Short Reflection & Guided Meditation including a message by the Kogi Nation read by Thanissara Weinberg | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene IV | Online Wednesday-Morning

Guided self-compassion meditation

An exploration of how the sense of self is created and sustained in our meditation and in our lives.

The talk is framed in terms of compassion and equanimity being crucial qualities for our practice at the time of the polycrisis. After remembering some of the foundations of traditional practice, we review the nature of compassion, and how it develops in insight practice, and as a “heart practice” (one of the brahmavihara), both in more “inner” and more “outer” forms of practice. We then look at the main qualities of mature equanimity, including balance, evenness with what arises, unshakability, understanding, faith, responsiveness, and grounding in our deep nature. We also see how equanimity as a heart practice is deeply integrated with lovingkindness, compassion, and joy. The talk is followed by discussion, and then by the inviting of metta (lovingkindness) for others, closing intentions, and the dedication of merit.

The session starts with chanting of the refuges in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha. Then the guided meditation begins with a brief overview of equanimity practice , followed by cultivating equanimity in both the development of concentration and mindfulness. This is followed by a brief compassion practice and then developing equanimity as a heart practice.

In a Sunday Dhamma talk at Parayana Vihara, Ayya Anandabodhi encourages people to expand and deepen their awareness in order to be able to hold difficult emotions with compassion and equanimity.