I try to help practitioners approach their meditation practice and their lives with compassion and wisdom. Bringing a loving attentiveness into each moment allows us to learn kindness rather than condemnation, and discernment rather than judgment.
I feel that it is essential not to make a split between the formal practice that happens on retreat and the informal practice that happens in daily life. At the core, formal practice and daily life practice are the same. In all arenas of life we can create the same dedication to wakefulness and sensitivity. The right place to practice meditation is wherever we are. The right time to practice is right now. And the right way to practice is to know what we are doing whenever we are doing it.
We can live each moment in a fresh way, free from expectations of how things should be and open to how things are whether we are sitting on the cushion, washing the dishes, or talking with a friend. With practice, we can discover a current of underlying joy and find that all of life is sacred.
Meditation practice is an offering to the world. When we meditate, we practice not only for ourselves, but for all beings. In meditation there is a gradual purification of heart. This purification allows us to trust ourselves and to respond spontaneously to others with compassion and insight.
This is the third in a series of guided meditation sessions. In this talk/guided session, metta is extended towards oneself, one's benefactor, a good friend and a person who is neutral.
This is the second in a series of four talks/guided meditations on the practice of Loving Kindness. This one focuses on the benefactor and includes oneself.
Patience: relaxing into things as they are. Instead of resignation or passivity, patience is an alive quality that we can bring to all mind states, including our impatience.
Although it is effortless to be MF, it takes effort to remember to be mindful. The practice of recollection; remembering that which is most true to our hearts.
