Buddhism | One Dharma Meditation

Concentration and The Janahas: A Primer for Deepening Practice

Saturday, November 23, Nashville Friends Meeting 9 a.m. – Noon, Led by Lisa Ernst Right Concentration is the final leg of the Buddha’s eightfold path but it is frequently misunderstood. Concentration and mindfulness differ, although right mindfulness is a support for meditative concentration. Skillful concentration often leads to the jhanas, the eight altered states of consciousness that can deepen joy and improve your insight practice. In this half day retreat we will explore meditation through the lens of concentration and the jhanas as a path to awakening. The morning will consist of instruction, meditation and discussion. This retreat is suitable for

Invisible People: Why They’re Important in Lovingkindness Practice

I’ve been doing lovingkindness practice for 20 years, mostly following the standard formula – starting by offering kindness to myself, then family, friends, teachers and benefactors (people easy to love) and on to indifferent people, difficult people and finally all beings. The practice of offering kindness to indifferent people in particular has completely changed my orientation and perspective. It has led to a deeper exploration of what “indifferent” really means and some interesting revelations. I began to notice in metta instructions that indifferent people are often described as service workers, clerks, repair people, those we don’t see or interact with as