Dear Friends, Over the course of the month, we have dipped our toes into the eightfold path. The analogy of a path is useful in some respects. A path implies that someone has gone this way before, and now we can follow this path too. Stephen Batchelor writes, A path is something that connects us to a human… Read More »
Dear Friends, The first factor is called right (or wise) view, sometimes also called wise understanding. A note about the word “right” in these descriptions: it’s not a moralistic “I’m right and you’re wrong” attitude, but one of “what’s appropriate in this context”. If want to put a nail in a piece of wood, then the right tool… Read More »
Dear Friends, Continuing with Sally Armstrong’s talk, “Facets of Equanimity,” looking at some of the ways equanimity might be experienced in our meditation practice. She states, “Any moment of true or clear mindfulness has equanimity in it.” You can hear this balance of equanimity in the definitions of mindfulness Sally shares. Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of… Read More »
Dear Friends, We now get to dive into the fourth of the brahma vihāras, equanimity. Christina Feldman describes some of the meanings associated with this term: The Pali/Sanskrit word [commonly translated as] “equanimity” finds a number of different translations that endeavour to capture its meaning: “to look over,” “to be a guardian of,” to see with patience and as… Read More »
Dear Friends, Generosity is a favorite topic of mine. In studying and practicing generosity, I’ve learned much about qualities of the heart. Generosity is so much more than just a monetary exchange or giving a gift. There are many ways to give that we may already be doing – through our presence, and the way we are in… Read More »
Dear Friends, Bhante Gunaratana started chapter 8 with a recounting of the Two Kinds of Thought discourse, where the Buddha described a way we can classify and reflect on thoughts: Suppose I divide my thoughts into two classes. On one side, I set thoughts of sensual desire, ill will, and cruelty. On the other side, I set thoughts… Read More »
Dear Friends, I’m on retreat right now, and my phone and computer are getting a break too. So enjoy this email in my technical absence. Feel free to post your comments below to share your thoughts with the others also reading this message. I’ll be able to respond to you by Tuesday afternoon. Yesterday’s email was about mindful… Read More »
Dear Friends, At the insight meditation retreats I’ve attended, the first day often starts with reviewing the precepts. For those not familiar with the concept, the precepts are a way to explore creating a community with an attitude of respect and care for the community – a container of safety – oriented towards non-harming. Andrea Fella’s first talk in the Daily… Read More »
Dear Friends, In her book, Happiness is an Inside Job, Sylvia Boorstein discusses a difficult scenario and different possible reactions one might have in that scenario. I’ve adapted her example below… Scenario: You walk out of your apartment and notice all the tires on your car have been stolen. You’re so upset you… a) walk to the nearest… Read More »
Dear Friends, Spirit Rock has an on-line video course with esteemed teacher Sylvia Boorstein called Everyday Life as Mindfulness Practice. In the videos, Sylvia takes us through her home and her daily activities and describes all the different ways she brings mindfulness into these “ordinary” things. She says “there isn’t any activity that isn’t a venue of training… Read More »
