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Meditation
The inner quiet which arises from meditation relieves the stress of these times of rapid change, when it is so easy to lose our sense of stability and balance. In trying to do too much in too little time, we can become agitated and upset. But when our minds are relaxed and quiet, life becomes simple and balanced, free from disruptive extremes. When we are balanced, we will be healthy – the body is relaxed and the mind peaceful. We become free from confusion, disappointments, and illusions. We learn to guide ourselves with our meditation experience...
-- Tarthang Tulku, from Openness Mind
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Meditation: Let It Be
Buddha’s teaching is a way of life. It is a path for living a balanced, peaceful, and useful life: a path that provides us with a way out of the endless series of problems and struggles we face in life. We can discover this path in meditation, a way that opens us to the meaning of enlightenment.
Although meditation is actually very simple, it is easy to get confused by the many different descriptions of meditative practices. Forget them all and just sit quietly. Be very still and relaxed, and do not try to do anything. Let everything – thoughts, feelings, and concepts – go through your mind unheeded. Do not grasp at ideas or thoughts as they come and go or try to manipulate them. When you feel you have to do something in your meditation, you only make it harder. Let meditation do itself.
After we learn to let thoughts slip by, the thoughts will slow down, and nearly disappear. Then, behind the flow of thoughts, you will sense a feeling which is the foundation of meditation. When you contact this quiet place behind your inner dialogues, let your awareness of it grow stronger. You can then simply rest in the silence. For in that silence there is nothing to do; there is no reason to produce anything or to stop anything. Just let everything be.
When meditating in this simple, accepting way, the meditative quality gradually becomes more pronounced, and its experience more immediate. After each meditation the light of this experience will remain and strengthen with practice. Meditation just comes of itself, like the morning sun; inner awareness, once touched upon, radiates naturally. But finding this inner awareness needs daily practice, so it is important to set aside time for meditation.
As you persevere in your practice, you will know whether you are on the right path, and whether your meditation is effective, by examining your life. When your mind is peaceful and more loving, when your emotions are steady and even, and your life is going smoothly, then you know that you are making progress.
Meditation Programs
e-Kum Nye / e-Meditation: The Power of Breath, for developing "inner calm" (Sanskrit: Samatha)
“Once we know how to contact the energy of breath,
breathing becomes an infinite source of vitalizing energies.”
– Kum Nye - Tibetan Yoga pg. 35
We are happy to announce ‘The Power of Breath’ online course. It is open to any with an interest in Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga and Tibetan Meditation. As part of both the e-Kum Nye Yoga program and e-Meditation programs this course will help to draw out the power of breath in order to deepen and compliment your study and practice.
Our sustained well-being depends on wholesome breathing patterns. In life, the breath is the motor of our being. Our breathing charts the rhythms of life. At birth we take our first breath. Our life comes to an end shortly after we exhale for the last time. In Kum Nye, refining the breath is essential. To tame the breath, we first create inner space through movements and postures. Because we have worked with the physical body, we are ready to cultivate positive breathing patterns.
In this course, we will introduce the power of the breath to bring together body, mind and senses. Breathing meditation helps to relax longstanding stress patterns. When the breath is free and light, the mind opens and energy is available for positive change. Insights gained through mindfulness of breath can be profound. In Kum Nye, you can make important changes in your life merely by cultivating healthy breathing patterns. But, these refinements must come naturally or we will simply serve to reinforce the current patterns. If we approach the breath with a tense and controlling mind, the breath will become tense as well. Kum Nye is an accessible and effective method for bringing out breathing patterns that are in alignment with nature. Gradually, all aspects of our being come into alignment with nature’s patterns and frequencies.
This program is based on the "Breath" chapters in Kum Nye Tibetan Yoga, Tibetan Relaxation, The Joy of Being, Hidden Mind of Freedom, Gesture of Balance, and Mastering Successful Work as well as traditional Dharma resources. Each lesson will have one or more themes from the Kum Nye body of knowledge on mindfulness of breath. You will also be given a specific set of Kum Nye exercises to loosen up the throat area and create inner space. The physical Kum Nye exercises will facilitate fine tuning of the breath. The weekly suggested breathing exercises will be the heart of the program and the focus of your weekly Kum Nye practice.
The e-Kum Nye/e-Meditation team will be available for discussion and follow up as you would like or need. This level contains 10 lessons. The cost of this level is $59. There is no prerequisite for this course.
Please download registration form here
Tibetan Meditation - Audio CD Series
Beginning Meditation - CD #1
Meditative awareness has three primary qualities: calmness, openness, and harmony. As we practice, we naturally become calm, relaxed, and comfortable and we find that meditation is soothing and enjoyable.
Deepening Meditation - CD #2
The secret formula that leads to higher meditation is to not identify, take a position, or hold onto anything within meditation. This “secret” knowledge of meditation becomes a self-sustaining source of inspiration.
Transforming Emotions - CD #3
Working with emotions can be difficult, and it is tempting to imagine that there is another place where problems don’t exist. But this is your life, here and now. So whatever your situation and resource, body, mind, energy, awareness, and use them fully right now, instead of wasting time caught up in emotional turmoil.
Visualization and Mantra - CD #4
As our ability to visualize images improves, we gain confidence in the power of mind. With an empowered mind, we can creatively pursue all that is positive, while casting aside needless duplications of suffering and destructive thinking. Thoughts have less power as the light of awareness offers a safe haven.
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Inspiration from Knowledge of Freedom
While we share a commonality with others, each of us has a unique life story that continues to unfold, forged from hopes and dreams, actions and interactions. The ability to learn from our experience throughout our lives is also the gift of knowledge.