Balancing Heart and Mind with Alan Wallace.
May 16-17, 2009.
Edwards, Colorado
In this weekend retreat, Alan Wallace focused on two methods for cultivating meditative quiescence, or shamatha. He taught the practice of “mindfulness of breathing,” which is an effective approach to soothing the body and calming the discursive mind. He also introduced a method that is both a shamatha practice and a preliminary to Dzogchen, called “settling the mind in its natural state.” The attainment of shamatha is widely regarded in the Buddhist tradition as an indispensable foundation for the cultivation of contemplative insight (vipashyana), and this retreat is designed to provide participants with a sufficient theoretical understanding and a basis in experience to enable them to proceed effectively toward this extraordinary state of mental and physical balance.
In addition, instruction was offered on the cultivation of the four immeasurables: loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. These qualities of the heart are so powerful that they can break down all the barriers that are created by attachment and aversion, opening our hearts boundlessly to all beings, which brings peace and happiness. Lectures and guided meditations were interspersed with periods for group discussions and focused on the practical applications of these practices in daily life. Participants were welcome to practice meditation in both the sitting (cross-legged or on a chair) position or in the supine position.