Shamatha: Focusing on the Breath

15-18 October, 2015. Meditation retreat in Kamalashila Institute, in the Eifel region of German, based on Chapter 10 of James Low's book Simply Being, which is a translation of Patrul Rinpoche's text "Self-liberating Understanding".

"Integrating the view, meditation and activity in dzogchen. We will focus on the self liberation of experience, which is the heart of the meditation, and how to apply that within the complexities of daily life. This involves finding the middle way of appearance and emptiness, free of control and avoidance on the one hand, and merging and identification on the other."

~ James Low

• Thursday 15/10/2015: session 1 introduced "two methods for calming the mind and looking at the contents of the mind by focussing attention."

- Shamatha meditation

- Distraction - giving ones self

- Re-collection and mindfulness

- Vipassana

- Naming is not neutral

- Question - spontaneity and choice

- Awareness

- Identity - meaning - situation

- Nine round breathing

- Sitting with what occurs

- Leaving appearances to be as they are

- Guru Yoga

- Guru Yoga instructions

- Thoughts and feelings passing through

- Question - who notices - mind - ego

- Just with the thought

- A few words about the text

- Introduction to the text

- From the heart of a ragged gentleman

- Inseparability of your mind and the Dharmakaya

- Knowing this everything is liberated

- Question - fear - dissolving

- Question fear anxiety holding on

-This one is sufficient to rule

• Friday • 16/10/2015: session 2 develops that. The topic is awareness. "Awareness and attention are not the same. Awareness is the open clarity of the mind which is present whether we are attentive or not. Awareness is innate, is there from the beginning, whether we are aware of it or not."

- On Refuge

- Question - tree of refuge

- Compassion then back to Refuge

- Clear and alert in non-artificial voidness

- Question - letting go

- Do not react - remain without artifice

- Practice in conjunction with the text

- Your mind is not found by seeking

- Staying with the direct experience

- Time is limited

- Seeking is not necessary - remain without artifice

- Non-artificiality removes all obstacles

- About the involvement of the experiencer

- The demon of elation - relational structures

- Buoyant and hopeful - equanimity

- Question - faith and trusting

- Teaching on the minds hidden faults

- Sitting exactly here and now

- Question - one ground two paths - the Bardo

- Question - Semdzin practice

- Question - allowing impact allowing duration

- Question - emanation

- Question - partial enlightentment - predjudice illumination relative truth

- Question - a universal ethical code

Transcript of the retreat: https://bit.ly/4iJbaX5

Audio recording of the retreat: https://www.simplybeing.co.uk/2015/11/28/autumn-2015/

Learn more about future events: simplybeing.co.uk/events/

📱 Instagram of excerpts: https://instagram.com/SBSangha_JamesLow

🎧 Poscasts of some teachings: https://simplybeing.co.uk/news/podcasts/

📆 Learn more about future events: https://simplybeing.co.uk/events/

Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywDBc4XLsvU