Shinzen extends his welcome to people who are new to his teachings and/or this YouTube channel. Shinzen shares that the mindfulness skill-set leads eventually to "getting over yourself and getting over the world", and "improving yourself and world". Ordinary experience can become utterly extraordinary resulting in the beatific vision, to use a Christian term. He then talks about his eclectic mix of influences which are utilized without religious doctrine or cultural trappings, and applied science-like to sensory experience. Filmed in Nov. 2009 at Mt. Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls.
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The place to start if you're new to meditation or Shinzen's teachings, and the place to find out about Shinzen's Onsite Retreats and the Home-based Practice Programs (mini-retreats).
Many people find it challenging to meditate most days yet Shinzen recommends formal meditation "at least 10 minutes a day, but it could be much longer". What to do? Might it help if Shinzen joined you in your home on video every day? This playlist is here to assist you. Pick one or more of what seems interesting to you and go from there.
Concentration, sensory clarity and equanimity is Shinzen's definition of mindfulness. Our baseline habit of this "triple skill-set" gets elevated as the activity of mindfulness is practiced.
In this playlist you'll find some of the challenges that can come up for students. In the three-part video set Shinzen discusses with a student some of the harsher aspects that can arise for some people in the process of dissolution, or bhanga. Shinzen then uses guided instruction in demonstrating some of the ways that this can be worked with. Other videos include Shinzen talking about dissolution (bhanga) and reciting some of T. S. Eliot's words to help illustrate how a poet might write about this. Shinzen also talks about what to do when experiencing "dark night" territory and the "pit of the void", emptiness, "don't know mind" and the need to work through the need to have meaning, and sleep interruption, and what to do when experiencing "kriyas". See also the Working with Pain and the Psychotherapy, Transformation & Mindfulness Playlists.
Shinzen answers questions about enlightenment that people have written in to this channel and talks about some obstacles on the path. See also "On Enlightenment: An Interview with Shinzen Young" at http://bit.ly/B4hOu.
The Five Ways is a contemporary toolkit for classical enlightenment. Included in this set of videos are overviews and specific ways of working with the Five Ways.
Shinzen talks about how to work with sensory challenges using "focus away" and "turn towards" strategies during meditation. This playlist also includes a 4-part series showing Shinzen guiding a person with some pain issues using mindfulness meditation, and a 3-part series on cancer and healing. See also the Dissolution, Dark Night, Don't Know, and Can't Sleep playlist for other sensory challenges.
When mindfulness meets psychotherapy transformation is potentiated. In this playlist Shinzen shares how he comes to a differential diagnosis in his capacity as a meditation teacher.
Shinzen talks about the many aspects of the human sensory system. Understanding and applying the touch-sight-sound-feel-image-talk system enables our meditation practice to deepen and ultimately helps our view of self and other to radically change by eliciting compassion as service.