The Messenger

Zachary Smith: Lately I’ve been thinking about all the cases where some teacher, for some reason, has been required to boil their knowledge and experience down to a single, simple compelling expression and deliver it. The Buddhist literature is full of examples and we’ll talk, at least briefly, about some of them but I’ll also be giving it a try as well.

Mindfulness

Mei Elliott: Mindfulness has the extraordinary capacity to cultivate wholesome states and diminish unwholesome ones, illuminating the path to happiness. In this meeting we'll explore the Buddhist roots behind the buzzword, and discuss the liberating potential of this practice. 

Perfection of Patience

Kogetsu Mok: discussing the Buddhist principle of the "Perfection of Patience" and how this can help us to meet our suffering, anxieties, and difficulties. How can we examine the nature of our suffering with self-awareness and clarity? How can we cultivate patience and tolerance? How can we meet every moment of our lives with wisdom and equanimity?

Patience can help us to find inner freedom and peace which can remind us that we are all interconnected. We can learn to find agency to act skillfully and to not be controlled by habitual patterns. In this, we can begin to create better karmic conditions for ourselves and others.

Joy

Michael McCord: in a world with so much suffering, how can a person (should a person?) be joyful? Is this not taking the cares of the world seriously?  And in the face of so many existential threats (pandemics, climate change, political polarization, wars, etc.) - what is the appropriate way to live a life that is responsible, connected and thriving?

We'll unpack this from the context of Zen Buddhist principles.  Since Buddhism has at its core the concept of "liberation", one shouldn't have to wait until some distant time in the future to exhale and set down the baggage of the world, and find ways to live into mini-liberations all along the way.

Focus and Distraction

Michael McCord: Is it "OK" to use Zen to get from A to B as a transactional practice or should a person only practice Zen and see what the fruits of this are?  In other words: can Zen be my workout tool for focus?

Zazen is Loving Kindness

Portion from The Loving Kindness Meditation, " Let no one deceive another nor despise any being in any state. Let none by anger or hatred wish harm to another. Even as a mother at the risk of her life Watches over and protects her only child, So with a boundless mind should one cherish all living things. Suffusing love over the entire world, Above, below, and all around, without limit, So let one cultivate an infinite good will toward the whole world " 

In this week's gathering we will talk about how zazen is a practice of all of the above and more! 

Mudita

Zachary Smith: following on from Mei’s recent talk on Equanimity, I’ll be talking about another of the four Brahmavihārās, Muditā or Sympathetic Joy. We’ll talk about how this marvelous quality can arise, how it’s related to the Western idea of Love and, in the end, trying to get at the common element of all four “immeasurable”, as they’re sometimes called.

Equanimity

Mei Elliott: Sometimes considered the crown jewel of Buddhist practice, equanimity allows us to remain centered and peaceful, even within troubling circumstances. Through the development of insight, the equanimous mind is unshakable and balanced– helping us to keep our footing regardless of the difficulties that may come our way. During this meeting, we'll explore how equanimity is experienced and cultivated through meditation practice.