Thursday evening, 9/21, there will be an open discussion after the 7:00 pm online meditation of the practice of tonglen, a meditation practice that encourages the development of compassion. The following Thursday, 9/28, Chris will give a talk after meditation on joy, the third of the immeasurable states, and describe practices to open to joy in… Continue reading Sangha News 9/18/23
Author: Jon Swanson
Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
In Western culture we typically associate joy with external, conditional events. However, there is a form of joy that is unconditional and available in any circumstances. Scott Tusa describes this practice of innate or unconditional joyfulness as a radical act. You can find his article here: Joy is a Radical Act Oren Jay Sofer describes… Continue reading Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Quote for the Week
There is another type of joy, a much subtler and more sustainable joy that we can uncover. This joy—which I will refer to here as innate or unconditional joy—cannot be exhausted because it resides within us at all times, though it is often hidden. No external stimulus can evoke it, but as we expand our… Continue reading Quote for the Week
Sangha News 9/5/23
Thursday evening, 9/7, there will be a discussion after the 7:00 pm online meditation of the practice of self-compassion and RAIN, an acronym for an insight meditation practice that encourages the development of inquiry and self-compassion. The following Thursday, 9/14, Chris will give a talk after meditation on compassion for others and the meditation practice of… Continue reading Sangha News 9/5/23
Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Tonglen, which means taking and sending, is a meditation practice for opening to our innate compassion that is most associated with the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism. Pema Chodron provides a brief introduction to the practice that you can find here: How to Practice Tonglen Dekila Chungyalpa was born in the Himalayan land of Sikkim and… Continue reading Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Quote for the Week
Every aspect of you right now, the air that fills your lungs, the clothes that you wear, the food you ate today, all of that comes from outside of you. This ever-present, life-encompassing, compassionate earth sustains you. You are part of this effortless cycle of give and take. You are participating in an exchange with… Continue reading Quote for the Week
Meditation Retreat and Friday Evening Talk Cancelled
Very few people registered for the retreat with Tim Geil on September 23, so we felt we had to cancel the retreat and the rest of his visit.
Sangha News 8/22/23
Thursday evening, 8/24, there will be a discussion after the 7:00 pm online meditation of the quality of compassion and forms of meditation that can be practiced to develop our intention to offer compassion and goodwill to ourselves and others. The following Thursday, 8/31, Chris will give a talk after meditation on the practice of self-compassion,… Continue reading Sangha News 8/22/23
Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Kristin Neff and Chris Germer are two of the primary advocates of the practice of self-compassion and the related practice of Mindful Self-Compassion and have developed some helpful approaches for bringing it into our lives. You can find more information at the following websites : Self-Compassion.org & Center for Mindful Self-Compassion Tara Brach has taught… Continue reading Updated Resources for Meditation and Support
Quote for the Week
Self-compassionate people recognize that being imperfect and experiencing life difficulties is inevitable, so they tend to be gentle with themselves when confronted with painful experiences rather than getting angry when life falls short of set ideals. ~ Kristin Neff Definition of Self Compassion