​Clear Consciousness Meditation with Eric Berg
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Weekly Regular Practice
Thursdays 6pm - 7:00pm, 30 min silence Donation based Join Eric Berg for a 30 minute samatha/stillness meditation. Eric is ordained in Buddhism and will provide straightforward guidance. Great for both beginning and experienced mediators. Side effects include greater peace and enthusiasm. Eric Berg has decades of training and ordinations in the Theravada and Zen Buddhist traditions and has taught meditation to small groups for many years. |
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Monthly Meditation Class
Sunday, January 12, 2020 1 hour silence Donation based Meditation persist in bringing your attention back to the present, following the breath, despite yourself, developing mindfulness. You also settle into yourself more deeply, with reduced mental fluctuations but clearer awareness, and make yourself more whole. Eventually your monkey mind settles down, your "body and mind drop away" and you experience the effortless effort and bliss of samadhi (the 8th limb of Ashtanga) which is available to everyone. Practice and all is coming. |
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Quarterly Mini Meditation Retreat
Saturday (to be announced) 11:45am - 4:30 pm, 4hr silence Donation based This is an "open" meditation where you come and go as you decide. Anyone familiar with meditation is welcome to join for part or all of the session. Eric will be present with eyes open and aware throughout, will ring the bell every half hour, maybe say a brief word of encouragement, then ring the bell a second time to resume meditation. You may sit one, two, or more half-hour periods. Ultimately you are responsible for your practice, and here that takes concrete form where you can sit in meditation for up to 4 hours non-stop, or at any time you can take a deep yawn, stretch, change your position, stand up, do walking meditation, take a break on the other side of the room, get a cup of tea, go to the beach for a while and come back, or call it a day. Know your body and mind, push them but don't hurt them. Feel free to arrive whenever you like, simply be mindful to minimize distractions when coming or going. |
Reflections on our previous Mini Meditation Retreat
"Thanks for participating!
We inspire each other with our good effort. There's a term in Pali/Sanskrit for that... a "practice friend", kalyana-mita/kalyana-mitra which Buddha used to describe peers who support each other in practice.
It's interesting to note that the clearest time was the first, last, or middle part of the 4 hours depending on who you ask. That's because each of us comes to the experience of this challenge from a different psychology. If we were all the same with the exact same obstacles, then the process to let it go would be the same. Instead each of us has a unique journey to take, and so like with Mysore-style practice, we need to direct our own practice given the inspiration and faith in our True Self as well as the general instructions we hear. Having practice-friends and teachers helps so much by seeing how the steps look along the way, reinforcing our confidence and keeping us from pretending to ourselves.
Doing an intense practice like we did (in addition to regular practice) helps us see ourselves in new ways. It opens up space in our sense of self ("space training"). It's part of the process of learning to seperate from your story/drama/fluctuations-of-the-mind, and that leads to contentment in that moment. I hope each of you has noticed that things felt or looked a little different yesterday and maybe today." ~ Eric
We inspire each other with our good effort. There's a term in Pali/Sanskrit for that... a "practice friend", kalyana-mita/kalyana-mitra which Buddha used to describe peers who support each other in practice.
It's interesting to note that the clearest time was the first, last, or middle part of the 4 hours depending on who you ask. That's because each of us comes to the experience of this challenge from a different psychology. If we were all the same with the exact same obstacles, then the process to let it go would be the same. Instead each of us has a unique journey to take, and so like with Mysore-style practice, we need to direct our own practice given the inspiration and faith in our True Self as well as the general instructions we hear. Having practice-friends and teachers helps so much by seeing how the steps look along the way, reinforcing our confidence and keeping us from pretending to ourselves.
Doing an intense practice like we did (in addition to regular practice) helps us see ourselves in new ways. It opens up space in our sense of self ("space training"). It's part of the process of learning to seperate from your story/drama/fluctuations-of-the-mind, and that leads to contentment in that moment. I hope each of you has noticed that things felt or looked a little different yesterday and maybe today." ~ Eric
"Dear All, This is what I am grateful for ... My heart has been smiling all day ...
Thank you Eric, Cindy and friends ...Love & Blessings" ~ Merry
"Thank you, Eric,
I appreciate the experience, and you guiding us through it. There were definitely parts of ease and parts of challenge for me, which I guess is quite literally how the sutras define us taking our seat - stihira sukham asanam.
I enjoyed the stories and wisdom words you shared with us throughout as well! And I thought perhaps appropriate that you chose the translation you did for nirodhah in a stillness focused pratice." ~ Vanessa
Thank you Eric, Cindy and friends ...Love & Blessings" ~ Merry
"Thank you, Eric,
I appreciate the experience, and you guiding us through it. There were definitely parts of ease and parts of challenge for me, which I guess is quite literally how the sutras define us taking our seat - stihira sukham asanam.
I enjoyed the stories and wisdom words you shared with us throughout as well! And I thought perhaps appropriate that you chose the translation you did for nirodhah in a stillness focused pratice." ~ Vanessa