As children, many of us were raised by parents who told us to “be patient—and yet, few of us learned exactly what patience is or how to cultivate it. Mei Elliott explores what patience looks like, and how we can manifest it in our life and practice. If we're experiencing any form of suffering—large or small—patience can provide a doorway to freedom amidst difficulty.
Faith and Refuge
When we're struggling or feeling lost, what do we have faith in? In other words, what do we believe will bring greater happiness? In this sense, we're all placing our faith in something-- whether that's the Dharma, a job promotion, romance, Netflix or cookies; we all seek happiness somewhere. Though faith isn't often associated with Buddhism, it's a fundamental part of the practice. During this session, we'll talk about the role of faith in our awakening, and how placing our faith in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, can provide a reliable refuge. For those that get the willies at the mere mention of faith, fear not-- we'll be exploring definitions of this term that go beyond the typical associations.
On Death and Dying
Mei Elliott: The theme for the evening was the Buddha's Five Daily Recollections, with an emphasis on the third reflection, which focuses on death and dying. Recollections on death are common in the Buddhist tradition and can be a powerful source of wisdom and compassion.
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.
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.
Transforming Obstacles into the Way
Mei Elliot: The topic for the evening is "Transforming Obstacles into the Way."
Letting Go
Mei Elliott: When difficulty arises, it's common to lean on the time-honored advice to practice letting go. Yet the capacity to let go often seems to be out of our control and proves to be more challenging than we'd like. How can we learn to release our difficulties gracefully and in what ways can the Dharma support us with this? In this session, we'll be exploring the relationship between letting go and liberation, as well as practices for learning the art of release.
Form & Emptiness
Mei Elliott: Form & Emptiness are a foundational teachings in Soto Zen, and yet many find the subject perplexing and mysterious. My hope is to present the topic in a way that is both accessible and useful in your own practice. During the talk I'll include teachings on not-self, Nagarjuna's "two-truths," and the relationship between emptiness and freedom from suffering.
Part 2: Eating Food, Finding Freedom
Zen practice is radically inclusive; all elements of daily life are a part of practice. This includes our relationship to food: how we eat, what we eat, when and why we eat. Despite engaging in eating throughout the day, it often remains opaque and uninvestigated in our daily life. In a country wracked with obesity, malnutrition, and an endless hunger for more, what does it look like to eat wisely? As food is so closely linked to craving, to emotions, and to well-being, if we are to fully wake up, we must include our relationship to food.
In the first class in this series we studied the eight types of hunger as discussed by Jan Chozen Bays, author of the book Mindful Eating. These types of hunger describe why we eat.
In the coming class, we will explore how we eat, learning practices for doing so mindfully and wisely.
During the session we will do some mindful eating together, so please bring a food item in a quantity sufficient to have 3 or 4 bites.
If you would like to listen to part 1 of this series, you can find it here.
Eating Food, Finding Freedom
Mei Elliot gives a talk called "Eating Food, Finding Freedom." This will be part one of a two part series on the theme of mindful eating.
Zen practice is radically inclusive; all elements of daily life are a part of practice. This includes our relationship to food: how we eat, what we eat, when and why we eat. Despite engaging in eating throughout the day, it often remains opaque and uninvestigated in our daily life. In a country wracked with obesity, malnutrition, and an endless hunger for more, what does it look like to eat wisely? As food is so closely linked to craving, to emotions, and to well-being, if we are to fully wake up, we must include our relationship to food. Tonight we will be studying the eight types of hunger as discussed by Jan Chozen Bays, author of Mindful Eating.
Two weeks from today, we will continue this two part series with another class on mindful eating to take place on June 1st, 2021.
The Gift of Safety: Finding Fearlessness in a Time of Violence
Mei Elliott gives a talk called "The Gift of Safety: Finding Fearlessness in a Time of Violence." In light of the recent violence and ongoing harassment against Asian Americans, how can the Dharma support us in working with our internal "safety system" which is often wrought with fear and anxiety, particularly during times like these. How can we be free in the midst of fear and how can we train our brain to recognize safety? In addition to creating internal safety, what does the Dharma have to say about creating safety for others? One of the greatest gifts a practitioner can offer others is the gift of fearlessness; how can we train to become a refuge for all beings? This talk weaves together dharma teachings, as well as practical, tangible responses we can all take to reduce hate crimes in our communities.
Learning to Trust Oneself
Mei Elliott gives a talk called “Learning to Trust Oneself.”
Being able to trust is an important foundation in any close relationship. Yet for many, trusting others comes far more easily than trusting oneself. Often when faced with making decisions, we are at a loss, lacking confidence that we will make the right choice and unable to trust ourselves to proceed. This lack of trust and confidence can ripple out beyond our decision-making, and extend into a lack of confidence in our character, intelligence, and worth. How can the teachings of the Buddha support us in establishing trust? As we engage in this inquiry together, we will also explore what it means to trust oneself in a tradition that questions the very notion of self to begin with.
Right Intention
Mei Elliot gives a talk on the topic of Right Intention.
As we crest into 2021, many people are considering intentions and goals for the coming year. While New Year's resolutions tend to be an All-American pastime, what does intention setting have to do with Buddhist practice? And what do intentions have to do with freedom, with happiness? During this meeting, we discuss the three facets of right intention that appear in the eightfold path: renunciation, kindness, and compassion. We will also explore practices for deliberately cultivating wholesome intentions and for noticing the more subtle intentions already operating within our actions of body, speech, and mind.
Missing You: Love and Longing in Isolation
Mei Elliott speaks about love and longing. During this time of social distancing, many people are anticipating a holiday season without the ability to travel to be with loved ones. Missing one's friends and family is particularly pronounced during this extended period of isolation and has become a source of longing for many of us. This longing can take many shapes: longing for time with one's parents and siblings, romantic longing for a partner, the grief-based longing for a loved one who has died, or the general longing for anything that is just out of reach. Whether it's for food, sex, entertainment, etc. how can we satisfy this yearning? During this YUZ meeting, Mei Elliott explores the roots of longing as well as practices for finding freedom and wholeness in its midst.
Fear and Anxiety
Mei Elliott discusses fear and anxiety. Whether you're having a bout of full blown panic or experiencing daily anxiety, fear manifests in a variety of ways. Without realizing it, fear is often the driving force behind everyday choices, guiding our conversations, determining our decisions, and legislating our preferences. Given its power, how can we learn to be free from suffering in the midst of fear? During this talk we explore ways to identify and practice with anxiety and fear in daily life.
Feeling Stuck
Mei Elliott leads the conversation around the theme of feeling stuck. Whether we feel stuck in a relationship or job, in a stubborn habit pattern or self-view, or are simply feeling stuck sheltering in place, the teachings of the Buddha offer a way to relate to life when things won't seem to budge. We will spend the evening exploring how perceptions and fixed views contribute to a sense of entanglement and how our practice can loosen our sense of feeling stuck.
Loneliness
Mei Elliott explores the topic of loneliness. Given the increased social isolation many are experiencing during this time, she speaks about the way we can integrate loneliness into our practice such that it too becomes a Dharma gate. Regardless of whether you are working with loneliness or are meeting other challenges in your life, the teachings will center around skillful ways for meeting difficulty, whether that happens to be loneliness or otherwise.
Joy
Mei Elliott reflects on the theme of Joy. Despite spending a lifetime seeking joy, many people are still befuddled about where to find it, and often find themselves chasing after it, without realizing they're running in the wrong direction. During this talk we explore what joy is, where we can reliably find it, why joy is needed now, and how we can invite it into our lives.
During this time of great challenge and tragedy, joy can not be a mere accessory nor can it be seen as self-indulgent. On the contrary, joy is a necessary requisite on the path of liberation, and a necessary nourishment for bodhisattva activity. If we are to save all beings, we need the buoyancy that joy provides. The Buddha spoke abundantly about joy, and as such, we'll explore where this topic appears in the core Buddhist teachings.
Holding our Pain for the World: Racism in America
Mei Elliott speaks about the many recent tragedies, both related to racism and the pandemic, and how to hold our pain for the world.
Martin Luther King Jr. said that "a riot is the language of the unheard." How can we learn to truly listen to the "riot" within, without turning away or suppressing it? When anger, grief, numbness, or despair rise up, how can we meet it with wisdom and kindness? This talk explores meditation training as an anti-racist response to injustice, highlighting how it can begin to dissolve implicit bias.
The Liberating Power of the Bodhisattva Precepts
Mei Elliott introduced the 13-week series on the Bodhisattva Precepts. She spoke about the complexity and applicability of the precepts, and illuminated how precept practice is a pivotal component of liberation. To learn more about the theme, see the email below.
If you are interested in engaging in a deeper study of this topic, consider reading Being Upright by Reb Anderson or Waking Up to What You Do by Diane Eshin Rizzetto.