Q3 my inner tyrant has been very active. What is it and how can I deal with it? 14:32 Q4 What does "sitting with emotions" mean more concretely? It feels a bit abstract. 22:26 Q5 Is there something like embodied thinking? In other words, how to reflect upon my meditation when words are sankaras? 25:33 Q6 How to create a more permanent sense feeling of safety in the body? 29:28 Q7 My mother has dementia and refuses to acknowledge her situation. She recently fell and broke her hip. My father is struggling to maintain himself, trying to do the best he can. I'm deeply touched by this situation. How can I best integrate this into my practice? 40:20 Q8 Sometimes in QiGong practice I feel a little nauseous. Can you comment please?