Dharma Treasure Community

Bernadette,
Sometimes it is hard to determine precisely what stage one is in, without a skilled facilitator leading you.
I would advise reading the goals of each stage, and the end of the chapter on each stage. That may help.
In teacher training, we’ve discussed whether it’s being in a particular stage 80/20% of the time or 70/30$ of the time.…[Read more]

Hi Bernadette,
I’m getting in on the conversation a bit later. Yes, I agree with Ivan.

What Stage are you in?

The practice is based on setting intentions. That’s called “Goals” on p. 45 of TMI book.

Keeping the intention simple, for each sit, and even setting micro-intentions, during a sit (soft verbal reminder) is recommended.

Be sure to…[Read more]

Benefits I’ve received so far:

I agree with the five benefits posted above.
I’ve noticed them, and so have my family and closest friend. And my mind’s eye 🙂

In addition, I’ve had three experiences now, lasting more than 24 hours, when my mind simply went quiet. And I experienced life as a set of processes, having an experience.

And in the…[Read more]

Hi Starflower. I’m one of Culadasa’s newer batch of teachers in training. Thanks for contacting us here. Someone more experienced may have a better answer, but I wanted to reach out and tell you what I know, and what my experience has been.

To my understanding, Culadasa is combining attention and awareness in a way that is pretty unique. Not in…[Read more]

Hi DC Curtis.
Thanks for the reply.
Glad you are getting some results with the walking meditation.
I agree with Blake’S latest suggestions for you.
I admire your diligence.
Stay in touch.
Blessings, Mary

Junot,
I’m glad that Blake responded, as he’s much more experienced than I am. I’ve been in teacher training just since September, 2016. I’m glad that you are having a more relaxed attitude to the body scan and the tension is better.

So, just keep doing what you’re doing and see where it leads you.

If you feel like experimenting with Qi Gong,…[Read more]

Hi. I’m Mary, a teacher in training with Culadasa since September, 2016.
From reading your question, it sounds like you have a very active mind, in terms of thinking. That’s okay. I did also. For myself, it took me a long time to work through the first 3 stages, which Culadasa does describe if a person has an active mind. And it was so very well…[Read more]

Julian,

Wiley’s advice to tune into sensations is sound, and I read it, along with some other recent takeaways from teacher training, before I meditated yesterday. I found it to be very useful.

As far as lovingkindness goes, here’s what I did in my practice:

I only said the metta for myself, until I felt “strong enough”, internally, to say it…[Read more]

Great Julian. Some people do Metta (lovingkindness) daily for years.
Let me know if that begins to soften your practice. Blessings, Mary

A Free, 30-Minute Guided Metta (Loving Kindness) Meditation

Julian, Above is a 30 minute guided meditation done by another one of Culadasa’s teachers in training. It is lovingkindness. It’s the one I listened to this morning.

Blessings, Mary, teacher in training

Julian,
I’m a rather new teacher in training with Culadasa. I don’t have the answer to your question. I wanted to respond so that I would be in this thread, and see what the experienced teachers in training have to say.
I admire your determination very much. You’ve come to the right place. Culadasa’s methods are so gentle, and experiencing…[Read more]

I began my meditation practice with a facilitator named Nicholas Grabovac, who is in the list of certified teachers on this website. We began by using something called “noting” practice.
I would need to find the old audio, video and practice suggestions to be completely specific, but the gist is this:
There are five tangible senses: seeing,…[Read more]

Huw,

Three 40 minute practices per day is diligence. So happy for you that you have found the book, and are working through the exercises.

In regards to your question about what may seem like contradictory advice, I went through a phase where my mind did visualize the meditation object. I use the sensations of the breath at the abdomen, and for…[Read more]

Louis,
I’m Mary, and in teacher training with Culadasa as of Sept. 2016. I’m in agreement with Sergey, and also really appreciate the suggestion of comparing sits.
When I can be in Stage 4 or higher during the majority of my sit, then quieting the mind has led to an insight later.
I also incorporate mindfulness in daily life (mindful walking…[Read more]

It just happened for me yesterday for the first time in meditation. It felt like an inner “tug” or “hunch” that a thought was about to arise and I noted it. Happened 3 times in a 45 minute meditation. I have been setting the intention to note introspective awareness, and actually using “checking in” every 6 breaths, by counting the breaths. I…[Read more]

As I’ve gotten deeper into my practice, I also note questions when I’m not in a formal sit like “Who is aware of this?” And “Who sees this?”. They naturally arose when my teacher (Culadasa teacher in training) let us know about the interconnectedNess of all life and “no self”.
Fortunately, I saw a movie called “”What the Bleep do we know?” Many…[Read more]

Thanks for the replies. What surprised me is that although I am in Stage 2, that the subtle energies came through as soothing and reassuring. As a way of my unconscious and/or subconscious responding to my need for soothing and comfort.