Fall 2011 Shamatha Retreat

Alan goes into greater detail about ascertaining the space of the mind between mental events in settling the mind. He explains the danger of complacency at Stages 4 and 7 and the importance of overcoming remaining faults by sharpening the blade of introspection in order to progress further. Guided meditation on settling the mind in its natural state (36:23) Questions (71:34) Q1) If it takes 2 years to achieve shamatha, how long does it take to achieve vipashyana, trekchö, and thodgyal? Q2) If the Buddha could see all his past lives at enlightenment, why not the first? Q3) In a personal interview, Alan mentioned that grief was a wholesome emotion. How can we learn about the range of wholesome emotions? Q4) If labeling is not part of the shamatha practice and may be counter-productive, how can we know if we’re on track? Note: For a series of free online recordings of Tenzin Palmo on shamatha and the 4 immeasurables, check: http://www.tushita.info/resources/audio-downloads/287-jetsunma-audio