As a monk, I bring a strong commitment, along with the renunciate flavor, to the classic Buddhist teachings. I play with ideas, with humor and a current way of expressing the teachings, but I don't dilute them.
Sitting in a field of fifty to eighty people really starts my mind sparking. Since I don't prepare my talks ahead of time, I find myself listening to what I'm saying along with everyone else. This leaves a lot of room for the Dhamma to come up. Just having eighty people listening to me is enough to engage me, stimulate me, and create a nice flow of energy. The actual process of teaching evokes ideas that even I did not realize were being held somewhere in my mind.
Different teaching situations offer their own unique value. In retreat, you are able to build a cohesive and comprehensive body of the teachings. When people are not on retreat and come for one session, it opens a different window. They are more spontaneous and I'm given the chance to contact them in ways that are closer to their "daily-life mind." This brings up surprises and interesting opportunities for me to learn even more.
I'm continually struck by how important it is to establish a foundation of morality, commitment, and a sense of personal values for the Vipassana teachings to rest upon. Personal values have to be more than ideas. They have to actually work for us, to be genuinely felt in our lives. We can't bluff our way into insight. The investigative path is an intimate experience that empowers our individuality in a way that is not egocentric. Vipassana encourages transpersonal individuality rather than ego enhancement. It allow for a spacious authenticity to replace a defended personality.
I normally incorporate Qi Gong instruction in my retreats. They are not suitable as audio files but you can watch the nine videos here: https://tinyurl.com/Sucitto-qigong
Q1 In sitting meditation I have much less distraction but I feel a sense of torpor. Where does this come from and how can I deal with it? 07:10 Q2 I spend the majority of my life trying to ignore my difficult emotions. Since I began meditation I’ve tried to welcome them all but they take a lot of space. Will it be like this the rest of my life? [A similar one:] I find myself in a deep groove of negativity which is hard to shift. After a couple of decades of practice I am embarrassed by this and find myself more and more isolated from family and friends. [A similar one:] I was bullied as a young teenager which destroyed my self-esteem. How can I secure my heart? 17:20 Q3 Can you explain the difference between citta and consciousness? [A similar one:] How can citta be experienced best? Is it only through phenomena? Can citta be satisfied by internal content and does this help to ease the thirst for sensual gratification? 28:18 Q4 I find it very difficult to do chanting because of difficulty with my throat feeling clogged. 30:20 Q5 My son has had long covid for 4 years and started getting panic attacks. Can you comment please. 33:30 Q5 My question is about violence – not just corporeal violence but also including gossip, jealousy etc. Can you speak to these please?
Q1 I couldn't keep up with this morning's talk. Could you talk about the meaning of kalyana? Q2 04:20 What can we doing instead of getting rid of stuff that bothers us? 09:49 Q3 my inner tyrant has been very active. What is it and how can I deal with it? 14:32 Q4 What does "sitting with emotions" mean more concretely? It feels a bit abstract. 22:26 Q5 Is there something like embodied thinking? In other words, how to reflect upon my meditation when words are sankaras? 25:33 Q6 How to create a more permanent sense feeling of safety in the body? 29:28 Q7 My mother has dementia and refuses to acknowledge her situation. She recently fell and broke her hip. My father is struggling to maintain himself, trying to do the best he can. I'm deeply touched by this situation. How can I best integrate this into my practice? 40:20 Q8 Sometimes in QiGong practice I feel a little nauseous. Can you comment please?
Q1 How can I differentiate whether it's the ghost that's speaking or the thing that I should work harder on. I feel that if I work a little harder I can be a little better. How should I know it's time to stop ... and where to go? Q2 16:18 if done with love can accomplishment make the heart sing? Q3 17:50 How do I stop longing for emotional connection with a partner and of one of my children? I practice with letting go of the wanting but sometimes the longing arises and it's painful. Q4 25:38 Can you explain again the flow of the air on the in-breath. Q5 33:01 could you say something more about walking. When I'm doing it I'm stiff, rigid and can't get the swing.
