Arriving into a retreat and working within limitation. Being more "here". Calling on the ancestors, devas and earth spirits to bless and protect as the boundary of the retreat is set.
Our practice invites us to return to the present moment - yet in order to be here, we must let go of everything and enter this moment unburdened. Are we willing? If so, we will discover our true refuge - that which is utterly reliable.
Stephen’s new book, "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist", tells the story of his thirty-seven-year quest to understand the meaning of Buddhism. It recounts his life as a monk in India and Korea and concludes with his search to discover the historical Buddha. Stephen talks about the writing of the book and reads selected passages.
Mindfulness of the body is absolutely fundamental for our practice and was for the Buddha, both a starting point and an end point. We explore (1) why mindfulness of the body is crucial both in the Buddha's teaching and especially in our highly mental culture; (2) how we practice mindfulness of breathing and mindfulness of postures and activities; and (3) how mindfulness of the body works to transform us.
