Everyone has heard the phrase “being your own worst enemy” which points to the way we can sometimes use negative self-talk to sabotage or hold ourselves back from progress on the path. This talk will highlight the importance of befriending our own mind and accepting it rather than fighting it. Then, as the meditation master Dipa Ma once said, “it ceases to be a problem.”
If there is a goal in meditation practice, perhaps it could best be described as inner transformation of the heart. In Satipatthana Meditation: A Practice Guide, Buddhist scholar Bhikkhu Analayo writes, “Meditation practice should result in an improvement in the way we are, how we relate to others, and how we deal with outer circumstances.” He also describes this as “a genuine opening of the heart to the qualities of kindness and compassion.” During this talk, we will explore this further, with the aid of stories and poems, and perhaps discover ways it might manifest in our own experience.
SIM’s mission is to integrate meditative awareness into all aspects of daily life. The core faculty will explore this topic together on this evening. Walt, Diane, and Rich will reflect on their own daily life practices and leave plenty of time for reflections from the community.
As part of our ongoing series, this talk will examine the final factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, which is Right Concentration. Practicing Right Effort and Right Mindfulness, in combination with a strong foundation in ethical behavior (Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood) leads eventually to a more focused or unified mind that is easily able to stay with one object like the breath or to maintain continuous awareness as the objects of our attention change (thoughts, sights, sounds, tastes, etc). With this steady, still, undistracted mind, we are then ready to cultivate insight which leads to wisdom (Right View, Right Intention) and potentially to full awakening.
One of the keys to understanding the Buddhist practice of death contemplation is remembering that it’s not just about all things being impermanent. Rather, it’s about mindfully facing our own death and understanding it could come at any time. The good news is that this practice can lead to lessening our fear of death and learning to live more fully (and even joyfully) each day.
Guided Meditation (the first part of the meditation is missing – the audio was not clear)
Dharma Talk
In the suttas, the Buddha encouraged us to be grateful and thankful. Intentionally cultivating gratitude even during challenging times helps serve as an antidote to the negative bias of the mind. Otherwise, we often focus too much of our energy on what is wrong or lacking in our lives, rather than appreciating the many simple blessings all around us. Being grateful also counters tendencies towards greed, envy, jealousy and pride.
According to Bhikkhu Bodhi, it is said that “the purpose of the Buddha’s appearance in the world… is to proclaim the four noble truths.” This was also the Buddha’s very first teaching where he “set in motion the wheel of the dhamma.”
We will explore these four truths of suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the way leading to the cessation of suffering, and see how they can apply to modern life.
At some point, hopefully we begin to fall in love with meditation and the inherent wisdom we gain from this path of practice. This means we really make it a top priority, not because we “should” or think it’s a good idea, but because we start to see the tangible benefits manifesting in our life. We may also begin to get a sense of spiritual urgency or samvega. We understand that meditation can be a stable, reliable refuge for us even during the difficult times in our lives.
In this talk we will explore how our perceptions are often conditioned by many assumptions, beliefs, habits, desires, attachments, misconceptions, resentments, and more. Through mindfulness practice, we can even begin to train our perceptions and counteract our conditioning, allowing us to respond to events with greater wisdom and less reactivity.
In the Maha-parinibbana Sutta, we learn what occurred during the last few months of the Buddha’s life. We will explore a few episodes from this sutta and examine some of the Buddha’s compassionate teachings during this poignant time leading up to his death.
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