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Developing Power of the Heart and Mind. Transcription. Guided Meditation and Talk. with Christopher. Hosted by SanghaLive. Sunday 25 September 2022

This is a transcribed Guided Meditation and Talk on Developing Power of the Heart and Power of the Mind. The transcription has been edited, modified and adapted for readability.

SanghaLive and Marnie hosted the session on Sunday 25 September 2022.

Developing Power of the Heart and Mind. Transcription. Guided Meditation and Talk. with Christopher. Hosted by SanghaLive. Sunday 25 September 2022 Read More »

Christopher Titmuss. E News September 2022. Information. Links. Social Media, Blog updates, Audio library, Memoir and more.

Who will you listen to when they declare, they swirl all round you

they always know best, and then try changing you

so then beware upon those judges whim to fix your fate

as though they can offer real security

then deceive you with their maturity.

Poems from the Edge of Time by Christopher Titmuss

Dear Friends,

A warm welcome to every one of our 7300 subscribers of the current issue of the Christopher e-News.

In the previous e-News, I mentioned I have divided the e-News into two sections.

The e-News has expanded in recent years to over 35 pages. The two sections will reduce the length of each news.

This edition of the e-News includes information about social media, blog updates, audio library, books and more.

To reduce length, the next e-News published next month will only contain my international teaching schedule for residential and zoom programmes.

THE PRECISION OF PALI LANGUAGE (language of the Buddha).

Past. Present. Future. Hope

Explore the subtle meaning to change your view of such concepts as past, present, future and hope.

The teachings make clear our view of what we view matters as much the viewed including past, present or future.

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

We can refer to these three concepts of time as if each category had its own existence.

Pali shows nuances in the original meaning

Scholars translate:

• Pali word for atita as past

• Pali for paccuppanna as present

• Pali agata as future.

There is an active tone to the Pali rather than something fixed. The Pali invites inquiry into conditions.

A precise translation of the three Pali words

• That which did arrive or did arose

• That which has arrived or is arising

• That which has not arrived or will arise.

HOPE

Western culture regularly uses the language of hope.

The English dictionary definition says hope means to cherish a desire with anticipation.

Western Buddhists will claim the Pali word apekkha means hope.

The Pali-English Dictionary of the Pali Text Society does not translate apekkha as hope.

The Pali Dictionary states apekkha means expectation/waiting for/longing for.

The Pali does not put a positive desire on might or will arise, as in the word hope.

The stronger your positive desire for a future arising the stronger the disappointment if your cherished anticipation does not bear fruit.

A monk, Desaka said to a gravely ill monk. “We hope you are bearing up. We hope you are getting better. We hope that your painful feelings are subsiding.”

Khemak responded, “I am not bearing up I am not getting better, Strong, painful feelings are increasing.

Desaka dropped saying again his positive desire to the monk to bear up and get better.

Instead he asked him a question. Are you clinging to body, feelings and perceptions?!

Khemak responsed: “I do not regard any of these experiences as belonging to myself. I do not regard any of this as This I Am.”

The monks delighted in his words.

ANOTHER PALI TERM

The Pali terms nappatikankhe anagatam gets translated as ‘on the future build his hopes.’

A literal translation: Being certain about what has not yet come.

Both apekkha and nappatikankhe anagatam encourage us to take care in the ways we think and talk about the future.

Our view influences what arose, is arising, not arrived or will arise – sometimes far more than we realise. The view reveals an activity and so does the viewed.

A SELECTION OF BLOGS BETWEEN LATE MARCH AND EARLY JUNE 2002

Here is a selection of recent blogs from early September going back to late July 2022. Around 878,000 have viewed the blog since it was first launched.
TEN YEARS AND TEN DAYS. A 528 PAGE MEMOIR written by Christopher

I have received many kind words from readers worldwide after they read the Memoir. The book offers an exploration of experiences, insights and can provide inspiration for others to engage in a lifelong interest in life on Earth.
The book and Kindle version with photos is available on Amazon books in many countries.
The Memoir of 10 years on the road includes a hippy life, mind-altering drugs, romantic encounters and brushes with death. The book covers travels through 20 countries, the discipline for three years in a strict Vipassana monastery in Thailand, nine months in a cave and meetings with leading spiritual teachers in Thailand and India. I met and talked with some of the finest spiritual/Buddhist/Hindu teachers in Thailand and India.
Besides the letters, I also drew upon 30 diaries and notebooks, plus my memory of events from 1967 to 1977. The freedom to explore confirms an infinite potential for discovery.
TEN YEARS AND TEN DAYS
ISBN 978-1-5272-8274-2
Published June 2021.
£14.95. 528 pages.
£6.95 Kindle e-Book.
Memoir is easily available via Amazon (the publisher) websites in many Western countries.

FACEBOOK

I have three Facebook Pages

1. Christopher Titmuss.

Link to Christopher Titmuss Facebook Page

3.4K Facebook friends. Many Friends have connection with Buddhist practices, Meditation, Mindfulness, Vipassana, Yoga, Advaita and more. There are also plenty of Friends, who give priority to outer change – social/political/enviromental/global issues. Others have a thoughtful interest in topics touched upon on the Facebook page.

2. Christopher Titmuss Public Figure Page

Link to Christopher Titmuss Public Figure Page

5.6K Followers.

I recently started to reuse this Facebook page after an absence since last year.

I often place a link from an item on the blog on the above Facebook pages. Some people post a Comment on the Facebook Friends or Facebook Followers page or put a comment on the blog.

3. Christopher Titmuss Teachings

Link to Christopher Titmuss Teachings Group

Around 760 Members. You need to send a request to join.

This Facebook Page started in July 2022.

I post a question weekly. Members can respond in the Comment section.

I collate many responses so Members can read through. I then add in the post a response from myself after the Comments.

HERE ARE THE WEEKLY QUESTIONS from late July to early September

  • Who am I?
  • Four Kinds of Action: 1. Skilful Action. 2. Unskilful Action. 3. Neutral Action. 4…?
  • Is insecurity related to the desire to control and/or other factors?
  • What are the benefits and limits of stepping into the unknown?
  • Is building up self-esteem an exercise in futility?
  • Is tiredness a state of mind dependent on the view of it?
  • What is the difference between compassion and pity?
  • What is the difference between need and greed?
LINKEDIN AND TWITTER

I have around 1200 contacts on Linkedin and around 600 followers on Twitter.

A link from the blog often goes to Linkedin and Twitter to notify contacts.

While rarely looking at these platforms, I plan to develop more contact.

PODCASTS AND WWW.ARCHIVE.ORG

Talks and interviews available on SoundCloud 1280 Dharma talks, inquiries and interviews freely available.

Link to Soundcloud Recordings from April 2022 Retreat in Waldhaus Germany

Talk, inquiries and interviews also on www.archive.org. Archive.org holds makes 451 talks freely available.

Link to Archive.org

Interviews include Ajahn Buddhadasa, Meichee Patomwon and Poonja-ji.

Some of the most popular Dharma talks are:

The Buddha And His Dysfunctional Family

Mindfulness, The Self and Emptiness

The Power of Truth

The Spirituality of Mindfulness

Sri Ramana Maharshi and The Buddha

FLIKR PHOTOS

Flickr is an online photo management and sharing application. There are 200 albums on Flickr containing my 18,600 photographs, starting 2006.

Photos include Sangha, Totnes, India, Australia, Europe, Dharma Yatras in France/Germany, nature, family, upbringing, monkhood and travels.

Link to Flikr Photos

YOUTUBE

Dharma Channel Christopher Titmuss 1. 92 videos. 595 subscribers.

Link to Dharma YouTube Channel

Themes in videos include Intro, Guided Meditation on Loving Kindness, short talks on love, intimacy, fear, dana (donations), reading, shopping etc.

A second Channel. 23 videos. 688 subscribers.

Link to Christopher Titmuss YouTube Channel

Themes included Guided Meditations on breath, body, states of mind, dharma, global pollution of mind, being a vegetarian, a 65-year pilgrimage (7 mins. Photos from babyhood to age of 65 with commentary)

WELCOME TO THE WISE LOTUS CENTRE IN LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY, HERTS, UK

Do join our classes and courses held in The Wise Lotus Centre, 35 minutes on the train north from Kings Cross station in central London, UK.
TWLC has a rapidly expanding programme throughout the week. The Centre keeps  as affordable as possible to support adults and children. Centre offers evening meetings/classes. The programme includes mindfulness, meditation, yoga, holistic therapies, self-care, public talks, classes for families, children and businesses. Nshorna teaches mindfulness and other classes/workshops for adults and children in the Centre. She sells a range of wellbeing items and beautiful gift sets on Etsy and in her shop: www.thelittleshopofmindfulness.com. Every package is plastic-free as much as possible, and includes a mindfulness practise leaflet.
Email. support@thewiselotus.com
www.thewiselotus.com

DONATIONS for Christopher

Different Ways to offer donations(dana) to support Christopher
https://www.christophertitmuss.net/donations.
•    You can make donations via your PAYPAL, STRIPE or Credit/Debit Card
•    You do not need a PAYPAL account.
Inspired by his years as a Buddhist monk (1970-1976) Christopher depends upon donations rather than charge for teachings. Christopher only teaches in centres where he considers the daily rate affordable.
You can also make a bank transfer to my bank account in Devon, England. I will email you my bank details.
christopher@insightmeditation.org
Thank you for your kind support.

THANK YOU.

Christopher Titmuss. E News September 2022. Information. Links. Social Media, Blog updates, Audio library, Memoir and more. Read More »

Ways to Handle an Angry and Confrontational Person

I regularly receive emails on people facing a difficult and confrontational person – perhaps a family member, a neighbour, a colleague, a client, a stranger, a boss and more. …

Ways to Handle an Angry and Confrontational Person Read More »

Eckhart Tolle. A response from a person participating in his recent Zoom course

I posted two blogs on Eckhart Tolle out of more than 1000 plus blogs on multiple themes over the years. I wrote about his name on the rich man’s list and the spiritual industry in his name. …

Eckhart Tolle. A response from a person participating in his recent Zoom course Read More »

Luminous Darkness. By Deborah Eden Tull. A Book Review

The book is due to be available in US shops from around 27 September 2022.

Two common metaphors co-exist in the spiritual and psychological world.  Application of these two metaphors have become familiar to many of us. We have taken both for granted with light representing the positive and the dark representing the negative.

In her book, Deborah Eden Tull, endeavours to encourage readers to step out of this dualistic metaphor and direct spiritual practice towards the darkness. This reminds practitioners to explore the dark and embrace the unknown.

The desire to hold onto historical impressions and conclusions about the dangers of the dark inhibits the opportunity to penetrate the unknown. It is not easy to take steps into the unknown giving the opportunity to bring light into areas of life frequently ignored, neglected or rejected.

The seeker of Truth has the opportunity discovery insights hidden away due to the attraction towards the light and ignoring of the dark. Spiritual and mystical traditions, including the Buddhist tradition, have given priority to light as the means to dispel the darkness.

The Buddha woke up under the Tree of EnLIGHTenment. Deborah Tull advocates Endarkenment, as a language acknowledging the importance of light and dark. After his experience, under the tree, the Buddha referred to the light, which lit up his whole being and life itself – an ultimate language rather than dualistic.

Her book urges us to address any dark areas of a reader’s life.  I would give examples such as hidden corners of the mind, fears, resistance and unwillingness to encounter adventure through stepping into the unknown. Her approach dissolves the edges of light and dark, so our view does not fall into such a dualism.

The book has a special pertinence given the darkness over the Earth – uncertainty, dictatorships (in democracy/non-democracy), climate upheavals, wars, energy crisis and more. The illumination of the darkness and learning to live with insecurity confirms expressions of embracing the unknown.

Her book addresses the physical manifestations of light and dark, as well as the symbolic invitation of darkness including learning to make friendship with the night hours. Deborah Tull’s reminds readers the path of waking up includes understanding that “meditation reveals the human realm is not the only realm.”

Meditation encourages us to open the heart and mind to listen to ourselves, to wise teachings but also to the voices of the animals and the natural world.

The book adopts a frequent four-fold format often found in the current generation of spiritual books with its benefits and limits.
1. The teachings.
2. Frequent use of ‘we’ language in the paragraphs.
3. Author includes regular personal stories.
4. Short section at the end of each chapter for practice/inquiry.

The text provides an overall readability for beginners and those with depth of practice but, in my view, needs more of the sharp, cutting edge of a critique to shake up the consciousness of the reader. Luminous Darkness does offer several cuts to the bone comments.

Here are examples. To her credit, she writes (Page 21) in her chapter on Refining Darkness.

“I believe there are profound implications in our historical and collective rejection of darkness. The continual reference of darkness is negative and sinister. And the assumed divide between light and dark has created a severe tear in the fabric of human relationship.

It has caused a dualistic fracture in how we see everything good, bad, right wrong, higher, lower worthy unworthy.

“These dualistic associations have contributed to systematic racism, plus sexism, misogyny, sexism, domination over nature, and the demonization of mental illness and physical disability. “

“Hierarchy creates an unsustainable order of the human mind.”

These are powerful statements to inspire any thoughtful and caring person to reflect on.

What is the resolution of corrupt systems and hierarchy? What will change patriarchal Buddhism? It is easy to see the failings of our institutions, but we need guidelines and application of the alternatives. One extreme is hierarchy/patriarchy. The other extreme makes gross mythological generalisations that we are all equal. Buddha-Dharma explores the middle way.

In her introduction, the author said the “teachings and enlightenment saved my life.” In a heading on page 5, she wrote enlightenment is neither and end nor goal. I assume she means enlightenment at expense of endarkenment. If there is no goal, then there is no path nor practice or only an endless path and practice.

Features in the Dark

The author reminds readers of the practical aspects of the dark, such as making natural processes possible by physical darkness. Process includes the embryo resting in the dark of the womb for nine months, the caterpillar in a silky cocoon and the seeds in the garden requiring the absence of light for germination.

The mind can produce monsters, demons and painful fantasies out of the dark. Exposure to the unresolved corners of the mind in this underworld can make a major impact. Projections, trauma and forebodings influence our views, perceptions, feeling and emotions, including impacting on our health. A person may not know what to do when facing such painful presentations. This means requires the support of another or others. Rightly so, she endorses exploring the dark and embracing the dark.

Tull refers to her childhood, her relationship with her father (her ‘first spiritual teacher’), her Jewish upbringing, her Dharma practice, dealing with Lyme Disease and daily life.

As a monk, she experienced the hierarchical power structure in the monastery (page 113). She said she “allowed the hierarchical power structure to undermine her kindred relationship with my own female body.” …I had not yet seen the limitations of this structure… Only when I brought more awareness to hierarchy, did my personal practice begin to mature.”

She points out that power is exerting one’s will and force onto the world (page 157). The Buddha expressed deep concern about the abuse of power. He referred to the five powers of mind – trust, mindfulness, unification of mind, energy and wisdom.

Ego constructs of superiority and inferiority support hierarchy, which brings about anger or submission.

The author writes of her wish to integrate her whole self (Page 141) and writes elsewhere whole mind perceives wholeness (Page 152). The integrated self and the whole self are Jungian concepts, with a measure of truth but one can go deeper into the dark than that. She does go deeper from time to time. The book touches the depth of the dark rather than limiting it to self-interest.

In a luminous darkness, the world of I, me and mine lose all substance – neither fragmented nor whole, neither great self nor small self.

The light confirms the dark. The dark confirms the light.

The book needs to pass onto many Buddhist/mindfulness/meditation teachers and psychologists. There is a need to increase awareness of external factors for suffering due to aggressive social behaviour and the darkness in our problematic institutions rather than limit suffering and its resolution to the self.

A strongly recommended book.

Luminous Darkness
An Engaged Buddhist Approach
To Embrace the Unknown
Deborah Eden Tull
Shambhala Publications, USA,
2022
229 Pages.
$18.95

Deborah Eden Tull, a US citizen, is a Dharma teacher, public speaker and sustainability educator. She teaches Zen meditation.

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