Margaret framed our reflections as we listened to the 4th talk of Pema Chodron’s “Getting Unstuck” retreat. Here Pema continues her exploration of how one encounters, understands, and eventually moves beyond the force of ‘shenpa’ which underlies the suffering in our lives.
You can listen to this talk by clicking here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ug0q0xdbpx4aq52/Pema%204%20Enjoying%20the%20Process.mp3?dl=0
Lorilee guided our reflections this Sunday, as we listened to the third of Pema Chodron’s talks in her Getting Unstuck series, titled “Meditation: the Path to Enlightenment.” You can access that talk by clicking here https://www.dropbox.com/s/4h0b9rortg2zh52/Pema%203%20Meditation_%20Path%20to%20Enlightenment.mp3?dl=0
Discussion centered primarily about the ways in which the experience of shenpa precedes even suffering. It is the primary contraction which gives rise to suffering and to our attempts to relieve it (in ways that only perpetuate that very suffering)
This Sunday Payton guided our reflections on the second of Pema Chodron’s talks in the series titled “Getting Unstuck.” Her dharma talk, titled “Exploring the Itch,” explores the key concept of Shenpa – a pre-conceptual impulse that lies beneath dukkha itself and gives rise to both suffering and unskillful strategies we resort to in order to evade suffering. Since we are in a series of six talks, if you’d like to ‘catch up’ by listening to this talk before coming to hear the next one, click here
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ml93mz62vymag9e/Pema%202%20Exploring%20the%20itch.mp3?dl=0
Jessica framed our reflections this morning, playing the first of Pema’s talks in this “Getting Unstuck” series, titled “Learning to Stay.” Our discussion largely centered around our own practices and the three ways in which we typically refuse to stay with what comes up in our meditation.
If you’d like to hear the talk, just for itself, or in preparation for next Sunday’s continuation, click here
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kc5ckv1nynmr88c/Pema%201%20Learning%20to%20Stay.mp3?dl=0
These session will continue for six weeks, and you are welcome to join anywhere along the way.
Payton hosted us in a offering of the Chinese Tea Ceremony this Sunday. Different in nature from the Japanese Tea Ceremony, this one is designed to serve – and awaken – a number of people at the same time, as we join in observing the preparation and then all partake of the tea at the same time. Each phase of the ceremony is offered with great mindfulness and precision, and even to watch it is a meditation, quieting the mind, sharpening the senses.
Nancy guided our reflections today with the third session on Equanimity, which brings to a close our series on the Seven Factors of Awakening. She drew on instructions by Ajahn Thanissaro
and an extended dharma talk and guided meditation by Ayya Khema
http://ayyakhematalks.org/Media/Green_Gulch_1996/GG_96_talk_08.mp3
Meeting at Joey’s place on our coldest morning this year, we explored Equanimity with a dharma talk by Martine Batchelor
Lorilee guided our reflections this morning as we embarked on the Factor of Equanimity, the final Factor of Awakening. The morning centered on a talk by Christopher Titmouse titled “The Wisdom of Equanimity”
https://archive.org/details/DharmaTalkWisdomOfEquanimity
Same guided our reflections today as we met at Rebecca’s place for sangha. The focus was our third session on Concentration as a Factor of Awakening, and featured excerpts from dharma talks by Jack Kornfield, “Quiet the Mind; Open the Heart”
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/85/talk/2317/
and by Christina Feldman, “Refuge in Calmness”
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/44/talk/10162/
This morning, Lorilee led our second Sunday devoted to Concentration. Framing the practice with quotations from the Bhagavad Gita and accompanied by her harmonium, she led is in kirtan, the call and response style of chanting in Sanskrit, ranging from the simple to the complex, exploring each as a mode of concentration. Later, we experimented with concentration by gazing at a candle flame. You may find lovely examples of Kirtan to listen to or chant along with by clicking on one of these link.
