An introduction to the retreat theme of Awakening the Pure Heart.

After some personal stories from Donald about his father, who was a veteran, and about Donald’s experiences growing up at the time of the Vietnam war and being introduced to nonviolence, we explore the three main dimensions of our practice (training in ethics, meditation, and wisdom) related to the holiday. We focus on the ethical teachings about killing and nonviolence, including the complexities of these teachings; the importance of bringing mindfulness to grief, loss, and sadness, and of grounding in kindness, compassion, and love; and the wisdom and insight teachings about seeing the roots of violence. The talk is followed by discussion.

Guided Loving-kindness instruction after a brief description of the potential of the Brahmaviharas in daily life.

Through stillness, playfulness, and deep listening to the body, we rediscover our interconnectedness, resilience, and capacity to live fully awake in a changing world.

Right View is seeing in a way that aligns with reality. It is not a static belief or fixed opinion, but an ongoing, dynamic, experiential alignment with what is true. Right View brings the mind and heart into harmony, like a wheel properly set on its axle. With Right View comes clarity. We begin to see the distortions caused by clinging, greed, hatred, and delusion, and that seeing empowers us to act in ways that reduce suffering. One of the most important teachings on wise view, the Sammādiṭṭhi Sutta (MN 9), offers a simple organizing principle—a kind of Dhamma algorithm—that, when practiced, can lead to greater well-being, deeper wisdom, and ultimately freedom from grief, sorrow, lamentation, dukkha, and distress. The slides referenced in the talk can be found at https://links.gullusingh.com/e005e6