Naming the tasks of the individual satipaṭṭhāna channel; psychological map of the contemplative territory. (Including some common hangups)

True refuge is a call to stop, even for a moment, to see and know the breath that brings the world into and out of consciousness. We witness the liberating silence of that present moment awareness. In the still space between thoughts from which all that appears in the mind arises and disappears without end, we let go. Trust this. See the instability and insecurity of all else. Be an island, be a refuge unto yourself in the pure awareness of truth beyond concepts – the truth in this moment of freedom. Disentangled from the world, we can let go. Our refuge is the awakened heart.

Reflections on deepening wisdom and awakening

Guided practice on the themes of mettā, gratitude, connectedness, and forgiveness

Do we know the truth of what we are? If not, how can we love unconditionally? When the heart abides in loving-kindness, the misery of fear, anger and despair is vanquished. If we look for unconditional love outside of us, we will never find it. Nor can we know it by thinking. The mind must grow in silence and stillness, in unsullied conscious awareness. Then we can see what we truly are – intuitively, beyond thought, in the quality of this very breath, this moment. We pierce through the dust of lifetimes to know the core of our being, to wake up – here and now. Just to live in that kindness is the truest life of all.

How do we make ourselves growth and realisation? Tracing the historical, psychological and Two sources of valid forms of knowlege: – Paccakkha "before the eye," i.e. 'perceptible to the senses' 'direct experience'. – Anvaya – 'inference' History of Sudden & Gradual. Aside of the the historical background, these terms have taken on a metaphorical meaning: the talk looks at how these metaphors chart the path of practice, their respective analogies and their images, their framing of the probleme and their respective values and drawbacks. – May these metaphors ultimately have their bases in the differeing mind functions of samādhi (gradual) and sati (sudden)? The speaker, despite little canonical evidence, thinks so.