June 26, 2024
Sinking Into Sensation, Feeling, and the Sense of I
Hundirse en la sensación, el sentimiento y el sentido del yo
This session explores the practice of 'sinking' out of thought and into direct sensory experience, examining how habitual thinking sustains a fixed sense of self. Through guided meditation and dialogue, the teacher distinguishes between sensation, emotion, and feeling as three layers of experience, and describes how avoidance of deeper feeling drives mental and emotional activity. The conversations address posture, breath as a gateway to suppressed feeling, and how recognizing thought as thought can lead to seeing through the constructed sense of 'I.'
meditation
Sinking Into the River
A gentle invitation to stop trying to change anything and simply sink into the flowing, ever-moving experience of this moment.
dialogue
Meditating Lying Down
A student asks whether meditation must be done seated, and whether lying down might affect the upward movement of energy she experiences during practice.
dialogue
Sinking Into What We Avoid
A student asks about the emphasis on posture in Zen practice, which opens into a broader conversation about breath, emotion, and the fear of feeling what lies beneath the surface.
dialogue
Sinking Into Sensation and the Sense of I
A question about what the teacher means by "sinking in" to direct experience, leading to a broader exploration of how thought sustains our fixed sense of self.
dialogue
Breathing as a Way Back to Feeling
A student asks whether it is appropriate to intentionally modify the breath during practice, particularly when habitual breathing has become shallow and difficult to perceive.
dialogue
Sensation, Emotion, and Feeling
A question about the differences between sensation, emotion, and feeling, and how each relates to the path of awakening.
dialogue
Three Bodies: Sensation, Emotion, and Feeling
A student asks for clarification on the distinction between sensations, emotions, and feelings, and how avoidance operates across these layers.