Metta + Bodhicitta: Blazing in the Fires of Sunyata
Led by Dhammarati, Lokeshvara, Parami, Saccanama, Saddhaloka, Saddhanandi
"Metta is a necessary aspect of Insight, and with reflection on the real nature of metta, Insight will shine through... The cultivated emotions of the Brahma Viharas pass through the fires of sunyata, or emptiness - that is, non-self, or non-duality - thus giving rise to the bodhicitta, or wisdom heart."
Using seminar material from 'Living with Kindness' we will investigate the nature of metta through presentations and discussion, and by practising the metta and bodhicitta meditations each day, with opportunities for meditation reviews.
We will especially focus on the relationship between Positive Emotion and Right View, opening up the views that keep us bound by the illusion of self, and rooted in negative emotion.
''At the back of all negative emotion is the thought ‘What’s in this for me?’ Even in our cultivation of positive emotion, the sense of self acts as a kind of gravitational pull that makes it very difficult for our friendliness and kindness towards others to be truly selfless.''
Bhante teaches Metta as a path to Insight, and describes the culmination of the Metta Bhavana as entirely free from 'self' as a reference point, free from the power of the illusion of a separate self: a state in which the whole movement and tendency of our being is expansive.
''Just as a circle that has expanded to infinity is not really a circle anymore, having gone beyond any distinguishable shape, so the mind that has expanded to embrace all beings has gone beyond definition.''
For: Order Members
Start date: 9th Jun 2017
End date: 16th Jun 2017
Event Type: Residential
Price: Waged/Supported £245 | Unwaged/Unsupported £175
Non-refundable deposit: £70 (included in prices above)
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Bookings are closed for this Event.