Venture Fourth Weekly Work<br>Week Twelve Nov 1

I have been reflecting on the balance of moderation (our topic for next week, Nov 8) and enthusiasm and effort. I would like you to take these two topics together. Beside Morinis' words, I'd also ask you to reflect on enthusiasm and "Right Effort" in the Buddhist sense.

Right Effort

In the Saccavibhanga Sutra, Right Effort is described as the energetic will to:

prevent unwholesome mind states that are not yet risen from arising;
cause to cease unwholesome mind states already arisen;
cause to arise wholesome mind states not yet arisen; and
develop wholesome mind states already present.

Saccavibhanga Sutta/ The Exposition of Truths Majjhima Nikaya, 141: 29

29: And what, friends, is right effort? Here a bhikkhu awakens zeal for the non-arising of unarisen evil unwholesome states, and he makes effort, rouses energy, exerts his mind, and strives. He awakens zeal for the abandoning of arisen evil unwholesome states and he makes effort, rouses energy, exerts his mind, and strives. He awakens zeal for the arising of unarisen wholesome states and he makes effort, rouses energy, exerts his mind, and strives. He awakens zeal for the continuance , non-disappearance, strengthening, increase and fulfillment by development of arisen wholesome states, and he makes effort, rouses energy, exerts his mind, and strives. This is called right effort.

Anguttara Nikaya, Book of the Twos, #10 "If it were not possible, I would not ask you to do it..."

Abandon what is unskillful. One can abandon the unskillful. If it were not possible, I would not ask you to do it. If this abandoning of the unskillful would bring harm and suffering, I would not ask you to abandon it. But as it brings benefit and happiness, therefore I say, abandon what is unskillful.

Cultivate the good. One can cultivate the good. If it were not possible, I would not ask you to do it. If this cultivation were to bring harm and suffering, I would not ask you to do it. But as this cultivation brings joy and happiness, I say cultivate the good.

Mahacattarisaka Sutta. The Great Forty: Majjhima Nikaya,117: 9

9. One makes an effort to abandon wrong view and to enter upon right view; this is one's right effort. Mindfully one abandons wrong view, mindfully one enters upon and abides in right view; this is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three states run and circle around right view, that I, right view, right effort, and right mindfulness.

Ultimately, our effort is toward liberation, but along the way we do extend effort to "cultivate the wholesome" and to "abandon the unwholesome." Resignation, an opposite of skillful effort, gives up. If we don't try, nothing happens. If we try, with grasping, we create suffering. How do we act with intention to growth, to increased wisdom and compassion, to release of negative thought, without grasping at these ends? How does compassionate effort relate to humility?

The question for me is, "What tries?" When fear is behind effort, there is always grasping. The "I can't" part is fearful, at that lower end of humility. Enthusiasm feels uncontracted and joyful. When there is love, the open heart, there is no grasping but wholesome effort and intention. Thus, right effort comes from an open heart, perfect as we work with the heart chakra.

How does it feel to "try with an open heart"? I feel the difference in my body. There is little contraction, no forcing things, but a willingness to support the flow. An experience that comes to mind for me is of about 20 years ago when the sauna at our lake community caught fire. The fire bell was rung and about 25 people poured out of cabins, lake and campground. Two lines were formed and buckets passed from the lake to the sauna where the closest people poured water through a hole in the roof onto the flames. At first we were all fearful, and pushing it too hard, unable to move at a sustainable pace. We kept spilling buckets. Then someone burst into song, "We shall overcome..." and everyone suddenly and visibly relaxed and sang as the buckets were passed. There was a new joy in the work that replaced the fear and tension. Yet we didn't give up; we were determined to put out the fire. And we did.

Moderation is not resignation. Moderation is "the middle way." Try to feel moderation in the throat when you are engaged in a discussion with difference of opinion. When you are forcing your view, even as you speak the throat chakra becomes contracted and speech feels forced. When you withdraw from the discussion in resignation or anger, the throat also closes. When the discussion flows with an open heart, can you feel how the throat is open and relaxed?

Can the throat be open when the heart is closed?

Please read these chapters to get Morinis' viewpoint.

Look at our initial statement of right effort as it relates to the whole of Venture Fourth.

prevent unwholesome mind states that are not yet risen from arising;
cause to cease unwholesome mind states already arisen;
cause to arise wholesome mind states not yet arisen; and
develop wholesome mind states already present.

The question is often less what we do as how we do it. We can discuss, or put out the fire, with an open heart or with fear and tension. Even if fear is present, there can be mindfulness of the fear and love is still there. Quoting Aaron, "That which is aware of fear is not afraid."

This coming 2 weeks, choose four ongoing things to do as sacred tasks. Let each be something simple. I recommend the first be washing the body, or brushing the teeth or hair. Can this be done with deep love and caring? Another might be washing dishes, watering plants, folding laundry, feeding a pet, something you will do at least a few times during the week but ideally, a few times a day. Third, take a clear glass, either a window or a drinking glass, and wash it daily. Let it be a metaphor for the self. Can it be washed with love? How do you relate to any streaks or dirt that appear?

Fourth, please pause for a few seconds every time you walk through a doorway. Know where you are coming from and going. Know the intention. If there is any anger or impatience, make space in your heart for it. Try to rest at the doorway until it resolves. Compassionate effort and enthusiasm involve love, respect and alignment with our highest being. See the holiness in this simple act of walking through a doorway.

The week of Nov. 15 there will be no new reading or quality, just integration of the qualities thus far. We come together Nov. 18-22. However, please do move attention to the third eye chakra on Nov. 15. I want you to have become more familiar with as many chakras as possible before the Intensive.

Intention ceremony:

When we meet this coming 2 weeks by phone or in person, I want to hear from each of you about the deepening of intention and what your heart wants to offer as we hold this ceremony together at the Intensive. It can be as formal as a formal Bodhisattva Vow, or as simple as a statement of intention to be more mindful and caring, as a service to all with whom you come in contact, or anything in between. This need not be a final version; there is no "final" version but always deepening and changing. The formulation of intention is an important aspect of effort though. If we don't know where we want to head, we'll never arrive. What inspires you? Where does your loving heart lead you?

Please remember we will repeat this ceremony several times in the program. Let the intention grow with you.

Mudra meditation:

We will work at the Intensive with "Mudra meditation" from Roshi Jiyu Kennett's Book of Life," Shasta Abbey Press. The book is out of print. Inexpensive used copies are available on Amazon; I just purchased two copies. We also may have some DSC book photo-copies available for purchase and if so, I will bring them to the Intensive. (When the book went out of print, we photocopied it for class use) I'll provide photo-copied hand-outs of specific pages for each person. Basic information is below.

Mudra Meditation

This is an energy meditation. Its primary function is to better understand body energy and chakras and to balance distortions. It may lead to physical healing or karmic memories, but it is not done primarily for that purpose, to attain some goal. If we unblock that which has been physically blocked, release of symptoms is likely to result. In looking at what blocks the energy, we may experience karmic memories, which are tools to our deeper understanding, not "possessions" or new identity.

This is a simple process. Light touch is offered at the energy points, using the points Aaron and/ or I have suggested, or using the charts from the book, The Book of Life, by Roshi Jiyu-Kennett, Shasta Abbey Press. After a few years of frustration because it was hard to send people home with this practice, with accurate memory of the steps in a complex mudra, we came across this book which Aaron says is "very well done." The mudras Aaron has created are sometimes a little different, a step or two more or less, but the charts in this book are very adequate to work with.

You can do this practice on yourself or with a friend. When done with another, you are never doing it to another, but for another, serving simply as an extension of that person's hands. The one sitting is always fully in charge, as to the precise placement of hands (I find that as often as I've done this, and even if the person with whom I'm working has never done it before, he/ she knows if my hands are a fraction off; just take the hand and move it to where it needs to be), how long to hold any step, whether to stop entirely.

From my perspective doing it for myself or another, I hold any step until the energy feels balanced between the two hands, the pulses at each point in harmony. It sounds harder than it is. Once you try it, you will feel it after awhile. At first, just follow the charts and trust your intuition.

Heavy pressure is not necessary. Nor is touch on bare skin; it can be done through clothing, or even through a blanket. When working on another, if the point is within the lower abdomen, it aids modesty for the one sitting to take the other's hand and place it, rather than the do-er having to grope for the right spot. I find it works best for me to touch just with index and middle finger, lightly. Try to avoid extraneous touching, like resting other fingers elsewhere on the body.

I usually suggest people start with the mudra the book calls "Spiritual Bathing Mudra", which touches all the major organ and junction meridians. We will do this together first. Where you experience blockage, that will guide you to the next appropriate mudra.

This is a meditation practice. To do it successfully, it must be done in a meditative framework, which usually means beginning (both people if one is doing it for another) with at least a short period of meditation. At the end, it's useful for the one sitting to meditate again for at least a short time.

Experiment with positions. The "do-er" sits on the "sitter's" left, so the hands are correctly placed. This is important. If the hands are reversed, the energy flow is reversed. No terrible harm will be done, but it also won't be effective. Keep the hands straight, as per the chart that says "L" or "R". I like to do these with the "sitter" sitting on a zafu or chair, depending on individual comfort, while I sit on their left. In one like Spiritual Bathing Mudra that begins at the head, I'll start on a chair while they are on a zafu on the floor, then I'll move to the floor as my hands come lower. The do-er must be able to hold the position comfortably for a few minutes. If your hands/ arms become tired, simply tell the sitter you're going to rest them, then do so. Don't continue with an internal voice saying" hurry up; why doesn't he/ she go on...?" Just rest and come back to it. No martyrs. It's okay to rest, and to change your position to be comfortable.

Doing these yourself, it often seems best to lie down so the arms rest supported on cushions or the floor. It can get very tiring to hold the hands above the head for a long period. If a particular point can only be reached on yourself with strain, simply bring your mind to that point. Touch it with awareness, and hold as per any mudra. Go on when it seems right.

Stay with each step as long or short as seems useful, 20 seconds to 20 minutes, or more, or less. Trust yourself to know.

If karmic memories do surface, just note them. There is nothing special to do about them, just note, "seeing, seeing..." and recognition of any grasping or of aversion or fear. Remember, this is not you, but a karmic ancestor; but you carry the inheritance of these events and they have created present distortions. They can NOT be gotten rid of because we dislike them. They can be released when we see they are not who we are, but are just old baggage we no longer need to carry. People ask, "How do I know if it's real?" It probably is. This memory surfaced for some reason. Why this one, out of all the millions of visions and experiences that could arise? Honor it at the least by giving it your attention, just watching it to see how it feels. This doesn't mean identifying with it or "owning" it, but respecting it as a teacher for the present mind/body.

After the Intensive, work with these patiently and persistently for at least a week or two, once a day or more, before deciding if it's a helpful tool for you. Once you understand the practice, you can turn to it whenever there seems to be blockage in mind (emotional) or body energy. Bringing this practice to the place of tension, or injury, is a way of focusing attention on that area and penetratively seeing and understanding the distortion.

This is a wonderful practice which can open you deeply to your body and to the inter- connections of body and mind. I hope you'll enjoy incorporating it into your meditation practice.

Chakras: some basic review and an exercise (optional)

The chakras are energy centers of the body. There are many of these centers along organ and junction meridians. Seven which lie along a central meridian from crown of head to base of spine are the primary chakras. Each has a color and tone especially related to it. Each is the energy center for primary issues/ functions in our lives. These chakras are:

Base: (at base of spine) Red, C: Personal survival; fear; taking care of the self; sexuality

Sacral or spleen: (near navel) Orange, D: Sexuality/creativity/ personal relationships. Personal emotions, sorrow, weakness. Reaching out to others. Energy and relationship. Embracing life.

solar plexus: (just below rib cage) Yellow, E: Societal relationships. Power issues (also base) . Anger/ fear/tension. Discipline/ commitment/will.

Heart: Green, F: Transpersonal love. Ego no longer center. How best to serve. Compassion; openheartedness; love; happiness.

Throat: blue, G: Spirit communication (communication with higher self, with God.) Revelation of spirit.

Third Eye: (forehead, between brows) Indigo, A: Unity with spirit. Pure light. Deep insight.

The three lower chakras center on issues of fear, energy and power. The conscious self is drawn and redrawn into these centers where our human issues lie. The upper centers focus on the spiritual aspects of our being. Some of us tend to want to pull our energy to the upper centers, to want to develop our spiritual side and ignore the pain of human issues. Then spirit becomes a hiding place and we cannot fulfill the potential of the incarnation, to develop fully as humans. It is in these issues that we learn true compassion and unconditional love.

Sometimes the chakras are said to be "open" or "closed." The energy center itself does not open or close but is always open. We may experience it as more open or closed but such phrasing is a metaphor. There are energy meridians or channels. Think of them as a train track. The track always exists. Upon that track runs a train, the prana or life energy. The train must have locomotion. The Tibetan system refers to this push as wind so we'll use that as a handy label. When there is no wind, or when the train is derailed, we experience what some people call an energy block. When we look deeply, we may experience that we are not allowing the wind to move the energy, or that the energy feels derailed from the track.

There are numerous meditations which work directly with the chakras and energy system which can help us move into deeper touch with our body energy and allow ourselves to experience the fullness of it. We'll do one of these meditations tonight. We begin by sitting straight, in meditation posture. Erect spine is especially important here. Then we visualize a brilliant light and draw it in through the crown of the head, drawing it all the way to the base of the spine. Visualize it as red light. With each inhale, let red fill the base chakra. With each exhale, let red expand throughout the body. Fell the chakra spin and fill with energy. When you are ready, reach up again and draw in orange, letting it come to the spleen chakra. Same breathing and visualization. Continue with each chakra and color until all seven colors are spinning and pulsating within their energy centers and you feel highly charged with this energy. Then, with the next exhale, gently breath it all out through the crown of the head. The effect is like a fountain, colored energy/light pouring out. Let it rise and then fall over you, over head and body. With the next inhale you can begin again.

This practice may be done with all the centers or you may focus on one color and center. We find that where one of the issues mentioned in the above list is predominant for us, we are often not experiencing the energy flow of that chakra. We can't "fix" this issue by changing the energy, forcing that on ourselves. Work with that particular chakra as described in the above meditation practice, combined with insight meditation, can help us understand our resistance and fear which have led us to not experience the openness of that chakra, and can guide us into allowing resolution of the issue.

For those who feel familiar with the basic chakras, begin to look for the "back chakras" or "half chakras." This meridian lies just in front of the spinal cord, more accessible from the back of the body. Each chakra lies ½ way between the corresponding 2 front chakras. Thus there is one ½ way between the base and sacral chakra, on the back, another ½ way between sacral and solar plexus, etc. One of the most easy to locate is ½ way between throat and third eye, on the back of the head, just where soft neck tissue meets the skull. Another easy one to locate is ½ way between third eye and crown, at the back of the head.

The beginning mudra meditation we'll do, spiritual bathing mudra, works with these basic front and back meridians. If you can't find the back ones, don't worry about it. We'll do it together at the Intensive.

Week of Nov. 15, intensive #2.

I'll be talking to each of you between Nov. 2 and 15; our meetings are generally shorter this 2 weeks. We'll focus on "intention" and any questions you may have before the intensive.

Intensive, approximate plan:

Wednesday evening we will go around and let each person share briefly with the group some highlights of life and spiritual practice since we last were together. Then we'll take the refuges and precepts and sit together for as long as our time permits.

Thursday morning: Early sitting (optional). AM: Sit; then Aaron will speak about states and stages of consciousness. Please review the material on consciousness on the VF site, as well as having read the assigned sections of Putting on the Mind of Christ.

Thursday afternoon: Aaron will speak on chakras; we'll do a chakra energy practice called "mudra meditation" together in pairs, and then meditate. Your crystal will be a support here; please bring it with you.

Thursday evening: Julie will introduce breathwork. Final sitting together before bed.

Friday AM and afternoon: Julie and her assisting facilitators (Marcia, Frank and Lisa) will lead us all in two breathing sessions.

Friday evening: silent sitting, providing an opportunity to integrate the experiences of the day. Barbara and Julie will be available for anyone who wants to talk about their breathing experience.

Saturday AM: Time with Aaron; discussion of the various aspects of the program: weekly work, chakras, consciousness, Q&A. Some silent sitting.

Saturday afternoon; Another mudra meditation experience led by Aaron. Then break into small groups to discuss the weekly work and work with guides.