Faith: a wholesome & beautiful mental favor that develops & blossoms through our practice.
“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders."
— Henry David Thoreau
The arising of difficult emotions is beyond our control. However, the application of right mindfulness along with the five ways working with distractive thoughts can help us to overcome them.
"This is a talk given at James Baraz's Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley."
James recently sat with Ven. Bhikkhu Analayo, an extraordinary Buddhist scholar and meditation teacher. He shares some of the teachings and practices that he learned on the Brahma Viharas and how they can help lead to deeper perceptions of emptiness including infinite space and infinite consciousness.
The talk gives a glimpse of the value of experimenting and playing with the mind. With Ven. Analayo's permission, James' takes us on a quick journey through some rather profound terrain. So let whatever your experience or non-experience be okay. For a deeper dive into the material the listener is referred to Ven. Analayo's book: Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation:
Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation.
