Is your mind full of the present moment at all times? We can learn to integrate our practice with our everyday lives as awareness develops when we are both on and off the meditation cushion. With diligence, we can realize a mind that is bright and radiant, full of joy and peace. A talk given at a True North Insight weekend retreat in the Padua Centre, Montreal, Canada.
Beneath the currents of underlying thoughts lie the mind states. Thoughts will never take us to the end, to release. Relate instead with the mind states, directly handling them with sensitivity, understanding, receptivity.
As we cultivate and come to know citta more, we may find it to be like a drunken Buddha – partly still caught up in unskillful actions, partly with the clear potential for liberation. Using hiri (self respect) ottappa (concern for others) as a frame of reference, citta begins to discern skillful from unskillful. Continue to practice in accordance with Dhamma, and the Path will clear the defilements.
