Fall 2013 Shamatha And The Bodhisattva Way Of Life

Note: We had a problem with the computer while recording and could only recover the session from a weaker source. Hence we kindly ask you to bear with us. Thank you. Alan prefaced the meditation with several analogies for the practice of settling the mind in its natural state. Alan discussed what happens if you were to immerse yourself in the practice of settling the mind in its natural state. He said that whatever comes up in the space of the mind, you know directly that whatever arises can't possibly harm you. You are free. The analogy is that of being in a lucid dream. When you come off the cushion, when witnessing the world around, everything appears empty. Not to say you have realised emptiness, (but the way you see reality is different) Attending to without grasping becomes a habit. Text - 'View all phoneme as if they were dreams'. This is superb preparation to become thoroughly lucid and practice the remainder of the text. Ready for vipassana. Alan discusses this Dzogchen approach of 'outsi