Author: Payton Swick

Today Joey led a discussion on the deep topic of intention and karma, including the concepts of Cetana (moment to moment intention), Adhitthana (resolve or determination), and Samma Sankappa (right or wise intention).

Here’s a talk by Andrea Fella investigating intention through daily actions such as speech, movement, frustration with the computer, shopping at the drug store http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/7659.html

And here’s a talk by Sally Clough Armstrong exploring the three kinds of intention: http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/153/talk/39449/

Michael’s presentation this Sunday drew on Joseph Goldstein’s talk “Busy Life, No Self” (not available on Dharmaseed, alas) in which Joseph offered three 3-minute meditations which one could use daily in the midst of a busy life to cultivate the realization of No-Self. Briefly,

1. Listen to sounds, and ask “Can I find the knower of the sound?
2. Realize that “I am not the body”; deeply take in the fact that all birth inevitably ends in death, and that even at the moment of your individual death, thousands of others are also dying. – OR – experience your sensations, free of the concept that they are happening in a body; just experience the sensations themselves.
3. Become aware of thoughts as they arise, and realize that there is no “I” thinking; just thoughts.

Even in this synopsized form, these reflections can have great power if we give ourselves over to them earnestly.

This Sunday, Mike led a pointed discussion of the “planning mind” as a form of the Hinderance of Restlessness.

This manifestation of Restlessness can be particularly hard to uproot due to its seeming utility. Planning serves a purpose, but where does it cross the line?

Here is a link to the talk by Shaila Catherine which he played:

http://audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/2724.html

This Sunday, Zac guided the discussion on the deep topic of Samadhi, usually translated as concentration or “meditative absorption”. Here are some notes from the talk.

Donald Rothberg 2016-11-29 64:52
The Art of Samadhi Practice
Spirit Rock Meditation Center: From Mindfulness Breath to Radiant Mind
http://dharmaseed.org/talks/audio_player/55/38204.html
(played the first ~15 minutes)

Concentration – adapted from a talk by Gil Fronsdal, April 1st, 2000
http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/articles/concentration/

Wisdom Wide and Deep by Shaila Catherine
http://www.wisdompubs.org/book/wisdom-wide-and-deep

Samadhi is Pure Enjoyment by Ajahn Sucitto
http://www.amaravati.org/dhamma-books/samadhi-is-pure-enjoyment/

From the Introduction to Wisdom Wide and Deep:

[This is an] in-depth training that emphasizes the application of concentrated attention to profound and liberating insight. With calm, tranquility, and composure established through practical experience of jhana, or deep concentration, meditators are able to halt the seemingly endless battle against hindrances, eliminate distraction, and facilitate a penetrative insight into the subtle nature of matter in mind. It was for this reason the Buddha frequently exhorted his students, ‘develop concentration; one who is concentrated understands things as they really are.’”

“The reader will learn how to establish jhāna [deep concentration] using a host of objects: breath; body; colors; elements; immaterial perceptions of infinite space, consciousness, nothingness, and the stilling of perception; heartfelt social attitudes of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and
equanimity; as well as recollections of the Buddha, impermanence, and death.”

“Concentration ushers the mind into sublime states of blissful absorption and then serve as an effective foundation for the clear perception of reality.”

“Whether your progress is quick or slow, pleasant or painful, is of little importance—a wise practitioner will strive to develop every aspect of the path, both the factors that come easily and those that require arduous effort. You can know for yourself bliss beyond sensory pleasures, directly experience transformative insight, and learn how to sustain deep joy and clarity
within the complex dynamic of daily life.”

“We do not stop with the development of concentration. We apply this profound stability to the meticulous discernment, analysis, and contemplation of reality as it is actually occurring. You will learn how to sustain an in-depth examination of the nuances of mind and matter to unravel deeply conditioned patterns that perpetuate suffering.”

From Concentration – adapted from a talk by Gil Fronsdal, April 1st, 2000
http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/articles/concentration/

Concentration brings calm, which can open the possibilities of new relationships toward our concerns. Most of us know that a calm mind allows us to see and think more clearly. But it can also help us to understand our concerns in a completely new way. It allows us to step outside of the maze-like context of the concerns themselves. Such problems as inter-personal relationships, work, health, and personal identity can be seen through our deepest integrity and values rather than through fears, desires, and popular, superficial values.

In a more profound sense, the over-arching perspective of calm awareness may show us that having problems may be completely acceptable. We realize that our ability to be whole and complete is not compromised by the problem. In fact, our wholeness actually includes the problem. This does not mean we become complacent, but that our attempts to fix our problems need not be colored by a sense of preoccupation, inadequacy, or neediness.

The most important function of concentration within mindfulness practice is to help keep our mindfulness steady and stable in the present so that we can see clearly what is actually occurring. Our present lived experience is the door to the deepest insights and awakening. Concentration keeps us in the present so mindfulness can do its work.

This Sunday, Patrick led our meditation and reflection on the theme of practicing in difficult times.

Centered on a talk by Gil Fronsdal, we discussed ways in which experiencing difficult situations can be seen as a natural part of life and not a punishment. Seen through a different perspective, such situations can then be acted upon with wisdom and compassion.

Gil’s talk is available here: http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/74/talk/6404/

This Sunday, Joey guided our reflections, drawing material from a recently attended retreat titled “Strengthening the Heart.” One of the retreat’s most inspiring and illuminating dharma talks, by Owen J Sofer, will be used to help frame our discussion.

The talk is available here: http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/248/talk/39919/

During the talk, there is a reference to a video of a bird frozen to a pipe. That video is here:

This Sunday, Joey led a timely discussion on how to deal with the challenges of acting with wisdom when the whole world (or even just one event) seems set against us. She played excerpts from talks given by Pema Chodron after the September 11th attacks which may be just as relevant today. The talks were from a retreat called “Fully Alive”.

We live in difficult times. Life sometimes seems like a roiling and turbulent river threatening to drown us. Why, in the face of that, shouldn’t we cling for safety to the certainty of the shore—to our comfortably familiar patterns and habits? Because, Pema Chödrön teaches, that kind of fear-based clinging leads only to even greater suffering.

This Sunday, Margaret led a discussion on the topic of Aversion. She used excerpts from a talk by Steve Armstrong:
http://media.dharmaseed.org/cache/DS/19971016-Steve_Armstrong-IMSRC-aversion.mp3

Steve suggested a five step process for dealing with this challenging Hinderance:
– Recognize
– Restraint (from acting out the aversion)
– Reframe
– Reveal characteristics (explore the subtle differences between different forms of aversion)
– And when all else fails, focus on impermanence (wait it out – it will pass)

This Sunday, Rebecca led a discussion centered around a talk by Pascal Auclair entitled “Instructions on working with emotions, moods and mind states”.

The talk is available here: http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/198/talk/38452/

Today, Payton led the discussion on mindfulness of emotions, as defined by Gil Fronsdal in his talk of the same name. The talk is available from Audio Dharma here:

http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/7306.html

Gil spoke about using the acronym “RAFT” to pause and work with strong emotions as they appear in our minds and bodies. The acronym refers to:

• Recognize: It’s often hard to notice when we have strong emotions going on. Sometimes even just noticing it is freeing.
• Allow: Maybe not “accept” because we are not necessarily condoning the emotion. Instead we make space for it in the heart. Put the “motion” back in “emotion” and allow them to be experienced fully without acting on them. When emotions stop moving and get stuck, we suffer.
• Feel: What is the physical experience of the emotion? More challenging emotions often have a story, and we can be very involved in that story. By stepping away from the story we can make more space for dealing with the emotion. Have compassion for yourself and don’t fight to resist or push down the experience. We don’t have to have an adversarial relationship with emotion.
• Teasing Apart: Investigating the pieces of the emotion can be liberating. Time: sometimes it’s not related to something that’s actually happening now or even something that happened recently. Body: sometimes our body experiences can be separate from our emotions. Multiple emotions: sometimes several emotions can be tangled as one. Identity: the joy of conceit, based on complements, is fragile; the anger of being criticized is fragile and based on outside forces.