2025 E-BIPOC Retreat, day 3 (2nd full day): bhavana, elements, sammā dițți, Cuļa Suññata Suta (MN 121)

Living in the forest, we are always aware of the trees. Patient, deep-rooted, even in fierce storms, they stand. So stand like the trees, committed and enduring. See the world with pure awareness, just the way it is. Living in a state of gratitude, we make peace with the divisiveness of this realm. We offer the blessing of our own inner harmony – the heart's compassionate, pure presence – to live and die in a state of grace, gratitude and love. Some will be blessed by that. But can we spread peace in the world without being peaceful ourselves?

The essence of compassion is honesty about suffering. Compassion is what naturally arises when we turn towards hurts, pain, suffering with love.

The heart’s splendor is known in pure awareness – not tainted by any harmful thought or feeling. It is integrity itself – present now. Traverse from the self, the narrow sense of me and mine, to surrender – knowing that we are nothing of this realm. But this emptiness is a fullness, measureless and complete – so vast that it dwarfs everything. It is universal love, compassion, supremely gentle, kind.  Once known, it can never not be known. We are not separate from awareness. Like the sky. It is always there – a silent homage, our true home.

The talk begins to give the "big picture" about the nature of our practice, and how we come, in a way suitable to our times and places, to manifest wisdom, love and compassion, and skillful responses in our lives, increasingly more of the time. We reflect first on some of the challenges of our times, and how Buddhism, as it has moved to different cultures, has always taken new forms. A main part of the big picture, which is our main focus today, is a model of how meditation develops. We articulate a model involving three main forms of practice (that we can find in multiple Buddhist traditions): Developing samadhi (concentration), opening to liberating insight, and opening to awakened awareness. We explore each of the three and their relationship to each other. The talk is followed by discussion.

Boundaries and firm compassion - unfurling the heart in the world. Includes an inquiry exercise.

Reflections around inquiry practice - including the 'view' of parts as a compassionate response for our times.

How to use touch to self-regulate and for self-compassion