The tendency to think "life should be different" and to try to control experience removes us from the wisdom and compassion that naturally gives rise to healing and transformation. We learn to trust the power of our heart and awareness by meeting both the pain and beauty of this life with sacred presence.
Providing an overview of the Metta Sutta, demonstrating how it outlines the three foundations of practice: sila, samadhi and panna. Includes an explanation of concentration as the antidote of all afflictive emotions and includes stories of travel as examples of how everyone has to arrive safely.
Part 1: How differences in this practice work for different people.
Part 2: Compassion is doing nothing more than tenderly holding whatever pain arises.
Lovingkindness practice ultimately works because we are evoking our deep nature - of kindness and love, the "brightly shining" citta associated with lovingkindness. We explore how we can open to our radiant hearts through (1) learning to lead with our hearts, (2) cultivating concentration, (3) evoking love and working through what blocks love, and (4) touching more and more our depths.
Mettafying the hindrances to death! This is what should be done by one who is skilled in goodness. How we maintain the self through excluding our vulnerability. The protection of inclusion, no one left out.
This introduction to a week of lovingkindness practice presents metta as a specific subset of mindfulness practice: paying attention to the presence or absence of good will in the mind. It includes an explanation of how the practice of continual blessing, “praying without ceasing” cultivates concentration of the mind. Concentration is presented as the antidote to all afflictive energies and the ground out of which our natural good will manifests.
The Buddha taught of three archetypal domains in which we awaken presence and realize freedom. In contrast to our habitual false refuges, these gateways of true refuge are dependable because they express the timeless truth of what we are. This talk shines a light on false refuges, guides us in exploring the meaning of each of the three Buddhist refuges and ends in a ritual of "taking refuge."
