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Meeting at Joey’s place on our coldest morning this year, we explored Equanimity with a dharma talk by Martine Batchelor

http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/119/talk/24374/

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.

http://www.shantalamusic.com/music/

http://www.krishnadas.com/

This morning Michael guided our reflections on Concentration, the Sixth Factor of Awakening.  We explored two different types of concentration, exclusive and inclusive, with the writings of Ajahn Thanissaro representing the former and those of Ashin Tejaniya representing the latter.  Our guided meditation, drawn from the teaching of Ashin Tejaniya,  focused on moving from strong concentration on the breath, to strong concentration on thoughts as they arose and changed, to strong concentration on underlying attitudes of mind or moods, thus moving fully into the Third Foundation of Mindfulness.

Today Joey guided our reflections on Tranquility, the 5th Factor of Awakening.  Featured was a dharma talk by Pascal Auclair and guided meditation on “Bringing Awareness to Mind States”

We began the year with an extended period of meditationframed by Michael, which included a sensory awareness experiment/meditation,  “Nothing to Do, Nowhere to Go” guided by Lee Lesser.  A little something to weigh in against resolutions one might be tempted to make for the new year.

You can access that meditation/experiment here

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t1klt719yi6f4bg/Lee%20Lesser%20Excerpt%20-%20nowhere%20to%20go%2C%20nothing%20to%20do.mp3?dl=0

Today Rebecca offered for us the famous guided meditation on Big Mind by Joseph Goldstein, leading step by step to a sense of expanded consciousness.  You can click here to  engage with it yourself.

http://media.dharmaseed.org/recordings/2014/10/20141021-Joseph_Goldstein-IMSRC-big_mind_guided_meditation.mp3

As we gathered at Joey’s place for a meeting away from the Studio, Same guided our reflections by approaching Tranquility somewhat obliquely with excerpts of talks from Jack Kornfield and another dharma teacher.  Links to those talks will be posted here shortly.

As we came together for our second day or reflecting on Joy, Payton phoned to let us know that his car would not start and that he could not make it in to frame the session (though he has sent along the link to the dharma talk by Gil Fronsdal he would have shared).

http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/610.html

So those of us gathered on that snowy morning meditated a little longer than usual, and had a rich discussion over tea about the various flavors and functions of Joy in the dharmic path.