Fall 2011 Shamatha Retreat

B. Alan Wallace
  • 5.0 (2)
  • BUDDHISM
Fall 2011 Shamatha Retreat

Dharma talks and guided meditations given six days per week during the Fall, 2011 eight-week Shamatha retreat at the Thanyapura Mind Centre in Phuket, Thailand, with B. Alan Wallace. Podcasts will be posted daily during the retreat.

  1. 10/21/2011

    97 Finishing with loving kindness (and a lovely ceremony)

    We come to our very last session with a meditation on loving kindness and dedication of merit (0:50) Afterwards our group prepared such a lovely closing ceremony that we figured other people might like to cultivate some empathetic joy :) Thank you for listening! If you found these wonderful teachings beneficial and would like to help continue this vision, please consider making a donation to help support all these projects You can do so by going to http://www.sbinstitute.com/donations

    58 min

  2. 10/21/2011

    96 For a moment, everything can be ok

    We come to the last day of the retreat, where Alan invites us to reboot our mind by way of shamatha. Silent meditation starts at 01:16 Afterwards Alan shares a story and shows us how through shamatha, for a moment everything can be ok

    39 min

  3. 10/21/2011

    95 From chaos to calm

    Alan leads the group, who has started talking now, through a shamatha session (02:13) designed to bring the mind down from agitation to calm. He speaks to a question (35:53) regarding the Dzogchen view of rigpa and the extent to which one can provide a reason as to why one who awakens from the dream of reality won’t fall asleep again. Note: The first 5 or 10 seconds were missing because Alan started talking before the computer had finished loading. Sorry about that! We were coming back from our (hectic) group photo session so he was talking about that, and that's also why this session is shorter.

    58 min

  4. 10/20/2011

    94 Infusing the day with shamatha

    Alan briefly speaks on how to infuse a busier day with shamatha and mindfulness. He also announces that he will do 6 months retreat at the end of 2012, so there will be no 8 week shamatha retreat in Spring 2013. Silent meditation starts at 01:38

    28 min

  5. 10/20/2011

    93 The tornado of OCDD

    There are three strategies to protect from the tornado of thoughts in the mind. The first is to go to a shelter which is mindfulness of breathing – releasing and releasing the thoughts. The second is the tornado chasers who learn a great deal about tornadoes without getting caught in them – that is settling the mind in its natural state. The third is to go up into the tornado and come out on the other side in the expanse of blue sky – that is awareness of awareness. Silent meditation starts at 04:18 Questions (29:02) Were the four immeasurable taught as a part of the year of shamatha practice with Gen Lamrimpa? Could you discuss further the role of the observer participant related to frozen time.

    1h 46m

  6. 10/20/2011

    92 Whenever there's meeting, there's parting

    We are beginning our final descent. The deva realm of Tushita and the pure land of Tushita sit side by side. In the deva realm when it is time for a deva to leave their flowers fade and they suffer great mental anguish over leaving. However in Tushita, the pure land, beings have been training their minds in dharma and leave there because of their great compassion to help suffering sentient beings. So when they leave it is a time of celebration. Likewise, if we were at the sports and leisure center down the street we might feel sadness to be leaving the sun and the pool and the fit people. But since we are leaving the mind center with the intention to offer our best to those we meet it is not a cause of sadness but a cause of celebration. Silent meditation starts at 22:34

    47 min

  7. 10/19/2011

    91 Purifying our vision

    Silent meditation (no introduction) starts at 0:18 Questions (25:28): 1. Comment on the concepts of time and space. 2. What role do the “Hidden Lands” play in the context of Buddhist practice? 3. In the Vajrayana, there is the practice of the illusory body. Is there anything like this in the Mahayana? What is the concept of “wilderness” in practice? 4. What is the role of devotion and reverence in practice? 5. Pondering the metaphor of the carriage and the Four Immeasurables being like four horses, I have explored what the other parts of the metaphor are in my own practice. For example, the reins (which must be held not too tight or not too loose) are the discipline of my practice in the hands of the driver—who might be inattentive or alert, a good driver or not so good on any given day. The wheels and undercarriage are the Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind (Precious human existence, Death and Impermanence, the Law of Karma, and the Defects of Samsara). Who is inside the carriage (a passive passenger or a master who knows the destination and the route to it and can keep the driver going in the right direction). Are there other interpretations? A similar metaphor appears in the Upanishads. Is there an expanded metaphor in Buddhist text?

    1h 34m

  8. 10/19/2011

    90 Moving from coal to solar energy

    Relying on hedonic pleasure is like a town that relies on a coal-fired generator. We begin to realize how much pollution this represents and seek more environmental friendly energy sources. In the same way we can begin to gradually shift into the "solar panels" of genuine happiness, by way of simplicity and contentment. Alan comments how even the Dalai Lama has stopped watching TV as he says it clouds his mind. Silent meditation starts at 8:30

    33 min
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    Dharma talks and guided meditations given six days per week during the Fall, 2011 eight-week Shamatha retreat at the Thanyapura Mind Centre in Phuket, Thailand, with B. Alan Wallace. Podcasts will be posted daily during the retreat.

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