A guided practice to center, calm and collect the mind by abiding with clear comprehension and mindfulness, without desire and grief for the world.

Kevin uses suttas from the Pali Canon to bring out the practical aspects of this teaching.

We use our attention as if it’s a bird finding a place to land and find stable ground.

Questions are précised; one live question (Q3) was précised and read into the file: 00:08 Q1 Could you say a few words about dealing with traumatic memories or body memories. 13:47 Q2 I fear that I am not able to connect with non-self. Can you say more about non-self. 20:27 Q3 When I was sitting my timer went off and there was a vague voice that was encouraging and reassuring me that whatever issues I face can be resolved. I find this very exciting. What do you think is happening here?28:34 Q4 If a part of our being nature gets accessed by a higher paced energy, can sati and a slower mode of being lead to loosing access to sides of our being?

When we are stressed, our body and mind contract, and energetically we resist the life in the present moment. This meditation helps de-condition the stress reaction by guiding us to relax open from thoughts, relax physical tension, and gently relax back over and over into living presence.

Zen master Dōgen teaches that enlightenment is intimacy with all things. These two talks explore teachings and practices that cultivate intimacy – a liberating experience of relatedness and oneness with our living world.

Take responsibility for your life. What is it about? What's needed? Remember to enter the presence of your entire body, and wait for things to be revealed.

Short Reflection & Guided Meditation | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene | Online Wednesday-Mornings

Critical text analysis of how Anapanasati practice fulfills the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. Discussion of the samadhi (step 11) and liberating the mind (step 12) from hindrances and self.

We first focus on the importance of the practice of wise speech and then review three foundations of such practice: (1) developing presence in the midst of communication; (2) working with the four guidelines for skillful speech developed by the Buddha; and (3) integrating our practice to be mindful and skillful with thoughts, emotions, and body states with our speech practice. We then introduce a fourth foundation, empathy practice, aiming to understand and connect with another, exploring the roots of such practice in the innate capacity of empathy. We then identify a simple yet basic practice of tuning into someone's emotions and "needs" (or what matters to someone), based on the work of Nonviolent Communication (developed first by Marshall Rosenberg). A discussion follows, particularly examining bringing these practices into challenging interactions. (Materials on emotions--or feelings, needs, and an "empathy map" are given below, under "documents.")

A guided practice for bringing the participation of all aspects of our lives, physically and mentally. The simile of a symphony conveys the essence of centering and gathering with the conductor's baton bringing together all musicians - Holistic approach.

Description pending

Questions are précised: 00:00 Q1 What do you mean by “re-wilding your mind”? 19:59 Q2 What’s the relation between pitti, sukka and chi. 25:05 Q3 Which comes first after sense contact, sannya (impression/ perception) or vedena (the feeling)? 28:00 Q4 Does the third sattipatana (the establishments of mindfulness) only include citta of mano / manus? 34:21 (LB) Q5 How to contemplate the “gunky” parts of the body – the organs that get diseased etc. 41:35 Q6 I have a sense of the experience of annica like a connection to dynamism. Impermanence has a very time bound quality to it. 42:31 Q7 How can one develop one’s yoniso manisakara to keep attention turned inwards?

Practicing with the characteristics – Differing temperaments and inclinatons, different axis of practice – Three Gateways of Liberation (vimokkha-dvāra / vimokkha-mukha). Usages of the term 'nimmita' in the suttas and their application – rather than the stock commentarial reference to the Visuddhimagga's understanding of the term. On the practice of 'neither dwelling on signs nor dwells on their details'. Practicing with anicca -> signlessness (animitta-v.) | Practicing with dukkha -> wishlessness (apaṇihita-v.) | Practicing with anattta -> suññata-v.

Description pending

Description pending

A guided meditation through previous steps up to gladdening the mind with different methods, with insight, awareness of mind, with metta and other serenity practices.

Unplugging our normal drivers and moving into retreat can be an uncomfortable experience. Use it as an occasion to strengthen presence through embodiment.

The day starts with a sense of decisive engagement but confusion frequently masks this and we get run by external conditions. Breathing is an animate centre that allows perspective.

This course examines the Buddha’s teachings on the five spiritual faculties of confidence, energy, mindful awareness, stability of awareness, and wisdom. It is the development and balancing of these five faculties that provide the force that moves the mind from faith to wisdom and release.

This course examines the Buddha’s teachings on the five spiritual faculties of confidence, energy, mindful awareness, stability of awareness, and wisdom. It is the development and balancing of these five faculties that provide the force that moves the mind from faith to wisdom and release.

Overview of the third tetrad, emphasis on the first two steps whith three approaches to experiencing the mind, and a samadhi and insight wasy to gladdening it.

We examine first the Buddha’s teachings about awakening, We see how he understands the process as involving two processes. We are mindful of and work through what gets in the way of touching our natural awakening—greed, hatred, and delusion (or the two forms of reactivity—grasping after the pleasant and pushing away the unpleasant, along with ignorance about the nature of impermanence, reactivity or Dukkha, and not-self). We also develop those qualities which both support and manifest awakening, qualities identified in the teaching of the Seven Factors of Awakening. We see further how the Buddha at times identified the nature of awakened awareness as “signless, boundless, all-luminous,” and trace similar accounts of awakened awareness in the Thai Forest tradition and Tibetan Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā. Then we ask the question about whether these wonderful teachings and associated practices are sufficient for awakening in the contemporary world. We point to how such teachings and practices are crucial but also need to be complemented by and integrated with a contemporary map of awakening, identifying forms of contemporary conditioning (and greed, hatred, and delusion) that are not found in the traditional account. Broadly speaking, we can identify two inter-related core areas—a first identifying more “psychological” conditioning, and more “social” conditioning (for example, around gender, race, sexual orientation, age, etc.). The talk is followed by discussion.

Basic instructions in developing concentration and stability, on the one hand, and mindfulness, on the other, are given in the context of the teaching of the Seven Factors of Awakening; concentration and mindfulness are two of the seven factors. We also explore inquiry or investigation, a third factor, in the context of mindfulness.

A guided practice of the steps leading to experiencing the mind (step 9) and g;addening the mind (step10).

The weekly practice groups are designed to be a cornerstone for one's practice by providing ongoing instruction and teachings that will help illuminate the simple but challenging practice of mindfulness. The Buddha taught that mindfulness is the way to go beyond habits of distraction and grasping. To walk this path of wisdom and compassion, we need the support of a community that shares this intention. Each session includes a guided meditation, dharma talk, and discussion. Both experienced and beginning meditators are welcome.

The support and functionality of Clarity and Mindfulness

The weekly practice groups are designed to be a cornerstone for one's practice by providing ongoing instruction and teachings that will help illuminate the simple but challenging practice of mindfulness. The Buddha taught that mindfulness is the way to go beyond habits of distraction and grasping. To walk this path of wisdom and compassion, we need the support of a community that shares this intention. Each session includes a guided meditation, dharma talk, and discussion. Both experienced and beginning meditators are welcome.

In understanding craving, one of my teachers suggests using right view – ‘everything is nature happening’. This helpfully moves craving out of being good or bad.

Ajahn reviews some of the teachings during the retreat so far and urges us to use our potency as individuals.

00:05 Before encountered the dhamma I always thought that problems required solutions. You say they need spaciousness, openness and patience. What then is the place for mental strategies and solutions.

Mettā with images of self and others

Letting go of mental formations by letting sanna (perceptions) and vedana (feeling tones) simply be. Selfing, (as contraction & craving), is distinguished from wholesome subjectivity.

There is a heart place that experiences reverberations and exasperation. It seems that this is me. Keep asking: What and where is this me?