Greetings!
Dharma Study this Friday, October 30th, 7-9 pm
Last week we began Pema Chodron's brand-new series on the Four Immeasurables, "Perfect Just As You Are." The homework for this week is truly wonderful and is posted on the blog. This week's session: If you can only attend one session this series, this is probably the one you don't want to miss. This week, Pema Chödron leads guided shamatha meditation, teaches on lovingkindness, and then lays out the foundation for lovingkindness practice, helping us get in touch with the lovingkindness already in our hearts. In this series, Pema Chodron borrows heavily from Ken McLeod, a mentor in the creation of Luminous Mind. A quote from him is below on the purpose of this practice. To read more about "Perfect Just As You Are," go here. Weekly classes and Introduction to Buddhism are held at my home in the Belmont/Hillsboro neighborhood, 1716A Linden Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212. 615-463-2374. Click here for map. |
The Purpose of the Four Immeasurables, by Ken McLeod
The fundamental purpose of the four immeasurables is to dismantle the reactive patterns that prevent us from experiencing free emotional energy. Because we are largely unaware of these patterns, nothing inhibits their operation and our lives lurch from one pattern to another, like Mr. Toad and his wild ride in The Wind in the Willows. We are, in effect, passive passengers in our lives, and the patterns are at the wheel.
The four immeasurables end this passivity. [Consider] the example of erosion.... You can't stop erosion by filling in the gullies with more earth. You have to plant grass, trees, and shrubs to hold the soil, or build drainage ditches that divert the water and let it flow away without carrying the soil with it. Similarly, changes in behavior will not be enough if you haven't changed your interior landscape. The old patterns just reassert themselves in time. To change, you have to become an active participant in your own life. You can do so only when you experience free emotional energy, energy that is not consumed by the operation of habituated patterns. That energy comes from uncovering the four immeasurables. As you develop free energy, you feel more alive and more awake in your life. Now, you do act differently, but the changes in behavior are not forced or contrived. They emerge naturally as the realization of the purpose of practice.
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Hundreds of books on Buddhism have been published in recent years, but Wake Up To Your Life, a book by Ken McLeod, is one of the first systematic curricula written by a Westerner thoroughly trained in traditional Tibetan ways. With deep insight, clear instructions, and entertaining stories, McLeod has given us a comprehensive manual for a lifetime of spiritual work. This book will soon be featured on the Luminous Mind website Recommendations page, with a link for purchase.
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October/November Schedule
Friday, October 30
Study Group
Friday, November 6
Study Group
Friday, November 13
Study Group
Friday, November 20
Study Group
Friday, November 27
Off for Thanksgiving weekend
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