Madison Meditation Meetup

These special meditations are deeply steeped in the Tibetan tradition and often appeal to those who resonate with mystical or symbolic meditation practices. After generating compassion, one visualizes being immersed in a special quality or state of mind such as healing, wisdom, or purity. The meditations also include quiet contemplation of symbolic imagery, such as meditation on the Buddha. Many people who come to this for the first time experience a wave of peacefulness and a fresh, heart-centered aliveness.

The spring meditations will be primarily Buddha of Compassion, Medicine Buddha and Buddha Shakyamuni with other meditations occasionally offered.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has said, “Don’t try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist; use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are.” In this series, learn how Buddhist concepts and meditation techniques can improve your life. Whether you are simply interested in gaining more wisdom in your own life path or are an experienced Buddhist meditator, these teachings offer practical advice as you continue on your path.

We have a rotating list of teachers from the White Conch Lamas and Lamas in training that lead this session every week including Pema, Dawa Norbu, and Gyalmo.

Practicing Metta meditation improves a person’s mind state and has lasting and profound emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits. Through scientific research, Metta meditation, or loving-kindness, has been shown to decrease migraines, chronic pain, and symptoms of depression and PTSD. It increases compassion and feelings of empathy, as well as decreases criticism of self and others. It can even positively affect the aging process and makes you more resilient to stress.

Each session includes a guided loving-kindness meditation, short discussion on a mindful element of loving-kindness, a handout and time to ask questions. Join our co-facilitators Pema Antoniotti and Chris Lee-Thompson and be prepared for a lively discussion.

In our fall 2018 series we plan to cover the following topics (order to be decided), and will often add topics as the sessions progress in order to take into account the group’s needs and interests.

--Introduction to Loving Kindness
--Science-based benefits of Loving Kindness
--The brain and the heart
--Aspects of Loving Kindness: Gentleness
--Aspects of Loving Kindness: Working with the inner critic
--Aspects of Loving Kindness: Not feeling inconvenienced by others
--Loving Kindness and Compassion
--Tips to prepare the body for meditation
--A review of how to sit comfortably

As Pema and Chris come from different faith backgrounds, they will offer these new topics during the series:

--Loving Kindness and the Buddhist Sutras
--Loving Kindness in Christianity
--Interfaith perspectives on Loving Kindness

This group is held online using Zoom. We ask that you register on our website at https://www.joyfulpath.org/event/loving-kindness-meditation-group/2018-12-05/ so that we can prepare the session appropriately and send you handouts when we use them in the class. However, it is not mandatory to register. To participate by zoom, use this link: https://zoom.us/j/140322520

These special meditations are deeply steeped in the Tibetan tradition and often appeal to those who resonate with mystical or symbolic meditation practices. After generating compassion, one visualizes being immersed in a special quality or state of mind such as healing, wisdom, or purity. The meditations also include quiet contemplation of symbolic imagery, such as meditation on the Buddha. Many people who come to this for the first time experience a wave of peacefulness and a fresh, heart-centered aliveness.

The spring meditations will be primarily Buddha of Compassion, Medicine Buddha and Buddha Shakyamuni with other meditations occasionally offered.