Breathwork the Anunnaki Way (21 days)

(Library of Thoth) I tried the Anunnaki's 21-day breathwork protocol, and the results blew my mind

• Memory (neuroplastic) consolidation
• Settling into stillness: samadhi?
• Buddhist Ana-pana-sati (mindfulness of breathing)
• BASIC DISCOURSE: Ānāpānasati Sutta

Yogic Breath Work

Can we do yoga as mindful moving meditation?

Prana-yama (Sanskrit प्राणायाम, prāṇāyāma) is the yogic practice of controlling, retaining, balancing, and working the breath in yoga. It is described in Hindu texts such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, it is described as one of the eight limbs of yoga ("union" with spirit, breath, the universe's energy). In classical yoga, what we call "the breath" is actually the life energy called prana (chi, qi, holy spirit, wind, pneuma, esoteric energy, Vayu-Vata).

Anunnaki: "royal [divine] offspring"

In later Hatha Yoga texts, it means the complete suspension of breathing [which is something that happens in Buddhism's meditative absorptions (jhanas) four through eight]. Prana-yama practices in modern yoga done just as exercise, such as in Ashtanga (Vinyasa) Yoga, differ radically from those of the Hatha Yoga tradition, often using the breath in synchrony with movements. Pranayama

Mindful Way: Theravada w/Ajahn Chah

The Mindful Way | documentary on Theravada Buddhism | Ajahn Chah

(Dhamma Source) This BBC documentary, made in 1977, shows the daily life in Ajahn Chah's monastery, Wat Pah Pong, in Ubon Rachathani, Isan (Northeast Thailand).

Ven. Chah Subhaddo (Thai ชา สุภัทโท, known in English as "Ajahn Chah," occasionally with the honorific titles Luang Por and/or Phra) is also known by his honorific name "Phra Bodhiñāṇathera" (Thai พระโพธิญาณเถร, Chao Khun Bodhinyana Thera) lived from June 17, 1918–January 16, 1992.

He was a famous Thai Theravada Buddhist monk, an influential teacher of the Buddha-Dhamma, and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition, Wat Pah Pong and an international meditation center specially for Westerners called Wat Pah Nanachat.

• Ajahn Chah is the revered teacher of the great British monk Ajahn Brahm (formerly Peter Betts), now abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery in Australia, and the great American monk Ajahn Sumedho (Robert Karr Jackman), instrumental in the founding of Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England, and many other successful Western meditators.

Respected and loved in his own country as a monastic of great wisdom, he was instrumental in establishing Theravada Buddhism in the West.

Beginning in 1979 with the founding of Cittaviveka (England's Chithurst Buddhist Monastery) in the United Kingdom, the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah has spread throughout the United States, Europe, and the British Commonwealth.

The Dhamma talks of Ajahn Chah have been recorded, transcribed, and translated into several languages. Read more about Theravada Buddhism on Dhammasource.com. Rights owned or controlled by The Open University.

• BBC via Dhamma Source, July 26, 2021; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Breath key to change: prana, meditation

Once you breathe like this, reality shifts

(Solace Owl) What if I were to say that the key to shifting "reality" [timeline, position in the universe, psychophysical health] lies in something as simple as breathing?

As crazy as it may sound, we’re inhaling the essence of the universe with our every inhalation (prana). It’s the most fundamental act of life, something we do unconsciously every moment of every day, yet 99% of people don’t know the truth about breathing.

This simple action has the power to transform our entire existence, but only if we know the secret behind it.

Let’s discover the long-kept secret of ancient breath masters, something so powerful that it had to be kept hidden for centuries.

Issues about video? Feel free to contact: bizemailyt@gmail.com. Thanks for joining in on this journey. Subscribe to the channel: @SolaceOwl. Buy a coffee (and support the channel): https://ko-fi.com/solaceowl. Music by: @ironcthulhuapocalypse.

• Solace Owl, 9/13/24; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation) (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Breathe into new states of consciousness

I'm starting to feel prana (chi) move in braincells

If one is on a journey that is lowering stress levels (Who isn't in 2024?), odds are one has come across the term "breathwork."

Unlike everyday breathing, breathwork involves [being mindful to modify, adjust, alter, and] control breathing patterns to improve mental, emotional, and physical states.

O, I see it now. It's starting to kick in. Oh wow!

Taking things up a notch, there is also Holotropic Breathwork, or HB for short, which utilizes accelerated deep breathing, stimulating music, and a tailored setting to help participants enter a nonordinary state of consciousness that activates the natural inner healing process.

From inside the mind, the healing activated by HB can potentially help alleviate past mental and physical trauma or mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders, for example.

Curious to learn more, we emailed Director of the Institute for Holotropics and Grof Transpersonal Training Cary Sparks.

For reference, Grof Transpersonal Training (holotropic.com) through the Institute for Holotropics is the only organization in the world that can certify Holotropic Breathwork facilitators.

What is Holotropic Breathwork?

Holotropic Breathwork was created in 1974 by Stanislav Grof, an American psychiatrist, LSD researcher, and one of the principal developers of transpersonal psychology; his wife at the time, Christina Grof, was a psychotherapist, teacher, artist, and student of Mythologist Joseph Campbell.

• What is holotropic breathwork, the 'non-drug alternative' for entering a different state of consciousness?
• What is breathwork, and do I need to do it?
• A champion of psychedelics who includes a dose of skepticism
• Is breathwork a therapy?
• Not a placebo: Study finds meditation offers genuine pain relief
• VIDEO: Meditation: Can it really rewire our brains?
• I go to bed at 8:30 pm and sleep in a cage: One woman's quest to live to 150
• How the brain's inner chamber governs our state of consciousness
• Is hyperbaric oxygen therapy the key to treating fibromyalgia?
• TOXICITY: Forget incels, meet 'femcels,' the generation embracing toxic femininity (Females are taught all their lives what to expect from men, never how to treat them like men)
• Graphene oxide and chitosan sponge found to be ten times more efficient at removing gold from e-waste
• Tripping on nothing

Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath (1903)

The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath by Yogi Ramacharaka (1903)

(Master Key Society) This book explores the principles and techniques of yogic breathing, highlighting its benefits for physical health, mental clarity, and spiritual development.

SUMMARY: The book The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath was written by Yogi Ramacharaka, first published in 1904. It is a study of the "science of breath" (pranayama) and the ways in which it affects body and mind.

At the core of the book is the idea that breath (prana, pneuma, holy spirit, animating principle) is the key to physical and mental well-being and that by learning to control and regulate our breath, we can improve our health and achieve a higher level of consciousness.

The book explores a range of techniques for controlling and regulating the breath, including pranayama, the practice of controlling the breath through specific breathing exercises.

Throughout the book, author Yogi Ramacharaka discusses the science behind the various techniques for controlling the breath and offers practical advice for incorporating these techniques into daily life.

He also explores the role of breath in spiritual development and offers guidance for using the power of the breath to connect with a higher power.

CHAPTERS

• 00:00 - Book Shelf
• 00:45 - I. Salaam
• 06:32 - II. “Breath Is Life”
• 13:10 - III. The Exoteric Theory of Breath
• 24:53 - IV. The Esoteric Theory of Breath
• 34:27 - V. The Nervous System
• 41:41 - VI. Nostril Breathing vs. Mouth Breathing
• 50:48 - VII. The Four Methods of Respiration
• 01:03:28 - VIII. How to Acquire the Yogi Complete Breath
• 01:10:02 - IX. Physiological Effect of the Complete Breath
• 01:19:48 - X. A Few Bits of Yogi Lore
• 01:27:11 - XI. The Seven Yogi Developing Exercises
• 01:38:02 - XII. Seven Minor Yogi Exercises
• 01:44:11 - XIII. Vibration and Yogi Rhythmic Breathing
• 01:53:46 - XIV. Phenomena of Yogi Psychic Breathing
• 02:08:33 - XV. More Phenomena of Yogi Psychic Breathing
• 02:27:45 - XVI. Yogi Spiritual Breathing

Credits: Text by Yogi Ramacharaka. Audio narration by Adam Hanin.

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This YouTube book is copyright ©2021 Master Key Society.

General Disclaimer: This recording is a production of Master Key Society for the purpose of research and study. The views and opinions expressed in this book belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect those of Master Key Society, nor its affiliates.

ABOUT: Master Key Society's educational channel offers rare and often previously unseen books in an easily accessible format. Each book is accompanied by an overview in the description, original narration, and detailed photographs of each page. Its library is intended for academic study and research of metaphysical philosophy, as well as for those seeking wisdom, personal transformation, and self-improvement. MKS welcomes participation through subscribing and sharing thoughts in the comments section.

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• Narrator Adam Hanin Master Key Society, May 18, 2022; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation) and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Planting Karma Seeds: a Meditation Journey

Planting Wisdom: Karma Reflections and a Meditation Journey

Man, it would be so cool to learn meditation.

Here's a story about reconnecting with my first meditation teacher after nearly two decades.

The focus is on the seeds we plant continuously through our karma (deeds). What kind of seeds are we planting right now?

• VIDEO: The Seeds from Long Ago (YouTube)

Beat poet Jack Kerouac

I remember when I first learned how to meditate [by being mindful of] my breath some time in 1990, during my university years.

Back then, meditation was not as well known. The Beat Generation’s Zen trend in the 1960s had died out with disco in the 1970s.

Barnes and Noble had maybe only a few shelves in a single bookcase labeled with “Eastern Philosophy” that covered all Eastern religions, including Buddhism.

Ram Das’s cryptic book Be Here Now was the only book I had read prior to reading my World Religions book, which included a chapter on Buddhism for a class I took.

Be Here Now (Ram Dass for Neem Karoli Baba)

It was different in the early 1990s. There wasn’t a World Wide Web, Google, or even a digital Yahoo. We didn’t have Idiot or Dummy books back then. While there were books out there, you really had to explore a subculture, and you had to know someone in order to know what the subcultures were and where to find them.

Luckily, I had a friend who was into Zen, and he was considering becoming a Catholic priest at the time. He recently transferred from UC Berkeley, not far from San Francisco, which might be called the subculture mecca of the United States, certainly for the "weird" things like meditation. I asked him to teach me. I thought it would be good for me to learn from him.

He agreed and came over to my apartment one night to teach me a lesson I would never forget. I remember we were sitting on the floor of the living room during the lesson. I was thinking about TV’s depiction of meditation and what should be happening. Then I said, “Should I light a candle?” He said, “If you want to, you can.”

“Should I light an incense stick?”

Mindfulness of Breathing, Four Elements Meditation

“If you want to, you can. You can have representations of the Four Elements.”

He explained it to me, but I did not really know what he meant, so I lit a candle and an incense stick to fit my world view of what "meditation" should be like. Before we started, he gave me a little bit of a lesson on the story of the Buddha and how he became enlightened.

He then told me some things about the sitting posture and to press my tongue against the roof of my mouth and to swallow a lot in a natural way. “They say it is good for you,” he said.

Then he taught me how to count my breaths “Zen style.” I would silently and inwardly count the exhales of my breaths one by one until I got up to ten. Then I would count backwards back down to zero. Then up to ten again, and then back to zero. I would repeat these cycles until it was time to stop. If I lost my count, I would just start all over again from “one.”

After our session was over, he left and that was more or less “The Lesson.” After that, I do not know why, but I continued with this practice and other forms of meditation almost every day, more or less for the rest of my life (with some exceptions of course).

Twenty years later, in 2010, I visited Ulpathkanda, Hantanna (Spring Hill Monastery) near Kandy, Sri Lanka, where I was able to use the Internet for the first time in a very long time. I sometimes joked about how I was doing an “Internet retreat” from my full-time life as a forest monk in Na-uyana.

Nevertheless, I was still at a high mountainous jungle forest monastery. I looked up my old friend, my meditation instructor, on the Internet. When we were in college together, he had changed his major from philosophy to whatever one needs to become a Spanish teacher.

It looked as though he had really lived the Spanish lifestyle and moved all over the globe to Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries. The Internet kept track of all the different countries he lived in. It is true that “Big Brother is watching,” just like George Orwell warned, so I could now watch with an Internet connection.

After all of that globetrotting, he settled down in a Connecticut town not too far from where he originally taught me how to meditate. I picked up the monastery phone, dialed the phone card codes, then I dialed his number. The phone rang, and a woman’s voice answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hello, my name is Bhikkhu Subhūti, and I was wondering if a Brett [J.] lives here?”

“Yes, he does.”

“May I speak with him please?”

“Uh, okay,” she said in a cautious voice to the stranger on the phone. Perhaps I was a telemarketer to her. They did not know what to expect. There were muffled voices coming through the phone’s speaker, then eventually the phone was passed to Brett.

“Hello, this is Brett.”

I instantly recognized his voice, which had stayed the same all these years.

Hello, this is Bhikkhu Subhuti (Jeremy Glick)

“Hello, this is Bhikkhu Subhūti. You once knew me as Jeremy Glick from Central. Do you remember me?” (Central is a shorthand name for Central Connecticut State University).

“Yes, I remember you, Jeremy.”

I continued, “A long time ago, you came over my place and taught me how to meditate and how to count my breaths. With a few exceptions, I practiced nearly every day, and my practice grew and grew, and eventually I decided to become a Buddhist monk in 2001. Now my name is ‘Bhikkhu Subhūti.’ I looked you up on the Internet so I could call you and say, ‘Thank you.’”

But, hey, um, hello! I'm Jiminy Glick (Martin Short)

There was a long pause. It was five or six seconds of delay before he spoke, so it seemed long. He finally broke the silence and said, “You know, we never know what will happen to the seeds we have planted long ago.”

I did not expect him to still be a teacher of mine, but those were words of wisdom. We caught up on some old times. He was indeed a Spanish teacher and married a woman from Spain. His brother, who was an electrical engineer, quit the industry and now counts caribou in Alaska for a living.

I told him that I never went into teaching, which was expected at college, so I became a computer programmer instead for about six years before leaving all that behind me.

Times have changed and so did the both of us. I told him that I had my brother make me a Facebook account (with two friends), and although as a schoolteacher he was against Facebook, he thought I might be able use it to do something worthwhile for other people. I did not do much with social networks until last year, but I kept his thoughts in mind.

We talked some more and then we parted. If you ever have a chance to thank someone who has affected your life, I highly recommend it. Often, we do not think we make a difference, but we do, positively and, unfortunately, negatively. We always plant seeds in ourselves and others. Some germinate, while others do not.

Sometimes we believe they are trivial sprouts, but some can grow into towering redwoods. It can change a whole person’s destiny. So always plant happy seeds because, “We never know what will happen to the seeds we have planted long ago.”

• Ven. Subhuti (americanmonk.org, Feb. 11, 2024, originally 2014, reposted | American Monk: Life with Buddha, Dhamma and Saṅgha); Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Buddhist meditations: 40 mental exercises

Bhāvanā: "mental development" (lit. "bringing into being, calling into existence, producing") is what in English is generally and vaguely called "meditation."

There are actually two other terms that might be better translated as meditation, jhana ("absorption") and kammatthāna ("field of endeavor, domain of effort, ground of cultivation, or field of karma"). One distinguishes two kinds of development or mental cultivation.

1. development of tranquility (samatha-bhāvanā), that is, stillness, coherence, concentration (samma-samādhi = first four jhanas)
2. development of insight (vipassanā-bhāvanā), that is, the cultivation of wisdom (paññā).

Can anyone "meditate" or only Buddhists?

These two important terms, tranquility and insight (see samatha-vipassanā), are very often met with and explained in the sutra collection as well as in the Abhidhamma (collection of texts known as the Higher Doctrine or Dharma in Ultimate Terms).

Tranquility (samatha) is the concentrated, unshaken, peaceful, and therefore undefiled state of mind.

Insight (vipassanā) is the direct perception and penetration (insight) into the three inherent characteristics of all things: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and impersonal nature (anicca, dukkha, anattā, known collectively as ti-lakkhana or Three Marks of All Conditioned Existence) of all bodily and mental phenomena of existence.

This includes the Five Aggregates (or groups of existence) clung to as self, namely, form (body, corporeality, rupa, kaya), feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. (See khandha).

Tranquility -- or stillness (purification, concentration, quietude) of mind, according to Sankhepavannana (the Commentary to the Abhidhammattha-sangaha) -- bestows a threefold blessing:

1. favorable rebirth,
2. present happy life, and
3. purity of mind, which is the foundation and necessary condition for insight to arise.

Stillness (samādhi) is the indispensable foundation and precondition of insight by purifying and temporarily clearing the mind/heart of the Five Mental Defilements or Hindrances (nīvarana).

Insight (vipassanā) produces the four supramundane stages of enlightenment and liberation of mind/heart.

The Buddha therefore says, "May you develop mental stillness, O meditators, for who is mentally still sees things as they actually are (in accordance with reality)" (S.XXII.5).

And in Mil. it is said: "Just as when a lamp is brought into a dark room, light destroys the darkness and produces and spreads light, just so insight, once arisen, destroys the darkness of ignorance and produces the light of wisdom."

The Path of Purification (Vis.M. III-XI) gives full directions on how to attain full stillness and the meditative absorptions (jhāna) by means of practicing 40 meditation subjects (kammatthāna):

• 10 kasina-exercises. These produce the first four absorptions
• 10 repulsive subjects (asubha). These produce the first absorption.
• 10 recollections (anussati):
• of the Buddha (buddhānussati),
• the Dhamma (dhammānussati),
• the Sangha of Noble Ones (sanghānussati),
• virtue (sila),
• liberality (cāga),
• heavenly beings (devas),
• death (maranasati),
• the body (kāyagatāsati),
• in-and-out breathing (ānā-pāna-sati)
• peace (upasamānussati).

Among these, the recollection (mindfulness) of in-and-out breathing is able to produce the first four absorptions, the body the first absorption, the rest only neighborhood-stillness (upacāra-samādhi, see samādhi).

The Four Divine Abidings (Sublime Abodes) (brahma-vihāra):

1. loving-kindness (mettā)
2. compassion (karunā)
3. altruistic joy (muditā)
4. equanimity (upekkhā).

Of these, the first three exercises are able to produce the first three absorptions, the last one only the fourth absorption.

The Four Immaterial Spheres (arūpāyatana, the fifth through eighth jhānas):

1. sphere of unbounded space,
2. sphere of unbounded consciousness,
3. sphere of nothingness,
4. sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.

These are based on the fourth absorption.

One perception of the repulsiveness of food (āhāre patikkūla-saññā), which is able to produce neighborhood-stillness.

Four Elements Meditation

One analysis of the Four Elements (catudhātu-vavatthāna, see dhātu-vavatthāna), which is able to produce neighborhood-stillness.

Mental development forms one of the three kinds of meritorious action (puñña-kiriya-vatthu).

"Delight in meditation" (bhāvanā-rāmatā) is one of the noble usages (ariya-vamsa).

• Ven. Nyanatiloka (German Theravada monk, formerly Anton Walther Florus Gueth), Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines, bhavana; Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Zoom: Insight w/ Melissa McKay (InsightLA)

Benedict Canyon Retreat House, Beverly Hills

This event is the in-person version of a hybrid retreat which will take place both in-person and online. To register for the online version of this event, click here.

To see clearly is to see things as they truly are, absent of our distortions, judgments, and stories. When we see clearly, we shed negativity and stress and live more freely.

Join Senior InsightLA Teacher Melissa McKay for a non-residential weekend insight meditation (vipassana) retreat.

Cultivate tranquility and clear inner seeing by spending time in silence, alternating between periods of sitting and walking meditation.

About Vipassana

Can I be mindful of chocolate for insight?

Vipassana is an ancient, transformative Buddhist meditation technique. Through self-observation, deep insight arises. In Vipassana, we focus attention on the body and mind, observing sensations and the movement of energy as it arises only to dissipate again.

Among the many benefits of Vipassana is the cultivation of inner peace and clarity. To see clearly is to see things, most importantly ourselves, as they truly are.

Who is this retreat for?

This weekend retreat is for anyone who is ready to deepen their meditation practice and live with greater lucidity and therefore with greater ease.

Suitable for all levels, this non-residential weekend experience is a good opportunity for those who would like to learn more about intensive retreat practice.

Where is it?

This event takes place in-person at the Benedict Canyon Retreat House, Beverly Hill and online via Zoom. Find directions, information on what to bring, and more at this link. As a non-residential retreat, participants will return home Friday and Saturday evening.

About Melissa McKay

The Buddha became enlightened by adding vipassana (insight) to his samadhi (stillness).

.

Melissa McKay has been practicing meditation since the mid 1990’s. She has trained in Vipassana (insight, mindfulness) meditation and metta (loving-kindness) meditation in Burma and the United States.

Her first retreat was with Sayadaw U Pandita. The profound changes she saw in herself gave her a strong confidence (saddha, faith) and dedication to the practice. She continues to attend intensive meditation retreats yearly and has trained for over 10,000 hours. Learn more about Melissa McKay here.

“Melissa is one of the most experienced practitioners of the new generation of teachers.”

-Jack Kornfield

“Melissa is so obviously immersed in the teachings and shares them with such grace and eloquence. She makes herself so accessible and genuinely cares about her students. I felt so held in the light of her awareness.” -Anonymous Student “Melissa is a thoughtful teacher known for her deep care of students and skillfulness in making esoteric teachings accessible and relatable to modern day living.”

-Lodro Rinzler (author and teacher)

Schedule

Friday:

• 6:30 pm-7:30 pm Introduction and Talk
• 7:30-7:45 Stretch
• 7:45-8:30 Meditation

Saturday and Sunday:

• 6:00 am-6:45 am Meditation at home (optional)
• 6:45-8:00vBreakfast at home
• 8:30-9:30 Guided meditation
• 9:30-10:15 Walking meditation
• 10:15-11:00 Sitting meditation
• 11:00-11:30 Walking meditation
• 11:30 am-1:00 pm Lunch and rest
• 1:00-2:00 pm Sitting meditation
• 2:00-2:45 pm Walking meditation
• 2:45-3:30 pm Sitting meditation
• 3:30-4:00 Tea and optional talking
• 4:00-5:00 Questions and Discussion
• 5:00-9:00 Continue practice at home (optional Saturday only)
• (Hybrid: In-Person) Clear Seeing: A Weekend Vipassana Retreat - InsightLA Meditation
• Melissa McKay, insightla.org; Dhr. Seven, Jen Bradford, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation) (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Write it: Seven Step Massage Meditation

Dhr. Seven, Jen Bradford, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly

The deepest relaxation, writing or massage?

My teacher, Seven, taught me to meditate then told me to write about the experience for the benefit of others. I'd rather talk or stay quiet. I can't write. Can I write? Seven says if a person can talk, that person can write. They're almost the same...but not quite, not by a longshot sometimes.

• WRITE? 18 Things People Who Love Writing Understand (guide2free.com)

Yoga and good posture help body relax and get still.

Seven once came up with the ideal "American meditation," sinking into a warm bath to relax. Suds, scents, a candle in the dark or soft accent lights, all converge to bring about stillness. Until the water gets cold.

Stillness, samadhi, is the initial goal. Without a tub it's tough. So I used a sauna, steam room, and a hot tub (jacuzzi), but in public, with the jets, the excess heat, and cringey chlorine, nah. The warmth is relaxing. All the rest is not.

Asked where I do relax, I could only think of our massage table or chair in the quiet room. At Reiki shares, I might even fall asleep under warm hands and mysterious energy, prana or solar chi, unless I mindfully come back and back.

Pup knows I'm more relaxed than ever

Coming back and back, like Sharon Salzberg says, is part of a mindfulness practice. Seven says mindfulness (sati) is necessary for samadhi ("stillness" not "concentration"). And stillness is needed for the sort of systematic fourfold mindfulness necessary for insight meditation (vipassana).

That's the next goal, if there are goals: INSIGHT. Wisdom is the cause of liberation, because wisdom is "direct penetration into the reality all around." Sayalay Aloka said her teacher pointed out that the "Truth" is actually everywhere all around all the time. We don't "see" (know) it.

Think about it. The Three Characteristics of Existence are that all dhammas, all "things," are impermanent, imperfect (dukkha), and impersonal.

1. They're hurtling toward destruction.
2. They disappoint and can never fulfill.
3. They aren't what they seem to be (not themselves) but rather are empty (not-self).

Dharma Buddha Meditation @Reiki Share in HB

Those are the insights reached by vipassana, when it's at the level of knowing-and-seeing ULTIMATE materiality and mentality (kalapas and cittas, particles and mind-moments). Otherwise, it's just intellectualizing and won't liberate the mind/heart. That's next. First, relax.

Calm meditation is the beginning of the Path. That and questioning because the Buddha has answers. (The answer to there not being a self is that -- we have to ask -- "Well, what is there then? What's THIS!?"

Are these two "meditating" or just kicking around in the dirt loving plants?

.

Organic vegan gardening and farming can help.

The Buddha answers. It's Dependent Origination, that is, the thing we see (the Five Aggregates clung to as self) is dependently originated, conditioned, arising when the constituent factors (causes and conditions) are present and not when they are not.

"When this is, that comes to be. With the arising of this, this arises. When this is not, that does not come to be. With the perishing of this, that perishes," the Buddha taught as a sort of summary of the causal links of paticcasamuppada or Dependent Origination.

"Massage Meditation" in seven steps

1. Pick a trusted practitioner you're comfortable with.
2. Be sure to be well-rested with enough sleep (or you'll just fall asleep during this).
3. With lights down and a light touch, advert (turn) attention to the breath.
4. The massage, with a good oil like virgin coconut butter or real olive oil, depending on skin, avoiding anything synthetic, using instead hexane-free essential oils.
5. This works much better with a masseuse or masseur who meditates because the initial phase is calming and firm or so light as to energetically relax the physical body so that the mental body relaxes.
6. Then firm warm hands hold in one place as the mind is brought back again and again until it rests on the breath as it's known under the nose.
7. The massage stops with the body almost in sleep-paralysis, but mind fully awake, full stillness, so that the subtlest breath is now the focus, sustaining it until a nimitta appears.

The body comes out of it not needing to rest, as in sitting full or half lotus, but calm, refreshed, and ready to mindfully engage in daily activities. The mind may want to rest, and now the body is very supple for that.

The Buddha teaches meditation to Ananda

Meditation Methods: an overview from the Girimānanda Sutta by the abbot of Empty Cloud Monastery, New Jersey (Buddhist Insights @ Empty Cloud), streamed live July 26, 2023. American Theravada Buddhist monk Bhante Suddhaso gives an overview of ten meditation methods presented in a sutra delivered to Girimananda on the occasion of Ananda's illness.

• Sinéad O'Connor, acclaimed and controversial [possibly anti-Catholic certainly anti-sexist-pope] Irish musician, dies at 56 (MSN)

What is serenity? (B. Alan Wallace)

B. Alan Wallace; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Shamatha: Meditation for Balanced Living: The Qualities of Attention

(Wisdom Publications Inc.) April 24, 2023. Wisdom Academy Online Courses. In shamatha: Meditation for Balanced Living, a Wisdom Academy Online Course, to discover a range of methods for developing meditative serenity, tranquility, quiescence, or shamatha, particularly as a foundation for Tibetan dzogchen practice with renowned teacher Lama Alan Wallace. Students learn mindfulness of breathing (anapana sati), settling the mind in its natural state, and the practice of “shamatha without signs.” Enroll now at: wisdomexperience.org/courses...

What is shamatha? | Dr. B. Alan Wallace

(Study Buddhism) Oct. 3, 2016. KARMA TASHI LING BUDDHIST COMMUNITY. Love their content? Support on Patreon: patreon.com/studybuddhism. Buddhist teacher Dr. B. Alan Wallace explains the purpose and benefits of shamatha ("calm abiding," stilling the mind), one of the foundational Buddhist practices alongside intensive mindfulness for focusing the mind to gain insight.

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