Humans long for peace in our lives and in our world. In our practice of boundless kindness (Metta in Pali), we say, “May you be peaceful.” So, what are the conditions that lead to peace in the outer and inner worlds? The Buddha counseled rulers about outer peace, and gave many instructions to practitioners about inner peace. We will examine these instructions and see how we might apply them to bring peace for ourselves, those around us, and our world.
Discursive, subtle states of mind are difficult to isolate which makes it difficult to utilize methods to lessen their negative impact on us. They just seem to be “us”, who we are. Even though they are almost always “invisible”, you can count on experiencing their results… anxiety and more anxiety! The Buddha describes these troubling subtle states of mind as the Ten Fetters. He offers an approach, a sort of “To-Do List” on how to mentally address the Fetters, and what happens when we undertake the process of recognizing them. Tonight we will do a brief overview of the Ten Fetters and their unique properties. We’ll spend additional time on the first fetter, which is the illusion we each have concerning our own personality, or “personality view”. We will explore this first fetter through a few brief mental exercises.
As the dog days of summer arrive, we may not be filling our days with as many activities. We may even be facing periods of boredom. Or we may have children who are BORED!! Dr. Katie Hurley (Happy Kid Handbook) says, “We have a tendency to treat boredom as a sign of distress, or a sort of call for help. It is uncomfortable, but it’s not necessarily negative.” Like any hindrance (restlessness, sleepiness, etc.), we can take up boredom as an object of awareness, and by learning about an apparently negative mind state, learn about ourselves and our suffering. On a meditation retreat, John Travis has recommended looking closely at boredom. What might we find? This talk will explore boredom and related mind states.
It can be hard to maintain an open-hearted balance in a world where we have access to immense suffering in every corner of the globe. We may be closed down into paralysis or panic. And yet our practice calls us to engage the suffering, the world’s and our own, with compassion. How can we withstand and even thrive as the “worldly winds” blow around us? The quality of Equanimity can be the refuge we seek. We will explore Equanimity (upekkha in Pali) as one of the Paramis, as well as its place in the Brahmaviharas and the Seven Factors of Awakening.
(Part 7 of 10 of a series on The Paramis)
In his latest book, “Noble Truths, Noble Path” (Wisdom Publications, 2023), American monk and translator Bhikkhu Bodhi describes the four noble truths as “the matrix of the teachings” and “not merely as one Buddhist doctrine among others, but more broadly as the implicit framework of the whole teaching.” The Thursday talk and discussion will address the first three Truths: 1) Dukkha (unsatisfactoriness/vulnerability/suffering), 2) the Cause of Dukkha (tanha, or craving/leaning in/turning away), and 3) the Cessation of Dukkha (nirodha, extinction, liberation). We will look at each Truth in detail, discuss how they are “ennobling,” and see how understanding them can be found in formal practice and daily life. This evening will lead us into the February 24 daylong retreat, where we will explore the fourth truth, the noble eightfold path, in both theory and practice.
We rightly place strong emphasis on mindfulness of the body and mindfulness of mind states in our practice of meditation and everyday awareness. These are the first and third ways of establishing mindfulness as described in the Satipatthana Sutta, one of the core teachings of our Insight tradition. Sometimes overlooked is the Second Foundation of Mindfulness: mindfulness of feeling tone (vedana in Pali). A feeling tone of pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral accompanies every experience, physical or mental. Unnoticed, these feeling tones can escalate to desire, aversion, or delusion and cause us to suffer. When noticed, they can lead us to expand our range of situations where we can feel okay, regardless of outside circumstances. On this evening, we will explore vedana in our guided meditation and in the dharma talk and following discussion. Rich encourages you to practice noticing vedana in the week leading up to this evening, so you can report directly from your experience in the discussion session. If you are unfamiliar with the practice and need instruction, email Rich Howard.
We often say that all things are the result of causes and conditions, and most teachings discuss how this leads to suffering when we try to hold on in the face of change. The foundational teaching of Dependent Origination is the best-known example. But causes and conditions can also lead to liberation. The lesser-known Discourse on Proximate Causes (Upanisa Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya 12.23) lays out a chain of causes that leads from suffering to the knowledge of liberation.
Understanding the steps in this chain of liberation can inform our practice and lead to happiness and peace. We will examine these steps and see how we might apply them to our practice.
This talk was not recorded however Rich Howard wanted to share the following two handouts.
A commitment to speaking the truth brings a sense of trust and safety to our relationships, and we reinforce this commitment when we take the fourth precept of refraining from harmful speech. Truthfulness (sacca in Pali) is also one of the Paramis, and it is said that this commitment to speak the truth was never broken by the Buddha on his way to awakening. As the same time, we are surrounded by a society which seems to thrive on untruthful, deceptive, or exaggerated communication. On this evening, we will look at various aspects of Truth in the Buddhist teachings, up to the profound Four Noble Truths, and explore how we can incorporate a commitment to truthfulness in our daily lives.
Women’s voices have brought inspiration and wisdom to our Vipassana/Insight tradition since the time of the Buddha. Our tradition has not always honored the contributions of their teachings, and in some cases, sadly, has put up roadblocks to full participation by women as teachers and practitioners. In this presentation, Rich will let Buddhist women speak through their own words, as presented in several sources: Leaving It All Behind (by Bhikkhuni Anandabodhi and Bhikkhuni Santacitta), The Hidden Lamp (edited by Florence Caplow and Susan Moon), Discovering Kwan Yin, Buddhist Goddess of Compassion (by Sandy Boucher), and others. The presentation will be enriched by poetry, from the verses of the enlightened women of the Buddha’s time (the Therigatha) to contemporary poets.
A list of the readings mentioned in this recording are included below:
SIM Community Teacher Rich Howard will offer two connected events at the end of January with the theme “Cling to Nothing.” The Thursday January 26 presentation, “Cling to Nothing: The Aggregates and Other Forms of I, Me, and Mine” will look at the various ways in which clinging happens and creates an unhealthy sense of self. We will discuss the forms of clinging recognized by the Buddha, and how they lead to dissatisfaction. The Saturday January 26 daylong will expand on these themes, but both events are standalone; you may attend one or both. The text inspiring this theme is “Untangling Self: A Buddhist Investigation of Who We Really Are” by Andrew Olendzki (Wisdom Publications, 2016).
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