Tag: meditation

Eight Step Recovery - Using the Buddha's Teachings To Overcome Addiction

The two darts teaching - working with difficult emotions

By Vimalasara on Fri, 29 Nov, 2013 - 07:01

Day 13 is a meditation to work with pain and difficult emotions. In particular we try to distinguish between the raw experience of pain and our mental reactions to the pain that makes it worse. The good news is: that it is possible to have a reprieve from mental and emotional pain. In the meditation we follow the breath as an anchor for the meditation. Then whenever we notice that we are experiencing bodily pain or difficult emotions, as best...

Eight Step Recovery - Using the Buddha's Teachings To Overcome Addiction

vajrasattva

By Vimalasara on Thu, 28 Nov, 2013 - 05:56

Day 12 is the Vajrasattva mantra. Vajrasattva is an archetypal bodhisattva, the colour of sunlight on snow. He is particularly associated with absolute purity, our innate purity. There is a spontaneous laughter: “ha ha ha”, this laughter is the realization that we have always been pure, the purity has just been covered up with life. When you chant the mantra you can feel your shortcomings and unskilful actions falling away from you, being purified by Vajrasattva, eventually leaving you with...

Portsmouth Buddhist Center

Reflections on Gratitude

By viriyalila on Wed, 27 Nov, 2013 - 15:41

Reflections on Gratitude

By viriyalila on Wed, 27 Nov, 2013 - 15:41Join us tonight for Sangha Night for our last in the series of Reflections on Faith, Kindness, and Gratitude. Gratitude is an integral quality of mindfulness and kindness. Our discussion tonight will focus on how gratitude can be approached as a practice, enriching our lives and the lives of those around us.

Wednesday, November 27, 7-9 pm - Doors open at 6.45, meditation begins at 7 followed by Dharma presentation and discussion. All are welcome. Meditation support provided...

Eight Step Recovery - Using the Buddha's Teachings To Overcome Addiction

Principles to train the Mind

By Vimalasara on Wed, 27 Nov, 2013 - 04:50

Day 11 is a reflection on ethics. It has been said, that if your life is full of resentments, unsatisfactoriness, and the common toxic emotions, take a look at your ethical life. If we are to maintain sobriety of mind and abstinence, we must have a strong ethical foundation. We reflect on five fundamental guidelines that can help us to transform our body, speech and mind. The music has been composed and arranged by Yeshe Chodron, also known as Laurie Lesk

Eight Step Recovery - Using the Buddha's Teachings To Overcome Addiction

A Gong Bath

By Vimalasara on Tue, 26 Nov, 2013 - 04:52

Day 10 is a just sitting meditation with a gong bath. In this meditation we sit or lie with a broad awareness, making as little effort as possible, and allowing thoughts, feelings and body sensations to arise and pass by like clouds passing through the sky.We are training ourselves to be in direct experience with whatever arises from moment to moment. As we do this we can allow the sounds of the gong bath to wash over us. The gong...

Eight Step Recovery - Using the Buddha's Teachings To Overcome Addiction

Open my Heart

By Vimalasara on Mon, 25 Nov, 2013 - 05:13

Day 9 explores loving-kindness by reflecting on the heart, using the breath to breathe deeply into the heart. Loving kindness is the salve that can help to heal the heart from all the toxins we can accumalate in life. If you are a visual person, you could have an image of your heart as a flower that opens up towards the sunlight of loving kindness. Loving kindness can sometimes feel painful, that is okay, just trust it will pass. Loving...

Eight Step Recovery - Using the Buddha's Teachings To Overcome Addiction

The air I breathe

By Vimalasara on Sun, 24 Nov, 2013 - 06:46

Day 8 is a meditation on breathing by appreciating the air you breathe. The meditation begins with a three minute breathing space. Awareness of thoughts and feelings. Gathering the breath and Expanding the breath into your whole body, (AGE). AGE is something you can do in your daily life, at work, in front of the computer, in a shopping mall, on public transport. In fact we can stop and pause anywhere and take a three minute breathing space...

Eight Step Recovery - Using the Buddha's Teachings To Overcome Addiction

Four basic needs of the heart

By Vimalasara on Fri, 22 Nov, 2013 - 06:27

Day 6 is a day filled with loving kindness. When we learn to cultivate the four basic needs of the heart; attention, affection, appreciation and acceptance towards ourselves, our whole world will begin to change. In the words of the Buddha: ” Don’t go by hearsay, or by your teachers. Just try for yourself.” Today’s music has been composed by Laurie Lesk Aka Yeshe Chodrom

Eight Step Recovery - Using the Buddha's Teachings To Overcome Addiction

Breath

By Vimalasara on Thu, 21 Nov, 2013 - 04:53

One of my favourite Buddhist teacher’s Thich Nhat Hanh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thich_Nhat_Hanh) has generously given us permission to use one of his poetic verses on the breath. Day 5 is a meditation to help connect to the breath. The breath can help us to pause and slow down, bringing more choice in how we respond to life. We come back to the breath several times during these three weeks, because breath is one of our best teachers. The music...

Eight Step Recovery - Using the Buddha's Teachings To Overcome Addiction

The Serenity Prayer

By Vimalasara on Wed, 20 Nov, 2013 - 06:52

Hi if you have just joined us - then a warm welcome. And you can begin with day one - or begin with us on our fourth day. Day 4 is a reflection on how to relate wisely to our experience, through bringing to mind the words of the serenity prayer. The serenity prayer is the common name for an originally untitled prayer by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. It has been adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step programs,...

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