Friday, November 23rd, Darryl E. Owens with the Orlando Sentinel wrote an article titled How to simplify your Christmas season, and be happier for it. It offered healthy perspectives on giving, and interestingly enough, came out on Black Friday—a day where consumerism rules the day for some. Thank you, Mr. Owens, for that.
We will be methodically working through the Satipatthāna: The Direct Path to Realization, written by Anālayo. The Satipatthāna—the Four Foundations of Mindfulness—represents the essence of the Buddha’s teachings.
This effort will be group paced and may include ongoing dialogue within OIMG’s online sangha, monthly meetings, and possible “mini” retreats. Everyone will be encouraged to incorporate study topics into their daily practice. Please let Judy or Tommy know if you’re interested.
Participants will need to purchase their own book, which can be purchased through OIMG’s website link to Amazon, OIMG will receive small percentage of the sale which goes to scholarship retreat support.
Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner. Like any human experience, emotions related to this time of year run the full gamut – from deep gratitude and joy to deep sadness, anger, and resentment. This can be a blessed time of year for some and a time of great suffering for others. This offers a rich environment to deepen our practice—to be present with it all, to see these things within ourselves and others, and to honor, respect, and cherish each possibility with the utmost kindness.
This past Wednesday’s (11/7/12) Dharma talk Judy gave was on the Four Divine Abodes, which are Loving Kindness, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy, and Equanimity. Cultivating these mind/heart states teaches us to work with whatever arises firmly grounded in the Buddha’s teachings. (more…)
In this Dhamma talk, Judy explores the relationship between the Noble Eight-Fold Path and the Brahma Viharas, the Four Divine Abodes: Metta (lovingkindness), Karuna (compassion), Mudita (Joy), and Upekkha (equanimity). She explains each of their major characteristics and their “near” and “far” enemies, actions that seem similar but are not and their opposites She also gives us ways to use these in our meditation practice.
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This past week during the Wednesday night Dharma talk, Ross Payne shared his thoughts related to the Ten Paramita.
Paramita means gone to the other shore. It is the highest development of each the following qualities:
