January 10 – Finding the way of balance
Dear Friends, Continuing with the talk from Kamala Masters, “Equanimity-Seeing the World with Quiet Eyes“ Kamala mentions the eight worldly conditions. They are: Gain and loss Fame and disrepute (when Adrianne Ross was in Saskatoon last October, she described this as “being seen and being ignored”, which might be more relateable) Praise and blame Pleasure and pain Here’s what the Buddha has to say about these: Practitioners, these eight worldly conditions revolve around the world, and the world revolves around these eight worldly conditions. What eight? Gain and loss, disrepute and fame, blame and praise, and pleasure and pain. … An uninstructed worldling meets gain and loss, disrepute and fame, blame and praise, and pleasure and pain. An instructed noble disciple also meets gain and loss, disrepute and fame, blame and praise, and pleasure and pain. ~ Lokavipatti Sutta (AN 8:6) What I appreciate is about the Buddha’s statements: these…
December 31 – Welcome!
Dear Friends, This is the fifth year I have offered this daily email in January, and I’m honoured that you have chosen to join me in this iteration. When it comes to choosing a theme, I often find that something speaks to me in several ways through the year. The idea of balance has been something I’ve been seeking in my daily life. I found a set of talks from a retreat by recordings by Kamala Masters and Sally Armstrong on the topic of Equanimity and Awareness, which I enjoyed listening to, so I’ve chosen that to be the main source of inspiration this year. I want to work on balance in the offering this year! I hope to pick a phrase or two from a talk from this retreat (and elsewhere) to share each day as an inspiration for the day. That should help you have balance in the…
January 12 – Above, below, around, and everywhere
Dear Friends, Christina Feldman closes the first chapter on Immeasurable Kindness by discussing bringing metta into what she calls “the world of events and experience”. She notes that aversion can pop up in many scenarios, not just in the realm of human relationships. We can bring this quality of metta to whatever circumstances we encounter. Christina writes, We learn again and again, with mindfulness and clear intention, that we have choices about where we make our home—in the contracted home of aversion and fear or in the spacious home of metta. page 51 There are various ways of practicing metta. Many books, teachers, and guided meditations use the repetition of phrases as a way to set the intention for kindness. We start with a small circle of beings and gradually expand to include more and more. This technique was outlined in the Visuddhimagga, an ancient text from around the 5th…
December 31 – Welcome!
Dear Friends, We are about to start another month-long exploration of ways to support a daily meditation practice. I’m so honored to have you as part of this community. The theme we will be exploring this month is infusing mindfulness with kindness as we go about daily life, with inspiration from the book Boundless Heart: The Buddha’s Path of Kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity, by Christina Feldman. I want to keep things light and inspiring this year, so expect just a short quote or poem to help you get your day started. All the emails will be archived this blog that you’re reading now!https://www.grzesina.net/meditationI have comments open for the newer posts, and I invite you to share your thoughts and feedback with the rest of us there. I also welcome any comments and reflections that you’d rather share with me personally by email. I’m grateful for the guidance and support…
January 27 – Seven positive qualities (part 2)
Dear Friends, I’m on retreat until Tuesday afternoon, but I’ve queued up some emails to keep you inspired while I’m away. Yesterday, we looked at the first three of the seven factors: mindfulness, investigation, and energy. Today, we’ll look at the next three: joy, tranquility, and concentration. Joy As our mindfulness deepens, we investigate, and then that rouses energy. When the energy is strong, joy arises. Bhante Gunaratana describes five types of feelings of joy: minor joy – makes our body hair stand on end momentary joy – like lightning flashing moment after moment showering joy – descends on the body and then disappears, like waves breaking on a seashore uplifting joy – lifts the body (perhaps even literally) all-pervading joy – suffuses every part of the body He says this joy is not the same as pleasurable feelings of everyday life. You may have experienced moments like this type…
January 26 – Seven positive qualities
Dear Friends, I’m on retreat until Tuesday afternoon, but I’ve queued up some emails to keep you inspired while I’m away. Bhante Gunaratana starts chapter 12 of The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English with the Gilana Discourse. One of the Buddha’s senior pupils was very ill, so the Buddha went to visit him and asked how he was doing. Mahakassapa said “I am not bearing my illness well. My pain is very great, and it shows no signs of decreasing.” The Buddha then said, I have taught seven factors of enlightenment. When they are carefully developed, they lead to realization and perfect wisdom … What seven? Mindfulness, Investigation into phenomena, Energy, Joy, Tranquility, Concentration, and Equanimity. The story continues: Hearing these words, Kassapa rejoiced… Then and there, Mahakassapa rose from his sickness and his ailment vanished. I read this part of the chapter earlier in the week, when I was…
February 1 – A fresh start
Dear Friends, It’s been a pleasure to be a visitor to your inbox this past month. This is a special project for me, now in my second year. I appreciate having the opportunity to dig deep into teachings and readings, reflecting on what it means to me, and hearing from so many what it means to you. So thank you for your words of encouragement and for sharing your practice with me. I also want to say special thanks to Jeanne Corrigal, who has supported me in this adventure, by offering me guidance and inspiration. And I offer a deep bow of gratitude to the many teachers who have made their materials available. Jeanne and many of the teachers I’ve referenced freely offer their teachings. If you’re so inclined, I invite you to support them in return – make a donation, take their courses, buy their books. But January is…
January 15 – Gratitude makes us joyful
Dear Friends, A few years ago, Brené Brown shared a quote on her blog from Brother David Steindl-Rast: The root of joy is gratefulness. We tend to misunderstand the link between joy and gratefulness. We notice that joyful people are grateful and suppose that they are grateful for their joy. But the reverse is true: their joy springs from gratefulness. … We hold the key to lasting happiness in our own hands. For it is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful. In Uncovering Happiness, Elisha Goldstein describes a study where participants were split into three groups – one group counted five blessings a day, one group five burdens, and one group neutral things. The study found that the group who counted blessings experienced less stress and enhanced well-being. In last Sunday’s email, I mentioned Adrianne Ross’s talk on joy. In that talk, she mentioned an…
January 8 – Stop, notice, appreciate, share
Dear Friends, The Sunday Morning Insight Meditation Study Group listens to a recorded talk in the week, and then meets to meditate and discuss the talk on Sunday mornings. The talk this week is on joy. In the talk, Adrianne Ross shares a slogan from Pema Chödrön: Stop. Notice. Appreciate. Share. Here’s what Pema says about this slogan: Sharing Happiness When you experience any kind of pleasure or well-being in your life–appreciating a bright spring day, a good meal, a cute baby animal, or a nice hot shower–notice it and cherish it. Such simple pleasures can bring us a lot of joy, tenderness, and a sense of relief. We have many of these fleeting golden moments in our life, but we usually speed right past them. So the first part of the practice is just to stop, notice, and fully appreciate them. Next, you make the wish that other people could…