Join us as we spend a day doing meditation practices focusing on cultivation of mindfulness that is present for feeling tone or vedana. This is the second domain of mindfulness that the Buddha taught in the Satipatthana Sutta.  In this practice we are not trying to fix anything. We are welcoming this moment as it is; to realize that we are inherently whole just as we are. We do not need to be "fixed" by meditation. We are not broken in the first place. We greet whatever arises in our minds and bodies with an unbiased attitude. When we use the word “feeling” to label our feeling tone in meditation, "feeling" is synonym for welcoming and letting go/letting be the feeling.

During this day of practice, we will explore the distinction between worldly and unworldly feelings. Worldly feelings have the underlying tendencies of desire, aversion and ignorance. Unworldly feelings are those arising dependent upon the practices of renunciation. The feelings arising from renunciation are the feelings that arise from practices such as moral and ethical conduct, mindfulness, concentration, generosity, equanimity, and lovingkindness. The peace and calm brought about by an open heart gives rise to a pleasant feeling not from sense pleasures– it is free from desire, craving, clinging and attachment. It brings happiness without leading to suffering. It is a non-reactive space of mindfulness and Metta where there is room for everything.  This is wholeness of heart. 

In the company of spiritual friends on Zoom and in person we can learn together about these qualities of heart and mind that the Buddha said can be cultivated. The day will include guided and silent meditation (siting and walking), a Dharma talk, time for questions, and a sharing circle.