Venture Fourth Weekly Work
Week Twenty-Five Aug 9, 2010

Dear Venture Fourthers,

It was so inspiring to be with all of you last week. Thank you for your presence, your dedication, and your love. I learn from all of you and am inspired and led to a deep place of hope for the future of our world, that there are people like yourselves willing and able to do this challenging work.

Where do we go next?

1. please continue your daily meditation practice, whatever mix of vipassana and pure awareness practice that is for you. There is no other tool as important as this, for awakening and for work in the world.

2. Read chapters 4 through 7 in Donald's book. Read slowly and do the exercises as you read. I am in Ann Arbor this morning as I write this email and the book is at my cabin so I won't go into details.

3. I would be delighted if EVERYONE continued their journals but I recognize that this has been a stumbling block for some of you and will not insist on it. If no journaling, please do still email me once a week, as many of you are still doing, at least with a one paragraph summary of what you have been working on and what has been especially rewarding/ fruitful, and also what's been challenging.

4. Continue to work with the elements, especially during times of high emotion or stress. What helps? Is there any resistance and what helps release resistance? I ask this because sometimes we are attached to our emotions and need to see that. Here is a story from almost 20 years ago, taken from Cosmic Healing:

One day when the children were young, I was angry because the truck delivering the new refrigerator was hours late, and so I was late picking up one of the boys for a music lesson. I had told the men that I was angry when they came. Driving into town 20 minutes later, I was still fuming. Aaron finally asked me "Are you enjoying your anger, child?" I saw how I was misusing it to blame others and feel powerful. His question made me notice how bad the anger felt; stomach tied in knots, shoulders tight, and headache. I could see exactly where I was holding the anger in the body. Then Aaron said, "Let it go. This is not a judgment on anger, but you can see that you don't need it. Just let it go." And just like that, I was able to make the decision, and to let go. I was truly not suppressing the anger, or feeling an aversion to being angry, just letting go. I could look at myself experiencing anger and smile at myself for getting so caught up in it. The energy of the anger had simply exhausted itself, and now I had ceased to feed it any more fuel.

I asked Aaron if this wasn't choosing a pleasant experience over an unpleasant one, instead of treating it all equally with his "choiceless awareness?" Choiceless awareness means to bring awareness to whatever is predominant in this moment, but now I'm not letting go of an experience that's blissful, but of an experience that's painful. This seems contradictory to what he's been teaching me.

When there is a blissful experience you also cannot hold on to it. You must just know it, and then let it go. If you continued to hold on to it, I'd tell you the same thing. Examine your attachment to it, and then let it go. This is no different than your attachment to anger. Attachment to anything needs to be explored, and then let go. There is no judgment of good or bad, just recognition that there is an attachment. The recognition itself is usually enough to diminish the attachment. If it is not, then you may remind yourself to let it go, or ask yourself what would support that release, which cannot be forced. That which is aware of the attachment is not attached. Rest in that awareness. Attachment slips to the background and releases itself in time.

There is another issue. When your energy is directed in an unskillful manner that creates suffering, then you may choose to redirect the energy. You must use care here not to judge the feeling. You are not judging the anger, but noting that it is creating suffering. Why hold on to it? It is more skillful, and more compassionate to yourself and others, to let it go. As you better understand the nature of your desires and aversions, you will find that increasingly you have this choice; to redirect your energy, to choose the more harmonious path.

Letting go can never be a grasping to let go, but is something that you allow. You have learned to be aware of and label each mind-moment and sensation. Can you see the beginnings of letting go in that labeling? As you say 'feeling anger,' in a very real sense you have already begun to let go of anger. This is because of the pattern you have established through your meditation, which is to observe, but not be carried off by an experience. Each time you became aware of the mind wandering you labeled what was being experienced and, as its intensity waned, let go of it as part of the process of returning to your breath. That practice created the foundation.

Now when you feel a strong desire, emotion or physical sensation and label it, you move again into that more skillful pattern. You see the anger, label it and allow the return to the breath. You are aware of the physical remnants of the anger in the body, but the intensity of the pain is already lessening. In this way you allow a letting go.

Yes, the mind is still following a pattern; there is not total freedom. But with mindfulness, there will develop an awareness of this pattern and even more choice. For now, can you merely accept that the pattern of non-attachment carries less suffering than the pattern of attachment?

Part of "letting go" can be the work with the elements to invite balance.

5. What else supports balance? On Monday I worked with a group from the Zen Temple who were camped at the lake, introducing them to the Tiep Hien Precepts. Do you know these? Thich Nhat Hanh and others wrote them together after the Vietnamese war, looking for precepts applicable to many religions. The precepts we sometimes use at retreats are evolved from these. I'll paste them below. Please deeply consider all of them, and especially #2, as you work further with Donald's book.

What areas of service call out to you, and why? Ram Dass' Compassion in Action may be of help here. Get to know WHEN you are acting/ speaking from a clear space and when the ego is involved. Know it without judgment, just with the clear intention to remain as balanced as possible. Watch to see what helps: breathing, remembering intention, element balancing, attending the chakras, work with the brahma viharas, what else?

This book is strongly recommended, but still optional. From the introduction:

"A Buddhist monk once said: 'He who clings to he void and neglects compassion does not reach the highest stage. But he who practices only compassion does not gain release from the toils of existence. He, however, who is strong in the practice of both, remains neither in samsara nor in nirvana.'"

Where are you in this balance?

This month I'll be quiet at the lake, time to meditate, relax, and also review the VF 4 transcripts. Three of those are attached now, and Janice is working hard at transcribing, to get them out to you. Please read the first page of Sunday Aug. 1 attached transcript now. It gives more details to the above assignments.

In later August all of my children arrive, staying until Labor Day, so for me this will be a much needed month, first of quiet and then vacation with family. I have meetings planned with all of you in either September or October. The two weeks in between these meetings I am out of town, in upstate NY and at Omega as support staff for the John of God event there.

Here is the meeting schedule I have. All times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Thursday Sept 16

3PM Ann

3:45 Julie (in person)

4:30 David

5:15 Celeste

Friday Sept. 17

1:00 Lynn Marie

1:45 Lalita

2:30 Joy

3:15 John

Monday Oct 4

4:00 Pam

4:45 Karen

5:30 Dan

7:30 Nan

8:15 Nina

Tuesday Oct 5

1:00 Doron

1:45 (open: Doron can you change to this time)

2:30 Jim

3:15 Joan

4:00 Bob

That is everyone but Anna Marie. Anna Marie, we will set up a time.

The Fourteen Precepts of the Tiep Hien Order:

a unique expression of traditional Buddhist morality coming to terms with contemporary issues.

The First Precept:

Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. All systems of thought are guiding means: they are not absolute truth.

The Second Precept:

Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice non-attachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times.

The Third Precept:

Do not force others, including children, by any means what so ever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness.

The Fourth Precept:

Do not avoid contact with suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of the world. Find ways to be with those who are suffering by all means, including personal contact and visits, images, sounds. By such means, awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world.

The Fifth Precept:

Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry. Do not take as the aim of your life fame, profit, wealth or sensual pleasure. Live simply and share time, energy and material resources with those who are in need.

The Sixth Precept:

Do not maintain anger or hatred. As soon as anger and hatred arise, practice the meditation on compassion in order to deeply understand the persons who have caused anger and hatred. Learn to look at other beings with the eyes of compassion.

The Seventh Precept:

Do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. Learn to practice breathing in order to regain composure of the body and mind, to practice mindfulness and to develop concentration and understanding.

The Eighth Precept:

Do not utter words which can create discord and cause the community to break. Make every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.

The Ninth Precept:

Do not say untrue things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people. Do not utter words that cause division and hatred. Do not spread news that you do not know to be certain. Do not criticize or condemn things that you are not sure of. Always speak truthfully and constructively. Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety.

The Tenth Precept:

Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a political party. A religious community, however, should take a clear stand against oppression and injustice and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.

The Eleventh Precept:

Do not live with a vocation which is harmful to humans and nature. Do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to live.Select a vocation which helps realize your ideal of compassion.

The Twelfth Precept:

Do not kill. Do not let others kill. Find whatever means possible to protect life and to prevent war.

The Thirteenth Precept:

Possess nothing that should belong to others. Respect the property of others, but prevent others from enriching themselves from human suffering or the suffering of other beings.

The Fourteenth Precept:

Do not mistreat your body. Learn to handle it with respect. Do not look on your body as only an instrument. Preserve vital energies( sexual, breath, spirit ) for the realization of the Way. Sexual expression should not happen without love and commitment. In sexual relationships, be aware of future suffering that may be caused. To preserve the happiness of others, respect the rights and commitments of others. Be fully aware of the responsibility of bringing new lives into the world. Meditate on the world into which you are bringing new beings.