In this session Gullu guides a meditation practice focusing on sending loving kindness to a person we do not know well, sometimes referred to as the friendly stranger.
Mettā can be a foundation of cornerstone for Equanimity (Upekka). As we cultivate a mind that is more and more impartial the mind where Mettā can shine evenly on everyone the mind becomes less attached to preferences and this quality of mind is more able to meet any moment with ease.
We cover what compassion is and how it can help soothe our pain much better than avoiding or denying it. We distinguish between compassion and pity and then offer a variety of compassion phrases we can use. In the guided meditation, we begin with a dear friend who is undergoing some kind of suffering and then move on to ourselves, offering self-compassion for our own physical or mental suffering.
Short instructions for working with mental proliferation or papanca, seeing the chain reactions that cause it and coming back to the immediacy of sense-based experience to re-ground awareness
Instructions for paying attention to the mind and mental activity, knowing thoughts and emotions without taking them personally and identifying with them
Establishing mindfulness of the body sitting, then bringing awareness to the rhythm of breathing and the subtle energetic effects of inhaling and exhaling
Welcome and introduction to the workshop purpose: to deepen the practice of Insight Meditation, which harnesses the power of mindfulness to develop understanding in all aspects of our lives, which leads to greater ease, happiness, and peace of mind
Compassion is the activity of wisdom. We practice because we care. When we offer ourselves compassion, resistance dissolves and like a gentle rain metta permeates our heart down to the roots of our being.
This talk was offered during a month-long teaching period at the Forest Refuge. Its themes are the role, wise intention, and wise attention play in doing meditation practice and purifying the heart/mind
