1 min listen
Simplicity
ratings:
Length:
56 minutes
Released:
Oct 9, 2006
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Kamalashila has spent a lot of his adult life exploring meditation – and this talk is a lovely little foray into the whole subject as a crucial aspect in life and practice, with special consideration given to reflection on the six elements. Oh, and look out for Brian the meditating dog… Table of contents: 01 Brian, the meditating dog, and the natural life; experience of the elements versus artificial living 02 Meditation exposing artificiality through awareness of experience; meditation as a kind of prayer for authenticity and truth; the buddhist path as a way of beccoming more natural 03 The six element practice as a focus on nature; historical suppression of pagan naturalness; naturalness as an issue of practice, not theory 04 The earth element; the easiest element to experience directly; hard, firm and durable 05 The water element; the shape depends on the container; the taboo of bodily fluids; accepting the elements as they are; the elements as co-existing qualities, not things 06 The fire element; relating to and learning from fire 07 The element of wind (air) as ‘motion’ – vayo dhatu; movement of emotional energy in the body and its oppression; element practice as recollection of spaciousness; the movement of the mind, thoughts and perceptions 08 The element ‘space’; the great container of all things 09 The element ‘consciousness’; all other elements embraced in consciousness; the element of experiences; seeing into what experience is 10 Questioning in practice – deepening; the reason for practice as the development of liberating awareness; the consequences of unawareness and awareness; letting the dharma in; the importance of study and discussion in deepening practice 11 The essence of meditation as realising the natural state of things and being changed by that realisation; having confidence in one’s realisations; learning what to look for; the spaciousness of things 12 Two ways into spaciousness; noting inconsistencies as opportunities for realisation; the incongruity and illusory nature of ‘me’ and ‘mine’; relaxing the tendency to arousal opens up simplicity and naturalness 13 A second approach to emptiness; seeing directly the free and spacious nature of things; motion in the mind; the elusive nature of thoughts; words and thoughts; the emptiness of thoughts; emptiness as the natural element; nirvana as naturalness 14 Returning to earth and befriending the elements; the extremity of artificiality in present culture; Buddhafield as an attempt to find simplicity; true simplicity as whatever allows more room for comparison and wisdom To help us keep this free, please think about making a donation.
Released:
Oct 9, 2006
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Introduction to Mind and Mental Events: A new year's talk by Subhuti to help dust away all those mental cobwebs hanging over from the last one! Just the thing for sharpening your wits, deepening your understanding of the thorny area that is ethics, by Free Buddhist Audio