Heart of Freedom Mindfulness Meditation Instruction

Mindfulness With Difficult Emotions

In this Dharma talk I explore ways we can work mindfully with difficult emotional states. This very difficult time in the world can be a catalyst for evoking what are sometimes referred to afflictive emotional states.  Often the experience of fear, doubt, shame and anger are very seductive. They come laced with the endearing and sticky label “my”. The mind is identified with it as “my fear”. “my doubt” "my anger".  This can feed into the cycle of negative self judgement for having the feeling, as if we choose to feel it.  We unconsciously identify with the emotion. These strong afflictive emotional states have a common characteristic, they lie.  With mindfulness, when we look deeply, we can discover: we never have experienced a single emotion or thought that has ever stayed.  All are impairment  Neither the worst feelings, nor the best stick around indefinitely  When we tune into impermanence in which these feelings unfold, we break the identification with seeming solidity of the “suffering” as well as the “sufferer”. This practice is about establishing a familiarity and comfort with the “discomfort” associated with heavy emotional states.  We don't have to make them go away, they go away by themselves. In this practice we will learn how to deepen and strengthen our capacity to do this. This frees us to respond to life from love, compassion and wisdom
"It’s very helpful to realize that the emotions we have, the negativity and positiveity are exactly what we need to be fully human, fully aware, and fully alive"    
Pema Chodrin:

True Refuge

During these difficult times for many of us it can be helpful to remember that practicing Dharma is discovering for ourselves where we can find true refuge.  There are so many places that we are drawn to seek it like power, money, fame or social position, relationships, family, children, sexuality, food, drugs or alcohol.  We may know intellectually that these things are all unstable and impermanent places that do not lead to freedom, but we need the non-cognitive experience of meditation practice in order to find true refuge.. You are invited to join our gathering of lovely wise beings as we explore together what taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha actually mean in our practice and life.   
 
 “The biggest illusion about a path of refuge is that we are on our way somewhere else, on our way to becoming a different kind of person. But ultimately, our refuge is not outside ourselves, not somewhere in the future - it is always and already here.” Tara Brach  
 

Self Compassion During Pandemic

During this time of pandemic, there may be many needs that we have that are not being met. How we relate to our unmet needs determines the degree to which we suffer or find peace and freedom. As we are able to be mindful, kind and feel our common humanity during difficult times it becomes possible for our hearts to soften toward ourselves and others. This form of love can be a powerful healing force in our lives and in the world. 
 
 "Compassion arises when we experience suffering, and to experience suffering directly we need to be in touch with vulnerability in our body, where the suffering registers. Then the natural response is tenderness. Self-compassion then allows us to feel compassionate toward others: If we have not been with our own vulnerability, we cannot resonate with another person’s vulnerability" Tara Brach  
 
This podcast includes guided and silent meditation, a Dharma talk, and a blessing circle 

Right Intention

This podcast explores right intention through meditation practice, a Dharma talk and group sharing. Right intention is about coming home to ourselves and aligning actions with the deepest part of the human heart that is loving, wise and compassionate.  It can be helpful with the support of spiritual friends to clarify the values that guide our intentions and to cultivate the resolve to live by them. Right intention is organic; it thrives when cultivated and wilts when neglected. Come give and receive support for this very important part of our practice. 
"Intention, I tell you, is kamma. Intending, one does kamma by way of body, speech, & mind." Anguttara VI.63

Working Mindfully With Grief

If attachment is a 'natural' part of being human,  then grief is a 'natural' emotion that is experienced when one is parted from what is dear. "The pain of grief is just as much a part of life as the joy of love; it is, perhaps, the price we pay for love, the cost of commitment" (Kalish, 1985, p182).  If grief is accepted it can become a tool for the development of great insight and lead to freedom. If on the other hand it is dealt with unskillfully it can initiate a whole chain of chronic dysfunction, confusion, depression, avoidance behaviours and general unhappiness. It seems that the more one can remain 'open' and mindfully experience the pain of grief, the greater possibility of effectively processing and overcoming its effects. We will explore how we can apply the four foundations of mindfulness to skillfully working with grief.

Being A Good Friend To Yourself

 
This meditation and Dharma talk focus on friendship that's not based on any terms or conditions. This means being your own friend when you don't meet your own expectations about how you should look, feel, act or think. This practice is about learning to choose to be present in a loving, compassionate, openhearted way as often as possible for ourselves and others.
 
"The first step is developing an unconditional friendship with yourself. Unconditional friendship means staying open when you want to shut down, when it is just too painful, too embarrassing, too unpleasant what you see in yourself'
Pema Chödron
 
"Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering. This suffering emerges in crippling self-judgments and conflicts in our relationships, in addictions and perfectionism, in loneliness and overwork-all the forces that keep our lives constricted and unfulfilled. Radical Acceptance does not mean self-indulgence or passivity. Instead it empowers genuine change: healing fear and shame and helping to build loving, authentic relationships. When we stop being at war with ourselves, we are free to live fully every precious moment of our lives" Tara Brach
This podcast includes meditation practices that cultivate mindfulness, kindness and a sense of our shared humanity.

Compassion in Response to COVID-19C

This podcast includes silent and guided meditation (including tonglen compassion practice) and a blessing circle. At this time in the world we are being offered an incredible opportunity to see our interdependency with all life and deepen compassion. 
 
"Teach this triple truth to all: a generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”
The Buddha

Clear Comprehension in Daily Life Mindfulness Practice

This podcast includes guided meditation and a Dharma talk on how we can cultivate clear comprehension.  This is particularly important in the time of COVID-19 and, of course, at all times. Simply put, clear comprehension is the state of awareness that exists when your mind is sharp enough to enable you to detect your own intentions and thoughts in daily life before they become processed into action, speech and all forms of emotional, mental phenomena. The greater your ability to be aware of your intentions and thoughts, the better will be your ability to exercise skilful action, speech and wisdom in your daily life. Compassionate intention becomes the guiding light for all your actions in the world. 
 
Again, monks, when going forward and returning, one acts clearly knowing; when looking ahead and looking away one acts clearly knowing; when flexing and extending one’s limbs one acts clearly knowing . . . when eating, drinking, consuming food, and tasting one acts clearly knowing; when defecating and urinating one acts clearly knowing; when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, and keeping silent one acts clearly knowing.” Goldstein, Joseph. Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening (p. 49)  

Working With Fear Mindfully

This week we explore how we can cultivate a compassionate relationship with fear.  Excessive fear or worry can impair our physical immunity to disease, and lead to mental health problems. Compassion delves directly into the nature of fear to understand what is needed, and responds to alleviate suffering. "What is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other resistance, is understanding fear; that means, watch it, learn about it, come directly into contact with it. We are to learn about fear, not how to escape from it." Jiddu Krishnamurti.  
There is  guided and silent meditation time, group walking meditation, a sharing circle, and a Dharma talk. Please note that the silent meditation time was automatically edited and shortened by the recorder.  This will be fixed in future recordings. For this session I suggest pausing and setting a timer so you can extend the silent period to your preferred length.

Faith In Dharma Practice

This podcast has guided meditation and a Dharma talk on faith. Following the dharma means following the path of embracing doubt and uncertainty.  The middle way is the path that each of us takes to find the truth.  In eschewing extremes it is a very personal path and at the same time it is a universal path. Faith is in the process of direct experiential discovery of our true nature; it is not in any particular belief system.  I am less interested in being a Buddhist or Christian or Muslim and more interested in becoming more loving and free.