Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight1 Introduction Meditation Meditation Mindfulness & Insight Session 6 Review Meditation Techniques Tantric Practice What Next

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight2 Summary / Review Meditation Practices Mental Discipline Awareness Observer / Disidentify / Objective / Insight Philosophy / Attitudes Letting Go Compassion Understanding Insights / Psychology / Suffering

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight3 Diaphragmatic Breathing When Feeling Stressed Waiting Benefit Relaxation Decreases heart rate Brings Clarity

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight4 Mantra When Some such stress you have trouble meditating Calm down before a meditation Benefit Can do this while being agitated. Decreases heart rate Brings Clarity

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight5 What Next? Pick a daily practice! Choose the practice that you like the most: Sitting Meditation - Very helpful for mindfulness Compassion Meditation - Inspiring and uplifting Tantric – Mantras and prayers Do at least one of these on a daily basis Make it a habit, even if it’s 5 minutes a day! All of them: Cultivate mental discipline and awareness Relaxation Attitude adjustment – reverence, compassion

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight6 What Next? Attitude Personal Challenges Every problem is an opportunity for you to examine and alter your own attitudes. How can I look at this problem differently. Meditation Toolkit Mindfulness Awareness Compassion - Forgiveness Psychological Insight

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight7 Carpet the world? To protect our feet we could: Carpet the world Or wear shoes Wayne Dwyer Never underestimate your ability to change yourself. Never overestimate your ability to change others.

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight8 Stages of Meditation Practice Many beginners become more aware of their wandering mind. GREAT!!!! The first skill to cultivate is AWARENESS and MINDFULNESS This leads to the recognition of the “monkey” mind. Don’t be discouraged! This a good sign! The monkey mind was always there but you weren’t aware of it before. The more you catch yourself the more aware you are! Awareness The goal of the meditation Will help you gain control of your actions

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight9 Faith / Spirituality What is the opposite of Fear? Faith / Spirituality Being Inspirited Feeling full of life (respiration) Gives us the strength to face life’s greatest challenges. Deeply personal choice Specific Religion Something more important than our own self interest Cosmic Consciousness Daily meditation practice is a chance for cultivating spirituality.

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight10 Christianity Mennonite family Had a dinner with a Mennonite family Pile of dishes to be washed. “This is the work that the lord has made for me.” Not only was she in the moment, but each moment was special and treated with reverence. Something beyond logic and reason can be awesome. Faith can be a deep wisdom in our hearts that can not be found with our thinking mind. There was a deep internal sense of “letting go” and “letting be” Spirituality can bring meaning to each and every moment of our lives.

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight11 Judaism Bal Shem Tov – Humility Finding a successor. Find someone with no conceit. How can you tell who has no conceit? Anyone who thinks that they have no conceit, has the most conceit of all. Notice what he wasn’t looking for: Piety Knowledge Reverence for the divine can manifest as humility

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight12 Enlightenment - Tibetan A monk hears about Patrul Rinpoche who has the most profound teaching and travels to see him. When the monk finds Patrul Rinpoche he tells the monk to just travel with him for a while. After 10 years of traveling with Patrul Rinpoche the monk asks for the profound teaching. The Patrul Rinpoche teacher says, lay on the ground and tell me what you experience. The monk says I see the stars in the sky. I feel the wind on my face. I hear the birds in the trees. I notice the gap between my thoughts. The Patrul Rinpoche tells the monk– Now you understand the most profound teaching. Moment to moment awareness with an open nonjudgmental sense of awe

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight13 Zen - Enlightenment Story It’s raining and a Monk comes to tell his teacher he is enlightened. Teacher asks whether he left his umbrella on the left side of his shoes or the right side. The monk doesn’t remember where he put his umbrella. The teacher says: “You can’t be enlightened if you don’t know where you put your umbrella” Interpretation Be fully here in each moment of this journey we call life! A necessary step to enlightenment is constant mindfulness. Not answered - Is mindfulness sufficient for enlightenment?

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight14 Tantric Practices Skillful means of transformation Visualizations Prayers Mantras Develop your own practices based on your values and belief systems. Use your own prayers.

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight15 We experience what we cultivate Love Compassion Confidence Humility Kindness Clarity Gratitude Liberation Openness Calmness Joy Relaxation Part of something greater than we are Modesty Connected Develop a set of prayers and aspirations that inspires and expresses where you need to grow! EXPERIENCES!!!! Not the intellect Close your eyes and open up to these feelings

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight16 Tantric Practices Sadhanas Tibetan Tantric Practices Fixed Format Prayers of compassion and devotion Mantras and visualizations Detailed visualizations with light Extensive repetitions tend to “relax” the mind Meditations – Non Conceptual - follow mantras If done after mantras are particularly relaxing and inspirational Alternating tension of the mantra with relaxation of non conceptual has powerful impact The guided meditation on the Audio CD follows the pattern of Tantric practices. You can and should personalize it to your beliefs by changing the prayers and mantras.

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight17 Tantric Practice Sit in an upright and dignified posture. Close eyes, relax, bell May all beings, bell, Visualize Personification of Compassion, light, Choose Mantra –Stop, Calm, Rest, Heal - Maranantha, om mani, hail mary, loves sunshine heals the universe, om mani padme hum Feel the light or nectar in all parts of your body, repeat mantra quickly Try to keep the visualization, the mantras and bodily sensations all going You feel that you are in a nurturing supportive environment. The waves of light are like nectar that heal your wounds You are free of all burdens, all pains, all sorrows, all regrets and filled with joy Say the mantra as fast you can to yourself. At home say it out loud. Keep the visualization going, feel the nectar. Stop the visualization, the mantra and just focus on your breath then your bodily sensations - much detail as possible. Expand include sounds – expand include thoughts – everything at once –your mind is full of sensation. Oh lord, make me … Bell, God grant me..

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight18 Tantric continued Relaxed and secure environment – nothing to do – if mind Relax completely and totally – your mind is empty – just be Bell – do the mantra again visualizations – nectar flowing Picture waves of loving flowing from you healing the world, everyone is smiling and thankful If thoughts arise, concentration on the light, the senses Stop the mantras and visualize the personification merging in with you and you become the personification of love and compassion and wisdom, You are blessed with insight, understanding, confidence, compassion, wisdom, humility, filled with love, gratitude Vajra guru kaya.. Relax into calm, relaxed awareness. Awareness of the bodily sensations, sounds, thoughts Then relax into the non conceptual state. Stay in the non conceptual state until you are agitated with thoughts and then return to the deep concentration on all of the senses. Bell - Who is wise, bell Gently move, open eyes, maintain your awareness..

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight19 Spirituality An experience!! What did you experience during the tantric meditation Spirituality Humility Gratitude Reverence Moment to moment appreciation for the wonder of life Joy Compassion

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight20 Paul Neuman’s favorite fan mail Dear Mr. Neuman, I love your spaghetti sauce. It’s wonderful. Someone told me you were an actor. If you act half as good as you cook, I really would love to see one of your movies. Could you tell me what films you were in. What makes this letter funny is his identity.

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight21 Our Identities The Distorted Lens Expectations Who are we? Who should we be? The distorted lens can create unrealistic expectations of who we are and who we should be Socialization Process

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight22 Who am I? The Idealized Self Complexes reveal our perceived identity. We all want to feel special, valued and right! I am special because I am Generous Successful business person Smart Great athlete Religious Pretty / handsome Great meditation teacher Funny Cool

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight23 But our own identities Control us like a puppet on a string. We are enslaved by our need to project our identities. Go into debt to Look wealthy and successful Appear generous Feel embarrassed and small Make a mistake Don’t get a promotion Choose our careers based on prestige not interest. No Matter how noble our desired identity is. (Kind, Generous, Loving, Good …) We will still can become slaves to maintaining that identity!

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight24 Expectations / Identities Think back to the last time that you were angry. Was there an aspect of your idealized self that was tarnished? Was the pain from the way you felt others felt about you? Was the pain from how you felt about yourself? Were there some unrealistic expectations of Yourself? Others? In what ways are our idealized images: Self enhancing? Self defeating? The mistaken Mind The biggest mistake is expectations. Example at work of Post Its on my screen.

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight25 Practical Application This advice isn’t for every occasion But it is very powerful for many or most situations. Assume every time that you get angry That you have unrealistic expectations of yourself or others. That your mind has distorted the situation. First - Focus your mind on your breath. Slow down your breathing and your heart rate Ask the following questions What is there an unrealistic expectation that is causing this emotion Are my reactions self enhancing or self defeating? What is it causing me to do? What is it stopping me from doing?

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight26 Additional Resources Any questions me at Class Website - Copies of the handouts and homework Quotes Scripts of guided meditations MP3 of guided meditations Jung Center - Continuing education classes on psychology and yoga

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight27 Guided Meditation CD Jon Kaba-Zinn Guided Meditations Sitting Meditation

Meditation, Mindfulness & Insight28 Thanks / Good Luck! Thanks For your openness Insights Wisdom Good luck Making the most out of every moment that we have