Schedule
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9:00 am - 10:00 am — Zhinay meditation with some instructions.
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10:15 am - 11:00 am — Teachings and/or Question and Answer session.
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6:30 pm - 7:30 pm — Zhinay meditation with some instructions.
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7:45 pm – 8:30 pm – Question and Answer session.
Description
At KCC, the foundation of spiritual training is Zhinay (also called Shamata in Sanskrit or "calm abiding") a basic sitting meditation that develops stable attention and provides the basis for investigating more subtle aspects of awareness. The practice is the essential underpinning of all other meditation practices. While our minds are busy and distracted by a myriad of disconnected thoughts, feelings, and emotions, it is not possible to deeply engage the meditation methods which could lead us to the intended result of directly recognizing the nature of mind. Zhinay is a direct method for learning to let the mind rest naturally, free of our commitment to the tyranny of these distractions.
Brief instruction to the practice is provided before every session. Lama Michael Conklin provides detailed instructions about the practice of shamata on alternating first Sundays from 9:00 am to noon. Following a pot-luck lunch, there is a Q&A session from 1:30 to 2:45 pm, and then a last session of meditation which ends at 4:00 pm. These instructions happen on odd-numbered months: January, March, May, July, September, and November. All are welcome to attend.