Tuesday September 30th

this week is the Jewish New Year, and technically we are not meeting (according to the School Night catalog)

However, I will be here, and I invite you to join me for an extra class.

I think that we will practice Tratak.
In case I don't get a chance to write about it, there is tons of info here

Vocaublary, and a good quote

Shradda = Faith
Not blind faith, or faith in anything 'other' or 'divine' or 'metaphysical', but faith in the practice, and faith in your own inner goodness.

I got this from the website of a cranial sacral practitioner named charles ridley. his website is here

During the session, while resting in your heart stillness, you may encounter memories, emotional issues, thoughts, feelings, and spiritual insights. When they arise, understand that these are the exact aspects of yourself that consciousness has chosen to bring to your awareness and by remaining neutrally present to them these separated parts will rejoin the wholeness that you are. See if you can allow whatever arises just to be here as it is.

He describes the inner process very well. You have an inner wisdom. This wisdom is guiding your experience of meditation. Its intention is to guide you towards deeper wholeness, love, clarity, insight, and freedom. This much is clear. It is not useful to try to understand or second guess or control this wisdom. Simply be present, and notice where it takes you. What you think and feel and remember is exactly what you are supposed to be thinking and feeling and remembering. Simply breathe, and find acceptance.

mistakes meditators make

don't think that the discomfort of your body is a distraction on your journey towards mindfulness, instead realize that these sensations, and your relationship to them, are the journey itself.

Week Two - moving into mindfullness

Week Two

Moving into mindfulness

• The difference between Shamata and Vipassana
• The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
• Start with one pointed awareness, and slowly expand to hold more
• Practice time (intention, Anapana Sati, open to mindfulness of moment)

Some Definitions

Sati (Pali) = Smritti (Sanskrit) = to remember

sati bhavana = the mood of remembrance

Shamata - Calm Abiding
Concentration Practice, Learning to stay
Begins with selcetive attention (anapana sati) and begins to expand and include

Anapana Sati -> Mindfulness of inbreath and outbreath, forerunner to meditation

Sati Patthana Four Foundations of mindfulness

4 Foundations of Mindfulness

• Mindfulness of the Body
• Mindfulness of the Emotions
• Mindfulness of the Mind
• Mindfulness of The Objects of The Mind

Mindfulness is the moment to moment registry of our experience without interfence.
This means that we notice our life in real time without judging what we notice, or comparing it to another moment, or trying to figure out why it is this way, or any kind of mental gymnastics.


Shamata: Purpose, Method, and Results

The first practice that we will work with is called Shamata. We will translate shamata to mean 'calm abiding'. It trains us in this very capacity, it trains us to calmly abide. It gives a firm foundation from which to practice gaining deeper insight into the nature of our mind. So, this is its purpose; to train us to sit still, and be calm, to concentrate. It prepares us for deeper meditation adn insight. It is important to have this in mind. This practice has a purpose. All practices have purposes, it is good to know what it is, so that you know why you are doing it. This can be helpful when your motivation ebbs.
The next thing that you will need to know is the method. All practices have methods. Piano players run scales, basketball players take layups, actors say their lines in front of the mirror. These are methods that lead to mastery.

Our method is quite simple:
We sit comfortably, preferably with the spine straight and vertical and relaxed.
Then we turn our attention to the breath moving in the belly.
We watch the breath move in and out, and we watch the belly rise and fall.
When we notice that our minds have become distracted, and that we are thinking instead of watching, we use a label (dukha, thinking, doubt, judgement) to remind ourselves, and we return back to the breath.
We continue like this for the predetermined period of time.

There are short term and long term results. The short term results might include an experience of distractability, an awareness of the inability to concentrate, and sense of mental wandering and frustration. This can lead to doubt in the efficacy of the practice. This is normal. This practice reveals the ineeficiency and unrulyness of our mind, which is something we must come to terms with if we are ever to experience the longer term results of the practice. The longer term results include experiences of concentration, mental clarity, alert relaxation, greater sensory awareness, and inner peace.

I recommend setting a timer. When we don't set a timer, we have a tendency to pop up as soon as we feel a slight bit of restlessness.

Week Five

I really like this video. Dr. Levy teaches graduate level courses with Titles like "Information and Contemplation". He stresses the importance of having quiet time to think. He discusses the different types of thinking and the need for leisure and mental sanctuary. It reminds me of something I read in a Robert Anton Wilson book once. Something to the effect of 'employ the machine, so the human has more free time'. Levy seems to be on the same page, but his discussion is a little more serious, and a little more comprehensive.

Syllabus

This meditation class is a ten week course. It is recommended that You come to all of them, as they will build on what was learned the previous week.

This Course will focus on traditional meditation techniques from the far east. Many of the practices will have origins in Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, or Pre-Buddhist/Hindu Tantrism. This class will not require any particular belief system. You can be whatever religion you like and still derive benefit. This class will focus on the practical and transformative aspects of these traditions, and not the dogmatic or philosophic. Some stories and mythology from these traditions may be utilized, as they seem to have been designed specifically to illustrate points useful to the meditator. Keeping an open mind will help you to derive the greatest benefit.

Please keep a meditation journal (notebook) and bring it with you to class each session.
Please silence cellphones, or just leave them in the car.
Please don't wear strong perfumes.
Please be on time, (5-10 minutes early is on time), and refrain from excessive talking.

Topics for each class will be posted at least 24 hours before the class. You are welcome to print out the class topics and make notes on the printouts. Note taking is recommended.

This Syllabus is a work in progress and may be updated at any time to better serve you.

Week One

Covering the Basics

• Introductions, "Hi, I'm Daniel"
  
• How to get the most out of this class
• What is meditation? What is not meditation?
• This is an Inside Job
  
• The necessity of motivation, interest, and curiosity
• Creating 'intentions' to cement our motivations
• Grounding into the body
• How to sit and use cushions. No, your legs won't stay asleep forever.
  
• The Basics of Shamata and Anapana Sati Practice
• Practice Time (Anapana Sati)

Week Two

The Inside Job Discussed, dealing with the tension within.

• You must do your own work
• Noone else can do your work
• You can't do anyone else's work
• What is meant by 'work'?

1. dealing with your inner tensions
2. letting go of/facing your fears
3. letting go of/living without your addictive patterns
   
4. getting comfortable being inside your body in the present moment.

• What happens when we meditate?

1. we must collect our attention, this takes loving patience, puppy story
   
2. finally there is some quiet
3. we begin to notice tension, sometimes physical, sometimes psychic
4. our unlived life comes forward for attention
5. practice holding a loving space to witness
   
6. housecleaning

Week Three

Sound Meditation

This week we will focus on sound meditation. This will include an introduction to sanskrit, the use of mantra, and also silent meditation on subtle sound.

• The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
• Start with one pointed awareness, and slowly expand to hold more
  
• Practice time (intention, Anapana Sati, open to mindfulness of moment)

Mindfulness of the Body

• continuum of pleasant, neutral, and unpleasant
• Reactions of attraction, aversion, and ignorance
• Training our ability to stay centered
• Moving from good/bad to descriptive (long, hot, sharp, red)
• Practice time (intention, Anapana Sati, open to mindfulness of the body)

Week Four

Mindfulness of the Emotions

• Unacceptable Emotions vs. Acceptable Emotions
• Coping Mechanisms and the Battering Cycle
• The problems with aggression and repression
• Skillful use of emotion

Week Five

Mindfulness of the mind