April 1, 2024 • 47 mins
As the gentle breeze of spring whispers promises of renewal, our latest episode unfolds a tapestry of meditation practices ripe for the season's transformative embrace. Joined by Zaw, whose breath of fresh air has revitalized the Annapolis Mindfulness community, we traverse the depths of communal meditation, celebrating the profound silence and stillness it offers. Through Zaw's lens, we gain insights into the personal growth and transformation that can emerge from such collective stillness, beckoning you to partake in this serene journey.
Embark on an odyssey through the intricacies of bead counting in Buddhist traditions and the subtleties of breath and body awareness as we converse with Zaw, a seasoned mindfulness and meditation coach. His expertise demystifies the nuanced paths toward harnessing a focused mind—be it through the grounding repetitions of bead meditation or the introspective clarity that anapanasati breath awareness brings. These practices, steeped in ancient wisdom, deliver us to the doorstep of life's impermanent nature, offering a profound appreciation for the here and now.
As you step forward with us into the thawing landscapes of spring, let meditation be the guide that nurtures your mental, physical, and spiritual growth. Through the wisdom of the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths, our conversation illuminates a myriad of techniques that can tailor your meditation experience—whether you seek clarity, tranquility, or a deeper sense of connection.
Explore a mindful path with Zaw Maw's coaching—Foster balance, healing, recovery, and meditation in your life's journey through his supportive and wisdom-based guidance. Contact us to set up a session.
Zaw's Article:
Bead by Bead: The Mindful Art of Counting — Recovery Collective — Annapolis, MD (recoverycollectivemd.com)
Visit our website!
Recovery Collective — Annapolis, MD (recoverycollectivemd.com)
Zaw Maw — Recovery Collective — Annapolis, MD (recoverycollectivemd.com)
Luke DeBoy — Recovery Collective — Annapolis, MD (recoverycollectivemd.com)
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome back to A Therapist, a Buddhist and you.
As the vibrant hues of springunfurl around us, there's an
undeniable sense of renewal inthe air.
It's a season fresh ofbeginnings, where nature blooms
with vitality.
In today's episode, we inviteyou to join us as we spring
forward into meditation, atimeless practice that
harmonizes beautifully with thespirit of spring.
(00:31):
Just as spring brings new lifeinto the world around us,
meditation can infuse our heartsand minds with a sense of
vitality and clarity.
It's a sacred space where wecan pause, reflect and reconnect
with the essence of our being asanctuary of stillness within
life's bustling rhythm.
So throughout this episode, ouresteemed co-host Zal will draw
(00:53):
upon his insights from hisTheravada Buddhist upbringing in
Burma to illuminate the path ofmeditation.
Together we'll unravel atapestry of meditation styles
and techniques, each offering aunique portal to self-discovery
and well-being.
But as we get going today,let's do a little spring
cleaning first.
I do sometimes forget toencourage listeners to like,
(01:14):
subscribe and to leave a comment.
It certainly helps the podcastand, most importantly, helps
others find our podcasts.
If you're inclined to help usfinancially with an offering or
donation, you can do that too.
We do have a donate link at thebottom of every episode
description.
I believe in some of thepodcast platforms there's a
heart, and click on that.
It'll take you to the podcastPayPal account where you can do
(01:37):
a one-time or recurring paymentof your choice.
These types of donations canhelp the podcast put on other
services like courses, futureseries and more written articles
by both Zol and I.
So please consider doing so ifyour heart leads you in that way
.
Zol, you've also revived theAnnapolis Mindfulness community,
haven't you?
I have, yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I'm really happy about that.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Tell our community about Annapolis Mindfulness.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Yeah, I'll keep it short.
I started this group a whileback after finishing school at
St John's, so it went on prettygood, but then during COVID it
died out and we have found a newhome here.
So if every Sunday at 7pm kindof a discussion based communal
open practice, weekly the focusis more on the consistency and
(02:26):
the group effort of sinking intothe collective mindfulness and
then you know people growingtogether in a group.
So I'm really happy that itrevived and, um, hopefully it'll
keep, you know, creating goodvibe in town yeah, and there's
something about meditatingwithin a community or in a group
(02:50):
setting.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
It's something really palpable about meditating with
other people isn't there.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Yeah, especially if it's silent and stillness, like
sometimes I'm just amazed by wow, these people are intentionally
choosing to sit here and okaywith being silent you know, that
that to me, is pretty much aluxury and I get so much out of
those groups where I get to bepart of the group and then share
my experience, hear otherpeople and, um, yeah, the
(03:17):
purpose is really like peoplegetting to know each other,
because it's not just likepeople come and sit and leave,
but there's an aspect ofcommunal togetherness that's
what I try to embrace, wherepeople get to know each other
and then grow together as agroup.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So yeah, it's interesting, and there's often
lovely tea and somecommunication beforehand, and I
don't know if you do this everytime, but you often bring a
brief reading for the groupwhich can set the tone and
provide your encouragement orrecommendations, and sometimes
the group will process theirexperiences before, during and
(03:51):
after and it's it's a, it's aquick hour, hour and a half,
isn't it?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I'll keep the listenersupdated about that too.
It's been a good highlight ofthe week for me because, yeah,
for me, like personally, that'slike a combination of everything
that I stand for in a way.
You know, that's how that groupstarted.
When I started the AnnapolisMindfulness Vipassana-based
(04:16):
seminars, for me it was like theoverlapping of Buddhism, my
experience at St John's College,burmese culture, all these
things recovery things like thatso.
I'll keep it going.
Thanks for graciously providingthe space for us.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, and it's at the Recovery Collective here in
Annapolis, maryland, and it's afree community every Sunday at
seven o'clock event for ourlocal listeners.
It's a great, great thing forthe community and thanks for
facilitating that.
Yeah, absolutely my pleasure.
Speaking about facilitating, Ifeel like I should have some
(04:54):
kind of noise that a therapistat Buddhist in you also won some
awards recently.
Yeah, yeah, wow For theChesapeake Podcast Network,
(05:18):
which is in Annapolis.
Yeah, yeah, wow, and I don'teven know if we mentioned it on
the podcast to vote or not nottypically our style, but we're
very fortunate enough and gladthat we were selected and won
some of the I think, the majorawards there.
Wow, that's awesome.
Favorite podcast co-host andhost.
(05:39):
So thank you everyone and wecertainly do it for the
collective solution for healthand wellness and this is one way
for us to spread our message inour voice and put energy in the
right direction.
But yeah that means a lot, socongrats, congrats to you all
and us thank you, the rest ofyou too, we haven't celebrated
(06:02):
yet, but maybe we should uhcheers with some tea or
something.
Huh, we'll do that, yeah.
All right let's continue tospring forward, shall we?
Let's do it.
We're going to talk a lot aboutmeditation techniques and we
tend to do deeper dives when itcomes to that, so we're going to
(06:23):
hit some unique things.
Zol practices, theravada,theravada, I'll usually say
Theravada Buddhism, andspecifically the Vipassana
meditation which holds this ismy words, and we'll see if Zol
can suss this out for usVipassana meditation holds
significant importance as afoundational practice for
(06:44):
developing insight into the truenature of reality.
Vipassana, which means looselyinsight or clear seeing, is one
of the core aspects of thebuddhist teachings, particularly
emphasizing in the theravadatradition.
Makes sense so far as all yeah.
So the relationship betweentheravada buddhism and vipassana
(07:05):
meditation is deeplyintertwined, with vipassana
being considered one of themethods for realizing the four
noble truths in attainingliberation from suffering.
So how do I?
How do I kind of clean that up?
Simply, vipassana itself ismore of an approach or
perspective than a singletechnique, if you will.
(07:28):
So there are several specificmeditation practices commonly
associated with vipassana in theTheravada tradition.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yeah, there's a long history about that and I don't
really know the details, but I'mglad it's reviving because
there was a period where it diedout in Buddhism and then there
were some movements back inBurma where there was a
resurgence of the movement ofinsight meditation.
Now it's in the West too, so wecan talk more about that.
(08:04):
But I'll share my experienceabout that background.
But yeah, the word vipassanadoes translate.
V means like deep or clear,penetrative, kind of seeing.
Passana, patana means to see, soit's like seeing things as they
(08:24):
are, clear, seeing, which kindof is a method.
But also in the canon there'salso a mentioning of the
vipassana.
Wisdom arises as a result.
So it's something that arisesas well.
But in the West that insightmeditation is great because it
(08:47):
has some secular, non-theisticaltone to it.
It's almost like a scientist.
I'm just trying to understandhow my mind works and I want to
see things as they are.
So it's very practical that wayand that's my approach too when
I practice here about vipassanathat you don't need to be a
buddhist to practice vipassana,although technically vipassana
(09:09):
is very intertwined withbuddhism.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
So but it's uh.
Yeah, just listening to you, mythought was, gosh, if it wasn't
so secular, would the benefitsof meditation be, even be deeper
.
But anyway, I don't want to goon a sidetrack with that, but it
made me think more than justhey, if I do these four breaths
in, four breaths out, then I'dbenefit.
(09:33):
But we're going to talk a lotabout meditation techniques and
styles, some that you may knowof, some that I'm almost certain
that you don't know of.
But let's start that I'm almostcertain that you don't know of,
but let's start.
You recently written an articlediscussing a meditation
technique, and the article iscalled Bead by Bead, the Mindful
(09:54):
Art of Counting.
I'll make sure the link's inour episode notes, but it's
about counting beads as a formof meditation, which is often
called a mala meditation invarious traditions.
Tell us about that technique.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Yeah, I wanted to connect that with my background
too, because I've shared this inmany ways in other episodes
about how much I have afterbeing here with my background.
So a lot of the things thatwere being taught or things that
I absorbed back in Burma as alayman Buddhist, they were kind
(10:32):
of like latent in me and thenthey kind of come into fruition
with recovery and with morelearning and practicing and
things like that.
So for me, I'm still a studentand I'm learning so many new
things every day.
So it's also a way ofrevisiting.
So to connect that withVipassana.
In our tradition there wasalways that path between the two
(10:55):
, like a contrast between thetwo.
There's a Dhammata or Samadhi,which translates as
concentration, one path, andthen the other path is vipassana
, insight.
So it was almost as if that ifyou're doing concentration
method, that's kind of dangerousbecause you can get carried
away with that tamattameditation which has been around
even before Buddhism.
(11:16):
So there was this alwaysleaning more towards vipassana,
that, yeah, don't get distractedwith the concentration, because
you might gain psychic powersyou know being able to see the
future, reading other people'smind, you know being able to fly
, like things like that and thenyou will never be motivated to
achieve liberation.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
So like that was my understanding it's interesting
because you're saying that mymind goes oh as as a Western
civilization.
Americans we focus onconcentration.
Meditation meaning concentrateon the breath, concentrate on
the exhale.
To me you're explainingconcentration in a different way
.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
So I'm just bringing that up to kind of like set the
tone for what we're talkingabout.
Because for me I guess by beinghere I'm also being more
open-minded and willing to learnnew things.
So I'm also seeing some of thedrawbacks from just choosing one
method.
But I'm at a point where I'mlike, oh, they go kind of back
and forth or you can get thebest out of the two methods.
(12:17):
So I'm bringing that up interms of the mindfulness of the
beat by beat.
So that's a really big part ofour tradition to count the beats
.
But it's also seen as aconcentration base, the beat by
beat.
So that's a really big part ofour tradition to count the beats
.
But also it's also seen as aconcentration base because it's
very repetitive.
It's all about the singlenessof the beat, single focus of the
mind.
But then I'm also learning newthings, which is that it can be
(12:38):
a good basis for the insight toarise.
So when your mind is calm,concentrated, you can actually
shape it, direct it to theinside.
So that's also what I wanted toshare in that article about.
You know, there are somespecific method of like in our
tradition contemplating on the.
(12:59):
There are nine qualities ornine virtues or attributes of
the Buddha, and then you canrepeat that over and over again
as a mantra, and then that caneven take you to the insight,
just by doing that.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Are there any other?
We often see in other religions, like the rosary and things
like that, where there's thismantra or meditation.
What are some other examplesthat you might recommend for
people that do some form of beadcounting, whether it's a mantra
or a statement that they mightsay during this form of
meditation?
Speaker 3 (13:32):
Yeah, I mean the power is definitely in the
consistency and also payingattention.
And there is something verygrounding and comforting about
repetition.
You know it can be.
It doesn't even have to be abeat, but like it can be a
location, it can be a time, likethe value and the meaning that
you assign to something, andthen the more you do it over and
over again, it becomes like aground for you, for the mind to
(13:57):
reveal its nature.
So it can be a walk, but thebeat can be helpful in terms of
the physical, the tactilesensation of touching the beats,
and it can be very soothing andcomforting and you're usually
in a quiet place anyway and thenfocusing that, repeating it
(14:18):
over and over again can be verybeneficial.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
I think it's a very practical way for people to
comfortably step into the worldof meditation and mindfulness.
You've got this touch, tactileway you can repeat any kind of
positive affirmation or mantrathat you would like, whether
it's peace, happiness,acceptance, you name it or
(14:42):
something much more personal ifyou'd like, and there's a
certain amount.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
So it's 108.
108 is the standard number,which fits really well with
certain numbers.
There are a lot of numbers inBuddhism and they all fit
perfectly with 108, becausethere are three refuges that's
also part of the tradition thatfits so well with 108, and the
nine qualities of the Buddha.
That fit so well.
(15:10):
So there is something very,yeah, like some kind of a
structure that repeats and, yeah, my mom, all my relatives, were
really big into that and for meit was always something that
was available in the backgroundyeah, the numbers, numbers have
a powerful.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
It's a sacred number.
It's a sacred number for a lotof practices.
Good, so that's one form.
Let's uh, we go mala meditationbead by bead, to meditation
that focuses on the breath.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Yeah, I guess this will also be a good moment to
kind of pause and talk about whywe meditate.
Because it really is.
You know what's the premiseLike?
Why am I meditating?
Because it really is.
You know what's the premiseLike?
Why am I meditating?
Because if we are clear aboutwhat we want, we can also the
practice can be more meaningful.
Breath is perfect for that.
(16:06):
But before saying that, I justwant to say that I mean the way
Buddhism came into birth or justlike spiritual path in general,
has a lot to do with.
It's not like oh yeah, life isso blissful and joyful and I'm
going to meditate as an extra,you know.
But the real meditation comesfrom a place of like despair,
like suffering pain, like Ireally need the solution.
(16:31):
You know I really need the.
You know what I'm looking for.
So, with that in mind, thereason to meditate is at least
to Buddhism is to understand thenature of the mind, how the
mind works and having a betterunderstanding of reality and
then, you know, having tools tosolve the mind problem.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Which is a very vipassana, insight, deep seeing
way of looking at meditation.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
So with breath base.
It's very helpful for thatbecause you know it goes to that
16th step of mindfulness ofbreathing, which is anapana.
Sati, which is anapana isbreathing, sati is mindfulness.
So it starts with that firstfour steps, which has to do with
(17:20):
breath, and the premise is thatbreath is not just like the air
that we're breathing, but it'salso a life force, like life
energy that we let in and letout and that become a really
solid base to start themindfulness practice and as as a
therapist, this is even thoughthat brings to the Buddhist way
(17:44):
of looking at breath work.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
There is the residual of helping grounding and with
anxiety and letting go of racingthoughts, and practitioners or
meditators focusing theirattention on the natural breath
and observing its movementwithout attempting to control it
.
This practice really encouragesa deepening awareness of the
(18:08):
present moment, ridding thatanxiety or those racing thoughts
, and this breath serves as ananchor for mindfulness, for
being grounded, for insight ofwhat really is in this moment.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Yeah, and the instructions are too simple that
it would just like you know,fly through you.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
The irony.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Because that's how I was taught too and that's also
what it says in the, in thetradition, in the bali canons
about.
There's a very, very simpleinstruction when it comes to
breathing.
The way buddha taught is thatone breathes in and one knows
that he's breathing in.
One breathes out and one knowsthat he's breathing out, and
that really is the basicinstruction of the breath.
(18:57):
Face meditation in the relapsePrevention Group.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
today the group we were looking at someone that was
really struggling with sleepand just staying awake and
racing thoughts.
And well, have you tried to dosome breath work or some
meditation while you can't sleep?
Well, no, but it's amazing how,not the intention to sleep, but
(19:22):
the intention focusing on thebreath, for a lot of people
allows their brainwaves to slowdown and they can go to sleep
easier.
But it's so hard to do when youhave racing thoughts and you
can't sleep.
Yeah, yeah, it's great.
I love the simplicity ofbreathing and you can't sleep.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Yeah, it's great, you know, I love the simplicity of
breathing because that's theonly thing that's happening at
any time.
So, like I think about, oh,life is so difficult, but what
can I work with in this moment?
And breath is always there, youknow, and it's a good basis for
that.
To be more specific, there aresome specific things that are
(20:00):
helpful, which is the countingof the breath, you know, which
has a good way of training themind, Because mindfulness is
also a way of like remembering,remembering to bring the
attention back to what you'redoing.
So breathing is perfect forthat, that.
Oh, you know what am I doingright now?
Breathing, you know.
So pay attention, and thendoing that over and over again.
So counting is perfect for that.
That, oh, you know what am Idoing right now?
Breathing, you know.
So pay attention, and thendoing that over and over again.
(20:22):
So counting is a good beginning,because counting is kind of
conceptual, because number isconceptual, and our mind can do
that.
Assigning that with in-breathas one and then out-breath as
two, it kind of gives the mind atask and then that becomes a
good, you know, ground forestablishing a practice.
(20:43):
You know that can createconsistency.
But then it can turn into thespecific, not like moving on
from the conceptual, it can gointo the reality of the physical
sensation of the breath.
So when you breathe in, younote or you feel the sensation
at the tip of the nose of thephysical sensation of the breath
.
So when you breathe in, you noteor you feel the sensation at
the tip of the nose of thecoolness, and then when you
(21:03):
breathe out, there's a heatsensation and then being with
that, you know, and these areall like really simple methods.
But then what comes out?
Kind of going back to like thereal desire to be free.
If you have the desire, realdesire to be free, if you have
that desire.
A lot is revealed in thatsimplicity, Because I need help,
you know, like despair,heartache, and then what do I
(21:25):
have?
Breathing?
So let me find what's availableand then these can be very,
very powerful from these simpleacts.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
And that simple grounding, an act of the
in-breath and the out-breaththat can be taken even another
step further Noticing thefilling of your lungs from the
lower part of the lung and theinhale in the middle and the
very top of your lungs fillingup and then exhaling and feeling
, and noticing the top, middleand the air leave your lungs.
(21:56):
Middle and the air leave yourlungs.
And it's funny how you can godeeper and deeper to a focus, if
you so choose, with the breathin different forms, which can
lead to less racing thoughts orsomething else to focus on, or
when your brain goes somewhere.
Oh, let me go back to thenoticing the lungs fill up or
(22:20):
the tip of your nose and thesensation of it.
It's amazing how, even thoughit's an inhale or exhale, we can
encourage our thought or ourmind's eye to focus on something
a little bit more specific,something a little bit more
specific.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, it's very physical in a way, but also
spiritual, emotional, mental,everything's all embedded in
that act of breathing.
But yeah, it is always verygrounding, very soothing, very
comforting.
And I was sharing at thatSunday group that Revive about,
(22:58):
because you usually have adiscussion and then our basic
instruction is just breath based, and I felt moved to say
something along the lines oflike there is a sense of safety
and refuge, you know, in thebreathing that when you're
sitting in silence, and thenthere's a sense of safety wait,
no matter what I'm doing rightnow, I'm being kept alive and
(23:18):
there is a sense of safety.
Wait, no matter what I'm doingright now, I'm being kept alive.
And there is a sense of, yeah,being kept alive and protected
in that breath itself.
That oh something is keeping mealive in this moment, no matter
what I do, and that's awesome,you know, yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
A deeper level of insight, if you will, yeah yeah.
Or the impermanent nature ofthe experience of breath or the
transient nature of thephenomenon of breathing.
You can go anywhere outside ofwhere my brain has taken me.
Yeah, good, so we just touchedupon a couple examples of the
(23:53):
breath awareness or thepronounce it again, the
anapanasati, anapanasati yes,yes, anapana.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Pana is actually, I think, in the Sanskrit it's
prana, like pranayama Prana, Ithink it's life or life force.
But in Pali it's pana, anapana,because one of the precepts in
the five precepts, panadipatavedam nithikabhara, so it's a
vow not to kill any livingbeings, and pana is the same
thing, because it's a living,Something that is living is pana
(24:23):
.
So anapana is the in and out ofthat life force, sati is the
mindfulness of the in and out oflife force.
It's a discourse that's prettylong and technical Very good,
excellent.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
My mind went a few ways with that.
I love that let's transition to.
We went from breath awareness,let's go to body awareness
Mindfulness of bodily, physicalsensations present in the body,
(24:59):
such as warmth or tingling ortension.
Relaxation, potentially withoutjudgment or attachment, but you
talk more about it.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Yeah, so in that discourse the four foundations
of mindfulness is before it getsexpanded into that 16th step,
which is that Anapanasati, whichis there's like a tetrad for
each foundation and then thefoundation.
First foundation is all aboutthe body, but then in some
tradition there's a breakingdown of that body, that the
(25:31):
breath body and then thephysical body and then
connecting the two.
So, in terms of like, some ofthe meditation methods that are
popular in the guided meditationworld is more like a body
scanning, where you kind of takean inventory of different parts
of the body, paying attention,and that itself can be very
grounding Because you know youare present here, where your
(25:54):
feet are, where the air is, thetemperature you know when you
start paying attention to.
If you even like systematicallyscan from the top to the bottom
, things feel different.
So that's a simplificationmethod of the body scan, but in
the very specific technical way.
In the tradition there are 32parts of the body, which is very
(26:18):
, very specific for each group.
I'm not going to go through thelist, but it goes back to the
idea of vipassana again, becausethe essence of vipassana seeing
things as they are comes underthose three things, which is,
things are impermanent, thingsare unsatisfactory and things
are impersonal and each part ofthe body can be seen through
(26:41):
that and that's why it is a goodvipassana practice.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
And the 32 parts of the body.
We won't go deep, but I'll giveyou examples.
It's very specific, includinghair of the head, nails, teeth,
skin bones, bone marrow kidneys,skin bones, bone marrow kidneys
(27:05):
.
I mean this type of body, mind,body connection.
Is it's blood sweat?
Right?
It's really focusing andcontemplating the visualization,
each part clearly, andacknowledge the impermanent and
potentially unattractive natureof these things.
It's a very unique something asme, as a westerner.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Oh, that's not the meditation I've ever heard of
before yeah, sometimes I'm alsoamazed by that because I'm in
the medical field as aninterpreter.
The medical field has advancedso much.
But if I think about the 32parts of the body, like that's
2600 years ago.
How did they figure out wherethe heart was?
The bile, the pus, you know?
literally the pus, the bonemarrow, the kidneys, yeah, the
(27:45):
diaphragm, the intestines, the,the feces yeah, it's pretty cool
I mean also the traditions orthe stories that I've heard of
is that in those ancient timewhen, when there is a dead body,
if somebody die, they just sendit to the monastery and then
that's how they meditate,because they really cut the body
open and that's how they figureout where different parts are?
(28:06):
Yeah so it's kind of yeah,scary.
These contemplating these 32body parts, I imagine, can give
a perspective on whatever thisbodily existence is which can
lead to, with the vipassana,more insight and a different
(28:27):
awareness that I might not behumble enough or grounded enough
to really tap into yeah, I meanthat is the tradition of, but
for me, like I do practice themindfulness of death every now
and then, but the mindfulness ofthe repulsiveness and the 32
parts I don't know if it'sbecause I got into yoga recently
(28:49):
, like I'm at a place where I'm,like I love my body, you know,
I don't think about therepulsiveness.
To be honest, I don't don'tknow if I'm a bad Buddhist in
that sense, but what I haveheard of is that when somebody
is struggling really bad withlustfulness, like sex-related
desire, things, this is thetechnique that is given to the
(29:10):
student the repulsiveness oh,this is what you're lasting
after.
So it really kills or it reallyreduces if it's a problem.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
And listeners, don't worry, we're going to go to the
meta love and so it really killsor it really reduces if it's a
problem.
And listeners, don't worry,we're going to go to the meta
love and kindness meditationsoon.
But you're right.
You did just hear him saymeditation on death and
maranasati, maranasati.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Yeah, marana is death , yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
So this is as unique, I think, as we're going to go.
But this meditation involvesreflecting on the reality of
death and the impermanence oflife.
In this type of meditation, thepractitioner contemplates
certainly the certainty of deathI always say there's nothing
more surreal but real than deathbut the uncertainty of its, its
(29:57):
timing, the acknowledging theinevitability of their own
mortality and the impermanenceof this.
But since you brought it up,talk a little bit more about the
meditation on death yeah, it's.
It's kind of difficult to talkabout it without the
reincarnation aspect so wheneverzol has brought this up to me
(30:18):
in the past, we've alwayshaven't done a deep dive, but he
uses the word.
It's a little morbid, but goahead.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
No, yeah, what I meant to say is that, like,
because the way of thinking inthe West is a little different
and this mindfulness of deathcannot be detached from the
Buddhist cosmology or the way wesee the universe, so there is
an aspect of reincarnation pastlife, previous lives, future
(30:47):
lives, things like that.
So to extract mindfulness ofdeath outside of that can be
kind of meaningless, because inBuddhism or in the Buddhist
cosmology death is not the end,it's just an event, like a
passing on to something else.
So mindfulness of death is inthat context that things that
I'm holding onto right now aregoing to be left behind.
(31:10):
So what's important, so thegoal of mindfulness of death is
to really make the idea of karmapronounced, that what am I
really carrying with me pastthis event is my actions, either
mental, verbal or bodilyactions that can produce good
karmic results as opposed to bad.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
So in some ways, even that stresses the urgency of
the present and how you live inthe present with the karma, if
you will, it's leading to adeeper understanding of
potential priorities and values.
Are there certain techniquesfor this type of meditation?
Speaker 3 (31:52):
Yeah, so that 32 parts of the body is good entry
into that.
But there's also likevisualization, which are very,
very vivid visualizations ofthat degeneration, like the dead
body, like the arrival of thatone day and then really
visualizing it in the head andthen even to make it even worse,
that degeneration of the bodyand then really disappearing
(32:16):
into dust, you know generationof the body and then really
disappearing into dust.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
You know, and from my little research I've done, it's
the visualizing, the gradualdecomposition and decay of our
own human corpse potentiallyvividly imagine the various
stages of decay and even to thelevel of being bloated and
discolored and eventualdecomposing into the bones to
dust.
(32:42):
I mean, that's a reallyaccepting way of looking of the
human body dying.
But, like you're saying, it'snot everything that's dying.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
Yeah, it really connects back to the true
purpose of meditation inBuddhism, because the whole
essence of that practice is toreally get to the essence.
That when you think about itthat way, you're like, oh wait,
what's important here, whatreally is the essence of my
existence?
And then it just dispels allthe distractions and a bunch of
(33:19):
noises Like wait, things thatI'm worried about right now, do
they even matter?
It just it dispels all thedistractions and a bunch of
noises, you know, like wait,things that I'm worried about
right now, do they even matter?
Then it really penetratestowards like, oh wait, what's
important?
Which is all about wait, how amI cultivating my mind?
Am I expressing love to the onethat I love?
Am I creating good memories,meaningful relationships, things
like that?
Speaker 1 (33:36):
But there is that sense of like urgency and the
motivation to do good yeah, andit's funny, it's it loosely, I
don't know if it's bali, but itloosely translate to meditation
of the unattractive, and Ialmost see that as a metaphor,
not for like the death, but likehow do I get rid of the
(33:56):
unattractive parts of myself?
So how can I rid that and letthat die and decay, because my
body certainly is but I do wantto switch into something
positive.
You know, like a positive noteit didn't take us long to go
from breath work, body work toto where we went.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Go ahead, yeah because there is that, because
in, in, in the real sense, thegoal is to for the dispassion to
occur, like when I see realityas it is, I just want to let go
of it.
That really is like the setupfor buddhism, that oh wait, are
these the things that I'm beingattached to?
And as soon as you see thereality, you're like like, oh,
(34:39):
I'm just going to let it go.
So that's how that motivationfor liberation is created.
But at the same time there'salso a room for living
productively and joyfully inthis world too, which to me
personally is in the firstfoundation of mindfulness,
because that's also wheregladdening of the mind, the
(35:01):
refreshing of the mind, living areally productive, quality life
, it's also possible.
In that first four steps of thefirst foundation of mindfulness,
there's that aspect youestablish your practice with the
breath, but then, as soon asyou have established that there
is a way to connect that breathbody with the physical body,
where you breathe in and youbecome aware, start feeling the
(35:25):
body.
And then the other aspect is touse that concentration to
soften, uh, to gladden,different parts of the body.
So these are very, verypractical for a layman, like
living in a society kind of ways, because there's a tensing up
of different things and thenthese methods can be very
(35:46):
helpful because I become moreuseful, more at ease and I can
be more present.
So it's not like it might be away of like selling yourself
short in a way not taking thefull extent of budd, the
liberation, but this can be goodenough or good to be able to
like at ease and then befunctional and then bring joy
(36:07):
and happiness to people aroundyou.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
And I think that's a lot of our motivation to
practice or try meditation is Iwant to be at ease, be at ease
and I hear for a lot of peoplethe residual effect is some ease
, some comfort, less anxiety,less fear, less racing thoughts,
and it's walking with purpose.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
and speaking of that walking meditation, tell us
about that yeah, that's also isconnected to the breathing
meditation in a way, except thatit requires more paying
attention, because the specificinstruction you know with
breathing, you pay attention,you breathe in, you know that
you're breathing in, you breatheout, you know that you're
(36:52):
breathing out, which is very,very simple, how you can walk in
a circle or you can walk in aline back and forth.
But the practice becomes alittle complex because you start
the beginning is like, oh right, foot, left foot.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
But then it can be very detailed in the way that
left foot lifting up, left footin the air, left foot landing
and then the gap, you know likebecoming very mindful of that,
and it can be very, verygrounding too, but also really
good for the body to to kind ofbalance that with sitting,
sitting and walking can be verybeneficial yeah, I think a lot
(37:30):
of us compare this to quoteunquote mindfulness being aware
of the bodily movements, the wayyou explain, and then it's the
potential sensations of thebodily movements, and then it
can be the awareness andmindfulness of the bodily
movements, the way you explain,and then it's the potential
sensations of the bodilymovements, and then it can be
the awareness and mindfulness ofthe surrounding environment,
and it's certainly more thangoing back to the breath or the
(37:52):
filling up of the lungs or thesensation on the nose.
So it's a lot of maintainingawareness with a lot of
different aspects.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I've heard people you saidlike a straight line, but a lot
of people do this in theirwalks in the woods, you know,
and it leads to a form ofmindfulness.
(38:13):
Is this a good time to talkabout mindfulness and meditation
that some people we've broughtup in the past?
But your thoughts on what ismindfulness?
What is meditation?
What is the difference?
What is your insight on that?
Zol?
Speaker 3 (38:31):
Yeah, I've also heard of mindfulness meditation.
I don't know what you make ofthat.
The Lantandra.
But yeah, when it comes to, Imean, I guess, to connect more
with Vipassana, like mindfulnessmakes more sense because in
Buddhist tradition, mindfulnessis the word, which is the word
(38:57):
that already existed before theBuddha, but he used that term
anyway to make sense out of it,which is to remember.
So like meditation can be.
Oh yeah, whatever shows up, I'mgonna work with it or I'm gonna
concentrate, I'm gonna focus onthe singleness, concentration,
the one point in it of the mindwhich can be meditation.
(39:19):
But mindfulness has an agendain a way in buddhist tradition
that I am mindful, I amremembering what my purpose is,
what I should do with my mind inthis moment, and then being
able to recall that map or theroadmap.
So like for me, that's how Idifferentiate between especially
if I think about mindfulness ina non-secular or like in a
(39:41):
buddhist tradition, not in likea western therapeutic, you know,
buddhism stripped away kind ofmindfulness, which is kind of
different in the modern world.
But in my tradition mindfulnesshas specifically to do with I
need to bring my attention to,or I need to call to mind about,
the eightfold path and then theFour Noble Truths.
(40:01):
Like am I doing that?
Remembering to bring that back?
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Yeah, that's good.
Well, let's almost wrap up withwhat a lot of people that do
yoga, the metta or the love andkindness meditation, I guess my
description would be.
It's a practice of cultivatingunconditional love, kindness,
goodwill towards oneself andothers.
(40:28):
It involves generating,hopefully radiating, feelings of
love and kindness towardsoneself, loved ones, individuals
, difficult people and,ultimately, all beings.
How would you describe thispractice?
Speaker 3 (40:46):
Yeah, it's a very universal, user-friendly kind of
method.
You know, everybody needs love,everybody needs some kindness
in this world, no matter whatera we're in, you know there is
always it's good to radiate that, Right yeah.
So it's very good because youend up generating positive
energy in yourself, with otherpeople, and it's a big part of
(41:06):
our tradition too.
But what I have heard of I'mnot really good with the numbers
or I don't know likeacademically or scholastically,
but I believe it was like aministry of 40 years or 45 years
of Buddha teaching after hisenlightenment until he died.
But what I have heard of isthat the compassion and the
(41:28):
loving, kindness practices onlycame later, like it was
introduced much later.
But in the beginning it was allabout the Four Noble Truth, the
suffering, you know, theEightfold Path.
But the compassion part camelater, which kind of makes sense
too.
Speaker 1 (41:44):
Yeah, they're quite practical yeah, and as a
therapist I talk about whatenergy you put out can be the
energy you receive or you feelso.
Doing a love and kindness canfoster a sense of connection,
compassion and empathy towards,and kindness can foster a sense
of connection, compassion andempathy towards oneself and
(42:04):
others, and that's a goodfoundational place to be.
Even though you might not feelthat you're getting kindness,
love and compassion back, itdoesn't mean you have to give
hatred and resentment towardsthem, reduce feelings of anger,
resentment, judgment, whilepromoting for a lot of us and
(42:25):
most importantly, inner peaceand emotional resilience and
positive relationships and karma, if you will.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
Yeah, it's a good practice because it requires
effort, just like withmeditation.
It's not like oh, yeah, I canmeditate, it's so easy, I can
just sit.
But loving kindness is likethat too.
It's not like, oh, I'm allinclined to be loving all the
time.
That's not the nature of ourmind.
So it's a good mindfulnesspractice because you need to
train your mind to be like okay,yeah, may you be happy.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
And for our 12-step recovery listeners.
What does the big book say?
When you're resentful towardssomeone, pray for them.
Pray for them.
So it works every time.
It's a form of love andkindness meditation.
No meta, if you will.
Yeah, very cool.
Well, any other?
Any other thoughts, examples aswe spring forward?
(43:13):
I mean, we've certainly hadquite a list and of, uh, ways to
meditate, with differentintentions or focuses or
techniques.
Speaker 3 (43:22):
Yeah, yeah, if it was like a lot and if it was all
over the place.
I just want to summarize withthree main points.
After everything that we talkedabout when it comes to
springing forward intomeditation, as the title
suggests, is that breath baseOne breathes in, one knows that
he's breathing in.
You know, that can be as simpleas that.
(43:44):
And also the body scan payingattention.
Breathing in, you become presentwith different parts of your
body, whatever draws yourattention, and then being
present with it.
And then the loving-kindnesspart.
You know it can be as specificas may I be happy today, you
know.
May I take care of myself todayand may I be at ease today.
And to kind of balance it out,you can even say that to your
(44:07):
loved ones.
You don't even have to say itverbally, but like setting an
intention for the day.
May I be loving to my childrentoday, you know.
May you be happy today.
So those can have reallypowerful ripple effects down the
line, you know.
So those are the three maincomponents of what we talked
about today.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
So Zao's ability to keep things simple always amazes
me and we have a lot oflisteners throughout the country
and around the world.
And if you'd like to learn morefrom Zaw, he does specific
mindfulness and meditationcoaching one-on-one and you can
find us at the links in theepisode notes or at the Recovery
(44:47):
Collective, and he's been knownto do some individual
meditation coaching, if notusing the Buddhist principles
for life coaching and throughouthis whole coaching practice.
So if you want to do more of adeep dive, he's going to keep it
simple for you, but you're morethan welcome to do that.
But I also want to say thankyou, zal, and congratulations on
(45:10):
nine years sober recently, ohyeah.
Speaker 3 (45:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (45:13):
You're welcome.
Years go by fast.
It does, doesn't it?
Check out, zal has all kinds ofarticles and blogs on the topic
of meditation and they'rewonderful.
So go, go read some of thosearticles and blogs if you want
to find out more.
But as we embrace the energy ofspring and embark on a journey
(45:34):
of renewal and growth, we'veexplored a variety of meditation
techniques and practices rootedin Theravada Buddhism.
Each of these practices offerunique insights and benefits,
serving as the powerful toolsfor cultivating mindfulness,
insight and, hopefully, innerpeace.
From the profound introspection, where we confront the
impermanence, to the expansivecompassion of metta meditation,
(45:58):
where we cultivate love andkindness towards ourselves and
others.
Each meditation invites us todeepen our understanding of
ourselves and to the worldaround us.
The walking meditation allowsus to integrate mindfulness into
our daily movements, while themindfulness of breathing anchors
us in the present momentthroughout the breath.
Body awareness practices likethe 32 parts of the body
(46:21):
meditation help us develop adeeper connection to our
physical form, fosteringacceptance and appreciation to
ourselves as we are.
As we spring forward, let usharness the power of meditation
to nurture our minds, bodies andspirits.
Whether we seek clarity,insight or simply a moment of
peace amidst life's busyness,there is a meditation practice
(46:43):
suited to our needs andaspirations.
As we cultivate mindfulness andcompassion within ourselves,
may we also radiate thesequalities outwards, touching the
lives of others with warmth andunderstanding.
Until next time, may yourjourney of self-discovery and
growth be filled with joy, peaceand boundless possibilities.
If this episode has beenbeneficial, please give us a
(47:04):
like and subscribe and sharewith others.
If you've made it to the deepend with us, happy meditating as
we spring forward into thebeauty of the present moment.
My name is Luke and this is Zal.
Speaker 3 (47:15):
Thank you all for listening.
Welcome back to A Therapist, a Buddhist and you.
As the vibrant hues of springunfurl around us, there's an
undeniable sense of renewal inthe air.
It's a season fresh ofbeginnings, where nature blooms
with vitality.
In today's episode, we inviteyou to join us as we spring
forward into meditation, atimeless practice that
harmonizes beautifully with thespirit of spring.
(00:31):
Just as spring brings new lifeinto the world around us,
meditation can infuse our heartsand minds with a sense of
vitality and clarity.
It's a sacred space where wecan pause, reflect and reconnect
with the essence of our being asanctuary of stillness within
life's bustling rhythm.
So throughout this episode, ouresteemed co-host Zal will draw
(00:53):
upon his insights from hisTheravada Buddhist upbringing in
Burma to illuminate the path ofmeditation.
Together we'll unravel atapestry of meditation styles
and techniques, each offering aunique portal to self-discovery
and well-being.
But as we get going today,let's do a little spring
cleaning first.
I do sometimes forget toencourage listeners to like,
(01:14):
subscribe and to leave a comment.
It certainly helps the podcastand, most importantly, helps
others find our podcasts.
If you're inclined to help usfinancially with an offering or
donation, you can do that too.
We do have a donate link at thebottom of every episode
description.
I believe in some of thepodcast platforms there's a
heart, and click on that.
It'll take you to the podcastPayPal account where you can do
(01:37):
a one-time or recurring paymentof your choice.
These types of donations canhelp the podcast put on other
services like courses, futureseries and more written articles
by both Zol and I.
So please consider doing so ifyour heart leads you in that way
.
Zol, you've also revived theAnnapolis Mindfulness community,
haven't you?
I have, yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I'm really happy about that.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Tell our community about Annapolis Mindfulness.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Yeah, I'll keep it short.
I started this group a whileback after finishing school at
St John's, so it went on prettygood, but then during COVID it
died out and we have found a newhome here.
So if every Sunday at 7pm kindof a discussion based communal
open practice, weekly the focusis more on the consistency and
(02:26):
the group effort of sinking intothe collective mindfulness and
then you know people growingtogether in a group.
So I'm really happy that itrevived and, um, hopefully it'll
keep, you know, creating goodvibe in town yeah, and there's
something about meditatingwithin a community or in a group
(02:50):
setting.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
It's something really palpable about meditating with
other people isn't there.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Yeah, especially if it's silent and stillness, like
sometimes I'm just amazed by wow, these people are intentionally
choosing to sit here and okaywith being silent you know, that
that to me, is pretty much aluxury and I get so much out of
those groups where I get to bepart of the group and then share
my experience, hear otherpeople and, um, yeah, the
(03:17):
purpose is really like peoplegetting to know each other,
because it's not just likepeople come and sit and leave,
but there's an aspect ofcommunal togetherness that's
what I try to embrace, wherepeople get to know each other
and then grow together as agroup.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
So yeah, it's interesting, and there's often
lovely tea and somecommunication beforehand, and I
don't know if you do this everytime, but you often bring a
brief reading for the groupwhich can set the tone and
provide your encouragement orrecommendations, and sometimes
the group will process theirexperiences before, during and
(03:51):
after and it's it's a, it's aquick hour, hour and a half,
isn't it?
Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I'll keep the listenersupdated about that too.
It's been a good highlight ofthe week for me because, yeah,
for me, like personally, that'slike a combination of everything
that I stand for in a way.
You know, that's how that groupstarted.
When I started the AnnapolisMindfulness Vipassana-based
(04:16):
seminars, for me it was like theoverlapping of Buddhism, my
experience at St John's College,burmese culture, all these
things recovery things like thatso.
I'll keep it going.
Thanks for graciously providingthe space for us.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, and it's at the Recovery Collective here in
Annapolis, maryland, and it's afree community every Sunday at
seven o'clock event for ourlocal listeners.
It's a great, great thing forthe community and thanks for
facilitating that.
Yeah, absolutely my pleasure.
Speaking about facilitating, Ifeel like I should have some
(04:54):
kind of noise that a therapistat Buddhist in you also won some
awards recently.
Yeah, yeah, wow For theChesapeake Podcast Network,
(05:18):
which is in Annapolis.
Yeah, yeah, wow, and I don'teven know if we mentioned it on
the podcast to vote or not nottypically our style, but we're
very fortunate enough and gladthat we were selected and won
some of the I think, the majorawards there.
Wow, that's awesome.
Favorite podcast co-host andhost.
(05:39):
So thank you everyone and wecertainly do it for the
collective solution for healthand wellness and this is one way
for us to spread our message inour voice and put energy in the
right direction.
But yeah that means a lot, socongrats, congrats to you all
and us thank you, the rest ofyou too, we haven't celebrated
(06:02):
yet, but maybe we should uhcheers with some tea or
something.
Huh, we'll do that, yeah.
All right let's continue tospring forward, shall we?
Let's do it.
We're going to talk a lot aboutmeditation techniques and we
tend to do deeper dives when itcomes to that, so we're going to
(06:23):
hit some unique things.
Zol practices, theravada,theravada, I'll usually say
Theravada Buddhism, andspecifically the Vipassana
meditation which holds this ismy words, and we'll see if Zol
can suss this out for usVipassana meditation holds
significant importance as afoundational practice for
(06:44):
developing insight into the truenature of reality.
Vipassana, which means looselyinsight or clear seeing, is one
of the core aspects of thebuddhist teachings, particularly
emphasizing in the theravadatradition.
Makes sense so far as all yeah.
So the relationship betweentheravada buddhism and vipassana
(07:05):
meditation is deeplyintertwined, with vipassana
being considered one of themethods for realizing the four
noble truths in attainingliberation from suffering.
So how do I?
How do I kind of clean that up?
Simply, vipassana itself ismore of an approach or
perspective than a singletechnique, if you will.
(07:28):
So there are several specificmeditation practices commonly
associated with vipassana in theTheravada tradition.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yeah, there's a long history about that and I don't
really know the details, but I'mglad it's reviving because
there was a period where it diedout in Buddhism and then there
were some movements back inBurma where there was a
resurgence of the movement ofinsight meditation.
Now it's in the West too, so wecan talk more about that.
(08:04):
But I'll share my experienceabout that background.
But yeah, the word vipassanadoes translate.
V means like deep or clear,penetrative, kind of seeing.
Passana, patana means to see, soit's like seeing things as they
(08:24):
are, clear, seeing, which kindof is a method.
But also in the canon there'salso a mentioning of the
vipassana.
Wisdom arises as a result.
So it's something that arisesas well.
But in the West that insightmeditation is great because it
(08:47):
has some secular, non-theisticaltone to it.
It's almost like a scientist.
I'm just trying to understandhow my mind works and I want to
see things as they are.
So it's very practical that wayand that's my approach too when
I practice here about vipassanathat you don't need to be a
buddhist to practice vipassana,although technically vipassana
(09:09):
is very intertwined withbuddhism.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
So but it's uh.
Yeah, just listening to you, mythought was, gosh, if it wasn't
so secular, would the benefitsof meditation be, even be deeper
.
But anyway, I don't want to goon a sidetrack with that, but it
made me think more than justhey, if I do these four breaths
in, four breaths out, then I'dbenefit.
(09:33):
But we're going to talk a lotabout meditation techniques and
styles, some that you may knowof, some that I'm almost certain
that you don't know of.
But let's start that I'm almostcertain that you don't know of,
but let's start.
You recently written an articlediscussing a meditation
technique, and the article iscalled Bead by Bead, the Mindful
(09:54):
Art of Counting.
I'll make sure the link's inour episode notes, but it's
about counting beads as a formof meditation, which is often
called a mala meditation invarious traditions.
Tell us about that technique.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Yeah, I wanted to connect that with my background
too, because I've shared this inmany ways in other episodes
about how much I have afterbeing here with my background.
So a lot of the things thatwere being taught or things that
I absorbed back in Burma as alayman Buddhist, they were kind
(10:32):
of like latent in me and thenthey kind of come into fruition
with recovery and with morelearning and practicing and
things like that.
So for me, I'm still a studentand I'm learning so many new
things every day.
So it's also a way ofrevisiting.
So to connect that withVipassana.
In our tradition there wasalways that path between the two
(10:55):
, like a contrast between thetwo.
There's a Dhammata or Samadhi,which translates as
concentration, one path, andthen the other path is vipassana
, insight.
So it was almost as if that ifyou're doing concentration
method, that's kind of dangerousbecause you can get carried
away with that tamattameditation which has been around
even before Buddhism.
(11:16):
So there was this alwaysleaning more towards vipassana,
that, yeah, don't get distractedwith the concentration, because
you might gain psychic powersyou know being able to see the
future, reading other people'smind, you know being able to fly
, like things like that and thenyou will never be motivated to
achieve liberation.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
So like that was my understanding it's interesting
because you're saying that mymind goes oh as as a Western
civilization.
Americans we focus onconcentration.
Meditation meaning concentrateon the breath, concentrate on
the exhale.
To me you're explainingconcentration in a different way
.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
So I'm just bringing that up to kind of like set the
tone for what we're talkingabout.
Because for me I guess by beinghere I'm also being more
open-minded and willing to learnnew things.
So I'm also seeing some of thedrawbacks from just choosing one
method.
But I'm at a point where I'mlike, oh, they go kind of back
and forth or you can get thebest out of the two methods.
(12:17):
So I'm bringing that up interms of the mindfulness of the
beat by beat.
So that's a really big part ofour tradition to count the beats
.
But it's also seen as aconcentration base, the beat by
beat.
So that's a really big part ofour tradition to count the beats
.
But also it's also seen as aconcentration base because it's
very repetitive.
It's all about the singlenessof the beat, single focus of the
mind.
But then I'm also learning newthings, which is that it can be
(12:38):
a good basis for the insight toarise.
So when your mind is calm,concentrated, you can actually
shape it, direct it to theinside.
So that's also what I wanted toshare in that article about.
You know, there are somespecific method of like in our
tradition contemplating on the.
(12:59):
There are nine qualities ornine virtues or attributes of
the Buddha, and then you canrepeat that over and over again
as a mantra, and then that caneven take you to the insight,
just by doing that.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Are there any other?
We often see in other religions, like the rosary and things
like that, where there's thismantra or meditation.
What are some other examplesthat you might recommend for
people that do some form of beadcounting, whether it's a mantra
or a statement that they mightsay during this form of
meditation?
Speaker 3 (13:32):
Yeah, I mean the power is definitely in the
consistency and also payingattention.
And there is something verygrounding and comforting about
repetition.
You know it can be.
It doesn't even have to be abeat, but like it can be a
location, it can be a time, likethe value and the meaning that
you assign to something, andthen the more you do it over and
over again, it becomes like aground for you, for the mind to
(13:57):
reveal its nature.
So it can be a walk, but thebeat can be helpful in terms of
the physical, the tactilesensation of touching the beats,
and it can be very soothing andcomforting and you're usually
in a quiet place anyway and thenfocusing that, repeating it
(14:18):
over and over again can be verybeneficial.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
I think it's a very practical way for people to
comfortably step into the worldof meditation and mindfulness.
You've got this touch, tactileway you can repeat any kind of
positive affirmation or mantrathat you would like, whether
it's peace, happiness,acceptance, you name it or
(14:42):
something much more personal ifyou'd like, and there's a
certain amount.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
So it's 108.
108 is the standard number,which fits really well with
certain numbers.
There are a lot of numbers inBuddhism and they all fit
perfectly with 108, becausethere are three refuges that's
also part of the tradition thatfits so well with 108, and the
nine qualities of the Buddha.
That fit so well.
(15:10):
So there is something very,yeah, like some kind of a
structure that repeats and, yeah, my mom, all my relatives, were
really big into that and for meit was always something that
was available in the backgroundyeah, the numbers, numbers have
a powerful.
Speaker 1 (15:30):
It's a sacred number.
It's a sacred number for a lotof practices.
Good, so that's one form.
Let's uh, we go mala meditationbead by bead, to meditation
that focuses on the breath.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Yeah, I guess this will also be a good moment to
kind of pause and talk about whywe meditate.
Because it really is.
You know what's the premiseLike?
Why am I meditating?
Because it really is.
You know what's the premiseLike?
Why am I meditating?
Because if we are clear aboutwhat we want, we can also the
practice can be more meaningful.
Breath is perfect for that.
(16:06):
But before saying that, I justwant to say that I mean the way
Buddhism came into birth or justlike spiritual path in general,
has a lot to do with.
It's not like oh yeah, life isso blissful and joyful and I'm
going to meditate as an extra,you know.
But the real meditation comesfrom a place of like despair,
like suffering pain, like Ireally need the solution.
(16:31):
You know I really need the.
You know what I'm looking for.
So, with that in mind, thereason to meditate is at least
to Buddhism is to understand thenature of the mind, how the
mind works and having a betterunderstanding of reality and
then, you know, having tools tosolve the mind problem.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Which is a very vipassana, insight, deep seeing
way of looking at meditation.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
So with breath base.
It's very helpful for thatbecause you know it goes to that
16th step of mindfulness ofbreathing, which is anapana.
Sati, which is anapana isbreathing, sati is mindfulness.
So it starts with that firstfour steps, which has to do with
(17:20):
breath, and the premise is thatbreath is not just like the air
that we're breathing, but it'salso a life force, like life
energy that we let in and letout and that become a really
solid base to start themindfulness practice and as as a
therapist, this is even thoughthat brings to the Buddhist way
(17:44):
of looking at breath work.
Speaker 1 (17:47):
There is the residual of helping grounding and with
anxiety and letting go of racingthoughts, and practitioners or
meditators focusing theirattention on the natural breath
and observing its movementwithout attempting to control it
.
This practice really encouragesa deepening awareness of the
(18:08):
present moment, ridding thatanxiety or those racing thoughts
, and this breath serves as ananchor for mindfulness, for
being grounded, for insight ofwhat really is in this moment.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Yeah, and the instructions are too simple that
it would just like you know,fly through you.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
The irony.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
Because that's how I was taught too and that's also
what it says in the, in thetradition, in the bali canons
about.
There's a very, very simpleinstruction when it comes to
breathing.
The way buddha taught is thatone breathes in and one knows
that he's breathing in.
One breathes out and one knowsthat he's breathing out, and
that really is the basicinstruction of the breath.
(18:57):
Face meditation in the relapsePrevention Group.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
today the group we were looking at someone that was
really struggling with sleepand just staying awake and
racing thoughts.
And well, have you tried to dosome breath work or some
meditation while you can't sleep?
Well, no, but it's amazing how,not the intention to sleep, but
(19:22):
the intention focusing on thebreath, for a lot of people
allows their brainwaves to slowdown and they can go to sleep
easier.
But it's so hard to do when youhave racing thoughts and you
can't sleep.
Yeah, yeah, it's great.
I love the simplicity ofbreathing and you can't sleep.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Yeah, it's great, you know, I love the simplicity of
breathing because that's theonly thing that's happening at
any time.
So, like I think about, oh,life is so difficult, but what
can I work with in this moment?
And breath is always there, youknow, and it's a good basis for
that.
To be more specific, there aresome specific things that are
(20:00):
helpful, which is the countingof the breath, you know, which
has a good way of training themind, Because mindfulness is
also a way of like remembering,remembering to bring the
attention back to what you'redoing.
So breathing is perfect forthat, that.
Oh, you know what am I doingright now?
Breathing, you know.
So pay attention, and thendoing that over and over again.
So counting is perfect for that.
That, oh, you know what am Idoing right now?
Breathing, you know.
So pay attention, and thendoing that over and over again.
(20:22):
So counting is a good beginning,because counting is kind of
conceptual, because number isconceptual, and our mind can do
that.
Assigning that with in-breathas one and then out-breath as
two, it kind of gives the mind atask and then that becomes a
good, you know, ground forestablishing a practice.
(20:43):
You know that can createconsistency.
But then it can turn into thespecific, not like moving on
from the conceptual, it can gointo the reality of the physical
sensation of the breath.
So when you breathe in, younote or you feel the sensation
at the tip of the nose of thephysical sensation of the breath
.
So when you breathe in, you noteor you feel the sensation at
the tip of the nose of thecoolness, and then when you
(21:03):
breathe out, there's a heatsensation and then being with
that, you know, and these areall like really simple methods.
But then what comes out?
Kind of going back to like thereal desire to be free.
If you have the desire, realdesire to be free, if you have
that desire.
A lot is revealed in thatsimplicity, Because I need help,
you know, like despair,heartache, and then what do I
(21:25):
have?
Breathing?
So let me find what's availableand then these can be very,
very powerful from these simpleacts.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
And that simple grounding, an act of the
in-breath and the out-breaththat can be taken even another
step further Noticing thefilling of your lungs from the
lower part of the lung and theinhale in the middle and the
very top of your lungs fillingup and then exhaling and feeling
, and noticing the top, middleand the air leave your lungs.
(21:56):
Middle and the air leave yourlungs.
And it's funny how you can godeeper and deeper to a focus, if
you so choose, with the breathin different forms, which can
lead to less racing thoughts orsomething else to focus on, or
when your brain goes somewhere.
Oh, let me go back to thenoticing the lungs fill up or
(22:20):
the tip of your nose and thesensation of it.
It's amazing how, even thoughit's an inhale or exhale, we can
encourage our thought or ourmind's eye to focus on something
a little bit more specific,something a little bit more
specific.
Speaker 3 (22:38):
Yeah, it's very physical in a way, but also
spiritual, emotional, mental,everything's all embedded in
that act of breathing.
But yeah, it is always verygrounding, very soothing, very
comforting.
And I was sharing at thatSunday group that Revive about,
(22:58):
because you usually have adiscussion and then our basic
instruction is just breath based, and I felt moved to say
something along the lines oflike there is a sense of safety
and refuge, you know, in thebreathing that when you're
sitting in silence, and thenthere's a sense of safety wait,
no matter what I'm doing rightnow, I'm being kept alive and
(23:18):
there is a sense of safety.
Wait, no matter what I'm doingright now, I'm being kept alive.
And there is a sense of, yeah,being kept alive and protected
in that breath itself.
That oh something is keeping mealive in this moment, no matter
what I do, and that's awesome,you know, yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
A deeper level of insight, if you will, yeah yeah.
Or the impermanent nature ofthe experience of breath or the
transient nature of thephenomenon of breathing.
You can go anywhere outside ofwhere my brain has taken me.
Yeah, good, so we just touchedupon a couple examples of the
(23:53):
breath awareness or thepronounce it again, the
anapanasati, anapanasati yes,yes, anapana.
Speaker 3 (24:00):
Pana is actually, I think, in the Sanskrit it's
prana, like pranayama Prana, Ithink it's life or life force.
But in Pali it's pana, anapana,because one of the precepts in
the five precepts, panadipatavedam nithikabhara, so it's a
vow not to kill any livingbeings, and pana is the same
thing, because it's a living,Something that is living is pana
(24:23):
.
So anapana is the in and out ofthat life force, sati is the
mindfulness of the in and out oflife force.
It's a discourse that's prettylong and technical Very good,
excellent.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
My mind went a few ways with that.
I love that let's transition to.
We went from breath awareness,let's go to body awareness
Mindfulness of bodily, physicalsensations present in the body,
(24:59):
such as warmth or tingling ortension.
Relaxation, potentially withoutjudgment or attachment, but you
talk more about it.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
Yeah, so in that discourse the four foundations
of mindfulness is before it getsexpanded into that 16th step,
which is that Anapanasati, whichis there's like a tetrad for
each foundation and then thefoundation.
First foundation is all aboutthe body, but then in some
tradition there's a breakingdown of that body, that the
(25:31):
breath body and then thephysical body and then
connecting the two.
So, in terms of like, some ofthe meditation methods that are
popular in the guided meditationworld is more like a body
scanning, where you kind of takean inventory of different parts
of the body, paying attention,and that itself can be very
grounding Because you know youare present here, where your
(25:54):
feet are, where the air is, thetemperature you know when you
start paying attention to.
If you even like systematicallyscan from the top to the bottom
, things feel different.
So that's a simplificationmethod of the body scan, but in
the very specific technical way.
In the tradition there are 32parts of the body, which is very
(26:18):
, very specific for each group.
I'm not going to go through thelist, but it goes back to the
idea of vipassana again, becausethe essence of vipassana seeing
things as they are comes underthose three things, which is,
things are impermanent, thingsare unsatisfactory and things
are impersonal and each part ofthe body can be seen through
(26:41):
that and that's why it is a goodvipassana practice.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
And the 32 parts of the body.
We won't go deep, but I'll giveyou examples.
It's very specific, includinghair of the head, nails, teeth,
skin bones, bone marrow kidneys,skin bones, bone marrow kidneys
(27:05):
.
I mean this type of body, mind,body connection.
Is it's blood sweat?
Right?
It's really focusing andcontemplating the visualization,
each part clearly, andacknowledge the impermanent and
potentially unattractive natureof these things.
It's a very unique something asme, as a westerner.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
Oh, that's not the meditation I've ever heard of
before yeah, sometimes I'm alsoamazed by that because I'm in
the medical field as aninterpreter.
The medical field has advancedso much.
But if I think about the 32parts of the body, like that's
2600 years ago.
How did they figure out wherethe heart was?
The bile, the pus, you know?
literally the pus, the bonemarrow, the kidneys, yeah, the
(27:45):
diaphragm, the intestines, the,the feces yeah, it's pretty cool
I mean also the traditions orthe stories that I've heard of
is that in those ancient timewhen, when there is a dead body,
if somebody die, they just sendit to the monastery and then
that's how they meditate,because they really cut the body
open and that's how they figureout where different parts are?
(28:06):
Yeah so it's kind of yeah,scary.
These contemplating these 32body parts, I imagine, can give
a perspective on whatever thisbodily existence is which can
lead to, with the vipassana,more insight and a different
(28:27):
awareness that I might not behumble enough or grounded enough
to really tap into yeah, I meanthat is the tradition of, but
for me, like I do practice themindfulness of death every now
and then, but the mindfulness ofthe repulsiveness and the 32
parts I don't know if it'sbecause I got into yoga recently
(28:49):
, like I'm at a place where I'm,like I love my body, you know,
I don't think about therepulsiveness.
To be honest, I don't don'tknow if I'm a bad Buddhist in
that sense, but what I haveheard of is that when somebody
is struggling really bad withlustfulness, like sex-related
desire, things, this is thetechnique that is given to the
(29:10):
student the repulsiveness oh,this is what you're lasting
after.
So it really kills or it reallyreduces if it's a problem.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
And listeners, don't worry, we're going to go to the
meta love and so it really killsor it really reduces if it's a
problem.
And listeners, don't worry,we're going to go to the meta
love and kindness meditationsoon.
But you're right.
You did just hear him saymeditation on death and
maranasati, maranasati.
Speaker 3 (29:32):
Yeah, marana is death , yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
So this is as unique, I think, as we're going to go.
But this meditation involvesreflecting on the reality of
death and the impermanence oflife.
In this type of meditation, thepractitioner contemplates
certainly the certainty of deathI always say there's nothing
more surreal but real than deathbut the uncertainty of its, its
(29:57):
timing, the acknowledging theinevitability of their own
mortality and the impermanenceof this.
But since you brought it up,talk a little bit more about the
meditation on death yeah, it's.
It's kind of difficult to talkabout it without the
reincarnation aspect so wheneverzol has brought this up to me
(30:18):
in the past, we've alwayshaven't done a deep dive, but he
uses the word.
It's a little morbid, but goahead.
Speaker 3 (30:26):
No, yeah, what I meant to say is that, like,
because the way of thinking inthe West is a little different
and this mindfulness of deathcannot be detached from the
Buddhist cosmology or the way wesee the universe, so there is
an aspect of reincarnation pastlife, previous lives, future
(30:47):
lives, things like that.
So to extract mindfulness ofdeath outside of that can be
kind of meaningless, because inBuddhism or in the Buddhist
cosmology death is not the end,it's just an event, like a
passing on to something else.
So mindfulness of death is inthat context that things that
I'm holding onto right now aregoing to be left behind.
(31:10):
So what's important, so thegoal of mindfulness of death is
to really make the idea of karmapronounced, that what am I
really carrying with me pastthis event is my actions, either
mental, verbal or bodilyactions that can produce good
karmic results as opposed to bad.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
So in some ways, even that stresses the urgency of
the present and how you live inthe present with the karma, if
you will, it's leading to adeeper understanding of
potential priorities and values.
Are there certain techniquesfor this type of meditation?
Speaker 3 (31:52):
Yeah, so that 32 parts of the body is good entry
into that.
But there's also likevisualization, which are very,
very vivid visualizations ofthat degeneration, like the dead
body, like the arrival of thatone day and then really
visualizing it in the head andthen even to make it even worse,
that degeneration of the bodyand then really disappearing
(32:16):
into dust, you know generationof the body and then really
disappearing into dust.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
You know, and from my little research I've done, it's
the visualizing, the gradualdecomposition and decay of our
own human corpse potentiallyvividly imagine the various
stages of decay and even to thelevel of being bloated and
discolored and eventualdecomposing into the bones to
dust.
(32:42):
I mean, that's a reallyaccepting way of looking of the
human body dying.
But, like you're saying, it'snot everything that's dying.
Speaker 3 (32:58):
Yeah, it really connects back to the true
purpose of meditation inBuddhism, because the whole
essence of that practice is toreally get to the essence.
That when you think about itthat way, you're like, oh wait,
what's important here, whatreally is the essence of my
existence?
And then it just dispels allthe distractions and a bunch of
(33:19):
noises Like wait, things thatI'm worried about right now, do
they even matter?
It just it dispels all thedistractions and a bunch of
noises, you know, like wait,things that I'm worried about
right now, do they even matter?
Then it really penetratestowards like, oh wait, what's
important?
Which is all about wait, how amI cultivating my mind?
Am I expressing love to the onethat I love?
Am I creating good memories,meaningful relationships, things
like that?
Speaker 1 (33:36):
But there is that sense of like urgency and the
motivation to do good yeah, andit's funny, it's it loosely, I
don't know if it's bali, but itloosely translate to meditation
of the unattractive, and Ialmost see that as a metaphor,
not for like the death, but likehow do I get rid of the
(33:56):
unattractive parts of myself?
So how can I rid that and letthat die and decay, because my
body certainly is but I do wantto switch into something
positive.
You know, like a positive noteit didn't take us long to go
from breath work, body work toto where we went.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Go ahead, yeah because there is that, because
in, in, in the real sense, thegoal is to for the dispassion to
occur, like when I see realityas it is, I just want to let go
of it.
That really is like the setupfor buddhism, that oh wait, are
these the things that I'm beingattached to?
And as soon as you see thereality, you're like like, oh,
(34:39):
I'm just going to let it go.
So that's how that motivationfor liberation is created.
But at the same time there'salso a room for living
productively and joyfully inthis world too, which to me
personally is in the firstfoundation of mindfulness,
because that's also wheregladdening of the mind, the
(35:01):
refreshing of the mind, living areally productive, quality life
, it's also possible.
In that first four steps of thefirst foundation of mindfulness,
there's that aspect youestablish your practice with the
breath, but then, as soon asyou have established that there
is a way to connect that breathbody with the physical body,
where you breathe in and youbecome aware, start feeling the
(35:25):
body.
And then the other aspect is touse that concentration to
soften, uh, to gladden,different parts of the body.
So these are very, verypractical for a layman, like
living in a society kind of ways, because there's a tensing up
of different things and thenthese methods can be very
(35:46):
helpful because I become moreuseful, more at ease and I can
be more present.
So it's not like it might be away of like selling yourself
short in a way not taking thefull extent of budd, the
liberation, but this can be goodenough or good to be able to
like at ease and then befunctional and then bring joy
(36:07):
and happiness to people aroundyou.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
And I think that's a lot of our motivation to
practice or try meditation is Iwant to be at ease, be at ease
and I hear for a lot of peoplethe residual effect is some ease
, some comfort, less anxiety,less fear, less racing thoughts,
and it's walking with purpose.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
and speaking of that walking meditation, tell us
about that yeah, that's also isconnected to the breathing
meditation in a way, except thatit requires more paying
attention, because the specificinstruction you know with
breathing, you pay attention,you breathe in, you know that
you're breathing in, you breatheout, you know that you're
(36:52):
breathing out, which is very,very simple, how you can walk in
a circle or you can walk in aline back and forth.
But the practice becomes alittle complex because you start
the beginning is like, oh right, foot, left foot.
Speaker 1 (37:07):
But then it can be very detailed in the way that
left foot lifting up, left footin the air, left foot landing
and then the gap, you know likebecoming very mindful of that,
and it can be very, verygrounding too, but also really
good for the body to to kind ofbalance that with sitting,
sitting and walking can be verybeneficial yeah, I think a lot
(37:30):
of us compare this to quoteunquote mindfulness being aware
of the bodily movements, the wayyou explain, and then it's the
potential sensations of thebodily movements, and then it
can be the awareness andmindfulness of the bodily
movements, the way you explain,and then it's the potential
sensations of the bodilymovements, and then it can be
the awareness and mindfulness ofthe surrounding environment,
and it's certainly more thangoing back to the breath or the
(37:52):
filling up of the lungs or thesensation on the nose.
So it's a lot of maintainingawareness with a lot of
different aspects.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I've heard people you saidlike a straight line, but a lot
of people do this in theirwalks in the woods, you know,
and it leads to a form ofmindfulness.
(38:13):
Is this a good time to talkabout mindfulness and meditation
that some people we've broughtup in the past?
But your thoughts on what ismindfulness?
What is meditation?
What is the difference?
What is your insight on that?
Zol?
Speaker 3 (38:31):
Yeah, I've also heard of mindfulness meditation.
I don't know what you make ofthat.
The Lantandra.
But yeah, when it comes to, Imean, I guess, to connect more
with Vipassana, like mindfulnessmakes more sense because in
Buddhist tradition, mindfulnessis the word, which is the word
(38:57):
that already existed before theBuddha, but he used that term
anyway to make sense out of it,which is to remember.
So like meditation can be.
Oh yeah, whatever shows up, I'mgonna work with it or I'm gonna
concentrate, I'm gonna focus onthe singleness, concentration,
the one point in it of the mindwhich can be meditation.
(39:19):
But mindfulness has an agendain a way in buddhist tradition
that I am mindful, I amremembering what my purpose is,
what I should do with my mind inthis moment, and then being
able to recall that map or theroadmap.
So like for me, that's how Idifferentiate between especially
if I think about mindfulness ina non-secular or like in a
(39:41):
buddhist tradition, not in likea western therapeutic, you know,
buddhism stripped away kind ofmindfulness, which is kind of
different in the modern world.
But in my tradition mindfulnesshas specifically to do with I
need to bring my attention to,or I need to call to mind about,
the eightfold path and then theFour Noble Truths.
(40:01):
Like am I doing that?
Remembering to bring that back?
Speaker 1 (40:07):
Yeah, that's good.
Well, let's almost wrap up withwhat a lot of people that do
yoga, the metta or the love andkindness meditation, I guess my
description would be.
It's a practice of cultivatingunconditional love, kindness,
goodwill towards oneself andothers.
(40:28):
It involves generating,hopefully radiating, feelings of
love and kindness towardsoneself, loved ones, individuals
, difficult people and,ultimately, all beings.
How would you describe thispractice?
Speaker 3 (40:46):
Yeah, it's a very universal, user-friendly kind of
method.
You know, everybody needs love,everybody needs some kindness
in this world, no matter whatera we're in, you know there is
always it's good to radiate that, Right yeah.
So it's very good because youend up generating positive
energy in yourself, with otherpeople, and it's a big part of
(41:06):
our tradition too.
But what I have heard of I'mnot really good with the numbers
or I don't know likeacademically or scholastically,
but I believe it was like aministry of 40 years or 45 years
of Buddha teaching after hisenlightenment until he died.
But what I have heard of isthat the compassion and the
(41:28):
loving, kindness practices onlycame later, like it was
introduced much later.
But in the beginning it was allabout the Four Noble Truth, the
suffering, you know, theEightfold Path.
But the compassion part camelater, which kind of makes sense
too.
Speaker 1 (41:44):
Yeah, they're quite practical yeah, and as a
therapist I talk about whatenergy you put out can be the
energy you receive or you feelso.
Doing a love and kindness canfoster a sense of connection,
compassion and empathy towards,and kindness can foster a sense
of connection, compassion andempathy towards oneself and
(42:04):
others, and that's a goodfoundational place to be.
Even though you might not feelthat you're getting kindness,
love and compassion back, itdoesn't mean you have to give
hatred and resentment towardsthem, reduce feelings of anger,
resentment, judgment, whilepromoting for a lot of us and
(42:25):
most importantly, inner peaceand emotional resilience and
positive relationships and karma, if you will.
Speaker 3 (42:31):
Yeah, it's a good practice because it requires
effort, just like withmeditation.
It's not like oh, yeah, I canmeditate, it's so easy, I can
just sit.
But loving kindness is likethat too.
It's not like, oh, I'm allinclined to be loving all the
time.
That's not the nature of ourmind.
So it's a good mindfulnesspractice because you need to
train your mind to be like okay,yeah, may you be happy.
Speaker 1 (42:52):
And for our 12-step recovery listeners.
What does the big book say?
When you're resentful towardssomeone, pray for them.
Pray for them.
So it works every time.
It's a form of love andkindness meditation.
No meta, if you will.
Yeah, very cool.
Well, any other?
Any other thoughts, examples aswe spring forward?
(43:13):
I mean, we've certainly hadquite a list and of, uh, ways to
meditate, with differentintentions or focuses or
techniques.
Speaker 3 (43:22):
Yeah, yeah, if it was like a lot and if it was all
over the place.
I just want to summarize withthree main points.
After everything that we talkedabout when it comes to
springing forward intomeditation, as the title
suggests, is that breath baseOne breathes in, one knows that
he's breathing in.
You know, that can be as simpleas that.
(43:44):
And also the body scan payingattention.
Breathing in, you become presentwith different parts of your
body, whatever draws yourattention, and then being
present with it.
And then the loving-kindnesspart.
You know it can be as specificas may I be happy today, you
know.
May I take care of myself todayand may I be at ease today.
And to kind of balance it out,you can even say that to your
(44:07):
loved ones.
You don't even have to say itverbally, but like setting an
intention for the day.
May I be loving to my childrentoday, you know.
May you be happy today.
So those can have reallypowerful ripple effects down the
line, you know.
So those are the three maincomponents of what we talked
about today.
Speaker 1 (44:25):
So Zao's ability to keep things simple always amazes
me and we have a lot oflisteners throughout the country
and around the world.
And if you'd like to learn morefrom Zaw, he does specific
mindfulness and meditationcoaching one-on-one and you can
find us at the links in theepisode notes or at the Recovery
(44:47):
Collective, and he's been knownto do some individual
meditation coaching, if notusing the Buddhist principles
for life coaching and throughouthis whole coaching practice.
So if you want to do more of adeep dive, he's going to keep it
simple for you, but you're morethan welcome to do that.
But I also want to say thankyou, zal, and congratulations on
(45:10):
nine years sober recently, ohyeah.
Speaker 3 (45:12):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (45:13):
You're welcome.
Years go by fast.
It does, doesn't it?
Check out, zal has all kinds ofarticles and blogs on the topic
of meditation and they'rewonderful.
So go, go read some of thosearticles and blogs if you want
to find out more.
But as we embrace the energy ofspring and embark on a journey
(45:34):
of renewal and growth, we'veexplored a variety of meditation
techniques and practices rootedin Theravada Buddhism.
Each of these practices offerunique insights and benefits,
serving as the powerful toolsfor cultivating mindfulness,
insight and, hopefully, innerpeace.
From the profound introspection, where we confront the
impermanence, to the expansivecompassion of metta meditation,
(45:58):
where we cultivate love andkindness towards ourselves and
others.
Each meditation invites us todeepen our understanding of
ourselves and to the worldaround us.
The walking meditation allowsus to integrate mindfulness into
our daily movements, while themindfulness of breathing anchors
us in the present momentthroughout the breath.
Body awareness practices likethe 32 parts of the body
(46:21):
meditation help us develop adeeper connection to our
physical form, fosteringacceptance and appreciation to
ourselves as we are.
As we spring forward, let usharness the power of meditation
to nurture our minds, bodies andspirits.
Whether we seek clarity,insight or simply a moment of
peace amidst life's busyness,there is a meditation practice
(46:43):
suited to our needs andaspirations.
As we cultivate mindfulness andcompassion within ourselves,
may we also radiate thesequalities outwards, touching the
lives of others with warmth andunderstanding.
Until next time, may yourjourney of self-discovery and
growth be filled with joy, peaceand boundless possibilities.
If this episode has beenbeneficial, please give us a
(47:04):
like and subscribe and sharewith others.
If you've made it to the deepend with us, happy meditating as
we spring forward into thebeauty of the present moment.
My name is Luke and this is Zal.
Speaker 3 (47:15):
Thank you all for listening.
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