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
Metta practice is a wonderful, ancient practice that has parallels in the cultivation of kindness and love in other spiritual traditions; developing the wise heart of kindness is an ancient vocation. There are also parallels with the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his emphasis on bringing love to help transform injustice; we play a brief recording from Dr. King. We also explore different dimensions of Metta practice and how it relates to other pathways of awakening through mindfulness and wisdom. We then look at some of the main challenges of Metta practice, such as distraction, repetitive thoughts, sleepiness, and challenging emotions and body states, and how to practice with them.
This talk was offered during a month-long teaching period at the Forest Refuge. The theme is how training mindfulness and concentration fit into the teachings of the 4 Noble truths and the eightfold path.
