How to Let Go

A lively class this week.  Despite the rain, quite a few folks came to meditate and reflect on the topic of the week:  “How to Let Go.”  

When you step into one of these human flesh units, suffering will inevitably be part of your journey. Suffering (which you can also think of as stress, unsatisfactoriness or unsteadiness) is a direct result of clinging.  

The good news is that you can let go of clinging. You’ve done this before. Somehow, you managed to let go of something that felt painful and experienced new possibilities that did not exist before.  

This week’s talk explores - in a pragmatic way - how you can let go of what is between you and feeling free.   I hope you enjoy it.  

Here’s the blurb:  

 Stress, unsatisfactoriness, unsteadiness and suffering all arise in relationship to clinging.  

We know we need to let go of that which holds us back from full aliveness, but how?  

This talk explores some of the philosophy behind how we cling, but also dives into experiential inquiries you can try on for yourself.

As the saying goes, "Let go a little and you'll experience a little freedom.  Let go a lot and you'll experience a lot of freedom."

To do this requires both courage and compassion.

iTunes podcast here, online listening here, stitcher here, and Jonathan’s YouTube channel here.

Meditation - Relax and Pay Attention

The meditation follows the essential guidance to relax and to pay attention to what naturally changes in your experience.  

The blurb:  

You'll begin with some slow deep breaths and then move into a bodyscan meditation, intimately sensing into your inner experience.

After the scan you'll be guided to select an anchor in the senses and use that anchor as a way to come back when you find the mind wandering or lost in a dream state.  Throughout the practice you'll be reminded to re-relax and refresh your awareness of what is happening.

Do not operate heavy equipment or motor vehicles when listening to this!

 

Enjoy.

iTunes podcast here, online listening here, stitcher here, and Jonathan’s YouTube channel here.

Awareness, Truth and Love

This week’s talk explores the Three Refuges.  Rather than taking a philosophical route, I personally find it more interesting to explore how we can pragmatically apply the refuges of Awareness, Truth and Love in practice and in daily life.  

You’ll find a few truly marginal jokes and stories here and quite a few guided reflections.  I spent about ten minutes during the 30-minute meditation preceding the talk giggling replaying the imagery in the first joke. As someone once said, “If you laugh, that means it’s funny.”  

Tara’s book, True Refuge, takes a deep dive into these principles. It’s a lovely book.  If you’re interested in an experiential overview on the topic, you might enjoy this talk.  

Here’s the blurb:  

Delusion is believing something to be true that actually isn't true at all.  Waking up to what is real can be a challenging and sometimes humiliating experience.  

You can draw on three essential qualities to wake up.  Each element has practices associated with it and each element can be a refuge when you feel lost, stuck or feeling separate.

This talk explores the Three Refuges - Awareness, Truth and Love - through some marginal jokes, some stories and through guided meditations and reflections.

iTunes podcast here, online listening here, stitcher here, and Jonathan’s YouTube channel here.

What I Learned on My 10 Day Retreat

Special AUDIO: This talk explores what I learned after a ten-day retreat at the Forest Refuge in Barre, MA. You’ll learn practices helpful to develop concentration and to look deeply into the Three Characteristics of Reality.  

You’ll also learn strategies for riding the ever-changing waves and fluctuations of sensations, feelings, moods and mind states.  

iTunes podcast here, online listening here and stitcher here.

So What is This Not Self Thing, Anyway?

There are a lot of stories about the Buddha and what he purportedly said.  One is in reference to the  many public debates as to whether there is or is not a 'self'.'

The story goes that he was confronted in the street by someone who repeatedly asked him this question.  He finally responded like this:  "I won't say there is a self and I won't say there isn't a self.  I will say that I can't find one."

Check out some of the blogs written by philosophers and dedicated students on this topic of 'not self' and you'll see some real hand to hand combat.  Very strong opinions and not a lot equanimity.

To grasp this challenging principle and to sense who and what you truly are, I think we need to turn to the practices themselves.  They can guide us not to the concept, but to an intuitive understanding.

This talk dives into a few ways to consider this principle that can be so confusing.
  The blurb:

One of the "Three Characteristics of Reality," the principle of "not self," can be confusing. You can probably sense, though, on an intuitive level, who or what you are in the absence of 'I' and 'mine.'  This talk explores this principle through stories and direct experiences, including a meditation on what are referred to as the "five aggregates.'

Whoever you are, I hope you might find it helpful.

iTunes podcast here, online streaming here, stitcher here.

A Formula for Transformation

Special AUDIO: This talk explores how meditation can help you feel more present and alive and cultivate emotionally sensitivity and a more refined sense of intuition.  

You'll learn how to use mindfulness strategies for working with physical, emotional and mental pain and how four essential questions can help you move from feeling stuck to accessing more creativity and resilience.  

iTunes podcast here, online listening here and stitcher here.

On Death and Happiness

Dr. Sherland Nulan, who wrote the groundbreaking book How We Die, said that the myth of the octogenarian dying at home, surrounded by family, uttering words of wisdom is just that - a myth - and extremely rare.

In our case, this scenario happens to be true.  Tara's mother is in hospice care at home and the process has been poignant, rich, filled with laughter and deep insights.  Fortunately, she is not in a lot of pain and is often overwhelmed with ecstatic appreciation.

Being in the presence of impermanence always changes the frame from which I see the world.  There is sadness, for sure, but also access to a deeper sense of this shared life journey.  No one gets out alive, and our dignity, as Dr. Nulan says, is not so much how we die, but the life we lived.

This week's talk dives into some of my experiences and memories on death and the happiness that can arise when we embrace the moment.
  The blurb:

Joy and happiness only arise in the present moment.  Remembering that everything changes helps cultivate the rememberance of this precious moment.

This talk reflects on my experiences with death, ranging from the hospice care in our house right now, a friend who died in my arms and my own near-death experience.

  iTunes podcast here, online listening here and stitcher here.

The Three Reasons I Meditate

Special AUDIO: This talk, the first session of our fall 2013 season at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, explores the three main reasons I have practiced mediation for the past 40 years.  

iTunes podcast here, online listening here and stitcher here.

Breathe, Relax and Pay Attention

Being around like-minded, inspiring people is the best game in town.

I am back after nine-days teaching with co-director Larissa Carlson at Kripalu Center with a collection of inspired yoga teachers working toward their 500-hour certification.

The title of our training is "Exploring the Energy Body: Teaching Pranayama and Meditation."

Imagine nine days, each starting with depth practices at 6:15 and full days with talks, practices, practice-teach sessions and a three-day intensive in silence.

The "Kripalu" approach to teaching is to guide from direct experience and knowledge. To that end, we took a deep dive.

Through a fair bit of churning and burning, the result was a lot of lit up hearts and minds and a lot of fortunate students out there to have passionate teachers in their community.

Teaching at Kripalu I like to say is like playing the violin with the London philharmonic behind you.  I joke that I stopped in for lunch and stayed for 24 years.  It's an amazing place with dedicated staff in a beautiful setting.
  iTunes podcast here, online listening here and stitcher here.

The Heart Practices: Equanimity and Steadiness

Way back when I lived in an ashram I think our teacher started getting fed up with people sharing their personal drama.

He developed what I thought of as a mantra.  When someone would go on and on about some revelation or insight, he'd listen politely for awhile, then start to get agitated.  After awhile he'd interrupt and say,

"So What?"

It was hilarious - and quite to the point.

I started to apply this new mantra when I'd get upset or feel slighted and even sometimes when I'd have what felt like a great revelation.  "So What?"  It was liberating.

Equanimity is the capacity to be steady in the midst of change.  We are driven by the 'eight wordly winds,' as they are referred to in Buddhist psychology.

• Gain and Loss
• Praise and Blame
• Honor and Disgrace
• Pleasure and Pain

  I know a lot of extremely successful people who have been deeply driven by their fear of failure.

How full would our lives be if these forces did not have their grip?

This talk dives into the practices that cultivate equanimity.
  The blurb:

Do you feel steady in the midst of contant change and turmoil?  Equanimity is considered the flower of all mindfulness and compassion practices.

This talk explores both the qualities of steadiness as well as the 'near-enemies,' states that look like equanimity but fall short.  You'll explore some practices and hear some stories that can help you remember, no matter what arises, a transcendent quality of presence.

  iTunes podcast here, online streaming here, stitcher app here. The sound is pretty low so you'll have to crank it up a bit.  Sorry about that.

Who Are You and What Is Your Path?

Special AUDIO: This talk explores how meditation is never a 'one size fits all' technique.  

You'll learn how understanding the formation of your unique character structure can help you understand who you are and what practices are the best match for you.  

iTunes podcast here, online listening here and stitcher here.

The Heart Practices: Joy

One of my best friends from high school and I recently reconnected.  We touch base every few years.  "I just finished my third book," he said, "and this is the one I like the most."

"That's fantastic!," I gushed, aware that in reality, my happiness for him was actually about 80%.   The 80% was thrilled for him.  He's brilliant and his book looks amazing.  The 20% was all about me, struggling over the outline for my first book.

Sympathetic joy is all about your capacity to experience joy for yourself as well as joy for others.  Like all of these practices, they are challenging and cathartic.

I once co-created a weeklong retreat at Kripalu Center called "The Art of Joyful Living."  It was all about getting centered through yoga and meditation, exploring creative expression through writing, movement, improv and dance.  We were shocked when the participants arrived.  Many were seriously burned out.  Some were deeply depressed.  Many felt no joy whatsoever. Our program design changed dramatically as we spent time examining that which lies between us and joy and how to work with these issues.  Identifying the obstacles to joy, bring non-judging awareness and compassion to that process, can open all kinds of doors.
  The blurb:

The third out of four sessions on the Heart Practices, this talk explores what it means to cultivate 'sympathetic joy,' your capacity to experience joy for yourself as well as for others.

An unrestricted heart effortlessly opens to kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity.  When you consciously explore any of these states, you may notice quite a few impediments to the actual experience.

Joy is felt through the senses as well as being an inner state not dependent on externals.

When the mind is quiet, seeking nothing, that transcendent state of joy can spontaneously arise.

iTunes podcast here, online streaming here, stitcher here.

Meditation: Movement, Slow Motion Release and Resting in the Senses

Here's an eclectic meditation for you, if you want to mix it up a little bit.  Here's a little of what's in this session if you feel drawn:  

1. A pretty long holding with the arms overhead, focusing on building sensations
2. Slow motion meditation as you release the hands, cultivating concentration and absorption
3. An "open focus' inquiry into sensing into the hands and the intimacy of breath
4. An inquiry into the "Three Characteristics of Reality" - Impermanence, Suffering and 'Not self'
5. At the end, an inquiry into resting in presence and the practice of non-manipulation

  This is definitely a 'non-standard' practice, but one that might be particularly helpful if your mind is restless.  Focusing on the sensations of the arms overhead and the slow motion release is an excellent way to bring an over-active mind into the present.

iTunes podcast here, online streaming here, stitcher here.

The Felt Sense of Awakened Presence

Special AUDIO: This talk explores the 'felt sense' of embodied presence and how meditation leads to the flowering of Wisdom of Compassion.  

You'll learn how meditation increases your capacity to see more clearly into the nature of things and how you can more embody the intimacy of your life.

iTunes podcast here, online listening here and stitcher here.

The Heart Practices: Kindness

As I'm teaching every week for the next month, I've decided to launch into an exploration of the heart practices.

It's one thing to develop your capacity for concentration - your capacity to notice what is happening as it's happening.

It's another to develop your capacity for mindfulness - for non-judging awareness.

And it's yet another skill to call on the qualities of kindness and compassion.  When the heart opens, there can be a natural softening, an expansion from a tight sense of "I and Mine" to a more natural, embracing state.  This talk dives into some of the original teachings and practices.

Here's the blurb:  

Training in the Heart Practices can radically reframe your perspective on life and what is possible.

This talk explores 'metta,' the essential teaching of cultivating generosity toward yourself and others.

In this training you can move from a small sense of a self-protective "I" to a more expanse sense of inter-connectedness.  It's not necessarily easy, but a powerful training to remember your true nature.

  iTunes podcast here, online streaming here and stitcher app here.

What I Learned on my Ten-Day Retreat

I'm just back from 10 days of unstructured silence at the Forest Refuge in Barre, Massachusetts.

Tara and I stopped in to visit my father in his Alzheimers unit on our way up. As I shared in my talk, I am getting more comfortable there with each visit. People sit in rooms together in silence and those who can walk, walk very slowly from place to place. There is a camaraderie in the silence, though everyone seems to live in their own inner world.

Once we arrived at this center dedicated to supporting people on long-term retreats, I could not help but notice:

• People sit in rooms together in silence
• Those who can walk, walk very slowly from place to place
• There is a camaraderie in the silence though everyone seems to live in their own inner world

Yikes!

I won't go into detail here, but a retreat like this is always deeply transformative.

If you'd like to hear more, you might listen to my talk from Monday night in Arlington.  In it I share about the specific practices I used and some of the trials and insights that arose.

Here's the blurb:  

This talk is fresh from my return from a ten-day silent unstructured retreat at the Forest Refuge in central Massachussets.

We'll explore some specific practices I found helpful for developing concentration as well as how to look deeply into the the Three Characteristics of Reality. Along with techniques for arriving, we'll talk about strategies for riding the ever-changing waves and fluctuations of sensations, feelings, moods and mind states.

iTunes podcast here, online streaming here, stitcher here.

Dude, You Totally Had it Coming

Special AUDIO: This talk explores how you can awaken to the infinite possibility that lies in each moment.

  You’ll learn about the nature of karma (cause and effect) and how your thoughts, speech and actions create your destiny.

iTunes podcast here, online listening here and stitcher here.

On Taking Refuge

Our New Year's Retreat traditionally ends with a reflection and ceremony on The Refuges."

In keeping with that theme, this week's talk explore the importance of identifying what is most important and how you can skillfully support your intention.

Part of living skillfully calls on your capacity to  realign your life when you are off course.

Awareness, Truth and Love are powerful resources.

  The blurb:  

With a new year ahead, it's helpful to refresh your sense of what is most important.  As you clarify your 'roles and goals' it can also be helpful to reflect on what it means to take refuge.  Where do you go when you are lost, tired and confused?

This talk explores the importance of identifying what you want and what you need.  It ends with a simple Refuge Ceremony, relfelcting on the power of awareness, truth and love.

  iTunes podcast here, online streaming here and stitcher here.

Mindfulness Strategies for Transforming Your Relationship with Pain: 3-Part Video Series

I was privileged to be invited to speak by my friend Dr. Gary Kaplan of the Kaplan Clinic in McLean, VA on "Mindfulness Strategies for Transforming Your Relationship with Pain."

Here's the three-part series:

1.  The Science of Mindfulness:  It Works!

2.  The Mind is  Drunken Monkey Stung by Scorpions:  Formulas for Working with the Mind

3.  Mindfulness Strategies for Working with Trauma and Pain

Part 1 starts with an introduction with Dr. Gary and I launch in with an overview and some specific techniques you might try on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_DpgxcULJxM

  You can catch all three segments here at the Kaplan Clinic site.

The Frank Sinatra Sutta

Special AUDIO: This talk explores how practices of both will and surrender help you access awareness.

‘You’ll learn how to cultivate both relaxation and attention and become aware of things that were not preciously accessible.'

iTunes podcast here, online listening here and stitcher here.