For this fourteenth installment of the ongoing live series with Wendy Nash inquiring into meditation practice on and off the cushion we undertake a special and abbreviated (laden with technical challenges) Thanksgiving edition mostly about appreciation and gratitude
(Ways to) join these Q & A’s when they happen live:
*There’s naturally an ongoing open call for meditation (related) questions for the (roughly) monthly “Meditation Q & A” either by the various social media means listed; integratingpresence[at]protonmail.com or just showing to type/ask live.*
Background
Regular, current and past visitors to Integrating Presence may recall the monthly series “Ask Us Anything” I did with Denny K Miu from August 2020 until January 2022 — partially including and continuing on with Lydia Grace as co-host for awhile until March 2022.
For a fewmonthsthereafter I did various Insight Timer live events exploring potential new directions and/or a continuation of the Ask Us Anything format while weaving in other related teachings to these events.
Then, after chats with meditation coach Wendy Nash, it became clear to start a new collaboration similar to “Ask Us Anything” simply and clearly called “Meditation Q & A” especially due to the original intent of the Ask Us Anything’s being “discussions about meditation and related topics.”
The billing for this November 3, 2023 Insight Timer live event “Rethinking Rejection” in the less than ideal recording environment of the windy English countryside:
Are there any causes and upsides to rejection? What are skillful ways to view, approach, be with, relate to, practice with and respond to rejection? What can rejection teach us? Join this 15 minute or so exploration to learn and even contribute to the wisdom of something we’ve all experienced
On September 11, 2023 I spoke with author, researcher, and therapist Jake Eagle about his background, work and transitions, various research and studies, transcending our everyday reality, brevity of the A.W.E. technique, better connections due to the prosocial emotion of awe, (the lessening of) external validation, the awe of nature, the positive and negative notions and fear and wonder of awe, sensorial awe, perceptual / conceptional awe, interconnected awe, awe’s energized and play-like state that can release tension, how awe works physiologically via cytokines and inflammation reduction, awe spectrums ranging from numb to grandiose, how even though meditation practice provides more benefits the a.w.e. technique is considered a shortcut to transcendence via elevating consciousness by going from safety consciousness through heart consciousness to spacious consciousness, calming the nervous system and changing perspective, perception language, praise and blame, how to do the technique of A.W.E. [Attention, Wait, Exhale / Expand] for one or two breath cycles, long exhale activating the vagus nerve, polyvagal theory, etc.
Background blurb:
In May 2020, at the height of the pandemic, two trial groups embarked on a study through UC Berkeley to test a new method for “micro-dosing mindfulness.” One group was comprised of frontline healthcare workers; the other consisted of patients at a local medical center, as well as any of their friends and family who wished to participate. Almost immediately, both groups reported significant improvement in symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain—results that bore out over the course of the study and beyond. Jake Eagle, LPC and Michael Amster, MD, knew that they were on to something.
The benefits of mindfulness meditation have been well-documented but are not accessible to everyone. Health care workers during the pandemic, not to mention many busy parents and other professionals, simply can’t find time to sit in silence for 20 minutes a day. For others, intrusive thoughts make meditation painful or even impossible. So Eagle and Amster were ecstatic to have found a clinically proven alternative, which they are introducing to the public now in a new book, The Power of Awe – Overcome Burnout and Anxiety Ease Chronic Pain Find Clarity and Purpose — In Less Than 1 Minute Per Day
A few thoughts after the talk:
Such as in some of the medical profession, science and academia, can/could relentlessly quantifying (and/or feeling obligated and/or trained to scientifically explain) everything wipe out one’s sense of awe?
How much is finding awe in the mundane aspects of life helping us and how much could it be holding us back from higher levels of awe?
JAKE EAGLE, LPCMICHAEL AMSTER, MD
About the Authors:
JAKE EAGLE, LPC, is a psychotherapist, mindfulness instructor, fellow member trainer of the International Association of NeuroLinguistic Programming, and cofounder of Live Conscious. After thirty years in private practice, Jake now works part-time as a meta therapist, working with people who want to go beyond the bounds of traditional therapy. Together, he and his wife, Hannah, lead life-changing small group retreats at awe-inspiring locations around the world.
MICHAEL AMSTER, MD, is a physician and faculty member at the Touro School of Medicine. With twenty years of experience as a pain management specialist, he is currently the founding director of the pain management department at Santa Cruz Community Health. He’s been a student of meditation for over thirty years, as well as a certified yoga teacher and meditation teacher. He splits his time between clinical work, research on awe, teaching mindfulness, and leading awe-inspiring retreats around the world.
The three-step A.W.E. process — short for Attention, Wait, Exhale and Expand—may sound too good to be true, but the results are very real. Bolstered by the success of the initial studies, plans are now underway at UC Davis to look at how A.W.E. can be used as a medical intervention to help COVID-19 long haulers and patients with heart failure. Not bad for a practice that arose from an epiphany while making pancakes! In THE POWER OF AWE, readers will learn:
• Exactly how to enter a state of A.W.E. at home – no trips to the Grand Canyon or virtual reality equipment are required. It’s all about finding inspiration in the everyday.
• The science of A.W.E. on a cellular level—exactly how and why this practice works to reduce inflammation in the body (as measured by levels of the compound interleukin-6), and to optimize the nervous system for a heightened state of consciousness.
• What A.W.E. looks like in practice – through a combination of results from the study, their own lives, and their work with clients, Eagle and Amster show exactly how the A.W.E. method is significantly improving people’s lives, and how readers can reap those benefits for themselves.
On August 21, 2023 Dr. Lynn Carey talked with me about her chiropractic journey, self-healing, chronic stress, passion, following one’s highest purpose, divine guidance, interconnection between wellbeing and wisdom, living in alignment, lack of helpfulness of disease labels, inspiration, journaling, recreating trauma and letting go, exploring interests, shadow work and dark night of the soul, the Sedona Method, bliss, Lynn’s grace state, service to others, Lynn’s book My Journey to Grace, etc.
About Lynn
Dr. Lynn Carey earned a doctorate in chiropractic and a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Life University. She owned a practice in Wilmington, Delaware, for eighteen years, and has traveled to Brazil and India. Dr. Carey loves empowering others to create their desired life of health, wealth, and perfect self-expression. Today, she stays busy pursuing her entrepreneurial dreams and homeschooling her teenage son.
On September 5, 2023 this Insight Timer live event aimed to refresh, inspire, explore and boost innerstanding of service to others. This included: being spontaneous, going on intuition, interventions vs. letting people be, putting compassion and service in action by asking how can I help, harm reduction, prioritizing, self-care, flipping the script on the argument that helping others is service to self, using embarrassment as motivation instead of self-criticism, assimilation, allowing, receiving, recharging, the four nutriments, happiness, (lack of) specialness, conceit, etc.
On August 29, 2023 intrepid healer and magic maker Susan Gold and I discuss meditation, her involvement with Hollywood, abuse, addiction, viewing life challenges as occasions for transformation, trauma, Matt Kahn, lessons from being an endurance athlete, moments of truth, courage, gender stereotypes and programs, and various modes of healing like working with the inner child, visualization, body work, somatic experiencing, sensations, dissipation, and golden light.
Biography
Susan Gold was raised in a challenging and chaotic family system, the middle child of five. To fully thrive, she bravely chose to meet the demons of her upbringing that were continuing to repeat. Her book, “Toxic Family: Transforming Childhood Trauma into Adult Freedom” is about that journey.
Professionally, Susan became known for attaching celebrity talent to projects in NYC which led her to produce for television and film and on to Los Angeles. She convinced modern art legend Andy Warhol to do an on-camera commercial for Pontiac, a talent deal American TV personality Donny Deutsch still claims as one of his best, helped launch Fox News Channel at the request of Chair, Roger Ailes, and on behalf of Disney Channel persuaded A-list celebrities including Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Taylor Swift, David Beckham and more to be interviewed by cartoon characters…Phineas & Ferb.
Susan is a decorated endurance athlete competing in three marathons, and dozens of triathlons and has the distinction of finishing third in her age group at the treacherous Escape from Alcatraz event.
After living with force on both coasts of the United States, Susan heeded an intuitive call for a quieter life and now resides in the northwest corner of the mystical state of Montana with her beloved partner and their pets. Keen on leaving a legacy to help others heal from challenges she’s successfully met, Toxic Family: Transforming Childhood Trauma into Adult Freedom, is part of that quest. With the same magic Susan created in her entertainment career, she is now leading retreats, webinars, workshops and private sessions to help others drop outdated storylines and programming in exchange for living from the heart in authentic freedom as adults.
Supporting homeless animals, especially dogs, and cats, and helping others up the ladder are her joys. Her pride is her son, a political science major at the University of the Pacific.
After a brief body scan this August 24, 2023, Insight Time Live meditation goes into several techniques of bringing about goodwill. This includes identifying areas of strength where goodwill comes naturally then amplifying. There’s also invitation to discover lacking areas before creating and applying goodwill. Such work is done primarily with allowing, inviting, intention, patience and energy
Audio: An Integrating Presence Meditation: Generating Goodwill
Wholeness! At the time of this blog post auto-publishing I plan to be (traveling to or already) at a silent meditation retreat in the UK until October 15th, 2023. This means I’ll likely be incommunicado until sometime afterward. May this retreat be of benefit for those reading this and of benefit for all beings everywhere. May all beings everywhere realize awakening and be free!
November 18, 2023 UPDATE: For the time being please contact me with any questions or just to see how the retreat went called “Liberating Ways of Looking” with Kirsten Kratz and Yahel Avigur at Gaia House from which I took the pics below:
On August 23, 2023, I spoke mainly with Ajahn Punnadhammo about Buddhist cosmology and related topics. Part of the Ajahn’s comments towards the end dropped from the high quality recording, but have been patched in from a backup recording. There’s also short portions of distortion due to wind to bear with.
My pre-recording notes many of which were addressed are as follows:
Introduction
Ajhan’s knack for taking extensive, complex, profound teachings and putting them into clear, powerful, understandable and relatable ways without dumbing down
Disclaimer: I haven’t read the book but watched 10 part series and other talks
Discuss Buddhist cosmology, ideally including helpful ways not mentioned publicly before and maybe comparing and contrasting to other cosmologies especially the more esoteric and occult understandings (if appropriate and allowed)
Credit to Venerables Cittadhammo and Karunnyo (previously Anagārika Martin)
My questions grouped into two categories of 1) Structure and Background and 2) Access
Ground rules of what can and can’t be discussed with laity
Structure And Background
One can see and interpret the Buddhist cosmos on many levels but for those who dismiss as imagination then can they explain fully how imagination works and if not a request to be openminded until they know everything about imagination
Definitions for: world, world system, realm, cycle
What influences are there from Zoroastrian, Judaism and others especially the more esoteric and occult understandings (if appropriate and allowed) which are older than Buddhism?
Other than the formless realms are there measurements for the size of realms?
How do and don’t the realms overlap and/or what separates them?
The boarder or area or transition between the form and formless and the Buddha going through jhanas 1-9 then down to 1 (and out) then back up to 4 then paranibbana
Four phases of universe and how cycles end and start — what determines end by air, water or fire?
Which realms include spontaneous rebirths, also egg-born, moisture born and womb?
How does Namarupa apply to the formless realms?
How can we know about structural changes in realms like what is more likely to be similar during the time of the Buddha compared to now?
These (adjustable) 31 Planes of Existence graphics, at the time of drafting this blog post, even though they’re publicly listed under a CC0 Public Domain via https://observablehq.com/d/2efec0e29fe3e7f9 the creators Venerables Cittadhammo and Karunnyo (previously Anagārika Martin) would like to note this is a non-finalized version and a gift of dhamma not for commercial use
Access
Anagarika Shri Munindra reportedly gave instruction to Dipa Ma on how to access various realms. Could these instruction be given more publicly today and how might they differ between for lay and monastic?
Is a reason most can’t access some of these realms due to one lacking a body with senses in a particular realm as well as contact with sense objects there and so a human only has their mind and perception(s) to work with?
Can the being now forecasted to be the next Buddha and maybe even the being to be the Buddha after the next be visited/investigated wherever they are now?
Could such skills in perceiving realms be used to investigate timelines, controversies, gaps, inaccuracies, fallacies, and questions people have from suttas?
Consequences and advice for accessing these realms, if possible, via jhana and/or other means like drugs, dreams, trance, ritual, tech, contemplation, hallucination, imagination etc?
Questions from Buddhist Cosmology Series (we mainly did not address)
Could Asuras under the ocean, yet not water beings, be due to being below the water table, or could they be in the astral realm (as astral is often related to “water” and/or SEE/SEAing?
Could the Northern Continent be Venus?
Could polarity — or again, maybe referencing the astral aka distortion planes — help explain the stark contrast of the two versions of the Northern Continent: one being a paradise, the other about yakshas taking humans from the southern continent with wrong view and making them slaves?
Around about the time of redirecting the recently acquired innerskilled.com to this website the idea of AI generated website services came to mind. It only took a quick sentence for these AI services to conjure a speciality site. I tasked these AIs to extract existing IntegratingPresence.com content to fit the name innerskilled. Here’s the purpose I plugged in:
Drawing on the inner work content of integratingpresence.com in order to go deeper inward for clearing, transformation, transmutation, elevation and towards realizing awakening
These screenshots show the “better” of these AI website creation services and my initial impression was one of a deceptive push towards commodification:
This also brought up plenty of questions but few definitive, conclusive answers:
The obvious: how well can we discern AI generated content and when is it OK to use? (Insighttimer.com and app don’t allow it for the most part)
How well does AI “know” spiritual teaching systems?
How does this translate over into teachers who can repeat plenty from books and from others while not knowing much first hand from life? How can we (better) discern this?
How much am I doing the same thing (on Integrating Presence) and how much are those I know doing this?
When is (more or less) parroting from a book or from others helpful and when is it not? How ought this be done?
How much of these concepts are timeless, universal, and can’t really be contributed to any one individual, group or linage and how much can be more definitively attributed to (someone or some peoples) more specifically? How is this done with certainty? How do we know nothing is being overlooked in such a discernment process?
If needed and helpful, how can more originality come about, or be generated without more egos getting pumped up?
Buzz words
What makes a buzzword a buzzword?
How do buzzwords come about?
How do individual words, word pairings and/or groups of words play into this?
What determines their periods of popularity?
How do and don’t buzzwords command attention and translate to action? Why?
When is it, and isn’t it OK to use buzzwords?
What spiritual words have been most consistent throughout written history / records?
How does all this apply, or not to AI’s role in marketing what humans create?
Integrating Presence 