This is the third talk is a speaker series titled "Recollective Meditations." Dawn Neal discussed the roles of compassion and intention in giving gifts. Recollecting generosity closely relates to the practice of recollecting the Buddha, because it is out of compassion that the Buddha shared his Path of awakening. There are various forms of generosity, including sharing the Dhamma, sharing material things, renunciation, generous attitude (i.e., giving oneself completely to the service of others), and charity (i.e., giving without expecting reciprocity).

Guided compassion meditation

Compassion is a central quality in life and practice - and is a beautiful expression of an awakened life. This talk explores what compassion is and how it can be developed and integrated into mindful awareness.

Developing the skill of recollection and the experience on the citta; where does the meaning sit?; the arising of citta to meaning; cultivating the immeasureables; the experience comes first; what is the quality of being touched by others’ suffering? Being willing to stay present with that is the movement of compassion; mudita; appreciating a feature or lucky moment for another, for oneself; appreciating the absence of physical pain; learning, sustaining and enriching the experience

coming out of self view; bringing forth energy; recalling the spiritual faculties; applying wise energy regardless of the system used; calm as a consequence of faith and confidence; two recollections; don’t let the citta be bound by historical or domestic considerations; willingness to do the work; feeding the citta; mindfulness of the body, the inevitable decay of the body; what is it that evades or finds truth uncomfortable; differing views of Samadhi; the” I-am” looking for support; learning to push away the hindrances through experience; noticing craving, ill will and resistance; using metta, compassion, mudita, upekkha to approach unification of the citta by removal of the 5 hindrances; now is the time to rise up to it; restlessness, boredom, doubt; know them as they are not as myself; this is not worthy of this citta; using the wisdom factor to find appropriate attention; who is that?; feel how it is; going beyond thought; discernment of the release of grasping; the shift moment and the growth of confidence in it; noticing the struggle to find something; what about the measurelessness/ the sign-less?