This talk was inspired by Frances Vaughan, a true woman of wisdom, who recently passed. Frances was a pioneer in the field of Transpersonal Psychology, served as President of both the Association for Transpersonal Psychology and the Association for Humanistic Psychology, authored many books including Awakening Intuition and The Inward Arc. At her recent memorial service we heard the three main principles that guided her life. The talk contained a moving short video of her life that can be accessed here: https://vimeo.com/246379817 (password: GratitudeDec9).

In this meditation, we begin by visualizing benefactors offering us kindness, care and acceptance. We practice to truly let this in, and fill our bodies and minds. Then we begin to generate it for ourselves. (Gratitude to John Makransky for inspiration from his "Receiving the Healing, Liberating Power of Love" meditation.)

Open the heart, connect to the field of practice started by the Buddha 2500 years ago. Tune in to the sense of lineage and connection. This gives rise to inspiration, faith, gratitude.

Shaila Catherine discusses the importance of developing mindfulness of emotions and mental states. Human beings have the capacity to experience a wide range of emotions—they may be subtle or intense, unwholesome or wholesome. Working with emotions requires energy and courage to be willing to face the raw fact that this mental state is present. We can become aware of, and work skillfully with, any emotional state including anger, hate, gratitude, fear, sadness, calmness, insecurity, contentment, grief, tranquility, lust, compassion, loneliness, jealousy, envy, restlessness, peacefulness, faith, love. Emotions are changing mental states that arise in conjunction with every perception. When we are mindful of emotions we drop the conceptual narrative of the story line and investigate how the mind operates. What conditions nourish each mental state, and what conditions cause them to end? How do these mental states affect the clarity of our perception? We can observe the dynamic interaction of emotions and the body, and learn to work with emotions in conjunction with their somatic manifestations. We might gather ideas for investigation by reviewing the detailed Abhidhamma categories of mental states and the factors that constitute each state, or we might simply observe the arising and ceasing of mental states in activity and our meditation.

Reflections on gratitude and the gift of opportunity embedded in every moment.

Gratitude is like breathing in – letting ourselves be touched by the goodness in others and in our world. Generosity is like breathing out – sensing our mutual belonging and offering our care. When we are awake and whole, breathing in and out happens naturally. But these beautiful expressions of our heart become blocked when we are dominated by the fear and grasping of our survival brain. This talk explores how we can facilitate the evolution of consciousness with the deliberate cultivation of generosity, and ends with a guided meditation on gratitude and generosity. For happiness, how little suffices for happiness! … the least thing precisely, the gentlest thing, the lightest thing, a lizard’s rustling, a breath, a whisper, an eye glance-little maketh up the best happiness. Be still. ~ Nietzche ~

In this Dharma talk given as Thanksgiving approaches, Shaila Catherine discusses the benefits of gratitude and a perspective of thankfulness. She notes that studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between gratitude and happiness, and awareness of well-being in life.