I wanted to share, both for readers and for my own reflection, some of the key points that I took from a recent 3-week retreat. Though it has been several weeks since the retreat ended, I think they are still worth sharing…
- The practice itself is constantly changing. The techniques themselves, their application and the understanding behind them continue to change. Part of this seems to be a response to particular conditions (certain practices make more sense at certain points) and also seems to be a natural movement of greater fluidity and mastery. I’m starting to appreciate Jack Kornfield’s suggestion to “do whatever practices help you stay most present & awake.” Metta, Mahasi noting, choiceless awareness, anapana sati, self-enquiry, Big Mind, etc. It’s all useful in opening more fully to what is, and since what is is always changing, they are all useful.
- The sense of self, center-point, knower seems solidified (more so) for me in the thoughts of progress, of me being the one who is getting or becoming enlightened. I had an interesting realization about this toward the end of the retreat, about the distinction between the usefulness of the content and views of the mind and the unconscious identification with them. The most cherished views don’t get questions, which I can see happening in my own practice. Furthermore, this distinction is important because one need not abandon certain ideas, in order to investigate them. I had been flip-flopping between the developmental and “always already” views of enlightenment in an attempt to work with the identification with self as the “one getting enlightened.” Instead, seeing the identification, exploring, and opening to it are all that needs to happen. This is the practice. But recognition is key–the first step. The rest will take care of itself.
- Exploring more pleasant mind states, including bliss, clarity, joy, and mindfulness itself is extraordinarily important. Identification happens here as well, but because they are pleasant (however subtly) there is often a hesitancy to explore them. But they are as conditional and fabricated as any other mind state. In short they are empty. The recognition of emptiness fuels the liberation process; is liberation itself.
- The practice of being aware of the attitude with which certain experiences (especially mind states) are being experienced is very helpful. Often there is a background attitude, or mind state, that is filtering the attention (consciousness) of a current arising experience. Seeing it and allowing it, allows reality to manifest in fully fluidity and identity is necessarily freed. What is seen is no longer, “I.” What moves is not “me.”
