Spring 2011 Shamatha Retreat

This afternoon's session begins with a 50 minute Dharma talk in which Alan Wallace invites us to consider whether we are content, satisfied, perhaps even willing to rejoice in the current trajectory of our individual lives. He talks about balancing between the two extremes of being utterly disappointed with ourselves and being complacent with the way things are. He then explores the possibility of feeling gratitude towards the difficult people and circumstances which have impelled us to this present moment of mudita.

The unguided meditation is not included in this recording.

Q&A with the group begins at 49:10.

1. Can you talk more about bracketing the practices that you call balancing earth and wind, and earth and sky? What is their source, what is their purpose, and what is the benefit?

In this morning's session we return to the practice of awareness of awareness. Alan first introduces the technique of oscillation between withdrawal from all appearances and release into space, or non-objectivity.

The unguided meditation is not included.

This afternoon, Alan first gives a Dharma talk relating to the deepest type of suffering to which we are vulnerable: the pervasive suffering of composite, or conditioned, existence. He asks the question, "Why do we suffer?" and explores it from a theistic, materialistic, and then, in depth, a Buddhist perspective. Finally, he posits that in order to develop compassion for this type of deep suffering, we must believe in the possibility of freedom, and use skillful means to draw in this possibility. The skillful means he describes is the powerful of stage of generation practices from the Vajrayana.

Unguided meditation begins at 43:20 in the recording, and the discussion and following Q&A picks back up at 1:10:57.

1. The substrate consciousness is individual, yes? Are the substrate and Buddhanature also individual?

2. When we imagine the Buddha as light, is that symbolic or real?

This morning, Alan first reviews the practice of settling the mind in its natural state, both in theory and in practice. This is followed by an unguided meditation that begins at 12:00 in the recording.

This afternoon, Alan first gives a lengthy Dharma talk about different methods for responding to the reality of change. He contrasts the materialistic and Buddhist views, and goes into detail about how attachment and grasping block one's ability to achieve freedom from the suffering of change.

This is followed by an unguided meditation on compassion for the suffering of change.

Editor's Note: The unguided meditation and brief Q&A session afterwards are not included in the recording due to a recording error.

Alan first speaks for 15 minutes about the benefits of the practice of settling the mind in its natural state and its use in freeing ourselves from our habitual propensities of craving, aversion, and delusion. He also talks about the skillful use of stage of generation practices in the context of settling the mind in its natural state.

The unguided meditation begins at 16:20 in the recording.

Alan begins this afternoon's session with a lengthy dharma talk on cultivating confidence in the practices, now that we have two full weeks of silent retreat remaining. He also sets up today's meditation on compassion for blatant suffering by speaking about different ways of responding to "hedonic distress" and "genuine distress."

The unguided meditation on compassion begins at 35:50 in the recording.

Alan then answers these questions from the group, which begin at 1:04:30.

1. When we achieve shamatha, what comes next in the hours, days and weeks ahead? When it is achieved, how easy is it to lose?

2. How far from achieving shamatha to the first jhana? What will someone experience when entering the first jhana?

3. Can you talk about lengthening practice sessions? I don't know how to increase without being performance driven.

This morning continues with unguided meditations. Alan first speaks briefly about the tendency to identify with the body and mind as oneself. This practice is particularly effective in eradicating this misunderstanding. It helps us move from, "Buddhanature is something I have, but I'm really screwed up," to, "Buddhanature is who I am, and the mental afflictions come and go."

The unguided meditation begins at 10:45 in the recording.

Another unguided meditation this afternoon, first introduced with a description of the obstacle of feeling separate from others, and how this impedes the flow of loving-kindness.

The unguided meditation begins at 9:20 in the recording.

Alan then answers a number of questions from the group, beginning at 37:35 in the recording.

1. Where does volition reside? It's not there when I look for it. It appears and disappears.

2. In awareness of awareness practice, I bring my attention to the heart chakra. In loving-kindness practice, you talk about the heart. To me that's slightly different. Is there a distinction?

3. When I allow my body to breathe without controlling my breath, it is often shallow and light. The practice of tonglen makes my breathing deeper, and this also happens with other visualization practices. Is this okay?

4. Could you use as an object for shamatha the felt sense loving-kindness in the body?

5. When doing mindfulness of breathing, I still have some chit-chat, some thoughts, and some images come to mind, but I am able to stay with the breath at least peripherally. When doing awareness of awareness, the chit-chat is still there but thoughts and images are not, it's like there isn't room for them. Why is this?

6. When I do mindfulness of breathing at the nostrils, I get a nyam in which I feel like my left side is leaning over or dissolving. Is this pranic? Should I work through it , or stop the practice?

7. In that same situation, if you get to stage four in shamatha but still can not do the practice of mindfulness of breathing attending to the nostrils, where would you go to progress?

This morning, Alan first reviews the instructions for the third phase of mindfulness of breathing, with the attention placed on the sensations of the breath at the aperture of the nostrils. We then share a 24-minute unguided meditation. Enjoy!

Unguided meditation begins at 8:45 in the recording.