Author: Payton Swick

Sometimes we are tempted to extend our usual practice times, yes?  Extending our morning sit by doubling our usual time. Or from weekend retreat, to a weeklong. Having tasted a ten-day, contemplating a month. And there looms the possibility of the three-month with which IMS so often brings the year to a close.

Contemplating such possibilities, we can watch elation turn to uncertainty, then to dread and back again . . . before we even our seat.  And as we often learn by actually making such a commitment, however our emotions shift and turn, the net result is almost always greater depth.  And a desire to come back.   A little longer next time.

Lorilee guided our reflections this Sunday.

Then, next weekend (Sunday the 14th), there will be, for those interested, an opportunity to double our morning sitting time into the afternoon.

We explored the implications of extending sitting in our conversation this Sunday, and Lorilee brought some reflections by Donald Rothberg on a recent four-week retreat, along with practice possibilities by Anya Sayacitta.

Here are links to those talks:

Donald Rothberg : Reflections after Returning from Four Weeks on Retreat

Ayya Santacitta : The SOS (Sound of Silence) as a Doorway into the Web of Life

The eightfold path is divided into three interconnected sections: Wisdom, Meditation, and Ethics. The third section brings to mind the idea of a set of rules to follow, but another way to think about it might be “having a Compassionate Response”.

What would it be like to examine our experience in the light of compassion, not just as a characteristic of our behavior, but as a core active practice in our lives, alongside meditation?

Payton discussed this concept today alongside a talk by Donald Rothberg.

You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/95069/

Donald Rothberg also has additional talks on this topic, which are perhaps most easily found on his website: https://www.donaldrothberg.com/

The bedrock solidity of our vipassana practice can be enhanced by the intimacy and vastness of the mahayana, ‘the great vehicle’ which moves beyond measurement.  In the direct experience of our everyday lives just as they are, heart and mind can open gently or in a flash.

Michael guided some explorations of this shift in our way of seeing.

The Buddha taught that whatever we frequently ponder will become the inclinations of our minds.

What habits or inclinations shape our minds and hearts?  What might you find yourself repeating unthinkingly?

Habits can feel very strong and feel very connected to who we feel ourselves to be, the network of “I, me, and mine.”

Even after we see  clearly the delusion of that habit, it can be compelling.  How do we  work with the “hook” of a  habit pattern, and loosen its hold on us?  

Sonia facilitated a discussion this week with the Sangha exploring habits and conditioning as well as the  possibility of attaining freedom through our practice.

The talk is here: https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/15300

Faith in Buddhism can be a touchy topic.  Is that a bad thing? Or a spur to investigation.  People come to this tradition with a wide range of notions about what faith is and how it relates to their practice. How does that unfold?     

Max’s talk explored notions of faith we might bring as we enter Buddhism, how faith might look in our practice, how faith might be harmful, and how faith might be of benefit, nurturing our practice, particularly when our suffering seems overwhelming.      

As we take our tea, our conversation explored how these questions arise in our own practices, and with what effects.  

This Sunday, Steve turned our focus to Wise Effort, the sixth “fold” of the Noble Eightfold Path.

When the Buddha spoke of wise effort, he wasn’t asking us to strain, to push, or to grind our way toward awakening. He was pointing to something much more subtle: the quality of energy we bring to each moment.

Wise effort is the energy that supports freedom, not the exertion that tightens the knots.

After an overview of key teachings, we listened to a talk by Jack Kornfeld, who explored how Wise Effort can be grounded in Love.

This week we listened to a talk on the Four Noble Truths, in part building on Michael’s talk last week that included references to the Buddha’s first teaching, the core principles they pointed to, and the path to which they led.  All these were laid out in his very first sermon, offered to his five fellow seekers at Sarnath.

That core endures till today as the heart of the teaching. 

So it is always useful to return to the initial teachings that continue to be the bedrock of practice.

Ellen started our meditation with a few questions and then shared a talk by Ajahn Amaro on the four noble truths. These teachings provide guidance for living a life in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings day to day, as well as a particular focus for meditation we can return to at many points in our lives.

The talk is here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/87557.html

The dharma is most familiar to us in the words of the sutras.  Less explored and of real value are the gestures that characterize the Buddha, as captured in tiny pendants to massive statues hundred of feet high. 

Here we can find a world of physical movement and contemplative pause,  which embody particular mind states of the buddha, and show us strategies by which to cultivate them.     

Michael guided our reflections on these images and gestures this Sunday.

For many people, fear is a constant companion. Not completely paralyzing fear, just the low-level anxiety that everyone will judge you for your actions or that you’ll fail. It’s an emotion that’s there to protect us from real danger, but which has been over-activated by our environment. Sometimes this is just an inconvenience but at other times it can completely prevent us from doing things that we really want to do.

It is likely that to some degree everyone experiences this feeling, even if we don’t always admit it or even recognize it in ourselves. It’s the little voice in the back of our heads that says, “I could never do that”.

In many ways, Buddhist practice is about confronting those little voices in our head, seeing what they need, and inviting them in for tea. Can we do that for these hidden fears? Even though it’s scary? Payton brought this topic to the Sangha this Sunday accompanied by a recorded talk from Andrea Fella.

You can listen to Andrea’s talk here: https://www.audiodharma.org/talks/10958

Returning to the most basic instructions – awareness of the body, feelings, heart-mind and dhammas reveals how these instructions feel differently under different conditions. and open different insights.

Darryl guided our reflections, drawing from a talk by Dawn Scott and a guided meditation from Yahel Avigur. Both presentations examine reactivity, body awareness and ways of noticing and responding to reactivity.

Dawn’s talk is here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/83495/