Greetings from the Shambhala Sangha Retreat in gorgeous Vermont, where I am acting as a meditation instructor under the awesome mind-heart training, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, the coolest Buddhist teacher this side of the Himalayas, in my humble opinion. The quote below is about practicing meditation in everyday life. I am teaching a six week course of the same name beginning next week in New York City, and similar courses are offered at Shambhala Centers everywhere. (PS If anyone can tell me the source of this awesome photo, I’d love to know).
“Seated meditation is the arena in which the meditator practices his own
fundamental skills. The game the meditator is playing is the experience
of his own life, and the instrument upon which he plays is his own
sensory apparatus. Even the most seasoned meditator continues to
practice seated meditation, because it tunes and sharpens the basic
mental skills he needs for his particular game. We must never forget,
however, that seated meditation itself is not the game. It’s the
practice. The game in which those basic skills are to be applied is the
rest of one’s experiential existence. Meditation that is not applied to
daily living is sterile and limited.”
-From Mindfulness in Plain English
by Bhante Gunaratana
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