Tag Archives: Sally Armstrong

January 25 – We’re imperfect

Dear Friends, Concluding this dive into Sally Armstrong’s talk, “Facets of Equanimity,” and this exploration of equanimity as an expression of wisdom, and in particular into the notion of karma (kamma). Sally read a passage from Thanissaro Bhikkhu, instead of promoting resigned powerlessness, the early Buddhist notion of karma focused on the liberating potential of what the mind… Read More »

January 24 – That which the mind frequently dwells and ponders upon

Dear Friends, Continuing with Sally Armstrong’s talk, “Facets of Equanimity,” continuing this exploration of equanimity as an expression of wisdom, and in particular into the notion of karma (kamma). Both Sally and Kamala have mentioned this teaching from the Buddha: Whatever one frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become an inclination of the mind. ~ Two Kinds… Read More »

January 21 – Meditative expressions of equanimity

Dear Friends, Continuing with Sally Armstrong’s talk, “Facets of Equanimity,” looking at some of the ways equanimity might be experienced in our meditation practice. She states, “Any moment of true or clear mindfulness has equanimity in it.” You can hear this balance of equanimity in the definitions of mindfulness Sally shares. Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of… Read More »

January 20 – The essence is kindness

Dear Friends, Turning now to Sally Armstrong’s talk, “Facets of Equanimity,” which looks at some ways to categorize the many ways equanimity is part of our meditation practices. Sally again mentions her list of lists. I don’t have her handout, but it likely incorporates items similar to those listed here:https://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/dhamma-lists/ I appreciate her invitation that each of us… Read More »

January 7 – From a balanced mind and an open heart

Dear Friends, Just a few concluding reflections on Sally Armstrong’s talk, “The roles of mindfulness, metta and equanimity in our practice“. Here are Sally’s closing comments in this talk: That’s the possibility of these practices. Landing in the present moment, knowing what’s happening, in our direct experience. Feeling that connectedness with the external, with other, with the world,… Read More »

January 5 – Sense of well-wishing

Dear Friends, Continuing with Sally Armstrong’s talk, “The roles of mindfulness, metta and equanimity in our practice” – now turning to the practice of metta. There are many ways to translate metta: lovingkindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, acceptance, heartfulness. I was first taught this as “lovingkindness”, but as Sally mentions, “If we use the term “lovingkindness” – as soon… Read More »

January 4 – Mindfulness: kind, interested, relaxed attention

Dear Friends, Continuing with Sally Armstrong’s talk, “The roles of mindfulness, metta and equanimity in our practice“, and her discussion on mindfulness… Sally shares various definitions of mindfulness, but I really resonate with the definition that Jeanne Corrigal offers: Mindfulness is paying attention, with open, curious interest, to what is happening within and around us, with the intention… Read More »

January 3 – Willingness to start again

Dear Friends, Continuing with Sally Armstrong’s talk, “The roles of mindfulness, metta and equanimity in our practice“, can you relate to this sentiment… What we often see is our minds are messy. They are relentless. They never stop. Unless we do this deliberate turning towards presence, towards the body, towards simplicity. ~ Sally Armstrong Or perhaps you recognize… Read More »

January 2 – Mindfulness as the foundation

Dear Friends, For the next few days, I’ll be picking a few tidbits out of a talk by Sally Armstrong on “The roles of mindfulness, metta and equanimity in our practice” from the Equanimity and Awareness retreat. Sally mentions that it’s helpful to begin with basic teachings and practices of mindfulness. She highlights how mindfulness informs metta (kindness),… Read More »

January 3 – Sitting and standing

Dear Friends, In Chapter 2 of The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English, Bhante Gunaratana discusses various postures in which one can meditate: sitting, standing, walking, and lying down.Even experienced meditators can benefit from reviewing their posture on occasion, so I invite you to really pay attention to your body, no matter what position you are in. Today,… Read More »