This practice opens with a body scan, employing the image and felt sense of a smile to awaken awareness through the body. We then open to all the senses, and rest in the awareness that includes this changing life.
Exploring the role that perception and volitional mental formations play in constructing identity, and can easily lead to proliferation when there's no mindfulness
After a brief review of the previous talks in this series, and a clarification of the different dimensions of our practice, we continue to explore the foundation given last time--empathy practice and the intention to understand and connect with another. We work with two brief exercises which point to ways of practicing empathy. Then we examine the four guidelines for wise or skillful speech given by the Buddha--for our speech and communication to be truthful, helpful, kind and loving (even when saying difficult things), and timely.
How insight and the brahmavihara practices of kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity mutually support and reinforce each other; includes an exploration of metta as an inquiry practice
