The Role of “Framing Experience” In Performance, Satisfaction and Happiness

NOTICE: the first eight seconds of this audio is poor quality and then improves.

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Every day we are presented with circumstances that can be opportunities, challenges or problems depending on how our mind frames the experience that is taking place. The way our mind frames an experience has enormous influence in determining how we relate to the experience, and how we feel about our capacity to deal with it skillfully and how we perform.
This event – how the mind frames what is it about to engage – is critical in guiding how, and whether, we can mobilize our inner resources to take on what life brings to us with determination, patience and satisfaction; or whether we struggle, suffer and are disappointed. This is the difference between feeling empowered and capable vs vulnerable and at risk.
This principle applies whether the circumstances, or life situation, involves our interior life, our relationship with others, or economic, cultural or political events taking place in our community, our country or the work.
Dennis’ talk Thursday night, and the related discussion, with focus on this critical, and frequently overlooked, element of practice. We will examine the what, why and how of framing events from a practice perspective using real life illustrations. How can we use our practice to improve the fundamental way we relate to our experience, improve our performance and feeling better about ourselves?

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This is the second talk, in a series of two, on working with difficult, problematic and obsessive thinking. A useful four page handout accompanied Dennis’ first talk on this topic on March 7th. The discussion this evening will look at the differences between working with thought during meditation and working with thought during daily lives. These are two different approaches.
For example, the traditional instruction is to “not go into the content of thought” during meditation. Is that the whole instruction? Doesn’t the Insight Meditation process involve some form of evaluation of thought while one is meditating? How does this basic meditation instruction apply to thought in daily life?
Among other thing, the evening will explore the five strategies the historical Buddha recommended for dealing with difficult, problematic and/or obsessive thoughts that distract us for seeing into their implications or true nature of being either harmful or unhealthy nature.

• Talk handout: Options For Working With Thought (.pdf)

(Note: This talk does not cover the same materials present in the talk on the “Two Types of Thinking” presented earlier this month on April 18 by Community Teacher Diane Wilde.)

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Investigation Leading to Liberating Insight – A Practical Model For Working With Restlessness, Worry and Anxiety
How can Restless, Worry & Anxiety be investigated in a way that leads to liberating insight? This is one of the fundamental skills of a good practice. This evening will be devoted to examining a practical, experiential and hands-on model of working with these obstacles and challenges to mindfulness and practice.
While these states of mind can appear in different areas in our practice and our life, they usually acts as an undermining factor in our confidence, decision making and behavior. What are the related experiences of Restless, Worry and Anxiety? What are their experiential origin? What causes them to be present? What causes them to diminish and no longer be present? What can we do to work with them skillfully while they present?
As preparation for this evening, reflect on how Restless, Worry and Anxiety has influenced your experience and decision making in the last year. Come prepared with questions you have regarding your experiences.

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We seldom talk about evaluating how we are practicing or what model might be used for doing an evaluation.
This evening is devoted to examining a practical, experiential and hands-on evaluation model that we can use to evaluate how we are practicing, regardless of the stage or sophistication of our practice. Talk handout links listed below:

• LovingKindness Metta Description (.pdf)
• Building A Sound Practice (.pdf)

If you’d like to listen to the part 1 talk, click here.

The principal purpose of Insight Practice is the creation of conditions that led to spontaneous, intuitive Insight that liberates the mind and heart from suffering. This occurs through “Investigation.”
This evening will be Part II in an exploration of the meaning of “Investigation” in the context of the Buddha’s teachings on the “Seven Factors of Awakening.”
It would be helpful to review the first 12 pages of the article on the Seven Factors by Piyadassi Thera at https://accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/piyadassi/wheel001.pdf .

• .pdf handout 1 of 2  – RUMI – Keep Looking At The Bandaged Place
• .pdf handout 2 of 2 – ARMSTRONG – Attending To vs Working Out Reactive Emotions

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