Vegan. Digital craftsman. Tea explorer. Avid learner of things. Writes code @automattic.
Peace begins with our own hearts and minds. As we treat ourselves, so we treat the world.
Continuing our study of the Brahma viharas, we’ll turn our attention to compassion, and specifically self compassion. Lorilee guided our reflections this week drawing on a dharma talk by Beth Sternlieb at Spirit Rock.
You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/60751/
An awakening and opening of the heart is central to how many of us experience the contemplative path. Loving-kindness and compassion are often spoken about in Buddhism, but what about the other ways that love and even heartbreak are present and necessary on our path of awakening? This week, Tucker guided our reflections, drawing talks and writings by dharma teacher and Zen master Henry Shukman.
You can listen to the interview that Henry gave here: https://soundcloud.com/guruviking/ep261-original-love-henry-shukman
Humility may seem like a subdued virtue, but exploring it in depth reveals the humor, the insight and the surprise that can come in discovering the subversive forces that alternately undermine and promote humility. Eric guided our reflections this week, drawing on a talk by Cara Lai, offering fresh insights into this quality we are often so shy to discuss.
You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/59613/
Equanimity may appear at the summit of the Seven Factors of Awakening, the Ten Paramis, and the Four Brahma Viharas, but it can prove essential, and attainable, right in the midst of everyday life.
Jackie, guided our investigation of Equanimity this week, drawing on her own experience and a talk by Jill Shepherd.
A link to the talk is here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/79313.html
Our intentions align our interests, our focus, our efforts and our actions. They can be felt in our bodies, emotions, thoughts, daily lives, and in our practice. Clarifying our intentions is central to living a meaningful life. Drawing on a talk by Brian LeSage and on the Five Mindfulness Trainings of Plum Village, Darryl guided our investigation of intention this Sunday.
You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/81852/
Darryl also mentioned this upcoming workshop on Insight Dialog on October 4 – 6, 2024: https://insightdialogue.secure.retreat.guru/program/sirius-the-interconnectedness-of-all-life/
Mudita is described as feeling an inner wellspring of joy, delighting in the positive experiences of others without jealousy or envy. It is the third of the four “divine abodes” or brahmaviharas, the highest qualities of the heart. It is described as always available, no matter what the circumstances may be.
However, how do we skillfully embody joy when we are facing our own difficulties and suffering? Why can feeling joy be so hard? Where does the line lie between wholesome joy and its near enemy excitement tied to craving?
Yuka Nakamura, in her talk, discusses the obstacles to mudita and the ways to further nurture it. Sonia facilitated our discussion this Sunday, playing the talk by Yuka and enjoining our group’s varied experiences of joy.
You can listen to Yuka’s talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/84320.html
Although meditation techniques for quieting the mind are widely taught, it sometimes seems that we are left on our own to find specific paths to insights that could change our own particular lives. Yet there exist practices which encourage and support the development of such insights, life-clarifying and life-changing.
This week, Michael guided our reflections on, and practice of, some key meditation strategies for opening to insights that arise from—and help us to meet—our own individual lives.
There are many moments during each day where our mind brings up
thoughts of resentment, greed, fear, or doubt. These thoughts can seem wildly random, coming from nowhere at all; what can we do?
But the teachings tell us that these experiences are lawful: there is always a cause and effect. Buddhist practice is about observing the mind, noticing the unpleasant effects of unskillful mind states, and
discerning the seeds that gave rise to them.
So too, is it about noticing pleasant states of mind and discerning those seeds. We can then choose to not water the seeds of unwholesome thoughts and only tend to the wholesome.
Mark Nunberg gave a talk in 2023 about taking responsibility for watering the seeds we want in our lives. Payton played this talk and guideed the Sangha’s discussion on the topic this Sunday.
You can hear Mark’s full talk here:
This Sunday, Don again took us on an excursion into the jhanas, those states of deeper concentration that were touchstones for the Buddha and his disciples.
These progressive levels of focus can be accessed in well-defined progressive stages, and a high level of jhana is the subject of the dharma talk by Leigh Brasington which anchored our practice and discussion this week. You can listen to the talk here:
https://www.dharmaseed.org/talks/76538/
Most of this talk will focus on the fourth jhana. This fits well after the last presentation on jhanas 1-3. The fourth jhana leaves behind the bliss/emptiness of the third jhana and replaces it with emptiness and equanimity. In the fourth jhana we are bright, alert and complete. We don’t need or want anything.
What if we meditate and jhana never come? There is still some benefit to calming down and letting our internal chatter coast to a stop.
What if one of the jhana arrives and we don’t know what do or what it all means? What if the bright white (or amber) light of nimitta happens and we get excited and “fumble-the-ball-at-the-ten-yard-line.”
The four jhanas only work for a while on the cushion. How do they relate to everyday life?
Historians debate about what happened 100 years ago. How do we know what people in a vastly different culture did 2600 years ago? Mr. Brasington mentions that the Vissuddhamaga and the Vimuttamagga describe jhana differently. Mahayana and Vajrayana practitioners, typically, don’t talk about jhana at all. What’s going on here?
There is no need to bring up jhanas 5,6,7,8 at this time. It is the fourth jhana, that counts, right now.
Is jhana practice beneficial to everyone? Can we slide into a non-productive state? We are somewhat limited by our biology. Only a finite number of mental states are possible. Various Buddhist sects seem to have an infinity of views on what this all means.
Is there a better moment than this moment? That is a key question that Narayan Helen Liebenson posed during a recent Dharma talk devoted to liberation realized as always already in the present moment. Sam hosted this week as we explored this insight using excerpts from Narayan’s talk, along with more input from John Peacock.
Sam quoted from the Middle Length Discourses (MN131) which you can read here: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.131.than.html
You can listen to the talks below:
“The Present Alone — is our happiness” John Peacock: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/35006.html
“Nirvana is enough” Narayan Helen Liebenson: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/79492.html
