The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
Retreat Dharma Talks at Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge

November 6 - December 4 2018 at IMS - Forest Refuge

2018-11-06 (29 days) Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge

  
2018-11-11 11 Q&As 53:17
Ajahn Sucitto
Q1: ways of strengthening the citta; Q2 31:37 How can one best work with the citta? Q3 34:01 What is the relationship of intuitive awareness to the citta? Q4 36:56 Could you say something more about the sacred? Q5 40:10 greed and aversion – are they two sides of the same coin? Can one exist without the other? Q6 46:46 What is animita (signless) samādhi as opposed to nimitta samādhi or jhāna?
2018-11-12 12 Nourishing the Citta 47:31
Ajahn Sucitto
Creating a feedback loop to keep citta refreshed and nourished strengthens our ability to meet the uncomfortable. This can’t be done through the virtual realm of the intellect; take time every day to touch into bodily presence without adjusting anything or turning away. That steady presence becomes the place of regeneration and refreshment.
2018-11-14 13 Soothing and Steadying Body Energies 53:33
Ajahn Sucitto
The deeply ingrained reactivity to jump from unpleasant feeling is saṇkhāra. We leave the richness and intelligence of embodiment for the virtual world of programs and drives. Steadying and stabilizing the bodily energies with ānāpānasati develops a different kind of saṇkhāra, one that responds to phenomena with non-demand and acceptance.
2018-11-14 14 Sangha Heals Afflictions of Exclusion 50:17
Ajahn Sucitto
With devotional practices we choose to direct ourselves in terms of awakening. Pūjā gives the occasion to settle in our Refuge quality rather than our personal kamma. This is the way we build up a reference point to cultivate and clear the kamma of the person within the field of sangha.
2018-11-15 15 Learning to Cultivate Relationship 61:41
Ajahn Sucitto
We can learn to relate to the conditioned world with a sense of knowing it doesn’t work, dealing with the inevitable clashes and frictions with a mind that is spacious, that can digest the chafing. Nourish and strengthen citta through qualities of goodwill, patience and acceptance facilitate disengagement. Then the heart is not troubled by things not going its way.
2018-11-16 16 Nothing Works - Get Used to It 61:13
Ajahn Sucitto
Our conditioning and underlying programs have us aiming at unattainable benchmarks. We come to believe it’s possible to make everything work, make things efficient, clear, comfortable. But this only sets us up for suffering. So we practice to purify intention and attention, widening the range of what our citta can bear with and accommodate. We’re then able to be with the uncomfortable without suffering.
2018-11-16 17 Intention and Effort 63:58
Ajahn Sucitto
Take away the track of conditioned intentions – better, more efficient, goal orientation. Learn to sense into the intention of the citta here and now. Effort informed by the spiritual faculties is a means to stave off hindrances. The first right effort is to dwell in what is skillful.
2018-11-17 19 Q&A 62:17
Ajahn Sucitto
How to clear stuck sankharas (greed/overeating, fear); clarifying samatha, vipassana, samādhi; clarifying language: rūpa, nāma-rūpa
2018-11-17 18 Brahmavihara Cultivation for a Happy Abiding 47:27
Ajahn Sucitto
The qualities of goodwill, compassion, gladness and equanimity can be cultivated to generate a subtle form, a subtle state of consciousness. Abiding and lingering in these qualities, citta sustains consciousness in that mode, sees objects in that light, and experiences itself in that light making human life manageable, fruitful, enjoyable.
2018-11-18 20 Review of Four Points for Orientation 42:29
Ajahn Sucitto
A review of the four points recommended to orient around: 1) The sacred - virtue and truth, 2) other people, 3) the subtle body/body energies, 4) nature. These are means for becoming more embodied and heartful, and regaining our natural intelligence.
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