(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Reflections on cultivating viriya and piti on the path. How to balance and empower the awakening factors.

Eugene Cash: Energy and Joy (Retreat at Spirit Rock)

I am intrigued by how we can live the 'holy life' as lay people.  How do we erase the imaginary line between formal sitting practice and the rest of our lives?  How can we bring full engagement to formal and informal practice?  Is it possible to embody, in our lives, the understanding and insight that comes with intensive training?  And can we live our lives in a way that expresses and continues to deepen our realization?  These questions fuel my practice and my teaching.

I place a lot of emphasis on the Buddha's teaching about mindfulness of the body.  The body is a powerful dharma gate.  I encourage people to deeply investigate the body and use it as a place of recollection in daily life.

Our individual and cultural habits, our confusion, all require a sincere and ongoing commitment to spiritual life and practice.  In order to mature our 'layastic' practice, we need to develop a palette of practices: mindfulness, loving-kindness, inquiry, reflection, precept practice, service, sutta study, etc.

I believe passionate engagement is the foundation of the spiritual path.  Spiritual life blossoms when mindfulness is woven with a heartfelt sense of loving-kindness and compassion.  With warm mindfulness as the basis of practice, our attachment to identity, roles and experience begins to loosen.  As our experience and understanding matures, faith develops.  This nourishes a devotion to practice which further deepens our insights.

It is precious to be born in the human realm and have an opportunity to practice and awaken.  May we appreciate our inheritance and bring to life the teachings of the Buddha.

Religion & Spirituality

Buddhism

I am intrigued by how we can live the 'holy life' as lay people. How do we erase the imaginary line between formal sitting practice and the rest of our lives? How can we bring full engagement to formal and informal practice? Is it possible to embody, in our lives, the understanding and insight that comes with intensive training? And can we live our lives in a way that expresses and continues to deepen our realization? These questions fuel my practice and my teaching. I place a lot of emphasis on the Buddha's teaching about mindfulness of the body. The body is a powerful dharma gate. I encourage people to deeply investigate the body and use it as a place of recollection in daily life. Our individual and cultural habits, our confusion, all require a sincere and ongoing commitment to spiritual life and practice. In order to mature our 'layastic' practice, we need to develop a palette of practices: mindfulness, loving-kindness, inquiry, reflection, precept practice, service, sutta study, etc. I believe passionate engagement is the foundation of the spiritual path. Spiritual life blossoms when mindfulness is woven with a heartfelt sense of loving-kindness and compassion. With warm mindfulness as the basis of practice, our attachment to identity, roles and experience begins to loosen. As our experience and understanding matures, faith develops. This nourishes a devotion to practice which further deepens our insights. It is precious to be born in the human realm and have an opportunity to practice and awaken. May we appreciate our inheritance and bring to life the teachings of the Buddha.

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Eugene Cash: Energy and Joy (Retreat at Spirit Rock)

Eugene Cash: Energy and Joy (Retreat at Spirit Rock)