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Daily Reflection Sit Join us daily at 12:00 PM (Eastern) The Paramis: Metta (Lovingkindness) The Daily Sit Categories THE PARAMIS: METTA (LOVINGKINDNESS) Play Video Play Video 38:53 2023 September 27: Widening the Circle of Kindness Metta doesn’t always naturally arise. We have to coax it, nurture it, kindle it, bring it forward even when, especially when, it is difficult to feel. Play Video Play Video 40:00 2023 September 25: Metta as Foundational to the Inner Holding Environment Inviting the infused, felt sense of lovingkindness internally. Play Video Play Video 39:35 2023 September 20: Come Friends Contemplate the Body IN the Body Buddha put mindfulness of the body first! Play Video Play Video 39:06 2023 September 18: Working with Anger and Aversion The power of Metta as the antidote to the “ordinary” fires of greed, hatred and delusion. Play Video Play Video 40:00 2023 September 13: Attending and Befriending In the practice of befriending we can feel a sense of spaciousness and ease. This allows the heart to open . We can not have a spacious mind when the heart is contracted. Play Video Play Video 38:38 2023 September 11: Metta…Relaxation as a Doorway to Metta The intention to care for ourselves as we practice letting go and letting be. Relaxation as reflected in a short teaching ‘the heart mind, so tied up in knots, when relaxed will free itself, have no doubt.’ Play Video Play Video 39:22 2023 September 06: Metta - The Buddha’s Words on Loving-Kindness Understanding the Buddha’s teachings on Metta and what they mean to us today. Play Video Play Video 39:34 2023 September 05: Metta - Not Just Another Parami Metta serves as the backbone in the cultivation of the other Paramis.

Daily Reflection & Sit Join us daily at 12:00 PM (Eastern) Use drop down menu above to view archived video recordings organized by category. The Daily Sit continues! T hrough the generosity of these facilitators, all dana offered to the Daily Sit will be used to support Bill & Susan's teachings. Bill & Susan host the DAILY SIT with... David Kohn, Jaye Moyer, Lori Rugle, Lee Steppacher, Catherine Glenn 12:00 pm -12:45 pm Eastern Time Monday & Wednesday Teaching & Guided Meditation Tuesday & Thurs day Guided Meditation Alternating Thursdays Guided Meditation, Sangha Groups, Q & A Friday Silent Sit No Weekend Sittings Videos can be found on INSTAGRAM History of the Daily Sit This video project was born at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in March 2020 when the Covid pandemic struck and we all needed a place to ground, breathe, calm, settle, and soothe. Bill and Susan's time at the Barre Center in 2020 has unfolded into the offering of Daily Sit teachings that help us find ways of being that bring ease and centering to our lives and create a sustainable practice. The following video was recorded March 2020. Enjoy this introduction to the origin of the Daily Sit! Access the videos from the main menu above. The Daily Sit videos are also on Instagram. Follow us online. Empower Growth The Living Map The Buddha’s teachings offer many paths, many maps that lead away from suffering and towards ease of wellbeing. What is unique about this body of teaching is that each path echoes, or interpenetrates into all of the others. They encircle one another as an integral whole, and therefore can be conceptualized and offered in countless ways. In September of 2020, we began offering a more systematic way of practicing mindfulness. Using this visual map of the Buddha’s teachings by Ellis Tingstad, we see these topics as they are offered in the Daily Sit, revealing the path we are traveling alone-together. To see it more clearly, you can click on the map and zoom in. Each topic shows us what is to be cultivated, and what is to be released, let go of. Bring forth the useful, the skillful, the wholesome, Let go of the unwholesome, the unhealthy, the unskillful. Each topic reveals a path that leads toward less suffering and more ease of wellbeing, toward freedom. This is a living “map". It visually illustrates where we are at any given time on the path as we work our way toward Waking Up in the middle of the day, into the present moment and discerning how to create less suffering for ourselves, others and the world. We are never lost if we know what we are practicing; this is our map! Enjoy the adventure! View the Living Map

Scholarships Information on Scholarship Funds Each retreat center may offer Hemera Fellowship funds, work study and/or scholarship options. Please check and apply for these before seeking assistance from Bill and Susan. Bill and Susan are able to offer some scholarship funds for their residential retreats. If you are applying to them directly for assistance, please send BOTH Bill & Susan, wdmorgan33@gmail.com and stmorgan11@gmail.com the following information: Name: Postal Address: Email: Name of Retreat & Dates: Help us to understand your need for a scholarship at this time? The DEADLINE for applying is two months prior to the start of each retreat. We want to make the Dharma accessible to those who are genuinely interested.

Daily Reflection Sit Join us daily at 12:00 PM (Eastern) The Holding Environment: Breath Daily Sit Categories THE HOLDING ENVIRONMENT: BREATH Play Video Play Video 39:05 2020 December 01: Softening up the Breath Play, change it up, create it to be comfortable. Play Video Play Video 37:54 2020 September 17: The Holding Environment: Getting up close to the Breath The breath is Neutral object that we can rest attention on and regulate the system with. Play Video Play Video 38:09 2020 September 15: The Yin and Yang Orientations to the Breath Finding balance between receptivity and agency. Play Video Play Video 38:40 2020 September 14: Enlivening the Breath Bringing heartfelt attention to the breath Play Video Play Video 39:01 2020 May 13: Let the Breath Help You How does the breath want to breathe to re-establish calm stability? Play Video Play Video 39:16 2020 April 23: Blow Life Into Your Wind Instrument This is a wind instrument we have here. Blow life into it! Who else is going to? Play with modulating the breath to bring body-heartmind into ease and harmony. Play Video Play Video 39:37 2020 April 21: Befriending the Breath Get to know the breath. Check in. How does it FEEL right now?

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Daily Reflection & Sit Join us daily at 12:00 PM(Eastern) Daily Sit Categories Click on any of the squares below to dive deeper into each topic. Meditation Preparation The Holding Environment: Body The Four Noble Truths Panna Brahmaviharas The Paramis: Sila (Mortality) The Paramis: Viriya (Energy) The Paramis: Adhitthana (Resolution) The Seven Factors of Awakening: Overview The Seven Factors of Awakening: Energy The Seven Factors of Awakening: Concentration 2020 Meditating in the Time of the Coronavirus The Holding Environment: Overview The Holding Environment: Heart Sila The Three Characters of Existence: Anicca, Dukkha/Sukha, Anatta The Paramis: Overview The Paramis: Nekkhamma (Renunciation) The Paramis: Khanti (Patience) The Paramis: Metta (Lovingkindness) The Seven Factors of Awakening: Mindfulness The Seven Factors of Awakening: Joy The Seven Factors of Awakening: Equanimity The Holding Environment: Breath The Holding Environment: Mind Samadhi The Eight Worldly Winds The Paramis: Dana (Generosity) The Paramis: Panna (Wisdom) The Paramis: Sacca (Truthfulness) The Paramis: Upekkha (Equanimity) The Seven Factors of Awakening: Investigation The Five Daily Reflections The Seven Factors of Awakening: Equanimity

Daily Reflection Sit Join us daily at 10:30 AM (Eastern) Additional Resources Browse the additional resources sprinkled throughout the calendar below. Click on a calendar date to reveal the title of a poem or book, or references to other pieces to enhance your practice. Daily Sit Video Archive Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Daily Reflection Sit Join us daily at 12:00 PM (Eastern) The Paramis: Viriya (Energy) The Daily Sit Categories THE PARAMIS: VIRIYA (ENERGY) Play Video Play Video 37:40 2023 June 28: Nature as Teacher of Patience In the animate and inanimate, nature does not rush or lean forward but is persistent, constant, alert and accepting of conditions. Adopt the pace of nature, its secret is patience (Emerson). Play Video Play Video 38:43 2023 June 26: Recognizing the Harmful Impact of Impatience Understanding the potential harm caused by acting out of impatience. Honoring our pace and the pace of others, remembering that patience is rooted in compassion and equanimity. Play Video Play Video 14:27 2023 June 21: The Fruits of Patience Patience yields a bounty of fruits. Patience will ease our passage through samsara and by practicing patience, we grow strength, equanimity and compassion. Play Video Play Video 13:28 2023 June 19: Patience and Flexibility Cultivating patience as a proactive and engaged practice within the vicissitudes of our lives; just as we stretch the body, patience stretches the heartmind. Play Video Play Video 12:12 2023 June 14: Being a Slow Learner Practicing patience we give ourselves permission to be slow learners giving ourselves time to let our experience filter down from our minds to infuse our hearts and become deeply embodied. Play Video Play Video 12:47 2023 June 07: What We Learn from Working with Impatience Looking at what the parami of patience teaches us. The goodness of the practice itself, Veruca Salt and I want it now! Play Video Play Video 14:49 2023 June 05: The Value of Patience We want to cultivate patience so that we can be more at ease and skillful with discomfort. When we cultivate patience, we expand our capacity to accept and tolerate delay, interference and frustration. Play Video Play Video 15:41 2023 May 31: Viriya - Explorations in Skillful and Unskillful Effort What is it like when we are exerting energy in a direction that isn’t beneficial for us? What is behind it? How do we reroute ourselves? Play Video Play Video 12:10 2023 May 24: Viriya - The Energy of Boredom Boredom has its own energy that can be restless and/or lethargic and push us to get lost in distractions or shut down to our own experience. We can make friends with our boredom and embrace it more skillfully to remain interested in our present moment experience. Play Video Play Video 14:52 2023 May 22: Viriya - Stewarding Our Life Energy with Wise Intention Recognizing the preciousness of our life energy, noticing habitual ways we use it, stewarding it with intention that is wise, realistic and kind Play Video Play Video 14:14 2023 May 17: Energy (Viriya) and Right Effort Right effort asks us if this effort supports our well being and does it support the wellbeing of others. Is it leading us in the direction of less stress and more ease? Play Video Play Video 16:25 2023 May 15: The Energy of Restraint Restraining from unskillful ways takes lots of persistence and patience. We learn from our mistakes over and over until we can feel the sweetness of restraint. Whispering ‘not now’ to ourselves can help. Play Video Play Video 12:49 2023 May 10: Working With Energy in Meditation In practice we aim for a balance of energy, not too tight, not too loose. What is needed to create, maintain or restore an energetic balance and harmony– to soften, settle and release pent up, unnecessary energy and gather, kindle, brighten, clarify scattered or dull energy? Play. Explore. Play Video Play Video 11:26 2023 May 01: The Tendency to Be Overly Heroic Yes, energy is required, but with less striving and with more welcoming. Play Video Play Video 09:48 2023 May 03: Commit to Sit! Is what you are doing worth the energy you are spending on it? Energy Is a valuable resource, a limited resource that needs to be replenished regularly. This is what the parami of energy is all about, committing to our own wellbeing and using our energy to move in this direction.

The practice of giving is universally recognized as one of the most basic human virtues…. In the teaching of the Buddha, too, the practice of giving claims a place of special eminence, one which singles it out as being in a sense the foundation and seed of spiritual development. ~Bhikkhu Bodhi Dana May what we offer be of benefit to as many as possible. The practice of giving is universally recognized as one of the most basic human virtues. In the teaching of the Buddha, too, the practice of giving claims a place of special eminence, one which singles it out as being in a sense the foundation and seed of spiritual development. ~Bhikkhu Bodhi There is a long tradition of offering meditation instruction in exchange for some offering of dana, which means generosity in the Pali language. Moved by this model, we have come to adopt an approach akin to this in spirit. Some of our offerings are for dana, which means that there is no fixed fee. The receiver of the guidance and instruction is free to offer an amount based on a combination of perceived value and personal means. This exchange brings the heart aspect of the mind—qualities of appreciation, kindness, and gratitude– into clearer focus. We wish to introduce this model to professional caregivers in the context of retreats and personal meditation instruction so that they may consider, feel and realize the benefit from engaging generosity. Many ask us what the usual range of offering might be. As therapists, we are accustomed to appreciating the value of wise counsel, and most offer what they themselves might expect to pay for a psychotherapy/consultation session, or what they might charge for a session themselves. That said, we gladly receive what is freely offered. YOUR DONATION IS GREATLY APPRECIATED PAYPAL: Donate button below

Our Recommendations Barre Center for Buddhist Studies Barre Center for Buddhist Studies offers residential and online courses combining study, discussion, and meditation for connecting sangha, supporting curiosity, and expanding and deepening personal practice. Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy A non-profit organization dedicated to the education, training and support of mental health professionals in integrating mindfulness, meditation and psychotherapy. Center for Mindful Self-Compassion Our mission is to contribute to a more compassionate world through cultivating deep understanding and personal practice of self-compassion and to be a vibrant center for the learning, teaching and practice of self-compassion. Wonderwell Mountain Refuge Wonderwell Mountain Refuge is owned and operated by Natural Dharma Fellowship , a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the teachings of the Buddhadharma in the West. Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center is nestled in the Tusas Mountains, where wildlife abounds among alpine meadows, mountain ponds, ponderosa pines and aspen groves. A more beautiful and supportive setting to cultivate freedom of the heart and mind is hard to imagine. Copper Beech Institute Copper Beech Institute is a refuge of calm—an idyllic retreat center for meditation and contemplative practice in West Hartford, Connecticut. Here, we envision mindfulness and contemplative practice transforming the daily lives and personal relationships of our growing community.

Daily Reflection Sit Join us daily at 12:00 PM (Eastern) The Paramis: Overview The Daily Sit Categories THE PARAMIS Play Video Play Video 38:42 2024 January 31: Gentleness and Strength Cultivating strength as well as softness and gentleness in our holding environment. Play Video Play Video 38:08 2024 January 29: Working With Grey, Flat and Dull Mind States Creating a holding environment that allows us to stay with what is present…spending time and experimenting with the right amount of space and engagement of heart to allow us to stay, so that we can learn more about these states of mind. Play Video Play Video 38:34 2024 January 22: Working With Aversion to Sound Using the Hawaii frogs as the near-at-hand example, explore how aversion arises in the mind, not in the sound; this is where it can be softened. Play Video Play Video 37:41 2024 January 17: Developing a Pit Crew for the Heart Which people, places, and beings have shaped our heart in the ways of kindness and love? Bring them forward when you need! Bring them forward as you are setting up your practice. Let them help you come back to center Play Video Play Video 37:02 2024 January 15: Developing a Pit Crew for the Heart Which people, places, and beings have shaped our heart in the ways of kindness and love? Bring them forward when you need! Bring them forward as you are setting up your practice. Let them help you come back to center. Play Video Play Video 38:54 2024 January 10: Equanimity in a Difficult Conversation Requires the deliberate intention to find balance and grounding. We draw on ALL of the Paramis as supports and resources. Play Video Play Video 38:48 2024 January 08: We Can’t Stop the Waves: Practicing Equanimity With What We Cannot Control When not aligned with an understanding of annica, dukkha and annata, we can try to cope by wanting to control the uncontrollable. Play Video Play Video 39:07 2024 January 03: Loving Kindness and a Generous Heart Noticing small moments of loving kindness and generosity help the heart to open. Play Video Play Video 39:12 2024 January 01: Loving Kindness: Starting A New (Yet Again) Practicing being kind and loving to ourselves. Play Video Play Video 39:40 2023 December 25: Resolve - Wholehearted Commitment Strengthening resolve strengthens all of the other paramis. Resolve is felt in the heart, as a deep commitment, to what matters to us. We have to renew our resolve time and again. Play Video Play Video 38:57 2023 December 20: Is Honesty Always the Best Policy Discernment and non-harm should be contextually considered. Play Video Play Video 39:15 2023 December 18: Truthfulness: Self-Honesty Mindfulness practice entrains us to look at ourselves, at what the self is saying and doing and thinking. Doing so allows us to celebrate the skillful, the kind, generous, the beautiful, and helps us to keep the unwholesome, the unkind in check. This is a loving act. Play Video Play Video 38:54 2023 December 13: We Can Practice Patience in Most Moments Because we constantly lean forward into the next moment. Play Video Play Video 39:43 2023 December 11: The Art of Practicing Patience Patience is grown on the back of all of the times we catch ourselves in the act of being impatient!!! Be on the lookout for the SIGNS of impatience! SEE them! FEEL them. SOOTHE them and the impatient self. This is how we grow patience… Play Video Play Video 42:33 2023 December 06: Virya and Hair on Fire How do we balance urgency, not squandering our energy with restfulness. Load More

Daily Reflection Sit Join us daily at 12:00 PM (Eastern) The Seven Factors of Awakening: Energy The Daily Sit Categories THE SEVEN FACTORS OF AWAKENING: VIRIYA/E... Play Video Play Video 38:38 2024 November 27: Two considerations for working with ENERGY The first way is to assess for balance. Is energy balanced in the sweet spot of 4-6 on a 1-10 scale? The second way asks, Is energy being used to let go of the unwholesome, or to not invite the unwholesome around? AND Is energy being used to keep the wholesome around, or to invite the wholesome around? Play Video Play Video 38:06 2024 November 25: The Challenge of not Inviting the Unwholesome Around Easier said than done! This is a deep habit which can be modified, but gradually. Play Video Play Video 35:24 2024 November 20: Mindful Energy Check-ins How to use the R.A.I.N. acronym to check in with your energy and redirect mindful attention as needed or orient in the direction of wellbeing and ease. Mindful Self Care. Play Video Play Video 36:59 2024 November 18: Kindness in Effort Right Effort orients us in the direction of well-being and peace of mind. Play Video Play Video 37:39 2024 November 14: Sangha Energy! We are social creatures. And in our connection and communing with others, an energy field is created–for the better or for the worse. A concert, a protest, a parade, a political rally all create a collective energetic force field with its own particular tone or flavor. Know what collective you wish to be a part of. See which ones strengthen and brighten the heart in times of difficulty. Play Video Play Video 35:20 2024 November 11: The Significance of Balanced Energy On a 1 to 10 scale, monitoring your energy while orienting toward the 4 to 6 range. Play Video Play Video 37:45 2024 November 06: The Energy of the Wolf In all of us there is a mix of wholesome and unwholesome energies. Let’s be mindful of what energy we are feeding, and putting out into the world and directing at ourselves. Let’s leave a legacy of goodwill in our wake. Play Video Play Video 37:09 2024 November 04: Introducing Virya, Energy, The 3rd Factor of Awakening The challenge and importance of cultivating and maintaining wholesome states of mind.