What I most love in my teaching practice is seeing students become dedicated to their own liberation. As their spiritual practice matures, people light up from within when they begin to understand that personal freedom is possible. This commitment to freedom on the part of the student inspires me to find ways to express my deepest understanding and enthusiasm for liberation.
The mindfulness teachings of the Buddha are among the more direct, practical meditation techiques that we can cultivate. My focus is on sharing these practices in an accessable, down-to-earth way. How can we disengage from our habits of responding to the world through veils of confusion, greed, and hatred?
Mindfulness practice helps us recognize when we are responding to the world from the mental and emotional habits that obscure our true home, our radiant nature, which manifests as compassion and love. The Buddha's teachings show us that we are not isolated individuals who need to live defensive lives. Rather, we can learn to trust and live from our full potential as compassionate members of a connected planet.
Luang Pu Dun defines the second noble truth as the mind that goes out to satisfy its moods, and the result that comes from the mind going out to satisfy its moods is suffering, - the first Noble Truth is the result of this! This talk describes how the mind can get lost in thoughts and create suffering.
Metta, or loving kindness can develop to a powerful force in out hearts and minds. We only need to start where we are, feeding non-hatred in our minds rather than putting our trust in the habits of fear and ill will.
Rather than assuming that greed, aversion and delusion are our default state and practice is about transcending them, what if peace of mind is natural and the torments are the aberration?
The Buddha spoke of wise attention as the tool that uproots the underlying tendencies of our minds that cause suffering. This talk discusses various means the Buddha taught for practicing wise attention.
