A guided meditation relating to sounds and thoughts equally, as happenings in sensitive knowing. Followed by a reflection of how we can exaggerate the necessity of a quiet mind in meditation. Suggesting here, too, freedom with might be better than freedom from. This session ends a bit abruptly as there was a call to enter a bomb shelter, but I felt there was enough here to upload. May all beings live in peace.

The realization that waves of energy pass, allows us to see the thoughts and emotions that they support subside. It's not an annihilation, it's just a withdrawal of energy. Realizing this shows us just how fake our normal interpretation of experience is.

Metta - Freundlichkeit, Güte - ist eine wunderbare Herzensqualität, die kultiviert werden kann und die den Geist grundlegend transformiert. Welche Wirkungen hat sie und welche Hindernisse können in der Praxis auftreten?

Questions are précised and read into the file: Q1 About this drip, drip, drip experience … can we moderate it? Can it be influenced by others? 01:46 Q2 When you were talking about vedena, you said things don’t come into existence without formulation. In that context it seemed like formulation was desirable. And yet when taking about consciousness it seemed like formulation was not desirable. 03:55 Q3 And probably, at least I sense that compassion has less clinging than indifference where there is less solidification which is a movement towards the skilful. 09:50 Q4 Earlier you were talking about the search or the wish for certainty. Today I got the impression that there is no life to have permanence and solidity is like a stone statue. The better alternative perhaps is managing and growing over the predictability of I don’t know what … of stone. 13:45 Q5 I’m remembering what you said about existence … out of mind out of sight. But are there times when holding someone in mind can feel comforting for them and for you. 21:20 Q6 I’m not clear about vidia,veda, vedana and how these relate to avicca. 30:04 Q7 I’m struggling with the distinction between sankaras and dhammas. 31:15 Q8 And would nimitas be related to that? 33:45 Q9 That makes sense but my mind wants to connect that process to sankara. 40:09 Q 10 My question is about movement or awareness or flow in emotion. You mentioned that QiGong has supported your practice. But is it not also a meditation itself - cultivating awareness, supporting presence.

Things do not exist independent of cause, but co-arise from a combination of factors. This understanding provides for a radical analysis of momentary experience – that it is conditioned by the things which have the strongest impact on our citta.

Guided meditation

The practice of avoiding extremes also means experiencing a sense of balance. It's not about becoming and not about denying, but contemplating phenomena.

This practice group is for people interested in developing the heart by training in the four beautiful emotions of lovingkindness (metta), compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. Each session includes instruction, a guided meditation, a short dharma talk, and time for questions and discussion. Both experienced and beginning meditators are welcome, no registration necessary. This practice group is led by Stacy McClendon and Mark Nunberg. Generally, the teachers lead on alternating months.

This practice group is for people interested in developing the heart by training in the four beautiful emotions of lovingkindness (metta), compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. Each session includes instruction, a guided meditation, a short dharma talk, and time for questions and discussion. Both experienced and beginning meditators are welcome, no registration necessary. This practice group is led by Stacy McClendon and Mark Nunberg. Generally, the teachers lead on alternating months.

Es geht um die Verbindung der Brahmavihara mit der Vision von Bodhicitta im Mahayana. Dort nimmt die Intention Erleuchtung, um alle Wesen von Leid zu befreien - Bodhicitta, eine zentrale Stellung ein, Mitgefühl wird zu den Paramita gezählt und bekommt mehr Gewicht in der Praxis. Ein wesentlicher Vertreter dieser Richtung ist Shantideva. Wie geht es uns, wenn wir mit dieser Intention praktizieren? Was verändert das in unserer Praxis?

Mindfulness of these four areas: body, sensitivity, heart and emotional and psychological phenomena prevent us from being deluded.

Es werden die weiteren Brahmavihara Qualitäten vorgestellt, die ähnlich wie Metta entwickelt werden. Es geht um den Zusammenhang mit Metta, ihre Bedeutung in unserem Leben und die Rolle von upekkha, Gleichmut.

The Sabbāsava Sutta "All the Taints" (Majjhima Nikaya #2). The Buddha teaches seven methods for restraining and abandoning the "taints", the fundamental defilements that keep us in suffering.

Buddhist teachings on Death & Letting Go – Highlighting the sutta: Advice to Anathapindika. Appreciating his dying gift to us across time and space.

This meditation guides us through a body scan and into a relaxed, open presence. When we realize we are lost in a thought cloud, our practice is to relax open, listening to and feeling the life of the present moment. We are training to become increasingly aware of the gap between thoughts, the space where the light of awareness shines through. “It’s in that gap between thoughts that the light shines through – this mystery, this living mystery of what’s right here… opening to and relaxing into the life that’s right here.” ~ Tara

In his recent book, The New Saints, Lama Rod Owens offers teachings and practices that awaken our longing for freedom, and help us realize the truth of who we are. This week, I sat down with Lama Rod to talk about how an authentic path of liberation must include the often unexamined layers of our personal and societal existence.