This two part series explores how we regularly leave our body and skim life’s surface in a mental trance, and the ways we can train our attention to come home again. We look at working with physical and emotional pain, and the gifts of love, wisdom, creativity and aliveness that arise as we learn to fully inhabit these living forms and all our senses with awareness.
This Talk explores how deepening stages of Insight practice lead to awakening. Beginning with the ground of Sila (ethical conduct), supporting the development of Samadhi (concentration) which provides the power & pliancy of mind for Panna (seeing clearly) practice. The Three Characteristics (impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, not self) are explored, as well as working with cycles of purification. With continuous practice a new cycle into mature Equanimity can emerge as a jumping off point to further awakening.
We explore how to develop samadhi or concentration in samatha practice, through examining: (1) the nature of samadhi and samatha practice, (2) their place and importance in our practice, (3) some ways to practice to develop samadhi or concentration, (4) some of the challenges of samatha practice and how to work with them, and (5) how samadhi or concentration supports insight practice.
