Thanksgiving Dinner as Spiritual Practice

I believe it was Ram Das who said: "if you think you are so enlightened, try spending a week with your parents!"

Getting together with family is an opportunity many people in the world do not get to enjoy. Nonetheless, time with parents, children, siblings etc. can be grating in its own way! As many have discovered over the holidays, there is something about family that can push certain buttons and revive certain patterns. Especially for spiritual aspirants who are keenly aware of this kind of backsliding, family get togethers can be tricky territory! Why is that we can all become like adolescents around the dinner table, quick to forsake all of our spiritual training?

In the first part of this lecture, we try to diagnose this situation to make the case that attachment is what makes time with family uniquely challenging. Then, we present 5 ways of looking at the world that can hopefully turn family dinners into beautiful, meaningful affairs, even when (or especially when) there's drama!

00:00:01 Why Are Having We Having This Discussion?
00:07:38 Why Do Parents/Siblings/Children Push our Buttons
00:11:27 An Aside on Work vs Play
00:16:18 An Aside on Scam Accounts
00:17:54 Work Like The Elves, Not Like Sauron!
00:22:37 Is Your Spirituality A Reaction To Your Parents?
00:27:01 Your Kids Are Not Your Kids
00:30:00 Forgiveness = Forebearance
00:36:15 Thanksgiving Dinner Is Not Even Real (Why Waking is Unreal and Dreaming)
00:47:00 Everyone At The Dinner Table Is YOU
00:52:26 How Do You Set Boundaries if Everyone is You? + Why You Shouldn't Try To "Fix" Your Parents
00:57:48 What If You DO Get Triggered At Dinner?
01:01:59 Closing Chant
01:03:22 Announcements

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST.  There's Q&A from 8-10pm PST right after.
It is free and open to the public. All are welcome!
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:

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Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:
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