MCI4 Meditation course, introduction: formless meditation

MCI4 Meditation course, introduction: formless meditation by Suvannavira

Looked at the body breath metta
Can call them active practices
Active means something we try to do
Concentrate on the body the breath
Develop metta

Now we will do receptive practices
We aren’t trying to do anything
We are trying to be receptive

To practice meditation
To continue practicing
To get real benefits from practice
We need to balance active and receptive practices

In the early days of the order people did active practices
Emphasis on getting concentrated
On breaking through / overcoming hindrances

Some started to get more dissatisfied
Started to experiment with receptive practices
Tried just sitting
Remember sleeping thinking dry concentration
Danger just sitting = drifting
(Sinking and drifting)

Meditation without form
Arrive at question
What are we trying to do in receptive practices?

We are still trying to do something
Only we don’t decide what
That’s why it is formless
It doesn’t have a form or structure
No stages
No object

Rather no specific object
Or everything is our object
We try to be as aware as possible
Aware of everything
Aware of anything that happens
Aware of thoughts sensations images
Aware of smells and sounds

Two ways we can do this practice
Try to be aware of everything all at once
Or just let our attention / awareness go where it wants.
Our awareness / attention is always changing its object of awareness

So if we start thinking, try to be as aware as possible of our thought
Start feeling, try to be as aware as possible
Of sounds, as aware as possible

Like watching internal tv
So we are being active
Just not doing anything
Or rather our doing is watching
Watching without control
Being receptive to everything that is happening

DO IT

What did we focus on?
Thoughts sensations images sounds

Try to bring this receptive quality into other practices
Into life
How to do that? Ask them what they think

We can just sit as well. When?
1/ before starting meditating, when we feel restless
2/ after meditation, called sitting on when we are already concentrated
3/ on retreat when already concentrated

TRY JUST SITTING NOW OR AT END OF CLASS - 2 minutes

One more thing. Doing nothing
Helps us develop receptivity too
Spend some time each day doing nothing
Not reading thinking watching your phone etc ….
10-20. Get a cup of tea. Comfortable chair. Do nothing.
Waste time
Don’t get too strict, don’t make doing nothing into something!

Bring receptive quality into all meditations
And everyday life
A good balance to always being directed by thoughts
Of always having something to do

End of course
Now four more
Four weeks on each of these practices
To go deeper into them
To respond to your experience as you start to practice them regularly

Meditation course, MC1/4, Introduction, mindfulness of the Body

Meditation course, MC1/4, Introduction, mindfulness of the Body, by Suvannavira

1/ Who am I

Don’t have to be Buddhist

Ethics meditation wisdom

Change in our depths, change in how we see the world

What meditation is not

Getting what we want: love wealth health success

chakras and mantras

My meditation is: time of no thinking

Developing awareness

General: understanding > higher state of consciousness > wisdom

but need specifics

awareness, understanding, higher states of consciousness, wisdom

Four practices: then four courses, one on each, five courses in everyday life, wisdom

Communication, objectifying

Not knowledge but direct experience, intuitive knowledge

6/ today’s meditation practice
7/ why do this practice?

8/ what are we trying to do, beyond the technique?

9/ What is good posture

10/ common misconceptions or dangers
11/ positive signs of progress
Basics learn then we have difficulties, excellent!

THE BODY

value of intention and practice, not spontaeous at the beginning, new habits

Tips:

Listen to your body

Look for enjoyment

Warm attitude

Be open to all parts of yourself

First arrow second arrow

12/ how to respond to difficulties?

Sleep, thinking, over concentrated

easiest, most pleasant part of the body, hardest, most enigmatic part

13/ discuss our experience, what can I do to help you express your experience?
16/ what is the question for reflection?

18/ what else can they do during the week?
Meditate every day

Same time, same place, commitment, beauty, not too long

Body in every day life

All the time, mindfulness breaks, relax, pleasure, energy (ie what happens when it works).

Mindful activity, walking ….

Next week, on basis of the body, the breath.

Meditation course, MCI2/4, Introduction, Mindfulness of Breathing

Meditation course, MCI2/4, Introduction, Mindfulness of Breathing by Suvannavira

0/ Intro, raise awareness

Higher state of consciousness

greater understanding > wisdom

Change yourself, / and personal relations, relations to the world

Meditation as microscope, a new world emerges

1/ overview of course
2/ review of last week and h/w
3/ todays practice
4/ it’s place in Buddhism

Buddha gaining Enlightenment

Simplest practices are the most advanced, very steep

5/ why focus on the breath?
Physical, emotional, spiritual dimensions
6/ not technique, not forced concentration, but awareness
7/ leads to dhyana
8/ real meaning of concentration
9/ resistance to meditation
Value of light awareness

Light awareness in meditation, light awareness in life

10/ hindrances and antidotes
11/ meaning of integration and commitment
12/ difference dhyana and vipassana

13/ misconceptions and dangers

Dryness = lack of emotional connection, absence of receptivity

(Sleep, thinking, forced concentration).
14/ signs of progress
15/ what is it beyond the technique
16/ importance of connection with our body

DO MEDITATION IN TWO PARTS

17/ discuss our experience, why is it important: objectify and greater awareness
18/ how to help them express it
19/ question for reflection
20/ practice during the week ahead
21/ what to do outside practices
22/ return to why we meditate
23/ end with a wish

Meditation course, MCI 3/4, introduction, Metta Bhavana

Meditation course, MCI 3/4, introduction, Metta Bhavana by Suvannavira

Overview
Review last week – the Breath, how did the week go, did we use the breath to change our state?
Today’s practice

Meaning of metta

warm attitude,

open attitude

friendly

intention to help

desire for happiness

with awareness

understanding

gratitude

forgiveness

Rejoicing in merits

unattached, wanting nothing in return

universal but not equal

Putting ourselves in the shoes of others

Kindness

See what is good and bad, person as a whole, dear to someone, bad as poisons to overcome

Mother’s love for only child

Very strong positive emotion

Benefits? Your thoughts. Surprising
-Self view, feel good about yourself
-No enemies, not in such a relation to others, not trying to harm, not being harmed
-Energy, not blocked, not trying to forget, make abstract, ignore
-Reality, not stories, identity, real communication, strong bond, stable relations

Resistances
Hindrances and antidotes
Dangers and misconceptions, nagas vs. ideas about ourselves

Stages of practice – explain them
The how
-Words, intention
-Pleasant physical sensations, energies, attraction
-Images, of kindness, love (mention sex?)
-Memories, inc gratitude, moving words, happy times
-In place of the other, imagination
No effort of will / connection to body / be creative

Developing intention

Develping by practice

What we give attention to we become
Repeat stages we do in more detail

DO PRACTICE in 2/3 parts (cover in two weeks?),

Discuss experience
Favorite stage?
Question for reflection
Practice during the week
Outside formal practice
Set up for next week

MCI4 Meditation course, introduction: formless meditation

MCI4 Meditation course, introduction: formless meditation by Suvannavira.

Looked at the body breath metta
Can call them active practices
Active means something we try to do
Concentrate on the body the breath
Develop metta

Now we will do receptive practices
We aren’t trying to do anything
We are trying to be receptive

To practice meditation
To continue practicing
To get real benefits from practice
We need to balance active and receptive practices

In the early days of the order people did active practices
Emphasis on getting concentrated
On breaking through / overcoming hindrances

Some started to get more dissatisfied
Started to experiment with receptive practices
Tried just sitting
Remember sleeping thinking dry concentration
Danger just sitting = drifting
(Sinking and drifting)

Meditation without form
Arrive at question
What are we trying to do in receptive practices?

We are still trying to do something
Only we don’t decide what
That’s why it is formless
It doesn’t have a form or structure
No stages
No object

Rather no specific object
Or everything is our object
We try to be as aware as possible
Aware of everything
Aware of anything that happens
Aware of thoughts sensations images
Aware of smells and sounds

Two ways we can do this practice
Try to be aware of everything all at once
Or just let our attention / awareness go where it wants.
Our awareness / attention is always changing its object of awareness

So if we start thinking, try to be as aware as possible of our thought
Start feeling, try to be as aware as possible
Of sounds, as aware as possible

Like watching internal tv
So we are being active
Just not doing anything
Or rather our doing is watching
Watching without control
Being receptive to everything that is happening

DO IT

What did we focus on?
Thoughts sensations images sounds

Try to bring this receptive quality into other practices
Into life
How to do that? Ask them what they think

We can just sit as well. When?
1/ before starting meditating, when we feel restless
2/ after meditation, called sitting on when we are already concentrated
3/ on retreat when already concentrated

TRY JUST SITTING NOW OR AT END OF CLASS - 2 minutes

One more thing. Doing nothing
Helps us develop receptivity too
Spend some time each day doing nothing
Not reading thinking watching your phone etc ….
10-20. Get a cup of tea. Comfortable chair. Do nothing.
Waste time
Don’t get too strict, don’t make doing nothing into something!

Bring receptive quality into all meditations
And everyday life
A good balance to always being directed by thoughts
Of always having something to do

End of course
Now four more
Four weeks on each of these practices
To go deeper into them
To respond to your experience as you start to practice them regularly

Introduction to Buddhism, 22.01.25

Introduction to Buddhism, 22.01.25

Introduce Suvannavira, Triratna, happy to be here, Buddhism

Introduce yourselves, city, why here, why am I a Buddhist?

Introduction to Buddhism, try meditating, question for reflection and sharing.

What does it mean to be a Buddhist? Taking refuge or Going to Refuge to the Three Jewels.

What are they? Buddha Dharma and Sangha.

1/ Buddha, first to gain Enlightenment.

Under Bodhi Tree, at Bodhgaya, full moon night in month of May, over 2500 years ago.

Enlightenment: common word, specific meaning in Buddhism, beyond words to describe.

Realisation of reality, absolute reality, direct, face to face, all transforming.

Escaping from the round of birth and death, and rebirth.

The Perfection of wisdom and compassion, which are inseperable.

Pinnacle of the evolution of the Individual.

2/ Dharma, the teaching of the Buddha, which leads to Enlightenment.

People often ask why we need Buddhism, we have our own culture.

Dharma also that reality itself, which Buddha realised.

3/ Sangha, spiritual community on the path, practising the Buddha’s teaching.

Many traditions, so many Sanghas.

Importance of real communication, of being totally honest.

Just as jewels are most valuable in material world,

Buddha Dharma and Sangha are most valuable in spiritual world.

To be a Buddhist we Go for Refuge to these Three Jewels, expressed by practising Dharma.

How to practice the Dharma?

One of many teachings is the threefold path of ethics, meditation and wisdom.

1/ Start at the end, wisdom, the development of wisdom.

Buddhism offers us practices for the development of wisdom.

For us this starts with questioning what we really believe.

What really makes us happy, will death be the end or is there a heaven, and many more.

2/ Meditation means being ready to improve our state of mind.

Meditation practices teach us to relate differently to our own mind,

and they invite us to experience higher states of consciousness,

which are by nature more aware states of consciousness.

3/ Buddhist teaching on ethics, where ethics is not the same as our morality,

invites us to relate differently to other people and the world, and ourselves in everyday life,

whether we act with our body, our speech or what we do with our mind.

Practising ethics supports our practice of meditation.

Practising meditation supports our practice of wisdom, of seeing what is true and false,

and living by what is true frees us from suffering.

So the threefold path of ethics, meditation and wisdom.

Now we will try meditating.

Leave the world of ideas for a direct experience of the body, access to deeper energies and emotions.

Watching the body, not doing something, trying really hard to concentrate or falling asleep.

Question for reflection and sharing.

Have you every believed in something, then stopped believing in it?

How to meditate? A guided meditation.

How to meditate? What is meditation? Find out for yourself and learn to meditate, even if you have never tried before, with this Guided Meditation. Everything is explained for you to immediately start a full length Mindfulness of the Body, or Body Scan. Included is an introduction to good posture, how to be upright and comfortable, during meditation.

You can also continue to practise along with this video long after your first attempt, or if you have learnt the basics of meditation and would like the support of meditating 'with others' or in a more structured way.

This meditation can be used as a preparation for other Buddhist meditations, and Buddhist spiritual practice in general; or simply as a way to relax more deeply and reduce stress for those of any religious or political persuasion.

The meditation is led by Suvannavira, member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, who has been meditating for over 20 years, and teaching meditation and Buddhism in Paris and Moscow for 10. You can also watch this video in French or Russian.

For details of Meditation Classes near you click here:
http://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/triratna-around-world

Video by Patryk Lange. Filmed at Sopatowiec, Poland.