In this last talk of the month long retreat, the Buddha's five supports for our practice (from the Maghiya Sutta) are presented as well as the ways our practice can benefit not only ourselves, but everyone we know and our planet.
The habit of believing we're different from others leads to a painful sense of isolation. Both vipassana and metta reveal a deep inter-connectedness to all of life that takes away our feelings of separation.
Anger is an intelligent emotion, a natural part of our evolutionary design that lets us know when we are endangered or impeded in our progress. But when it locks into ongoing resentment and blame, our heart becomes armored and we lose access to a wholeness of being. This talk explores forgiving as a process of relaxing our armoring and awakening a healing compassion for ourselves and others.
An exploration of the practice of mudita, joy at the well being of others. Discusses the rewards of this meditation, and it challenges, giving specific examples.
When we believe thoughts coming from a contracted mind we are in dukkha. When we see them clearly as empty and not self, there's wisdom.
This talk also explores the 4 Iddhipadas-different temperaments and sources of motivation in practice.
Most of us consciously value compassion, but move through much of life without access to the full capacity of our heart. This talk explores the self-compassion that is the very grounds of loving our world.
Ayya Tathaaloka explores her own journey as a woman in this tradition and how kindness can guide us to our true nature and to true community. She offers teachings on the significance of the presence, practice and teaching of Fully Ordained Buddhist Women within the Western Theravadan Buddhist lay community, the inspiration of such a presence within the greater American society, and its connection to ideals and visions of enlightenment.
We look at the importance of the different parts of our practice - intentions, ethics, mindfulness, wisdom and grounding in the body - for responding to difficult situations- individual, interpersonal and related to the wider world. We then look at how to develop and practice compassion in difficult situations.
Mindfulness is often described as non-judgmental. This talk considers what this means and how it relates to the capacity to distinguish between skilful and unskillful mind-states and behaviours.
