First Foundation Body-teaching and Guided Meditation

Q1 00:52 When you're walking around and brushing your teeth what's your experience of the sense world and nibbana? I'd like to experience more beauty and sacredness in the sense world and cultivate a relationship with the transcendent, but it feels so out of reach; Q2 17:43 Recently I listened to a talk by Ajahn Tanissaro and he said he didn't know any practitioner in the West who was a stream enterer. I was disheartened. Can you say something about this? Q3 28:09 can you give some advice on cell phones and technology please? They drain my energy quickly. Q4 35:34 (several questions) In mindfulness of breathing, does one proceed sequentially through the 16 phrases, or pick up the steps that seem to fit with whatever seems to be arising. Why is it presented as a graduated training? Also, can you speak about releasing the heart? Q5 44:18 What are the differences between attention and awareness? What are their Pali terms? Q6 49:42 "One reviews the extent to which one's mind is liberated..." In the Book of the 5s. If one's mind is non-liberated how do you go about it? Q7 52:59 How to relate when resistance arises in practice from feeling blocked, to discouraged or lost etc etc etc.

Identifying the appearance of the 7 Awakening Factors in meditation with Mindfulness of In-and-Out Breathing as a basis.

We begin with guidance to develop samadhi (concentration). About mid-way through, we move to mindfulness practice, cultivating insight, and then to two important areas of liberating insight--insight into impermanence and insight into reactivity (the most fundamental meaning of dukkha).

Guided meditation (following Chi Gong practice) beginning at the root chakra paired with mindfulness, traveling up through the chakras and awakening factors for visualization and investigation.

Chi Gong to "shake off" tension in the body and ground the body with a mindful body scan that ends in sitting meditation.

Mindfully and kindly bringing attention to the body parts on the traditional list plus.

Establishing mindfulness and turning to investigation of whatever is present in this moment.

After establishing mindfulness and scanning through the body, this guided meditation addresses the 5 hindrances and describes a natural progression through the 7 Factors of Awakening.