Dear Friends, Thank you for being part of this month-long exploration of the five faculties. I really enjoyed having the opportunity to dive deep into the topic, and I hope you found it interesting as well. Special thanks to the teachers and poets who generously post recordings (and sometimes transcripts) of their teachings online for us to follow… Read More »
Dear Friends, I was inspired to look at the five faculties this month because they can guide us in practice and in daily life. I like how Elizabeth Day described the applicability: This particular framework of the five faculties can be a framework for success in anything that we do. It is a succinct summary of a sophisticated… Read More »
Dear Friends, In Guided Meditation – Mudita, DaRa offers some opening comments, then sparks some generosity and gratitude through a story and reflection, and leads an appreciative joy practice that radiates joy to beings in all directions. She says we’re up to something radical here by intentionally cultivating joy, gladdening the heart. There are many joyful moments in… Read More »
Dear Friends, After Jill’s broad tour of the various qualities of heart we can cultivate (discussed in the Jan 5 post), the talks we’ll review today dive deep into metta, loving kindness. DaRa sets the stage for practice by offering a few words on setting up for practice – checking in with posture, the breath – inviting a… Read More »
Dear Friends, In insight meditation, we often practice cultivating four specific qualities of the heart: kindness (a.k.a. metta, loving kindness, goodwill, friendliness), compassion, joy (particularly joy in the joy of others, a.k.a. mudita), and equanimity (having a balanced perspective). In some circles, my fellow practitioners and I have discussed that this list could include a fifth quality: gratitude.… Read More »
Dear Friends, As we near the end of January (already!), I thought I would share a few ideas how I keep my practice alive day to day… and invite some of your ideas too! One thing many of us may relate to is feeling like there isn’t enough time to sit and practice. That’s where I love this… Read More »
Dear Friends, I have noticed a particularly sticky thought pattern. It’s the one that says to me, “You’re not good enough. You should be doing more. You always lose your keys – how can you be that disorganized. You’ll never be able to do that thing, so why even try.” And on and on. Mark Coleman wrote a… Read More »
Dear Friends, We’re over halfway through this month of reflection and practice! And maybe you notice times you are discouraged that your practice isn’t going “better,” or you are sure you’re just not getting it, or other stories of self-judgment or shame. The RAIN practice discussed yesterday is one way to work with these kind of thoughts. Jeanne… Read More »
Dear Friends, With the prospect of strong winds and snow across much of Saskatchewan over the next day or two, there’s a good chance things here will look a bit like a snow globe that has been shaken up. We won’t be able to see the buildings or trees clearly as the snow is whipped up and swirled… Read More »
Dear Friends, There’s a poem by Jack Gilbert called “A Brief for the Defense” that has this reflection: We must risk delight. … We must havethe stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthlessfurnace of this world. To make injustice the onlymeasure of our attention is to praise the Devil. Jack Gilbert, “A Brief For The Defense”https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-brief-for-the-defense/ The… Read More »
Dear Friends, In a short story called “A Painful Case,” James Joyce wrote that the main character, Mr. Duffy, “lived at a little distance from his body.” As we sit with our devices at hand, reading these words, perhaps some may notice that we too live at a little distance from our bodies. I have certainly noticed that… Read More »
Dear Friends, This poem brings me a smile: One Attempt at Efficiency after an idea planted by Gabrielle Louise it never worksthis trying to exhale and inhaleat the same time ~ Rosemerry Wahtola Trommerhttps://ahundredfallingveils.com/2016/02/06/one-attempt-at-efficiency/ One of the most common ways to cultivate mindfulness is by turning attention towards the breath. This is something we can do any time,… Read More »
Dear Friends, The practices of mindfulness and meditation have been such incredible supports for me in the challenges of life, including 2020! That is what has motivated me to study and practice and share with others. This is the sixth year I have offered this daily email in January, and I’m honoured that you have chosen to join… Read More »
Dear Friends, One last message for this series of emails, to express my deep appreciation and gratitude for being part of this month with me. As the Buddha said to Ananda, “Good friends, companions, and associates are the whole of the spiritual life. ” (SN 45.2) It is inspiring for me to know that there were people from… Read More »
Dear Friends, Continuing with the talk by Kamala Masters titled, “The Power of Patience.” Kamala shared a reflection that resonated with me: You might have noticed that there’s no joy when there’s impatience in the practice. … When we can go at good pace with ourselves, just allowing things to arise that are already arising, and our only… Read More »
