Patience is one of the paramis, the 10 beautiful qualities of the heart/mind that we develop in our sincere practice. Patience is essential if we are to deepen in meditation, especially on long retreats, as it allows us to be present when things are difficult or not exciting, which can be a lot of the time! True patience not just tolerance, a willingness to put up with things until they get better. Patience is a full body experience, a commitment to being present with care and acceptance. Patience brings with it many other wholesome factors such as contentment and equanimity.

What are the seeds that bring you to spiritual practice? This Dharma talk explores many aspects of our human experience right here and now and on back through time that can bring an ardency/a passion for entering into and deepening our meditation practice.

Guest teacher Mark Coleman will begin with a guided meditation, followed dharma talk on his new book Make Peace With your Mind – How Mindfulness And Compassion Can Help Free You From The Inner Critic, then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

For some people, the idea of retreat implies some form of escape or avoidance. But actually, meditation retreats, especially long ones, are deep dive into our direct experience, both individual and collective. Though we disengage from the busyness and distractions of our daily life, we are still deeply engaged in understanding the world and our place in it, and can return from retreat more balanced and compassionate, ready to engage wisely with our lives and the issues of our time.

Reflections on taking meditation practice and spiritual path into the world of non-retreat life.

Pleasant, unpleasant and neutral tonal quality of experience and our habitual reactions. Guided meditation and Q&A. Feeling tone.

Description of thinking, from the perspective of a sense door where we can observe mind objects. Guided meditation and Q&A

Description of thinking, from the perspective of a sense door where we can observe mind objects. Guided meditation and Q&A