Spontaneity

Topics from this recorded November 12, 2022 Insight Timer Live event include:

Overplanning, Fun, Expectation, Balance, Squirrels, Making deliberate small differences for bigger changes to occur, Comfort zone, Awkwardness, David Lynch art, Spontaneous Combustion, Zen Masters, Self-control, Self-awareness, Restraint, Spice of life, Outsourcing life to entertainers, Looking at the clock, Travel, Things in life happening beyond our wildest dreams and goals, Causes and conditions, Habits, Stability, Intention, Neuroplasticity, Stumble Upon, Ambidexterity, Drawing exercise without looking, Having no structure or stability

Practical Purity

[December 4, 2022 Update: Originally published November 11th, 2022 it’s being republished with a new date due to recent podcast publishing challenges and requirements] I pitched the October 30th, 2022 Insight Timer live event Practical Purity thus: What’s the importance of true purity? How can we view purity and what can we realistically think, sayContinue reading “Practical Purity”

What Is Meditation? | 11/2/2022 “Meditation Q & A With Wendy Nash” #02

We primarily address what meditation actually is while spiraling up, around and back on this topic to also include, amongst others: examples of what is and isn’t meditation; mind training; intention; familiarity with the mind; heart qualities; wisdom; aspiration; samatha; ego; Chittamatra or Yogācāra via the statement “emotions are thoughts”; scoundrels; conceit; foolishness; belonging; emotional mirroring; etc.

Multi-month Pāramitā (Perfections) Challenge For March 2022

[4/29/2022 UPDATE: Zero Pāramitā Challenge provided (to me) for Month 8 / April 2022 yet and 5/23/2022 UPDATE: same thing for the month of May and presumably ongoing unless — barring other possibilities — readers and listeners see a new Pāramitā Challenge from the source and/or a new post/podcast published on IntegratingPresence.com] Expediency, supreme enlightenment,Continue reading “Multi-month Pāramitā (Perfections) Challenge For March 2022”

Readiness | (3/29/2022 — “Ask Us Anything – LIVE” With Lydia Grace And Joanne Muir)

Fellow Insight Timer teacher Lydia Grace once again inspired the title of this “Ask Us Anything” — live, monthly, open-audience, open-discussions about meditation and related topics. Recently on Lydia’s Insight Timer circle Embodied Living she said of her new three month training Radical Authenticity: “When the energy of empowerment lies dormant in our psyche, we are giving our powerContinue reading “Readiness | (3/29/2022 — “Ask Us Anything – LIVE” With Lydia Grace And Joanne Muir)”

Multi-month Pāramitā (Perfections) Challenge For February 2022

Sangha, criticism, the two truths, service to others, emptiness, generosity, conduct, non-clinging, non-harming, energy, the three unwholesome roots, and clarity round out the main topics for February 2022, month six of “The Pāramitā Challenge”. See also Months 1-3, Month 4 and 5. Instructions are to journal contemplations resulting from observed intentions, opportunities, and actions toContinue reading “Multi-month Pāramitā (Perfections) Challenge For February 2022”

Show Up. Listen Up. Speak Up. | (2/22/2022 — “Ask Us Anything – LIVE” With Lydia Grace)

Fellow Insight Timer teacher Lydia Grace inspired the title of this month’s regular open-audience, open-discussion “Ask Us Anything” — continuing discussions about meditation and related topics. Recently on Lydia’s Insight Timer circle Embodied Living she said of one of her solo live events, “…you didn’t actually miss the live because I got on briefly to say I couldn’t doContinue reading “Show Up. Listen Up. Speak Up. | (2/22/2022 — “Ask Us Anything – LIVE” With Lydia Grace)”

Multi-month Pāramitā (Attainments/Perfections) Challenge For December 2021

Apparently November 2021 was a break so December is month 4 of “The Pāramitā Challenge” (which I previously wrote and spoke on the first three months.)

In addition to contemplating topics about the Pāramitās or Perfections, so far, this challenge also includes precepts, the (10 Abodes from the) 52 Stages of the Bodhisattva Path and Bodhisattva vows.

Instructions are to journal contemplations resulting from observed intentions, opportunities, and actions to be generous, moral and ethical while arousing faith in the Triple Gem then seeing where/when confident and where/when in doubt.

This month includes the Pāramitā on diligence, the Right Speech precept (also doubling as a past Insight Timer live event) and the middle stages of the 10 Abodes from the 52 Stages of the Bodhisattva.

Wellbeing Is The Shape Of The Heart: Ajahn Sucitto Online Mediation Retreat

Truth is always good news; even if it is the truth about something unpleasant because then you can actually master it Luang Por Sucitto After joining the online retreat Love As The Breath Of Life by Ajahn Sucitto I joined and enjoyed the practice and already some of the fruit of this retreat Wellbeing IsContinue reading “Wellbeing Is The Shape Of The Heart: Ajahn Sucitto Online Mediation Retreat”

Letting Our Body Talk | (12/28/2021 — “Ask Us Anything – LIVE” With Denny K Miu And Lydia Grace)

Join Denny K Miu, Lydia Grace and I Tuesday December 28, 2021 at 4pm Central for “Ask Us Anything LIVE” via the embedded YouTube in this post or:
•dennykmiu.com/youtube [redirects to Denny’s YouTube channel]
•dennykmiu.com/facebook redirects to Denny’s Facebook page]

[As of now, I plan to update this placeholder post with show notes sometime afterwards]

Multi-month Pāramitā (Attainments/Perfections) Challenge For August, September And October 2021

When presented with “The Pāramitā Challenge” I accepted and here we are. In addition to the Pāramitās or Perfections, so far, the challenge also includes precepts and the 52 Stages of the Bodhisattva Path and Bodhisattva vows.

So far, instructions are to journal contemplations resulting from observed intentions, opportunities, and actions to be generous, moral and ethical while arousing faith in the Triple Gem then seeing where/when confident and where/when in doubt.

I’ve not taken Bodhisattva vows, and so with little instruction in Mahāyāna Buddhism, apart from maybe a smidgen of the zen stuff, there’s the benefit of beginner’s mind is a nice way to put it. I shoot from the hip with a lot in this recording and will often use a Theravada lens and a lot of inquiry as I ponder out loud. It may come off at times as criticism and sometimes it may actually be, but these are mostly solo efforts at summonings what is really meant by the material.

Wisdom Snippets: Inquiry / Investigation

Why even bother with investigation or inquiry? Perhaps inquire, assess and question with intent to lead toward true knowledge, liberation and the (long-term) well-being of all. Know the truth of the way things actually are and then align with truth to bring great happiness. But how and why does aligning with truth bring happiness? Maybe it’s time to investigate for oneself?

This blog post collects various odds and ends to aid with inquiry and investigation.