Alan Wallace Shamatha Teachings Fall 2010

Discursive meditation, because it is repetitive, can become stale. Between sessions, look for sentient beings with whom to interact, each time is a fresh interaction. Add fresh yeast to the practice. Invite more and more beings into the practice. The object is sentient beings. We are generating an aspiration which gives rise to a feeling, not simply a feeling. Alan suggests we envision the aspiration to achieve Shamatha with all the inner and outer requests fulfilled.Question topics include: What to do if good ideas come up during meditation? Is Shamatha the same as Perfect Recollection? Can monks marry? What do we do when a practice bumps us into discovering an uncomfortable memory?