Introductory weekend teaching

Invitation to a journey

• We invite you on a marvelous adventure into a vast resource of peace, happiness and skillfulness that exists within you.

The equipment needed for the

journey – language and terms

two approaches to the use of the human mind

The cost of the first approach

• When the mind is used to focus on points of view, our scope of awareness is restricted to these points of view.

The second approach to the use of the mind

What is awareness?

Stop thinking for a moment.

What could be known without awareness?

There isn’t a human being anywhere on earth who can say, “I am not aware!”

Where is the mind?• There is only one

definitive thing we can say about the mind.

Points of view are inseparable from awareness

Like the blue and the sky

The result of the second approach

• What happens when we relax the mind for a brief moment?

By repeating brief moments of awareness, many times, its obviousness increases.

More and more, we experience warmth, ease, compassion, a balanced outlook, innovative thinking, creativity and an exceptional ability to make good decisions and solve problems. A simple word for this is “wisdom.”

Our thoughts, emotions, speech and actions begin to spontaneously focus on the welfare and benefit of everyone, not just us. This innate ability to be at ease, wise, balanced and compassionate is discovered when we relax the mind’s focus on points of view.

• points of view are recognized to be the dynamic energy of awareness.

• Points of view and awareness

• a breeze blowing through the air.

Natural process • Over time, by the power

of sustaining awareness for short moments, confidence in awareness is nurtured until awareness becomes permanent and automatic at all times and in all situations

• If we do not understand these two aspects, we will consider points of view to have far more significance than they actually do.

What is a point of view?

Positive, Negative and Neutral Points of View

• Most of us divide our points of view into positive, negative, and neutral categories.

• the actual basis for ultimate goodness in human beings is an innate quality of the mind—awareness.

True intelligence • Awareness has a powerful intelligence that

is not accessible when we are trying to regulate the flow of points of view.

why Are We So Caught Up in Points of View?

We learned points of view from other people from the moment we were born.

Commitment to Seeing Point of View as It Is

• All points of view are related to awareness in the same way that a mirage or a hologram is related to space.

So what can we do?

• Just as points of view arise, let them be, and do not cling to them!

• Awareness is like the flight-path of a bird in the sky

One single “practice”Just as points of view appear, sustain awareness!

The Most Important Choice We Will Ever Make

• awareness contains all points of view. Just as colors are inseparable from a rainbow, points of view are inseparable from awareness.

Recognition vs. non- recognition of awareness

• Simply stated, resting as awareness is recognition of awareness, and constant distraction by points of view is non-recognition of awareness.

What is Relying on Awareness?

The cultivation of short moments of awareness

What matters is only your own direct experienceRelying on awareness is best because we directly experience freedom from ups and downs.

One choice

To rest or not to rest:

that is the question!

here is a very practical suggestion

At the very moment points of view form, awareness remains open with perception serene and spacious. That is resting as awareness.

• By repeatedly allowing the ease of awareness, it becomes automatic.

• Short moments of awareness, many times, become automatic.

• We do not fall into distraction.

• It makes no difference what points of view arise.

• a line drawn in water.

• there comes a time when we discover stable awareness.

• Resting as awareness for short moments, repeated many times, until it becomes automatic

• If we rely on this one simple change in the use of the mind, we will prove to ourselves that it is powerful beyond measure.

• It is the primary skill we need in life to ensure our well-being in all situations.

• When the sun rises at daybreak, we don’t have to wait for it to be warm and brilliant.

The Four Comforts•We are not alone -Global 24/7 support system for people who are gaining confidence in awareness