Those who are familiar with the practice of mettā, or lovingkindness, know that it is one of four divine abidings of the heart according to the Buddha’s teachings. One way that this quality can be cultivated—as traditionally and so frequently taught—is through the recitation of phrases. However, without a deeper understanding or familiarity with the subtle expressions of mettā, or the alternate doorways into cultivating this profound and limitless quality, lovingkindness meditation can mislead us to binary thinking, as in: "I am loving and kind” or “I am not loving and kind." In our daylong together, we will explore the various doorways into cultivating mettā, as well as the spectrum in which it can come alive in our daily lives. All levels and experiences welcome.

A half-day of samatha and vipassana practice on letting go of obsessive thinking and views

Understanding the truth of impermanence supports the practice of equanimity and cultivating equanimity strengthens our understanding of impermanence. We are often conditioned to want things to be different from how they are. Whenever we find ourselves thinking that things would be better if they were different, we are in our egos or separate selves. This creates suffering. This meditation is an invitation to explore first bringing compassion to the experience of dukkha, then opening to equanimity as space and acceptance of how things are in the present moment.

The 5 indriya are known as the Dhamma protectors. The complimentary qualities of devotion and discipline balance our approach to cultivation. Recommended is collecting oneself in body which provides leverage on restraining the thinking mind. Embodied intelligence – the inner, esoteric Dhamma – can then be accessed.

The tool of wisdom cross references thinking, emotion and body. Body helps reveal the heart. Use it to sense and handle emotion. This is using embodied wisdom for the purposes of calming and revealing. It’s how you get to know the bits you don’t know.

Is citta/mindfulness always present; who is attending to the citta; where does citta’s luminosity land; eyes opened or closed in meditation; thinking during discernment; use of cooling and warming in relation to what’s arising.

Meditation is about opening up to the subjective aspect of our experience – the sense of knowing. Practice with placing attention on something very lightly, then listening with heart. Without force, without judgment, just aware of the sensations, emotion, energies, mental patterns. The quality of knowing gives rise to a tremendous immediate clarity.

This is in response to a question about how to work with depression and negative thinking loops.

Just 15 minutes to steady awareness with the body and breathing, as a support for steadying the mind and practising non-reactivity to thinking

Where things fall apart is where the connections break, when we spin off into our distracted thinking and proliferating thoughts. Spend time lingering in the heart sense, staying connected and present with that. Stay with the body in daily activities, taking regular pause moments.