05/14/2020 “TBD” with Rich Howard

TBD is an acronym that stands for “To Be Determined.” So many aspects of our lives right now are “to be determined”: When will schools re-open? When will a vaccine for COVID-19 be developed? When will I be able to visit [insert your favorite person’s name here]? When will I be able to go to a retreat center? The answers to all these questions and so many more will flow from a complex set of causes and conditions over which we have no control. So, how does that feel? How can we use the practice of meditative awareness to develop a sense of ease with changing and uncertain conditions? How can we apply both wisdom and compassion to work with this question?

We will also explore an alternate interpretation of “To Be Determined.” One of the ten paramis is adhitthana, or determination, in the sense of resoluteness or resolve. It may be helpful as the stay-at-home orders continue to cultivate an attitude of determination lightened by patience and kindness. We will look at how these qualities of mind might be applied to the way things are right now.