Intro to a Brief, Weekly Mindfulness Practice Group

Well, I just wanted to get things started off with a very few words. Many of these words are going to come from other wise teachers, because I am obviously nothing new on this path. There are millions of qualified guides and teachers out there to these basic techniques, under a million different names, though the best known are prayer, contemplation, contemplative prayer, mindfulness, concentration, inner work, insight, therapy, presence, focus, relaxation...

I prefer the term “guide” to describe what I am here to do, and what I am guiding you to is not me or my view or some other authority's view. I am not representing any organization or teacher, I cannot re-present anyone, I can only present myself and what I have learned. I will only be a good guide if I guide you back to yourself. The only difference between me and you is experience on the cushion, our potential to see clearly is the same. If you want my quickie resume, read the flier again. I am not sharing it again here to avoid reinforcing the idea that I am some wise authority and you are some pathetic beginner.

[ed. note, here is the quickie resume from the flier… Eric spent two years training as a novice monk in the European Theravada Buddhist monasteries associated with Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho. He has a Master’s in Religious Studies from Naropa University, and is currently studying and practicing Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Eric finally woke up from statism when he was 43, he is now 46, and exploring the intimate connections between the paths of spiritual and political/economic freedom.]

First wise quote of the introduction, from Ajahn Chah, Thai meditation master:

"You are your own teacher. Looking for teachers can‘t solve your own doubts. Investigate yourself to find the truth - inside, not outside. Knowing yourself is most important." Ajahn Chah

What I am hoping to present to to you is that there is a single wisdom on Earth, a single Truth, walking around wearing a whole lot of different costumes at different times to be able to reach different people at different places on the Path. I personally have not yet encountered any teacher, tradition or modality that has the whole story, and on top of that, it is clear to me that now we have moved into a very different energetic stage of human life on Earth, a stage of powerful potential, but also confusion and dismay, so we need to be even more discerning, even more in touch with the unique voice of our individual, inner guidance. We are drowning in information and disinformation, a practice of mindfulness can be understood as learning to swim in that flood.

For an example of the fact that there is One Dharma, one Truth, being perceived and communicated again and again, in different ways in different times, we go from AC to AC, from Ajahn Chah to Alais Clay. We hear the same wisdom reflected on Steph's album, End of an Era, here's a few lyrics from “Coals into Diamonds”...

“There are hidden gems that if you seek, you shall find
Buried treasures living deep in your mind
Akashic records of all moments over time
In your center, that is where the Truth resides
So when you enter, be prepared to stand in the fire
You can burn, or you can learn to grow wings and fly.

Instructions lie deep inside
Way within yourself is where the gold resides
To get to know yourself you've got to take your time,
That's how you turn coals into diamonds”

To get to know yourself you've got to take your time. This process takes time, energy and effort, it is not easy, and to quote the only intelligent thing I ever heard my high school football coach say, after we lost every game of the season,“there are things you go through in life that are not fun, but they are rewarding!”
Fourth wise quote, from CG Jung:
There is no coming to consciousness without pain. People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own Soul. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. " - C.G. Jung
And the fifth wise quote, in the same league as Jung and my football coach, but more descriptive and intense, from Adyashanti:
Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or being happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth. It's seeing through the facade of pretense. It's the
complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true.

And I would just add, if someone has told you that this process of making the darkness conscious will feel s easy and comfortable and safe, that just means that they have not yet started to walk the actual path. And don't get me wrong, we need a sense of humor and to not take ourselves too seriously, believe me, if you start to really look at your mind and your conditioned reactions, both laughter and tears will result. This path is an exquisite balance between trying and not trying, making effort towards goals and letting go of all goal seeking, being light and fun, and dark and serious, balancing both your rational and intuitive sides, until that which lies right in between the two opens up new vistas you did not formerly imagine were possible.
Our culture is characterized by endless distraction and entertainment, endless ways to numb ourselves from the pain of being a human being, a being that is ultimately alone, naked and vulnerable on a watery rock. Eventually I understood that the only thing more painful than seeing and feeling all that there is to see and feel, was NOT seeing and feeling. As hard as I tried to numb out, my drugs of choice being alcohol, pot and porn, eventually what I refused to face kicked my ass anyway. One person described this process of hiding from our unexamined stuff as being like trying to hold a beach ball underwater. Takes an enormous amount of effort, and energy, but still, eventually, regardless of what you do, that ball is coming to the surface. We need to learn how to gradually let that ball surface, we need to learn to swim in this flood of pain and confusion, and mindfulness is one essential survival stroke.