2009.10.03-serial.00228Y
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AI Suggested Keywords:
Short introduction to meditation.
The talk introduces meditation with an emphasis on the personal nature of the practice, advocating for an approach free from the pressure of correctness. The focus is on experiencing meditation authentically and individually:
- Encourages engagement with the immediate personal experience during meditation, rather than striving for a preconceived 'right' experience.
- Highlights the use of curiosity, interest, and self-empathy as tools to deepen this personal encounter during meditation practice.
Referenced:
- Zen Center, San Francisco, Tuscarora, Greenbelch as the speaker's past life experience.
- Vipassana practice and connections with practitioners such as Jack, Jamie, James, Joseph, and Sharon.
AI Suggested Title: "Personal Paths in Meditation: Authentic Practices"
Good evening. We're about to start a period of meditation. Phillip is away this week, and my name is Ed Brown, and I'm substituting for Phillip. As you can tell, you know, I have an outfit on, so that indicates that I'm a Zen person, instead of a Vipassana person, whose Vipassana people are generally more incognito. And I don't wear this most of the time, actually, but now and again I present myself as a Zen person. I spent 20 years living at the Zen Center, San Francisco, Tuscarora, Greenbelch, and then I did about 10 years of Vipassana practice, which is how I met Jack and Jamie and James and Joseph and Sharon and so many of the other Vipassana teachers.
[01:02]
And, you know, if you have some meditation instructions that you're used to following, you're welcome to do so. Meditation also works if you sit down and, you know, are quiet and don't talk and don't move so much and see what happens. We spend a lot of our lives trying to get something right and to do it the right way and to have the right experience. And meditation is actually a chance not to have to do that. You could give all of that a rest. Sometimes I do cooking classes and I say, let's taste this. And people say, what should we be tasting? Because it would be better, you know, to have the right experience than just one you happen to have. Or at least this is what we sometimes think. And can I get myself to have the right experience or can I just have the experience I'm having?
[02:09]
And would that be all right? So my encouragement tonight is to see if you can just have the experience you're having and not worry about whether it's right or not or the one you should be having. Just have the one you're having. And to do this, it helps if you were a little bit interested in what your experience is. Oh, what do we have here? Or curious. What is this like to sit here tonight? What is inhalation like or exhalation? What's it like to think, to feel, to breathe? Interest, curiosity, and usually a little self-empathy helps. Oh, so that's sad. Oh, so that's confusing. So basically I'm giving you a meditation instruction without calling it by the usual names. In case you hadn't noticed. So let's sit tonight and see what happens and really don't worry about getting it right.
[03:13]
Just see what your experience is. And away we go. I'm going to hit the bell again.
[03:21]
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