Year One Library
These resources all come from the first year of the project when Ben facilitated the group.
We practiced a meditation from a Buddhist tradition called Anapanasati.
Building a Practice
We came up with many different ways of helping those new to the practice to build up to the ‘standard’ 20 minute meditation.
fully guided to silent
Gradual Silence
These are three MP3 files that take you through the full Sitting Meditation. They begin with ‘Breath by Breath’ a track that has speaking on each in breath, each out breath. Then move to a ‘Semi Guided’ recording that just gives a new verse as each step changes. Finally ‘Silent’ is just a click track that gives a click when it is time to move to the next step.
Variations on a Theme
To add some interest, I recorded some variations on the Standard Meditation.
🕵️ See if you can spot the difference.🕵️
Absolute Silence
💪 Extend your concentration muscles to Awesome levels. 💪
Starting out with baby steps
Mini Practise Blocks
This was another method where we looked at each step in the meditation, one step at a time. These tracks arew just five minutes long and focus on just one step. They come in fully guided versions and just with guidance as the step changes.
You can use these one at a time of focus on a step that you might find tricky.
Shuttle Runs
Try building up your practice by extending out how far through the meditation you go each time.
Starting short and taking on an extra section with each step.
the big picture
Enter the three doors
Once you feel that you have the concepts of self in a reasonably solid place try to add in an awareness of other stuff, using
Emptiness, Signlessness and Aimlessness.
These three extra steps will need you to bring your own gatas, depending on what the subject of your focus is.
read and learn
Book Club
These are some books which I have recomended or discussed at the meetings.
If you have a suggestion of a book for the community please get in touch.
Breathe! You are alive
This easy to read short book will explain the Full Awareness of Breathing sutra.
It is the commentary by the inspiring teacher, Thicht Nhat Hanh.
Meditation & Mindfulness
A very accessible introduction to practise
Written by the founder of Headspace, Andy Puddicombe
Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
A mix of suggestion, advice and poetry. This is quite an amazing book.
A bit like Shakespeare, at times you can get lost and it is best to just read on and let it wash over you. Quite amazing.
The Life changing magic of Tidying up
Marie Kondo’s popular method for getting rid of the clutter in your life and allowing you space to meditate!
The Compassionate Mind
Paul Gilbert
A bit more of a psychology basis for the benefits of a compassionate and mindful approach.
Breath by Breath
Paul Rosenberg
A study of the Anapanasati sutra. Very accessable and easy to engage with, this author could give you new insight into your practice.
my explanation
Guide to the Framework
Lastly is my discussion of the Sitting Meditation.
These films are an attempt to interpret the gatas within the meditation practise.
I am not much more well practised than yourself so it is just rough guide.
Part 1 - Ourselves
This is a 30 minute film in which I describe the first part of the framework, awareness of ourselves.
You don’t have to get it all down in one go. Repetition is the key to developing any new habit so be realistic that it will take at least a dozen attempts before you are comfortable.
Part 2 - Others
Once you feel that you have the concepts of self in a reasonably solid place try to add in an awareness of other stuff.
Here is an explination of the three doors of liberation that you can add at the end of your sitting meditation.
- Emptiness
- Signlessness
- Aimlessness
