Through practice, we can learn to make our own hearts a place of peace and integrity. With a quiet mind and an open heart we can sense the reality of interdependence. Inner and outer are not separate. We are all in the same boat. Buddhist teachings have always taught that life cannot be divided into compartments. Our relationships with others, right speech, right action, right livelihood are part of the eight-fold path. They are factors of enlightenment. Our relations, and society as a whole, are an expression of the enlightened heart. Thus we can understand Gandhi’s challenge, “Those who say spirituality has nothing to do with politics, they do not know what spirituality really means.”

When we understand this, our next task is to see for ourselves what is needed to bring to benefit to the world. How does peace come about? What are the conditions for peace? The Buddha taught that peace is possible both individually and collectively but that it depends on skillful causes and conditions. Inner peace grows from mindfulness, compassion, and respect. Outwardly, it requires the same conditions. When asked about the creation of a wise society, the Buddha counseled visiting ministers that when a society comes together to make decisions in harmony, when it honors its elders and the wise ways they have established, when it cares for its most vulnerable members – women and children, when it respects the environment and listens to its citizens and its neighbors, it can be expected to prosper and not decline. For the Buddha, a wise society it not based on greed, on hatred or delusion, but on generosity, respect, mindfulness and compassion.

In this political climate we are bombarded with propaganda from every political point of view that dulls the senses and overpowers our inner value system. Whatever our political perspective, we will encounter troubling images and feel anger, frustration, even outrage and impatience. If we stop and breathe and meditate we will feel underneath these reactions our fear, and under this our connectedness and caring. If our actions come from this deep sense of caring they will bring greater benefit and greater peace. From a quiet heart, we have the ability to look and see how our society treats its most vulnerable members. How does it treat the poor, the elderly, and children? Is it acting in ways that foster greed, hate, fear and ignorance? What can we do nationally and internationally to support generosity and respect, to minimize violence and to end racism and exploitation? What rings true for each of us as followers the Dharma? We need to take an honest look and see what we are doing as a society.

America has sometimes confused power with greatness. But genuine greatness is not a matter of mere power; it is a matter of integrity. When we envision a society of compassion and justice, and as a nation we are called upon to do this, our actions can stem from respect for all beings, and peace is the result. Once we have looked clearly, we can set a long-term intention, and dedicate ourselves to a vision of a wise and compassionate society.

This is a Bodhisattva’s act. Like setting the compass of the heart, this intention expresses our deepest values. If we set a long-term intention, it remains empowering no matter who wins a particular election, or what governments rise and fall. It becomes our way of practice. Thomas Merton taught, “Do not worry about immediate results. More and more you must concentrate on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself.” With a dedicated intention we are willing to face the sufferings of the world and not shy away, to follow what we know is true, however long it takes. This is a powerful act of the heart, to stay true to our values, and live by them.

Excerpted from “Dharma and Politics” by Jack Kornfield.

Mindful Leadership is the application of discipline, concentration, insight, compassion and authenticity in the course of leading others.  It is the difference between living in the “concept” of leadership and the “actuality” of leading and is grounded in the practices and application of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

Mindfulness Based Leadership is a 6-week developmental program designed specially for those who lead others, provide a service to others, or those interested in cultivating leadership presence and to improve their personal well-being through self-awareness, self-regulation and self-compassion.

Dates: Thursdays / February 23 – March 29, 2012

Time: 6:15 – 7:45 p.m.

Location: 4544 Harding Road, Suite 215

Facilitator: Elmo Shade, C.P.L.P.

Cost: $275 (includes Participant Workbook / CD)

Seats Available: 12

 Register today at:

www.mindfulfoundations.com

Click Register/Contact Link / Session MBL / Submit

Complete payment using CC or PayPal Account

Finding Us:  We are located in the Nashville ALIGN Studio on the 2^nd floor above the Belle Meade CVS and Starbucks

For additional information, email elmo@mindfulfoundations.com

There will be all sorts of experiences on the spiritual path. Positive periods of development – those that are reassuring and comforting – are an important part of the process. It is important to realize, however, that even positive experiences will fluctuate. We will rarely, if ever, perceive a steady development of them, precisely because experiences are fickle by nature. Enjoying a series of good experiences does not ensure that they will continue indefinitely; they may stop suddenly. Even so, they remain an important part of spiritual practice, not least because they help to maintain our motivation to continue practicing.

The way in which these positive experiences arise also varies enormously. You may have some amazingly moving experiences, something like a spiritual awakening that appears to arise out of the blue. In fact, such experiences do not really come from nowhere; psychic conditions will always precede them, although they appear to our conscious experience as independent. They can also vanish just as quickly as they appear. At other times, certain experiences will grow over a period of time, peak, and then gradually fade away again.

As spiritual practitioners, we are instructed not to attach too much significance to these experiences. The advice is to resist the temptation to become fixated on the experiences themselves. Experiences will come and go. Each experience has to be let go of, or the mind will simply close down in its fixation on that experience, leaving little or no room for new experiences to arise. This is because your fixation will encourage worries and doubts to arise in the mind and interfere with the development process. If there is no fixation involved in the process, positive spiritual experiences will start to lead you to spiritual realizations.

In Buddhism, we distinguish between spiritual experiences and spiritual realizations. Spiritual experiences are usually more vivid and intense than realizations because they are generally accompanied by physiological and psychological changes. Realizations, on the other hand, may be felt, but the experience is less pronounced. Realization is about acquiring insight. Therefore, while realizations arise out of our spiritual experiences, they are not identical to them. Spiritual realizations are considered vastly more important because they cannot fluctuate.

The distinction between spiritual experiences and realizations is continually emphasized in Buddhist thought. If we avoid excessively fixating on our experiences, we will be under less stress in our practice. Without that stress, we will be better able to cope with whatever arises, the possibility of suffering from psychic disturbances will be greatly reduced, and we will notice a significant shift in the fundamental texture of our experience.

There are many accounts in Tibetan Buddhist literature of how spiritual disturbances may arise, but all point to fixation on experiences as the cause. Fixation on our experiences is seen as another variation of fixation on the self. In the overall context of the spiritual journey, it is important to remember that self-transformation is a continuous process, not a onetime event. One cannot say, “I used to be a nonspiritual person, but now I have been transformed into a spiritual person. My old self is dead.” We are constantly being transformed when we travel on the path. While we may be the same individual on one level, on another level we are different. There is always continuity, and yet at each major turning point on the journey we have become transformed because certain habits have dropped away. The spiritual journey is dynamic and always tends forward because we are not fixating on things.

To read the rest of the article, go here.

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

Please join us for a day of mindfulness retreat at the 12 South Dharma Center. During the winter months it is customary to look inward and clarify our deepest intentions, yet unanswered questions may stand in the way. During this day of mindfulness, we will have the opportunity to practice opening our hearts to our unresolved questions. These questions contain a rich source of insight; learning to live them brings about a radical shift that opens the door to clarity and equanimity.

This retreat is appropriate for newer and more experienced meditators who wish to deepen their practice. Led by meditation teacher Lisa Ernst, the retreat it will include sitting and walking meditation, practice instructions, and a dharma talk. Please bring a sack lunch. Cushions and chairs are available at the center.

Cost: $35, plus dana (donation) to the teacher. Reduced fees are available in the case of financial need. Reservation deadline is Friday, January 20. Please contact onedharmaretreat@gmail.com to reserve your space or for questions. Please mail a deposit of $35, made out to One Dharma Nashville, to: 12South Dharma Center c/o One Dharma Nashville, 2301 12th Ave. South, Suite 202, Nashville, TN 37204. Alternatively, you can bring your deposit to one of Monday sits. Please include your email address with your deposit. Additional information will be emailed prior to the retreat

Introduction
Equanimity is a fundamental skill for self-exploration and emotional intelligence. It is a deep and subtle concept frequently misunderstood and easily confused with suppression of feeling, apathy or inexpressiveness.

Equanimity comes from the Latin word aequus meaning balanced, and animus meaning spirit or internal state. As an initial step in understanding this concept, let’s consider for a moment its opposite: what happens when a person loses internal balance. In the physical world we say a person has lost balance if they fall to one side or another. In the same way a person loses internal balance if they fall into one or the other of the following contrasting reactions:

Suppression – A state of though/feeling arises and we attempt to cope with it by stuffing it down, denying it, tightening around it, etc.

Identification – A state of thought/feeling arises and we fixate it, hold onto it inappropriately, not letting it arise, spread and pass with its natural rhythm.

Between suppression on one side and identification on the other lies a third possibility, the balanced state of non-self- interference: equanimity.

How to Develop Equanimity
Developing equanimity involves the following aspects:
- Intentionally creating equanimity in your body
- Intentionally creating equanimity in your mind
- Noticing when you spontaneously drop into states of equanimity

Intentionally Creating Equanimity in Your Body
This is essentially equivalent to attempting to maintain a continuous relaxed state over your whole body as sensations (pleasant, unpleasant, strong, subtle, physical, emotional) wash through.

Intentionally Creating Equanimity in Your Mind
This means attempting to let go of negative judgments about what you are experiencing and replacing them with an attitude of loving acceptance and gentle matter-of-factness. Let me give you a tangible example of how equanimity can be created in your body and mind.

Let’s say that you have a strong sensation in one part of your body. As you focus attention on what is happening over your whole body, you notice that you are tensing your jaw, clenching in some area, you intentionally relax it to whatever degree possible. A moment later you may notice that the tensing has started again in some area; once again gently relax it to whatever degree possible. If there are areas that cannot be relaxed much or at all, you try to accept the tension sensations and just observe them. As a result of maintaining this whole-body relaxed state, you may begin to notice subtle flavors of sensation spreading from the local area of intensity and coursing through your body. These are the sensations that you had been masking by tension. Now that they have been uncovered, try to create a mental attitude of welcoming them, not judging them. Observe them with gentle matter of- factness, giving them permission to dance their dance, to flow as they wish through your body.

Noticing When you Spontaneously Drop into States of Equanimity
From time to time, as we are passing through various experiences, we simply “fall into”states of relative equanimity. If we are alert to this whenever it happens and use it as an opportunity to explore the nature of equanimity, then it will happen more frequently and last longer.

For example, let’s say that you have been working with a physical discomfort. At some point you notice that even though the discomfort level itself has not changed, it somehow seems to bother you less. Upon investigation you realize that you have spontaneously fallen into a state of gentle matter-of-factness. By being alert to this and by exploring the state, you are training your subconscious to produce the state more frequently.

The Effects of Equanimity
Equanimity belies the adage that you cannot “have your cake and eat it too.”When you apply equanimity to unpleasant sensations, they flow more readily and as a result cause less suffering. When you apply equanimity to pleasant sensations, they also flow more readily and as a result deliver deeper fulfillment. The same skill positively affects both sides of the sensation picture.

Furthermore, when feelings are experienced with equanimity, they assure their proper function as motivators and directors of behavior as opposed to driving and distorting behavior. Thus equanimity plays a critical role in changing negative behaviors such as substance and alcohol abuse, compulsive eating, anger, violence, and so forth.

Equanimity, Apathy and Suppression
Equanimity involves non-interference with the natural flow of subjective sensation. Apathy implies indifference to the controllable outcome of objective events. Thus, although seemingly similar, equanimity and apathy are actually opposites. Equanimity frees up internal energy for responding to external situations. By definition, equanimity involves radical permission to feel and as such is the opposite of suppression. As far as external expression of feeling is concerned,internal equanimity gives one the freedom to externally express or not, depending on what is appropriate to the situation.

A pdf of the complete article is available here.

In Buddhism we use the words “self” and “no-self,” and so it is important to understand just what this “no-self,” anatta, is all about, even if it is first just an idea, because the essence of the Buddha’s teaching hinges on this concept. And in this teaching Buddhism is unique. No one, no other spiritual teacher, has formulated no-self in just this way. And because it has been formulated by him in this way, there is also the possibility of speaking about it. Much has been written about no-self, but in order to know it, one has to experience it. And that is what the teaching aims at, the experience of no-self.

Yet in order to experience no-self, one has first to fully know self. Actually know it. But unless we do know what this self is, this self called “me,” it is impossible to know what is meant by “there is no self there.” In order to give something away, we have to first fully have it in hand.

We are constantly trying to reaffirm self. Which already shows that this “self” is a very fragile and rather wispy sort of affair, because if it weren’t why would we constantly have to reaffirm it? Why are we constantly afraid of the “self” being threatened of its being insecure, of its not getting what it needs for survival? If it were such a solid entity as we believe it to be, we would not feel threatened so often.

We affirm “self” again and again through identification. We identify with a certain name, an age, a sex, an ability, an occupation. “I am a lawyer, I am a doctor. I am an accountant, I am a student.” And we identify with the people we are attached to. “I am a husband, I am a wife, I am a mother, I am a daughter, I am a son.” Now, in the manner of speech, we have to use “self” in that way – but it isn’t only in speech. We really think that that “self” is who we are. We really believe it. There is no doubt in our mind that that “self” is who we are. When any of these factors is threatened, if being a wife is threatened, if being a mother is threatened, if being a lawyer is threatened, if being a teacher is threatened – or if we lose the people who enable us to retain that “self” – what a tragedy!

There is nothing that is secure. Nothing to hold on to, nothing that is stable. The whole universe is constantly falling apart and coming back together. And that includes the mind and the body which we call “I.” You may believe it or not, it makes no difference. In order to know it, you must experience it; when you experience it, it’s perfectly clear. What one experiences is totally clear. No one can say it is not. They may try, but their objections make no sense because you have experienced it. It’s the same thing as biting into the mango to know its taste.

To experience it, one needs meditation. An ordinary mind can only know ordinary concepts and ideas. If one wants to understand and experience extraordinary experiences and ideas, one has to have an extraordinary mind. An extraordinary mind comes about through concentration. Most meditators have experienced some stage that is different then the one they are use to. So it is not ordinary any more. But we have to fortify that far more than just the beginning stage. To the point where the mind is truly extraordinary. Extraordinary in the sense that it can direct itself to where it wants to go. Extraordinary in the sense that it no longer gets perturbed by everyday events. And when the mind can concentrate, then it experiences states which it has never known before. To realize that your universe constantly falls apart and comes back together again is a meditative experience. It takes practice, perseverance and patience. And when the mind is unperturbed and still, equanimity, evenmindedness, peacefulness arise.

For the full article, go here.

By Thanissara Weinberg

Insight meditation, I prefer the term contemplative or reflective, is more interested in what happens when you get disturbed. Then you start to see the nature of mind. You see the nature of hindrances. You see the nature of different positive qualities, the brahma viharas or the enlightenment factors. You develop the wholesome; you let go of the unwholesome. That is the basic template. You need some insight, some discernment to see what the mind is, what those states of mind and intentionality are, and further, insight ultimately even explores the very nature of mind itself. It reveals impermanence and ultimately the emptiness of mind. That is the terrain of insight. It is not so much technique-oriented. You’re not holding attention to a certain object; you’re actually moving toward a more choice-less field of awareness. But you need some steadiness to do that. So insight and calming are related. They support each other.

Ajahn Chah, our teacher, would deliberately disturb you if he saw you getting too attached to your refined states of calm and presence. He would find ways to stir up your anger, your resentment. As you start to open into the habits of the mind, the conditioning and the habits, it is not pretty, mostly. So with insight you begin to realize that what Ajahn Chah would call the sharpening stones of wisdom – the very things that come to irritate us and annoy us and make us angry, the so-called ‘poisons’ of the mind – are the very things that will actually start to energize our practice. They will challenge us. If we are lucky we will get to a point where only trying to be present won’t work. We really then have to let go of our strategies and contemplate suffering, our reactivity, how we generate suffering-all of that. You need some steadiness of mind and some insight, or inner reflection, to support that inquiry.