Short Reflection & Guided Meditation on 'The Holonic Shift' by Joanna Macy | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene III | Online Wednesday-Mornings

Q1 In sitting meditation I have much less distraction but I feel a sense of torpor. Where does this come from and how can I deal with it? 07:10 Q2 I spend the majority of my life trying to ignore my difficult emotions. Since I began meditation I’ve tried to welcome them all but they take a lot of space. Will it be like this the rest of my life? [A similar one:] I find myself in a deep groove of negativity which is hard to shift. After a couple of decades of practice I am embarrassed by this and find myself more and more isolated from family and friends. [A similar one:] I was bullied as a young teenager which destroyed my self-esteem. How can I secure my heart? 17:20 Q3 Can you explain the difference between citta and consciousness? [A similar one:] How can citta be experienced best? Is it only through phenomena? Can citta be satisfied by internal content and does this help to ease the thirst for sensual gratification? 28:18 Q4 I find it very difficult to do chanting because of difficulty with my throat feeling clogged. 30:20 Q5 My son has had long covid for 4 years and started getting panic attacks. Can you comment please. 33:30 Q5 My question is about violence – not just corporeal violence but also including gossip, jealousy etc. Can you speak to these please?

Final reflections of the first six weeks of the three-month retreat. It explores how refuge becomes internal rather than conditional, using the Buddha’s final instruction, the Bhaddiya narrative, and the lion’s roar to illuminate belonging, continuity of practice, and the transmission of Dhamma at transition points: for those staying for part 2 and those re-entering the world.

We continue the exploration from last week, beginning with Donald sharing a few of his experiences of being able to learn and practice when there have been differences of views and even conflicts. Then there is a review of some what we explored last week, including the importance in a functioning democracy of navigating differences of views, some of the factors making that harder in current times, and some of the practice supports for conversations when there are different views—both inner and outer (especially related to wise speech practice). We go further into exploring inner practices helpful when there are differences, including working with reactivity and difficult emotions, exploring views and options, and then the integrated inner and outer practice of cultivating empathy as a practice. The talk is followed by discussion, including several people sharing their own explorations with challenging conversations in the last week.