MSC Affectionate Breathing Rosser

In this episode I host part 2 of an ongoing dialogue between Rupert Spira: a teacher of the direct path method of Advaita and an internationally acclaimed ceramic artist; and Henry Shukman, Zen teacher and award winning poet and writer. 

Rupert and Henry discuss the path of deep training in both art and spirituality, why traditional forms are repositories of generational understanding, and the meaning of spiritual friendship.

Rupert reflects on how art points to truth, and Henry discusses Koan training as a means to stabilise awakening. 

Rupert and and Henry also reflect on what it takes to create effective art and why it is vital for the apprentice to surpass the master.

…

Video version: www.guruviking.com

 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

…

Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
00:47 - Rupert on Henry’s zen memoir 
03:46 - Henry on Rupert’s books 
06:01 - Evolution of Rupert’s art from ceramics to language 
13:00 - Discipline teaches the process of art 
15:42 - The student must surpass the teacher 
20:06 - Premature teaching vs submission to deep training 
25:30 - Henry’s journey as a poet 
30:17 - Imitation before innovation 
33:57 - Koan training to stabilise awakening 
36:48 - Forms of the tradition are the repositories of generations of understanding 
39:33 - Key moments in Henry’s koan training
42:48 - 1-1 teaching vs group teaching 
49:02 - Are new koans evolving?   
52:52 - Rupert and Henry discuss koans 
57:18 - What is required of the artist to make effective art?    
01:00:26 - What Henry’s art seeks to convey
01:06:38 - Rupert on how art points to truth 
01:12:47 - Art of expressing suffering 
01:16:05 - The experience of artistic work 
01:21:54 - The master’s view 
01:24:31 - Rupert and Henry on Steve’s facilitation 
01:27:18 - On teaching 

…

Previous dialogue between Spira and Shukman: - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep131-art-spirituality-rupert-spira-henry-shukman
 
To find out more about Rupert Spira, visit: 
- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep124-art-of-awakening-rupert-spira
- https://rupertspira.com/  


To find out more about Henry Shukman, visit:
- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=shukman  
- https://www.mountaincloud.org/about/henry-shukman/ 

…

 For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com

…

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

Ep146 - Surpassing the Master - Rupert Spira & Henry Shukman 2

Recorded during live meditation session.  Trigger warning:  background noise.

Start by developing stillness, relaxation, and rest in the body by gently focusing on the breath and the pleasant qualities of the breath.  Deepening stillness, relaxation, and rest by moving from observer of the breath to feeling the breath or being the breath or communing with the breath (whatever those are).  Then, offering ourselves words of kindness, compassion, support, guidance, love, etc. and allowing them to land, to truly land, and to soak down into our bones.

Stillness, Rest, Relaxation, And Kindness

From Center for Mindful Self-Compassion Public Circles of Practice.

Stop, Be Still, Put It All Down, And Rest (with Kindness) - Short Form.

You do not have to carry all of It, all the time. Profound peace comes from letting it all go, putting it all down, however you want to say it. It doesn't mean pushing it away, though. It means releasing it, releasing the grip it has on you. And since this is MSC, we do this with a profound sense of kindness, compassion, and tenderness. Because the act of putting it down can be painful. And because there is pain, our move is to be kind. This takes lots of practice...practice putting it down and practice being kind while doing so.

Stop, Be still, Put it all down, Rest (with kindness) - short version

These talks & meditations were recorded at the Pragmatic Dharma Retreat in 2018, at the Bend of Ivy Lodge in Marshall, NC.  The retreat was co-led by Kenneth Folk & Vincent Horn.

This Open Source Dharma teaching ( http://www.opensourcedharma.info ) is offered using a Creative Commons by attribution 4.0 license ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

One By One As They Occurred

A Guided Tour Of The Four Jhanas

2017-11-30 at Mount Eden Retreat Center

Instructions for using an anchor to settle the mind and gather the attention, connecting and sustaining the attention.

These talks are offered freely. To donate to support Oren’s work, please visit www.OrenJaySofer.com/support

Oren Jay Sofer

Cultivating Inner Freedom Part 3: Instructions and Guided Meditation: Establishing the Anchor

2017-12-02 at Mount Eden Retreat Center

Using sound to explore feeling tone and reactivity.

These talks are offered freely. To donate to support Oren’s work, please visit www.OrenJaySofer.com/support

Cultivating Inner Freedom Part 7: The Poetry of Sound: Guided Meditation & Instructions

2017-12-08 at Barre Center For Buddhist Studies

Early morning guided meditation introducing the practice of samatha-vipassana.

These talks are offered freely. To donate to support Oren’s work, please visit www.OrenJaySofer.com/support

Right Speech, Pt 2: Guided Meditation: Arriving And Opening To Experience

2018-10-13 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center

Compassion arises from the willingness to be with suffering. It is a state of great strength and resilience rather than one of weakness or pain. There are many doors to compassion. Explore different ways to access compassion for oneself in this guided meditation.

These talks are offered freely. To donate to support Oren’s work, please visit www.OrenJaySofer.com/support

Bringing Ease To Pain, Day 1 Pt 4: Self-Compassion Guided Meditation

This guided meditation, designed to help prepare the ground for "just sitting", was recorded by Vince Horn (www.vincehorn.space).

This Open Source Dharma teaching (www.opensourcedharma.info) is offered using a Creative Commons by attribution 4.0 license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Stop, Be still, Put it all down, Rest (with kindness) - short version

David Teitelman