Yanai Postelnik: Approaching the Heart of Wisdom

(Cambridge Insight Meditation Center)

(Aloka Earth Room) Short Reflection & Guided Meditation on the Four Brahmavihara & Earth Awarenes | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene II | Online Wednesday-Mornings.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) As we begin a new year, it's helpful to remember the deep motivation of our practice--to awaken--and to ask how our intention to awaken manifests in our practice. In this talk, we explore the Buddha's metaphor of "awakening" (from sleep, from dreams) as a metaphor for spiritual practices, and how he also speaks of realizing Nirvana. We unpack how the Buddha understood Nirvana and awakening--both negatively, as the end of ignorance, and dukkha and reactivity--and more positively as going fully beyond the ordinary constructions of experience. We also look at how the Buddha understood the practical path of training to realize awakening and Nirvana, and how this was explicated through different teachings and practices. At the end, we briefly bring up the question of what a contemporary path of awakening looks like. The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) After some basic instructions in developing concentration and stability, as well as mindfulness, we practice in silence. After about another ten minutes, there are several periodic brief periods of guided practice, in which we are guided to notice our main patterns of thought and perception of objects. In the latter part of the period, we are guided to drop constructions of experience in two ways.

(Flagstaff Insight Meditation Community) The Image that is referred to in this talk is included below.

(Cittaviveka)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Naming the tasks of the individual satipaṭṭhāna channel; psychological map of the contemplative territory. (Including some common hangups)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Reflections on deepening wisdom and awakening

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Guided practice on the themes of mettā, gratitude, connectedness, and forgiveness