This is week seven of an eight week collaboration between Michael Owens and Michael Taft. Each Sunday, Michael Owens will teach on a(t least one) chapter of the VNS. Then the following Thursday, Michael Taft will lead a guided meditation based on that chapter.
The nondual guided meditation lasts for one hour. Following that there is a dharma talk and Q&A session for about 30minutes.
This week is slightly different because we begin the meditation with rousing bodhicitta. Bodhicitta is the strong intention to lead all beings in the universe to perfect awakening. It is the fundamental mood or attitude of the bodhisattva.
After rousing bodhicitta, we do samatha with an object for 15 min. Then shamatha without an object for 15 min. The we meditate on both compounded (“destructible”) and uncompounded (“indestructible”) objects until the end.
Quote from this Chapter
“What is not resting in the uncompounded? The bodhisattva practices voidness, but he does not realize voidness. He practices signlessness but does not realize signlessness. He practices wishlessness but does not realize wishlessness. He practices non-performance but does not realize non-performance. He knows impermanence but is not complacent about his roots of virtue. He considers misery, but he reincarnates voluntarily. He knows selflessnes, but does not waste himself. [F.230.a] He considers peacefulness but does not seek extreme peace. He cherishes solitude but does not avoid mental and physical efforts. He considers placelessness but does not abandon the place of good actions. He considers occurrencelessness but undertakes to bear the burdens of all living beings. He considers immaculateness, yet he follows the process of the world. He considers motionlessness, yet he moves in order to develop all living beings. He considers selflessness, yet does not abandon the great compassion toward all living beings. He considers birthlessness, yet he does not fall into the ultimate determination of the disciples. He considers vanity, futility, insubstantiality, dependency, and placelessness, yet he establishes himself on merits that are not vain, on knowledge that is not futile, on reflections that are substantial, on the striving for the consecration of the independent gnosis, and on the buddha lineage in its definitive meaning.”
~ from The Teaching of Vimalakirti, translated by Robert Thurman
Read a fabulous article by Ken McLeod on bodhicitta: https://tricycle.org/magazine/what-is…
Read a bit about the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vimalak…
Want to learn more about nonduality? Start here: https://deconstructingyourself.com
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