Meditation: sharing well-being and tonglen

Posted on December 2, 2023 by Donna Mitchell-Moniak

I am sorry there is no podcast of today’s meditation. I messed up the zoom conversion.

We began with attention on our settling. Eyes open. The room, that which one is sitting on, the various textures that one’s senses were providing. This expanded to how fortunate each of us is to be together online, in the environment, we have, and a simple acknowledgment and rejoicing in that good fortune.

Then, into that good fortune, into that comfortable spaciousness that each of us was experiencing, we breathed in the difficulties of the world. It took, however, many breaths that it did, the focus was the intention of breathing in the difficulties of the world. Then, we breathed out benevolence and the wish that all beings have what they need.

This was verbally and slowly guided three times.

Then, into the heart of all goodness, we breathed in all the hardship of the world. It could be human hardship, or the hardship of salmon trying to go upstream to spawn and being obstructed by dams or old tires, and such. The hardship could be the hardship of the soil to retain its moisture, to provide for growth of plants, or the microbial life within the soil to thrive. The intention was the focus, not how many breaths one breed. Then we breathed out that all beings were relieved of hardship, and that all hardship was resolved. Several breaths would go; the intention to breathe this out was what mattered.

We took our time, abiding in peace, knowing that it would go into the world. Then, one last time, breathing in all the difficulties of the world, and breathing out the easing of those difficulties through benevolence. And finally breathing in all hardship, taking our time. And then breathing out that all hardship will be resolved, knowing that most of the hardship is human created and therefore can be humanly solved.

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Meditation: may all beings …

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Donna Mitchell-Moniak

may all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness;

may all beings be free from suffering, from suffering;

may all beings awaken the wisdom that is within;

may all beings live from equanimity.

Beginning with “our” little song invoking benefit for all beings, and using the invocative thoughts in the song, we meditate.

The song, our voice singing in our room, and the immediate environment are what is forefront. Yet, as one sings the prayer for all beings, heart and inclusive Presence come forward. The song and active presence blend into the openness of Awareness-Compassion.

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Meditation: tonglen 2

Posted on November 25, 2023 by Donna Mitchell-Moniak

“Mind, no mind, mind is luminous.” Buddha Shakyamuni

We are still working with foreground/background as a technique to enter “no mind”, and some of its many meanings. Tonglen, which means “taking and giving”, considers what is in one’s experience of the moment or calls something  positive or conducive forward in one’s mind. From that, one contemplates one’s good fortune which encourages heartfelt consideration of those who, in this moment, are less fortunate. One, then, breathes in the hardship of others and breathes out their needs being met.

One breathes in as the vast embrace of compassion, not as one’s self. One breathes out from the vast potential of compassion that one is.

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Meditation: tonglen giving on Thanksgiving

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Donna Mitchell-Moniak

To those in the U.S., Happy Thanksgiving! That is said knowing the history of the First Peoples of this land, being ashamed of it as a person of mostly European stock, and doing what I can -as a person with some Native heritage and blood- to redress the wrongs.

I live short miles from Ute Mountain, a commanding presence in this valley. It was held as sacred ground, only and rarely trodden for ceremony by the Ute People. Where I live is their land. I honor that with the garden and my heart. I’m dreaming up a sign for the garden that honors this land and its First People.

There are various “giving ceremonies” in the world’s spiritual traditions; ones that are truly heart-full, heart-created, and invoke the heart-wisdom innate in all beings. The “give-away” ceremony of the American First People is one. One never gives a throw-away item, something one doesn’t want or no longer can use. The ceremony is not a thrift store thing. If things no longer needed are to be distributed, they just are. The “give-away” is based on valuing the person who is the recipient; valuing them greatly. That can be a moment of heartfelt appreciation or a longstanding honoring being acknowledged. Humility, respect and gratitude generate the giving and respect is received by the recipient.

Tonglen is a Tibetan Buddhist practice that has two equal roots: a) the fact that all manner of suffering is happening right now for all manner of beings, and b) recognition and appreciation that anyone can energetically and wholeheartedly visualize the remediation of any form of suffering. This can be done for individuals, for populations, for the oceans or the air, for anything and anyone.

We give in this meditation session.

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Meditation: no mind 10, integrate awareness

Posted on November 21, 2023 by Donna Mitchell-Moniak

The two slides on the video read:

The aim is awareness. Awareness of what? Anything (emotion, thought, projection, desire, assumption, label, categorization, aggression or forcefulness, contentment, ease, Presence, gratitude, analysis, contemplation, fear, hope, and so forth); anytime, more and more.

How is this aim supported and accomplished? Through consistent off the cushion use of the incremental instructions. On the cushion sessions will develop like a mathematical equation in relation to off the cushion application.

All features of Path, Awareness, Compassion, mind/Mind, emptiness, luminous clarity and sublime joy, etc. can only be “realized personally.” Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche

The experience of foreground-background inches one’s focus or attention toward “no mind,” the spacious, empty nature of mind.

It is another, and more subtle, use of the mandala of the senses, sensations, perception, together with consciousness.

 

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