41 Equanimity, part 2

Fall 2011 Shamatha Retreat

As riding a dolphin… Today, as the last session of a 10 day cycle on Shamatha and the 4
Immeasurables, the session was about equanimity conjoined with tonglen. Before jumping
into it, Alan touched the topic of how mindfulness of breathing, once the breath is settled in
its natural rhythm, can never be boring because the cause itself of boredom is removed with
this practice, and it becomes like riding a dolphin.

Next, he explained how these three methods to achieve shamatha help or can provide
depth for the cultivation of equanimity, going to the substrate and from that perspective
carry on with this discursive meditation (36:14).

Finally, we had three detailed questions (61:05): one about the measure of releasing during each
out-breath when settling the respiration in its natural state; second one was about until
which point does the practice of settling the mind in its natural state purify unwholesome
deeds, and if it might be needed additional purification practices; the third one was about
the Buddhist approach with respect to free will and determinism. We were delighted with
extremely interesting answers that went beyond the questions themselves.

Please don’t miss this podcast. Enjoy