The four root causes of how thinking carries us away.

Carry the statement, "Seek first to understand before being understood," throughout this week. How does this intention create a listening attitude? Experience the effect of listening on your heart, how it opens you to caring. How does your behavior change when you allow actions to flow from listening instead of making assumptions prior to the action? Watch how the phrase interrupts reactive and impulsive thinking. Do you see the potential for changing many of your relationships through this intention?

Working skillfully with the thinking mind. Understanding how perceptual distortion and mental proliferation obscures the truth and takes us away from the present.

In thinking about the path of awareness and the refining of the heart that is the purpose of Buddhist philosophy, Sylvia suggests that she would like to amend the Eightfold Path to be the "Ninefold Path," adding Right Relationship as the ninthfold. Right Relationship is the sense of connection we feel in the world that holds us up. Hand holding is the metaphor Sylvia uses to symbolize this connection. Hands take us from the womb, and they put us in the grave. In between, it is one big "hand holding."

Using reason and logic, that is, acquired knowledge, we get caught in dualistic positions: right and wrong, good and bad, etc. We tend to establish a fixed view about things. In this talk Ajahn Sumedho is trying to get us to a place beyond such dualistic thinking, beyond taking sides. He says that intuitive awareness involves a one-pointedness (ekaggata) that includes, rather than excludes. It is not dualistic. Transcendence is a matter of “being” it, not thinking about it.

inspiration for a rigorous, devoted, hope-filled practice

Conceptual thought: its role and nature and how to use if skillfully. We dont have to get rid of thinking in order to meditate. There is no problem with thinking in and of itself, but only in how we sometimes relate to it. This talk explores the role and nature of conceptual thought, how to relate to it skillfully, as well as acknowledging the value and right use of reflective thinking.

We don't have to get rid of thinking in order to meditate. There is no problem with thinking in and of itself, but only in how we sometimes relate to it. This talk explores the role and nature of conceptual thought, how to relate to it skillfully, as well as acknowledging the value and right use of reflective thinking.

the issue is not the problem, thinking is the issue.