Spirit Rock Meditation Center: dharma talks and meditation instruction

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We inquire into doing and not-doing in five ways: (1) identifying the importance of a number of different kinds of "doing" and skillful effort in meditation; (2) pointing also to the centrality of a kind of not-doing (or letting go of doing) and receptivity in meditation; (3) the importance of investigating the "doer" and one's identity as a doer, in a number of different ways, in meditation and daily life; (4) the vision of a doing that comes out of being, that comes out of a deep not-doing, a vision that we find in different spiritual traditions--here we mention ways that this vision is found in Jewish, Christian, Taoist, and Buddhist traditions; and (5) how we explore and cultivate this doing coming out of a deep not-doing in daily life, in "flow experiences," in activities in which we are deeply grounded, and in such areas as sports, music, art, and dance.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Q and A from 05-24-2021 Monday Night

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Picture someone you care about, someone you love. Feel the natural well-wishing of love. Surround them with care:

"May you be held in compassion.

May your struggles and sorrows be eased.

May your heart be at peace."

Now imagine that this person wishes the same for you.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) With mindfulness we can open to the mystery of our human incarnation—to gaze with an open heart at the unbearable beauty and the ocean of tears that make up life.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Q and A from 05-24-2021 Monday Night

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Picture someone you care about, someone you love. Feel the natural well-wishing of love. Surround them with care:

"May you be held in compassion.

May your struggles and sorrows be eased.

May your heart be at peace."

Now imagine that this person wishes the same for you.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) With mindfulness we can open to the mystery of our human incarnation—to gaze with an open heart at the unbearable beauty and the ocean of tears that make up life.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We continue to explore the nature of faith (or confidence or trust), how it is developed, and the challenges that arise. We look at the traditional teachings on faith (or saddha) in several contexts, and examine how faith or confidence develops in our practice and in our lives We particularly look at some of the challenges that arise, both in the everyday experience of the Eight Worldly Winds, and in more protracted experiences of something like the "Dark Night of the Soul." The last part of the talk points to what mature faith, confidence, and trust look like, a kind of faith in our own depths and in our own deep resting in the nature of things. We then have a period of discussion and sharing.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Our practice points toward a deep kind of faith (or confidence or trust) that is possible, in which there is faith both in our unique being and in our connection to being itself. We explore how we develop such faith, starting with a brief account of how faith (saddha) is understood in the teachings of the Buddha, and then exploring how faith is developed at different stages of our practice, particularly beginning and intermediate.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Our practice points toward a deep kind of faith (or confidence or trust) that is possible, in which there is faith both in our unique being and in our connection to being itself. We explore how we develop such faith, starting with a brief account of how faith (saddha) is understood in the teachings of the Buddha, and then exploring how faith is developed at different stages of our practice, particularly beginning and intermediate.