Morning Instructions (Retreat at Spirit Rock)

0:02 Before we begin this morning, there are just a couple of announcements. Suggest a fix for the passage at 0:02

0:10 Please turn off your beeper watches. So there's one or more watches that have been beeping. Suggest a fix for the passage at 0:10

0:26 We'd like to save the paper from all the notes about it. Suggest a fix for the passage at 0:26

0:33 So be Suggest a fix for the passage at 0:33

0:38 mindful if it's yours. And hopefully you know how to turn it off. Secondly, this afternoon... We're going to begin some of the individual interviews, particularly those who were here for the Mettā course before this one. Suggest a fix for the passage at 0:38

1:06 As part of Jozen's training, as you may have noticed, he's been sitting in on the groups, and it would be very helpful in his training if he can sit in also on the individual interviews. It's really a part of the whole teacher training and learning. Suggest a fix for the passage at 1:06

1:28 If you don't mind, he will be sitting in on the individual interviews. If for some reason you feel that it's important for you to just have a private interview with the teacher, you can mention that when you come in, and that's totally fine. You don't have to feel shy about requesting that, and Joseph Goldstein will be fine to leave the interview for that time. But it would also be very helpful. So in Suggest a fix for the passage at 1:28

2:11 the instructions we've talked about starting with the body as the basic framework, the basic grounding framework of awareness, mindfulness. Suggest a fix for the passage at 2:11

2:27 There is a body, most simple, most basic, sit and know you're sitting. Suggest a fix for the passage at 2:27

2:37 And what's helpful and interesting about that particular framework Is that it's not narrowing the attention on any particular object, but it's settling into the body as a whole. Suggest a fix for the passage at 2:37

2:57 Simply being aware there is a body, sit and know you're sitting. And then as you've probably experienced, within that framework, we become aware of many different things arising. Suggest a fix for the passage at 2:57

3:14 Within the framework there is a body, you may begin to notice that the body is breathing. And you're feeling the sensations of the breath, either at some particular place, for example, the nostrils or the chest or the movement of the abdomen. Or sometimes you feel the body breathing, the sensations throughout the body. Suggest a fix for the passage at 3:14

3:41 There's no particular need to zero in on the breath. You can be aware of it in the context of the larger frame. There is a body. And simply notice. That within that, the body's breathing and there are certain sensations associated with that. Suggest a fix for the passage at 3:41

4:06 It is possible at times, and another approach is to take some time to zero in on the breath and to feel it more precisely, more narrowly. And that's fine too, and you can experiment. It's not that one is right and one is wrong. There are just different ways of applying the attention. Suggest a fix for the passage at 4:06

4:35 A guideline For which approach might be useful at any particular time? If you're holding the general framework, there is a body, simply being aware of what arises within it and you find your mind beginning to space out, get lost in thought a lot. So then a slight narrowing of the attention might be helpful where you're connecting with the very beginning of each breath, sustaining the attention for the duration of that one breath. Being with it until the end of the in -breath and having that same careful connected attention on the out -breath from beginning to end. So that's quite a focused kind of attention. And again, see if you can practice feeling it rather than observing it. Suggest a fix for the passage at 4:35

5:39 So we're really experiencing the sensations from the inside. On the other hand, if you find at different times That the mind is struggling a bit, over -efforting to be with the breath, getting tight behind it. That's an indication that a broader framework would be more helpful. Simply settling back into that sense there is a body, sit and know you're sitting, and the breath just becomes something that's a part of that bigger framework. Suggest a fix for the passage at 5:39

6:24 Meditation is both a science and an art. It's a science of the mind in terms of understanding very clearly what Suggest a fix for the passage at 6:24

6:37 conditions lead to what results, that there is a specific methodology for the practice. But it's also an art in that we have to be attuned to how we're relating to what's happening, watching the quality of our effort. If it's too tight, we need to relax a bit. If it's too relaxed, We need to focus a bit more. So you just play. You're aware of this. It's very unlikely that you will find exactly the right attitude to have and then have that be sustained for the entire hour. Suggest a fix for the passage at 6:37

7:34 I have never walked on a high wire. However, my understanding is that in order to keep the balance, it's a continuing balance. balancing act. Meditation is a bit like that. We just pay attention to the quality of our minds as we're paying attention. Too much struggle, too tight, relax, open a bit. Too relaxed, going toward the side of casual, narrow the focus a little bit. In this way, you can really play with your mind and be sensitive to these nuances. We've talked a lot about working with the body, different sensations. Suggest a fix for the passage at 7:34

8:30 Greg spoke a lot and very clearly last night about this feeling tone, noticing and noting different experiences as pleasant or unpleasant or neutral. So when that aspect is predominant, for example, you're sitting and there's a strong pain and the mind is drawn to it. You might make a mental note, unpleasant, unpleasant, if you're experiencing it as being unpleasant. So we acknowledge that aspect. And in making a mental note of it, it's a way of being with the unpleasantness without reactivity, without identifying with it. Suggest a fix for the passage at 8:30

9:25 And we actually learn that space of mind or practice that space of mind. Where we can be open to what's pleasant, open to and mindful of. Pleasant experience, unpleasant experience, without reactivity. Suggest a fix for the passage at 9:25

9:48 So when pleasant or unpleasant is predominant, make that the object, make that aspect the object. And it's Suggest a fix for the passage at 9:48

10:01 also interesting if you have an investigative kind of mind. One time in my practice, Saida Upandita suggested that I sit until the pain came and then go on sitting. Suggest a fix for the passage at 10:01

10:24 Not my favorite instruction. So after a while, and it took various lengths of time until, I can't remember now whether it was the knees or the back, something started hurting. Suggest a fix for the passage at 10:24

10:40 And after a while, and sometimes it got really intense, and after a while I just became interested in, Suggest a fix for the passage at 10:40

10:53 it's like holding the question, What makes this unpleasant? What is unpleasantness? And the same could be said for pleasantness. So we're just digging a little deeper into what this experience that we're calling pleasant or unpleasant actually is. Suggest a fix for the passage at 10:53

11:21 Don't spend more than eight and a half seconds doing this. So I'm not suggesting you go off on a whole long... But it's just learning to see that we can use our mind, Really to investigate experiences that we think we know what they are, you know, from our ordinary life. But in meditation we can really, well, what is that exactly? What is unpleasantness? What is pleasantness? What is neutrality? Suggest a fix for the passage at 11:21

11:55 Of course, this is probably most easily done with physical sensations. Suggest a fix for the passage at 11:55

12:02 So when it becomes predominant, we note it, we investigate it to whatever extent we do. When it's no longer predominant, come back again just to that basic anchor of the body. Suggest a fix for the passage at 12:02

12:18 Anushka spoke yesterday really beautifully and clearly about working with thoughts. Suggest a fix for the passage at 12:18

12:26 Thoughts are not a problem. They're a natural function of the mind. Our practice is to be aware of thoughts as close to the beginning as possible. You know, very often we're not aware of a thought until after it's already over. Fine. That's when we're picking it up. Sometimes we're aware of it in the middle. We're right in the middle of the story and then, oh, thinking. Sometimes we might be aware when the mind is very clear of the thought just as it's arising. At whatever point you become aware of a thought, helpful to make a soft note of thinking. Or perhaps a more specific note, planning or remembering. Suggest a fix for the passage at 12:26

13:13 Whatever note is helpful for you. Suggest a fix for the passage at 13:13

13:19 Notice what happens to the thought when you are aware of it. Does the thought disappear just in the moment? Does it continue? Do you go in and out of it? Does it disappear and come back? It's just paying attention. Paying attention to what the mind is doing. Suggest a fix for the passage at 13:19

13:43 It's not a question of not having thoughts. It's a question of training our minds to be mindful as thoughts are there. And this has tremendously important implications for how we live. So that we're not continually being dictated to by our thoughts. When we're mindful, we actually have the ability to assess. Is this thought skillful? Is it unskillful? Is it helpful? Is it not helpful? And even among the helpful thoughts or the wholesome thoughts, many of those that come in the course of meditation, they may be helpful or skillful. But not now. You know, it may be something that does not have to be dealt with or addressed or investigated in the moment, perhaps something in the future. Suggest a fix for the passage at 13:43

14:50 And so the note, not now, I have found very helpful. Certain thoughts arise, oh, this is important, but not now. And it's a gentle way of putting it aside. Suggest a fix for the passage at 14:50

15:07 The area of mind that can be most One of the areas that can be most challenging to be mindful of is the whole realm of emotions and mind states. Because even as we develop some facility at being aware of the body and different sensations and thoughts, even though we get lost a lot, we can often get a sense that they're just coming and going and maybe get some sense of their non -selfness. They come uninvited and they just pass through. But emotions very often are what we most personalize. When there's a strong emotion, I'm angry, I'm sad, I'm excited, I'm enthusiastic, I'm enraged, I'm bored, I'm restless, whatever it may be. Suggest a fix for the passage at 15:07

16:08 Emotions are a powerful constellation of experiences. They're not a single thing. An emotion is a constellation. Of certain sensations in the body. Often certain thoughts are associated with the emotion. There's some kind of story going on. And each emotion has its own particular mental flavor. Flavor of the heart. Anger feels a certain way. The mental quality of it. Or joy. Or happiness. Or fear. So when a strong emotion comes, We want to make the emotion itself the object of meditation. Suggest a fix for the passage at 16:08

17:04 And as Greg spoke last night with the acronym of RAIN, I can't reproduce the rolling R's, but the first step is just recognizing what the emotion is. And sometimes that may take a little time. Some people are very People are skilled at recognizing their emotions and other people may not be. They know something's going on but not quite sure what. So take some time when there's a strong emotional energy happening. It's kind of like we back up and just take a look. Okay, what is this? Is it anger? Is it sadness? Is it a feeling of hurt? Is it joy or happiness? We just recognize it. Suggest a fix for the passage at 17:04

18:07 But it's important, as I spoke in some of the groups yesterday, to understand the difference between recognition and mindfulness. Because we can recognize an emotion, fear, anger, love. We can sometimes recognize an emotion, but be experiencing it through a filter of liking and wanting or pushing away. And I experience this a lot in working with certain afflictive emotions, so with fear. I would be recognizing it very clearly. I knew it was there, I was noting it, but it was always so it would go away. That's recognition without mindfulness. Mindfulness means we're aware of it, we recognize it, but we're open to the experience of it. Suggest a fix for the passage at 18:07

19:13 And the investigation of it without attachment or clinging if it's pleasant, without resistance or aversion if it's unpleasant. So we need to check that. When I was working with the fear, and this was over quite a long time until I really understood this, the moment of genuine acceptance came. I was doing walking meditation, and at a certain point, something shifted. And the shift was expressed in the thought, if this fear is here for the rest of my life, it's okay. That was the first moment of acceptance, genuine acceptance. It's okay. It's okay to feel this. So, it's okay became the magic mantra. Suggest a fix for the passage at 19:13

20:12 You're feeling different emotions. It's okay. It's okay. Just let me feel it. Let me be with it. And you can explore how it feels in the body. The sensations associated with it. You can begin to see the relationship of thought to emotion. Maybe there's an image or a thought that triggers the emotion and then we're in the midst of some particular storm and then we start thinking about it again and the storm gets bigger and so you can really see the relationship of thought to emotional response. And all of this is just to take interest in. We're just trying to understand how our mind, body, hearts are working and how we get caught up in something and how we can be free. Suggest a fix for the passage at 20:12

21:04 And the freedom comes from being mindful of what is arising. So as you go through the day today, mindful in all the ways that we've talked about, pay particular attention. To how you're practicing with different emotions and mind states as they come. It's the recognition and also the acceptance. It's okay. It's okay to feel it. Suggest a fix for the passage at 21:04

21:43 It's exactly analogous to our training with bodily sensations. How we can learn to be with unpleasantness in the body without reactivity, without aversion, without resistance. It takes practice, but this is what we're doing. That it's okay, it's okay to feel it. It's okay to feel unpleasantness. It comes and goes. Okay to feel pleasantness without the grasping. We want to apply that same insight to the arena of emotion. Suggest a fix for the passage at 21:43

· · · silence, 23 minutes

45:27 Do you have any questions about your practice? Suggest a fix for the passage at 45:27