Glen Svensson, 03 Apr 2020
Session 1: Settling body, speech and mind 1. What is shamatha? 2. Why is shamatha practice important? 3. Preparation (body, speech & mind) 4. Meditation - settling body, speech & mind
Glen Svensson, 03 Apr 2020
Settling Body, Speech and Mind in their Natural State
Glen Svensson, 07 Apr 2020
Session 2: Breath (full-body) 1. Review 2. Qualities (relaxation, stability, clarity) 3. Objects (breath, mind, awareness, merging mind with space) 4. The actual practice 5. Meditation - breath (full-body) 6. Tips for the practice 7. Q&A This session focuses on mindfulness of breath with full body awareness. Glen reviews our previous practice of settling the body, speech and mind in its natural state, and how this practice can be an entryway to shamatha, vipassana, and cutting throu…
Glen Svensson, 07 Apr 2020
Full Body Awareness
Glen Svensson, 10 Apr 2020
Session 3: Breath (shavasana) 1. Review 2. Tools (mindfulness, introspection) 3. Shavasana posture 4. Meditation - breath (shavasana) 5. Tips for the practice 6. Q&A While doing a review of the past sessions, Glen stresses the importance of relaxing when distraction occurs, not “clamping down,” and reads a quote from The Attention Revolution. He states how for modern people with a lot of rumination, mindfulness of breathing is probably the best option. Glen describes the diffe…
Glen Svensson, 10 Apr 2020
Shavasana
Glen Svensson, 14 Apr 2020
Session 4: Breath (abdomen) 1. Review 2. Five faults and eight antidotes 3. The actual practice 4. Meditation - breath (abdomen) 5. Tips for the practice 6. Q&A There are five faults one has to overcome in their shamatha practice: laziness, forgetfulness, laxity & excitation, non-application, and over-application. These are corrected by the eight antidotes: Faith, aspiration, enthusiasm, pliancy, mindfulness, introspection, application and equanimity. By reflecting on the benefit…
Glen Svensson, 14 Apr 2020
Focusing on the abdomen
Glen Svensson, 17 Apr 2020
Session 5: Breath (nostrils) 1. Review 2. Actual practice 3. Meditation - breath (nostrils) 4. The five obscurations 5. The acquired sign 6. Q&A Today we focus on mindfulness of the breath, focusing on the entrance of the nostrils. This enhances the clarity of your attention. It is imperative to not sacrifice relaxation for clarity. Meditation begins at 15:20 There are five obscurations towards achieving samadhi: Hedonistic craving, malice, laxity & dullness, excitation & anxie…
Glen Svensson, 17 Apr 2020
Focusing on the nostrils
Glen Svensson, 21 Apr 2020
Session 6: Breath (Dzogchen approach) 1. Review 2. The actual practice 3. Meditation - breath (Dzogchen approach) 4. Overview of the nine stages 5. Stages one to four 6. Q & A Today we practice mindfulness of breathing with the Dzogchen approach. The object is the awareness of the mind, while peripherally noticing the rhythm of the breath. Meditation starts at 11:50 Glen begins his explanation of the 9 stages leading to shamatha. Shamata is obtained through the six powers, the…
Glen Svensson, 21 Apr 2020
Dzogchen Approach to Mindfulness of Breathing
Glen Svensson, 24 Apr 2020
Session 7: Observing the Mind 1. Review 2. The actual practice 4. Review of stages one to four 5. Stages five to nine 6. Q&A Glen begins with a brief introduction on how to meditate with the mind as the object. Meditation starts at 8:40 After a quick review of the first four stages of shamatha, we continue learning about the final stages leading to the achievement of shamatha. Stage 5, Tamed Attention: One takes satisfaction in samadhi through the power of introspection. S…
Glen Svensson, 24 Apr 2020
Observing the Mind
Glen Svensson, 28 Apr 2020
Session 8: Observing thoughts 1. Review 2. Observing thoughts 3. The actual practice 4. Meditation - observing thoughts 5. Tips for the practice 6. Q&A In this session we continue with the practice of observing the mind. For people who struggle with maintaining mindfulness towards their thoughts, they should simply relax, let thoughts be as they are, and observe them. By doing this long enough, they will become masters of their own mind. Lerab Lingpa states how one must meditate o…
Glen Svensson, 28 Apr 2020
Observing Thoughts
Glen Svensson, 01 May 2020
Session 9: Observing emotions 1. Review 2. Meditative experiences 3. Advice for the practice 4. The actual practice 5. Meditation - observing emotions 6. Length of sessions 7. Q&A Glen continues reading Lerab Lingpa’s text on settling the mind in its natural state, and begins by speaking about meditative experiences. In general, meditators should try not to make a big deal out of pleasant or unpleasant experiences, and let go of any attachment and aversion towards their practice. It…
Glen Svensson, 01 May 2020
Observing Emotions
Glen Svensson, 05 May 2020
Session 10: Observing Space of the Mind 1. Review 2. The actual practice 3. Meditation - observing space of the mind 4. Space of the mind 5. Process of delusion in samsara 6. Q&A Today’s practice centers on observing the space of the mind, with an emphasis on the clarity that remains in the intervals between thoughts. Glen also introduces an element of inquiry into this meditation. Meditation starts at 11:23 There are three levels of consciousness: coarse consciousness, substr…
Glen Svensson, 05 May 2020
Observing the Space of the Mind
Glen Svensson, 08 May 2020
Session 11: Stillness in Motion 1. Review 2. Stillness in motion 3. The release of thoughts 4. The actual practice 5. Meditation - stillness in motion 6. The two kinds of path 7. The four types of mindfulness 8. Q&A
Glen Svensson, 08 May 2020
Stillness in Motion
Glen Svensson, 12 May 2020
Session 12: Resting in Awareness 1. Review 2. Shamatha without a sign 3. The actual practice 4. Meditation - resting in awareness 5. Gelug Mahamudra 6. Q&A In this session we focus on shamatha without a sign, or awareness of awareness. Shamatha without a sign means we do not have a object to observe such as the breath. In this practice, we withdraw from all sensory and mental appearances, and place our attention in its own natural state just as it is. It is recommended to alternate bet…
Glen Svensson, 12 May 2020
Resting in Awareness
Glen Svensson, 15 May 2020
Session 13: Resting in awareness (probing) 1. Review 2. The two approaches 3. The actual practice 4. Meditation - resting in awareness (probing) 5. Prerequisites for shamatha 6. Q&A In todays session we continue with the practice of resting in awareness, this time with an added element of inquiry. Glen quotes Padmasambhava from Natural Liberation when speaking about the two modes of practice, which are either first being introduced to the view and then meditation, or vice versa. Padm…
B. Alan Wallace, 15 May 2020
Resting in Awareness (Probing)
Glen Svensson, 19 May 2020
Session 14: Merging Mind with Space (directing) 1. Review 2. Merging mind with space 3. The actual practice 4. Meditation - merging mind with space (directing) 5. Achieving shamatha 6. Beyond shamatha 7. Q&A In today’s session we practice merging the mind with space. This is similar to the practice of awareness of awareness in that it is shamatha without an object. Meditation starts at 11:11 Glen explains the actual process of attaining shamatha. Upon attaining shamatha, total…
Glen Svensson, 19 May 2020
Merging Mind with Space
Glen Svensson, 22 May 2020
Session 15: Merging mind with space (releasing) 1. Review 2. The actual practice 3. Meditation - merging mind with space (releasing) 4. Importance of achieving shamatha 5. Which object to use 6. Q&A 7. Dedication On our last session, we focus on the practice of merging the mind with space, this time with an alternation between sharpening the attention and release. Meditation starts at 10:55 Glen describes the story of the Buddha on how he discovered that access to the first j…
Glen Svensson, 22 May 2020
Merging Mind with Space (Releasing)
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