Another great podcast series from Upaya Zen Center - this summer has been outstanding for the wonderful content they have provided. This series features Sharon Salzberg & Roshi Joan Halifax talking on compassion.
This is an excellent series of teachings - it's one thing to want to be more fearlessly compassionate, but it's a whole other thing to know how to go about changing ourselves to make that possible. We often need to work with our own projections and biases - changing our internal schemas and self-talk.
Another important issue they touch on is spiritual bypass - using unskilled spirituality to gloss over our emotional wounds and personality flaws - it's best exemplified in the New Age injunction to simply focus on the positive. Sounds promising, but it leaves us acting out our projections and wounds in very unhealthy ways because we have relegated them to shadow.
Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness Part 1 of 7
Speakers: Sharon Salzberg & Roshi Joan Halifax
Recorded: Saturday Aug 28, 2010
Roshi Joan kicks off the Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness retreat by recalling 2 powerful issues that brought her to Buddhism … the civil rights movement and the war in Vietnam. She speaks about relationships and says that Buddhism is about relationships, with ourselves and with the world. She recommends using an experience of deep suffering to cultivate Bodhichitta, or the awakened heart. Sharon Salzberg talks about mindfulness and speaks of loving kindness.
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Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness Part 2 of 7
Speakers: Sharon Salzberg & Roshi Joan Halifax
Recorded: Saturday Aug 28, 2010
Sharon guides a loving kindness meditation and Roshi and Sharon answer questions from the audience.
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Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness Part 3 of 7
Speakers: Sharon Salzberg & Roshi Joan Halifax
Recorded: Saturday Aug 28, 2010
Roshi speaks of spiritual bypass and explains the importance of bringing to surface what we are afraid of. The audience moves into groups to discuss fear and then shares 3 big fears in their lives. The group shares what came up for them about fear. Roshi explains “strong back, soft front” and talks about the 5 fears.
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Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness Part 4 of 7
Speakers: Sharon Salzberg & Roshi Joan Halifax
Recorded: Saturday Aug 28, 2010
Sharon says it’s not the thoughts that are the problem … It’s the “glue.” Our job is to sit and rest attention on the feeling and learn to let go. She then leads a guided meditation.
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Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness Part 5 of 7
Speakers: Sharon Salzberg & Roshi Joan Halifax
Recorded: Saturday Aug 28, 2010
Roshi asks how do we nourish our beginners mind, or not knowing. The audience breaks up into groups to discuss what has helped support or sustains them.
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Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness Part 6 of 7
Speakers: Sharon Salzberg & Roshi Joan Halifax
Recorded: Sunday Aug 29, 2010
Roshi speaks of balance, both emotional and physical. Part of opening up fearless compassion is to view our own limits with compassion, just as we view the suffering of others. Our own self talk is so important, grounding ourselves, learning how to slow down effects our self compassion. How do we take in the suffering of the world and allow it to crack our hearts open. Sharon and Roshi answer questions from the audience.
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Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness Part 7 of 7
Speakers: Sharon Salzberg & Roshi Joan Halifax
Recorded: Sunday Aug 29, 2010
Roshi guides a powerful meditation on breathing in the suffering of ourselves and the world and breathing out compassion.
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