Fall 2013 Shamatha and the Seven-Point Mind Training

Follwing the silent meditation, Alan gets to a few remaining questions, including one about his experience with Shambala and Kalachakra. A fascinating discussion and series of stories follows.

Medi…

Before the silent meditation, Alan mentions a few points about Bodichitta.
After the silent meditation, we go back to the last few aphorisms of the Lo-Jong. We finish the Seven Point Mind Training w…

Before the session's meditation, Alan raises the issue of retreat and expedition for after the retreat is over.
After the meditation, there are a few questions about the relevance of doing short-term…

Meditation front loading: The porousness of the mind. It is possible that influences can go both into and out from the mind. Like when praying to your guru and getting a response. Does the response c…

Silent session, followed by one question regarding the origin of people within a lucid dream. They all stem from the substrate consciousness. Even when lucid, they are not puppets on your string. As …

From the seventh point of Atisha's mind training: 'Adopt the three principle causes'

These causes are:
1. Following a qualified mentor
- Alan told the story of the first person to encounter the Budd…

This practice is a variation for shamatha without a sign.

The method this morning being balancing earth with sky: shamatha with support, with quasi support and without support.

Alan taught more on …

Alan begins with two quotes from William James regarding aspiration.

The guided meditation is on developing your personal aspirations and the causes to fulfill them.
Discussion of Aspiring Bodhicit…

As you merge the mind with space, maintain a flow of knowing of the sheer absence of thought. It is a knowing of emptiness that can lead to an open expanse.

Meditation starts at: 6:40 (silent, not …

Tonight the meditation is front loaded by looking at two ways we can view the adversity that will no doubt effect us and those we see as belonging to us. Firstly, non lucidly with relative bodhichitt…

In this short session Alan front loads our week of meditation practice speaking of how we can rollback the layers of conceptual overlay to conceptual and then primal mentation - the first raw sense o…

Tonight we return to the meditation on the two bodhicittas. Before the silent meditation, Alan give a short preamble on the importance of motivation for one's practice. Once one engages in any virtuo…

This morning we have our last silent meditation in the second cycle of Shamatha without a sign. Alan gives a short preamble, stressing the importance of having contentment in once's practice: knowing…

The session starts with a silent meditation on the two Bodhichittas. After the meditation, Alan talks about ultimate and relative bodhichitta and their connection.
Next, we go to the subject of luci…

The session starts with a short explanation of today's meditation (silent meditation, not recorded), a variation of Shamatha without a sign as taught by Padmasambhava.
After the meditation, Alan talk…

The two bodhicittas may seem incompatible, if there is not someone really there, then how to feel compassion? From the other side, when seeing someone in anguish, it seems so real. This is falling to…

Before the meditation Alan discusses from which perspective you can do the tong-len practice - from your ordinary self or from the platform of Avolokishrvara.

Alan explains how shamatha can be devel…

For the practices of awareness of awareness, Alan begins by saying to release your awareness into space with no object, then let awareness of beginning ware be most explicit. Then begin the oscillat…

Meditation – continue as described yesterday with one meditation on ultimate Bodhicitta and one on relative Bodhicitta.

Continuation of the discussion on transmuting the death process. If have ha…