kona Gant: hi
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Stim:)
kona Gant: which room are we in
Stim Morane: Hi Scathach
kona Gant: ok
Stim Morane: kona, are you here for the
2pm discussion? If so, it's over where "Stim Morane" is
sitting.
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Solo:)
Solobill Laville: :), HI folks!
Stim Morane: Hi Solo, Fefonz
Stim Morane: Eliza
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Fefonz:)
Fefonz Quan: Hi Scath, stim,
Eliza Madrigal: Hello :)
Solobill Laville: Stim, are you using
voice?
Stim Morane: No, text only
Solobill Laville: ok
Pema Pera: hi everybody!
kona Gant: hi
Bleu Oleander: hi
Solobill Laville: hi, pema :)
Stim Morane: Hi Pema
Fefonz Quan: Hey Pema )
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Pema:)
Wester Kiranov is Online
Eliza Madrigal: Hello
Stim Morane: I'm getting a lot tof lag
again ... I may have to log off and return
Pema Pera: I won't be able to stay very
long, I'm afraid . . . RL engagement in twenty minutes :(
Yichard Muni: Hello :-)
Fefonz Quan: Hey Yich, nice blue you
got there
Stim Morane: Hi Yichard
Yichard Muni: lol
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Eliza, Blue,
Kona, Yichard
Bleu Oleander: hi
kona Gant: hi everyone
Eliza Madrigal: Hello all :)
Solobill Laville: :)
Stim Morane: we'll start in a minute or
so
Stim Morane: Hi Wester
Scathach Rhiadra: Hello Wester:)
Wester Kiranov: hi all
Stim Morane: OK, shall we begin?
Wester Kiranov: yes, let's start
Fefonz Quan: hey wester
Yichard Muni: is voice used, today?
Stim Morane: there's so much lag, I'm a
bit concerned ... but let's try.
Stim Morane: This is text-only,
Yichard.
Yichard Muni: okie
Stim Morane: Today I would like to talk
about the nature and role of View in contemplative practice. People
learning meditation these days in both the East and the West often
think that View is irrelevant and that the practice will give them
everything they need. It might be interesting some time to explore
what lies behind this attitude, but for now I'm just mentioning it.
Stim Morane: Before we say more about
View on a general level, let's ground our discussion in some actual
practice.
Stim Morane: Try this---spend the next
two minutes working with the following token practice and view:
breathe normally, and count each exhalation. So start by counting the
first exhalation as "one", and the second one as "two",
etc..
Stim Morane: Frame this practice with
the view that an unfocused, scattered mind lies at the heart of many
of life's problems, and that the practice should be used to help you
learn to control the mind so that it eventually suffers no
distractions and enjoys strict, uninterrupted awareness.
Stim Morane: If you lose the count, be
aware that that has happened and start again at "one".
Don't cheat! ?
Stim Morane: Count towards a total of
twenty-one. I'll be the timekeeper, and will stop you at the
two-minute mark.
Stim Morane: If someone else enters the
café while we're doing the practice, just continue with your
breathing. I'll greet them myself and clue them in. You might want to
turn your speaker or headset off so you don’t hear typing sounds.
Stim Morane: Start the little practice
now.
Stim Morane: That's two minutes
Solobill Laville: :)
Stim Morane: Please tell me: are there
questions, difficulties or observations you would like to discuss?
Solobill Laville: This is actually a
part of pratice - do it everyday :)
Solobill Laville: *my
Yichard Muni: what do you mean exactly
with the "view"? sometimes words differ from a practice to
another
Fefonz Quan: 21, though the mind get
distracted between breaths :)
Wester Kiranov: yes, it's amazing what
you can come up with between two breaths
Stim Morane: Sorry, too much lag. I'll
be back!
Fefonz Quan: did stim just quoted the
terminator ? :)
Solobill Laville: Fef, could you
desribe your distractions?
Fefonz Quan: well, i was hearing a song
in the head phones, so jumped to it a little
Fefonz Quan: then to other thoughts,
and jumping back to counting at each breath
Fefonz Quan: felt a little like
multi-tasking :)
Fefonz Quan: (after the first two times
i had to start over)
Stim Morane: Sorry about the delay
Yichard Muni: ... hmmm... I tend to
cound automatically in the background, when I am distracted :-)
Stim Morane: Yichard, you were asking
about the "view"?
Stim Morane: Do you have the text chat
description I provided for this 1st exercise?
Yichard Muni: yes, what do you mean
exactly, words can differ from a spiritual path to another
Solobill Laville gave you New Note.
Yichard Muni: no, it is the first time
I come here
Yichard Muni: ah, you mean, the
meditation theme or topic
Stim Morane: Frame this practice with
the view that an unfocused, scattered mind lies at the heart of many
of life's problems, and that the practice should be used to help you
learn to control the mind so that it eventually suffers no
distractions and enjoys strict, uninterrupted awareness.
Stim Morane: This view is what guides
the method
Yichard Muni: okie
Stim Morane: Fefonz, your experience
with the mind is quite normal, of course
Stim Morane: But that's the rationale
behind the practice itself, that we're scattered
Fefonz Quan: well, i am dissapointed :)
Stim Morane: :)
kona Gant: so you control your mind or
watch it
Stim Morane: Yes, I've had students who
thought they were quite advanced who couldn't get to "three"
before having to start over.
Stim Morane: But this is normal.
Fefonz Quan was just kidding
Stim Morane: Oh:)
Stim Morane: well, let's try another
practice ...
Stim Morane: This time, count the
breath as before, but instead of practicing the sort of mind control
that figured in the first approach, meet all distractions with
compassionate inclusion. So anything that arises within your nature
which seems likely to throw you off or make you lose the count should
be met in a welcoming and inclusive way... and an _appreciative_ way!
Stim Morane: The view here is that
there are no real distractions, only things that we haven't yet
learned to appreciate as actually contributing toward a larger sense
of presence. Practice that way.
Stim Morane: I will stop you at the
two-minute mark.
Stim Morane: Go ahead!
Stim Morane: OK, that's 2 minutes
Stim Morane: Again, questions etc?
Fefonz Quan: 12 now, but no stopping
and much less distractions
Stim Morane: I know these sessions are
too short, but we can do more of this sort of thing later, I hope.
Solobill Laville: 31...! Can this lead
to a trap of "blissing out"?!?
Stim Morane: Good, Fefonz.
Wester Kiranov: That was actually
easier than the first one
Fefonz Quan: so guess somehow longer
breaths?
Pema Pera slinking away noicelessly to
his RL appointement . . . .
Stim Morane: Solo, it's possible..
Pema Pera is Offline
Stim Morane: Bye, Pema
Mickorod Renard: 12 on average for me
Yichard Muni: well, I had some really
bad thoughts, difficullt to accept
Kiremimi Tigerpaw is Offline
Lia Rikugun: 18
Solobill Laville will consider that...
Stim Morane: Yes, this approach is more
accommodating, so for various reasons it's "easier"
Stim Morane: But the bliss-out is less
likely as one really attends to the point behind the View, which is
to appreciate the ordinary.
Stim Morane: So I wouldn't worry about
it.
Solobill Laville nods
Fefonz Quan: RL, be back later
Stim Morane: By the way, the lag is
gone now.
Lia Rikugun: me too RL
Stim Morane: Oh, later Fefonz.
Stim Morane: By Lia
Stim Morane: *Bye
Stim Morane: So are there questions or
comments re this second practice?
Eliza Madrigal: Oddly, I'd never done
that..have let thoughts come and go, and done breath counts..but
never that.
Stim Morane: Yes, this is a little less
common.
Stim Morane: But it has much more scope
than the 1st approach. That's the point.
Stim Morane: View matters!
Solobill Laville: Indeed
Yichard Muni: what is difficult is
trying to fight the random thoughts. This makes them stronger.
Wester Kiranov: then don't fight them
Stim Morane: Yes, that might be true
early on. But if you worked with this for a while, I think the random
tthoughts would not be a problem because they too would be included.
Stim Morane: i.e., included in
presence.
Stim Morane: This is very possible.
Eliza Madrigal: Felt like when I want
to write or am studying, but pressure free..no real goal to it :)
Stim Morane: Yes.
Stim Morane: But higher-level
contemplative practice is much more like this practice than it is
like the 1st approach
Yichard Muni: I mean refusing them is
much more a problem than accepting them? No meditation path
recommends to fight them
Stim Morane: Yes, true.
Stim Morane: But actually I'm supplying
the 1st approach as a clear case of a "secular" view.
Yichard Muni: yes
Stim Morane: It's not really a
spiritual view at all.
Stim Morane: And in fact, there are
some (not so great) traditions that do advocate a pretty repressive
view, rather like our 1st exercise.
Stim Morane: Anyway, more comments?
Solobill Laville: Questions...:)
Stim Morane: Yes?
Solobill Laville: What then is
spiritual?
Stim Morane: That's for us to decide.
Stim Morane: But hopefully based on
more experimentation and evidence.
Solobill Laville: What are some of the
repressive approaches?
Stim Morane: These are fairly recent
Indian-derived but not classical Indian teachings that emphasize
"mind control"
Stim Morane: I won't name them.
Solobill Laville: ok, that is enough,
thx :)
Stim Morane: Shall we move on?
Yichard Muni: "mind control"
has some nasty souding anyway
Yichard Muni: sounding
Stim Morane: Yes (shudder)
Stim Morane: But it has figured in some
teachings. I want to argue there are better ways, but that's
precisely why View matters.
Stim Morane: It's not a technique issue
per se.
Stim Morane: OK, let's continue.
Stim Morane: One final practice: count
the breath as before, being disciplined and focused but also
welcoming toward the messy bits of our mind functions and perceptions
that would normally distract us... but attend in particular to the
aliveness you can find within each part of the breath. Enter that
aliveness and allow it to open up to more of itself.
Stim Morane: This is not about
imagining anything, only seeing more of what is there. The view is
that this dimension of aliveness is open-ended and central to our
existence, our being. It even exists "inside" our
distractions! Practice that way.
Stim Morane: I will stop you at the
two-minute mark.
Please go ahead.
Stim Morane: Two minutes ...
Stim Morane: Again, questions,
comments?
Solobill Laville: This is very
interesting
Stim Morane: Can you see the
difference?
Solobill Laville: oh, yes
Wester Kiranov: that caused huge gaps
between breaths, so I only got to half the count
Stim Morane: Yes
Stim Morane: It's a different View
Stim Morane: It aims us at different
facets of our being
Solobill Laville: This is like
embracing what I call the "gremlins" in an appreciave way,
as part of whole miracle, hmmm
Stim Morane: Yes, it'l like the 2nd
practice, but includes an extra dimension
Stim Morane: This is quite ancient,
arguably the first Taoist practice.
Stim Morane: It may even predate the
Tao Te Ching.
Stim Morane: Or even be the basis for
it ... although that's more debatable
Stim Morane: Anyway ... let's
summarize.
Stim Morane: The first practice that we
did today doesn't really count as being spiritually significant in my
opinion. It's really a secular and perhaps even selfish orientation,
but it is based on the valid observation that we are more scattered
than we should be, and that condition this needs to be acknowledged
and dealt with somehow.
Stim Morane: The second two practices
illustrate the barest beginnings of entry into a more spiritual
orientation, something that is more appreciatively awake.
Stim Morane: The traditional
contemplative perspective is that without a View, practice is blind
... like a tool without an informed user.
Stim Morane: Yes?
Stim Morane: Another way of putting
this is to emphasize that we _always_ have a view... if we don't
avail ourselves of the View offered by an inspired tradition, then we
are inevitably and unconsciously falling back on views we already
have, views which are probably very habit-ridden, unhelpful, wrongly
directed or limited in scope.
Yichard Muni: yep
Stim Morane: This is something I wanted
to introduce today, so we could base future discussions on it.
Stim Morane: Comments?
Solobill Laville: What is the diff. btw
the 1st practice and traditional "no-thought" practice;
e.g. shikantaza, etc.?
Yichard Muni: interesting
Stim Morane: Shikantaza, strictly
speaking, is far more advanced.
Stim Morane: It's based on shraddha,
"faith" which = confidence arising from understanding, that
we are already complete.
Yichard Muni: Shikantaza?
Solobill Laville: isn't that then a
leap to something akin to the 3rd practice?
Stim Morane: Everything is then seen as
implicitly or explicitly within an enlightened dimension
Stim Morane: It could be. But the 2nd
and 3rd are distinct and can develop in distinct ways.
Stim Morane: These latter two little
practices could each be the basis of a life-long exploration.
Stim Morane: They are potentially vast.
Stim Morane: Shikantaza is still more
vast.
Stim Morane: Anyway ...
Stim Morane: So... the real point of
all contemplative practice is simply to come to see the truth of a
profoundly-informed or inspired View.
Stim Morane: The view should be
something you can see and it should be broadly and pervasively
manifest, not narrowly applicable or abstract or dubious.
Stim Morane: This, of course, requires
a lot of practice!
Bleu Oleander: so for a beginner, is
that the take-home point?
Stim Morane: It might be.
Stim Morane: But I know you will each
see different things, which is fne.
Stim Morane: *fine
Storm Nordwind is Online
Stim Morane: My students often say that
initially they couldn't understand the View I was teaching at all,
and then once they did start see it, they couldn't stop seeing it
everywhere they looked. This is the way a View should open up for us.
Stim Morane: Practice is a way of
entering "seeing"
Stim Morane: Ultimately there is only
the View. No practice is needed. But this involves bringing out a
higher mind or appreciative awareness that is beyond self, action or
time and that is present in a radically new, uncontrived way.
Stim Morane: In many of my forthcoming
Kira Institute presentations, I want to explore with the group how
traditional contemplative practices and views function in the context
of modern life. Do they need to be restated or at least reconsidered?
What new factors and issues do they need to take into account?
Mickorod Renard: cool
Stim Morane: That is the sort of thing
I hope to explore with you. But I'd also like to stay grounded,
connected to some practice we can do together to make discussion
meaningful.
Solobill Laville: perfect
Wester Kiranov: i'd like that
arabella Ella: yes me too
Scathach Rhiadra: yes, me too
Stim Morane: Would any of you volunteer
to continue working with the second or third of today's exercises
between now and next Thursday, providing more feedback on your
experience when we meet again?
Solobill Laville: sure
Bleu Oleander: sure
Scathach Rhiadra: yes
arabella Ella: yes
Wester Kiranov: yes - it made me smile
Solobill Laville: #3
Solobill Laville: :) (Wester)
Stim Morane: OK, good. That would be a
big help.
Mickorod Renard: please
Stim Morane: I'm getting a lot of lag
again, so perhaps we should wrap up ...
Solobill Laville: thank you Stim :)
Bleu Oleander: thanks
Wester Kiranov: thank you very much
Eliza Madrigal: Thank you. :) Enjoyed
this.
Myna Maven: Thank you, Stim.
Mickorod Renard: thankyou Stim
Stim Morane: Thanks! Bye everyone!
Solobill Laville: Bye, all :)
Yichard Muni: Thank you Stim. This was
an interesting approach
Scathach Rhiadra: thank you Stim:)
Stim Morane: It is the only approach
I'm interested in. :)
arabella Ella: ty stim
Shoal Mahogany: Thank you Stim
kona Gant: yes
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