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Following a lovely exchange with Zana Frood in this morning exploration of the Noble Eightfold Path, we ended up talking about understanding right view (the first thread of the eightfold weave) as a fitting understanding of how reality works (i.e. through constant impermanence/emergence). This understanding then allows us to stop faffing with all the constituent bits of our existence (form, feeling, perception, mental formations and consciousness = the aggregates in Buddhist jargon).

I would like to wish all you lovely mindspringers a very happy Christmas and an enlightened new year.

This morning was the Spring Equinox and I thought I'd post this extract from our Thursday session which had a decidedly Springy feel to it. https://share.descript.com/view/R8yzkwqrlpl

https://share.descript.com/view/D3qLygV66gS

Here's a clip from this morning session, the first in our 8-week series looking at the Four Foundations of Mindfulness one of the most famous and influential meditation discourses of the Buddha. Please join us for the rest of the funfair ride - we're meeting every Thursday morning at 8am UK but if you can't make that, sign up anyway and we will send you a recording. It's an amazing text and I'm looking forward to unpacking it together. https://www.mind-springs.org/online-live

Here's the table that Ven. Analayo gives about the things that help us work with the different hindrances:

We were exploring the importance of 'emotional concepts' this morning. Emotions depend on a conceptual framework in the brain to have meaning. This is why it's so useful to have a richer vocabulary regarding our feelings. For example, the widespread experience of waking up in an inexplicably bad mood. It would be easy to pathologise this and see it as a personal failing or a terrible injustice. But when we know there is a word for it, then our emotional experience is validated and given meaning: MATUTOLYPEA (pronounced: mah-tu-toh-leh-PEE-a) “Dejection of the Dawn” Waking up in misery or a bad temper. From the Roman goddess of the dawn, Mater Matuta, and the Greek word for dejection, lype,

This is an excerpt from our Thursday teaching, emphasising the Buddhist emphasis on recognising how we fundamentally misperceive reality. First, we only partially perceive and then we hazily generalise by conceptualizing. https://share.descript.com/view/Za1S2xSEBL2

Good morning, I have loved your 'presence' for many years Alistair (on escape to the country etc! Always finding you so calming! I have followed you on Instagram for ages, and now found your website. I have struggled for years with anxiety, worse since menopause, and then 2 years ago, I sadly, suddenly lost my husband...the worst night of my life..... I relived that night over and over for about a year. Last year I had an anxiety breakdown, which (no help from the GP apart from Diazapam which I quickly got off) I dipped my toes into yoga, and mindfulness which helped a little (I had trouble keeping it going) 6 months ago I went to a meditation retreat day, which led to classes of mindfulness/meditation/Buddhism teachings, which is helping my thoughts and breathing (I've not been able to breathe properly for years). I love Buddhist/contemplative/meditation teacher! Like you, he's so calming...... My husband was a therapist, he used to keep me going and hold me together in mind and body, so I lost more than just my best friend..... He used to do a lot of EFT too, which again I need to do more of, so, joining your site/group can only add to my box of tools, and I hope give me a bit more strength. I am planning to move house this year too, which has so many mixed emotions and is quite scary for me. Looking forward to seeing more of your teachings and guidance, thank you, Jayne xxx

Dear all, I gifted myself the beingfulness course today. I just finshed chemotherapy for lymphonic cancer. During my treatment I have spend a lot of time walking in nature, listening to the 'nothing much happens podcast' and living hour by hour day by day. Embracing life fully. And actually I felt happier than before I was ill. I still need a scan to confirm that the cancer is gone, but I also looking at how during my recovery I can continue to take care of myself physically, emotionally snd spiritually. This course looked like an easy and fun way to do and matches good with my worldview and most "sacred" experiences of feeling deeply connected. I am nowaydays on sick leave but work as a spiritual counselor ( e.g. like a chaplain but without being sent by a religious insitute,my most important source is being in nature) and reseacher in an university hospital. I will take what l learn with me in my wotk both with patients and collegues. Hope to meet many of you here online!

I like it when a very simple diagram communicates something very complex. Thought some of you might like this too.... PS. Can Alistair come back from holiday now, please? 😉