Mei Elliott is a Dharma teacher in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, who practices at the intersection between Zen and Vipassana. Mei began training as a Zen monk at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in 2014, and has spent eight years living at Zen temples and monasteries. During this time she served as the director of San Francisco Zen Center and the guiding instructor for Young Urban Zen. Mei was authorized to teach by James Baraz and is currently a participant in Insight Meditation Center’s Dharma Teacher Training. She now resides at Insight Retreat Center where she serves as Managing Director.
Many practitioners are familiar with the standard vipassana approach to working with the hindrances. Yet, not many realize that there is a specific technique for working with the hindrances while doing concentration practice. This talk covers the concentration approach to practicing with the hindrances, along with a variety of other methods.
This talk provides an overview of the Five Hindrances, afflictive mental states that obscure our inner wisdom. It covers how to practice with the hindrances by engaging mindfulness, curiosity and kindness, as well as how to apply antidotes. Mei Elliott is currently the director of San Francisco Zen Center’s City Center temple, where she lives and practices.
The 12 links of dependent origination describe how we get caught in suffering. Through exploring 4 key links of dependent origination, we can come to learn how to be free and at ease regardless of how difficult or unpleasant aspects of life may be. By studying the vedana (feeling tone) of our experience we can learn how to break the cycle of suffering without reactivity.
