Session 3 of 4
Silent Illumination (Chinese: 黙照禅, pinyin: Mòzhào, Japanese: Shikantaza) is a principal meditation practice of the Cáodòng (曹洞, Soto) school of Chán (禪, Zen) Buddhism. It integrates both calming (śamatha) meditation and insight (vipaśyanā) meditation. Chan Master Sheng-yen described this as a practice that can take one the full way to enlightenment. Referred to as “the method of no method” or “just sitting”, it is extremely simple, natural and almost completely effortless, but amazingly rewarding and beneficial.
Chan (Zen) Chinese character
We will begin with “full awareness of breathing” Ānāpānasati (Pali; Sanskrit: ānāpānasmṛti), which provides an anchor, the rise and fall of the abdomen during natural breathing, on which to focus. Once the mind is settled and able to stay with the breath, we relax into a full awareness of sitting in our environment. This sets up the perfect condition for insight into the essential nature of our own awareness.
This initial offering will be over a four week period meeting on Thursday evenings at 6:00 PM Pacific. It will include brief instruction, short guided meditations, and discussion. It is suitable for people of all levels of experience, from beginners to advanced meditators. Please plan on practicing what is taught in this class for 20 - 30 minutes per day during the duration of the four weeks.
This is offered on a donation basis. To make a donation, please click the Donate button below.
IMPORTANT
You need a Zoom account (free) because you will be required to login to Zoom to attend the meeting.
You must first register to join these sessions. Register here:
To be notified of future events, please click the Join menu item at the top of the page, or click here.
Questions? Please contact Barry Wadsworth on Facebook or Instagram.
Quick recap
The meeting was a meditation group session led by Barry, focusing on sharing experiences with direct contemplation and metta (loving kindness) practices. Participants Brenda, Alicia, Ann, and Emily discussed their recent meditation experiences, including challenges and insights. Barry explained the mechanics of awareness, silent illumination, and the use of metta meditation to soften difficult emotions. He guided the group through a meditation session, addressing questions about awareness, using visualization as a method, and meditating with eyes open or closed. The group expressed interest in continuing to meet, and Barry offered additional support, including one-on-one sessions and Jyotish astrology readings. The session concluded with gratitude and plans to reconvene after Barry's vacation and Anne’s move.
Next steps
Ann
Share Barry's email or text Emily to provide instructions on how to access the donation button.
Barry
Think about and propose a date to resume the meditation group sessions after his vacation (approximately in a month).
Send information to Emily about the donation process (website and donate button).
Emily
Look up Barry's website (buenavistasangha.com) to find the donation button and make a donation.
Attempt to recover her birth certificate with the exact time of birth to potentially proceed with the Jyotish astrology session with Barry.
Collaboration
All participants: Maintain a daily meditation practice until the group resumes.
Summary
Meditation Practice Sharing Session
The group discussed their meditation practices for the week, with each participant sharing their experiences. Brenda and Alicia both practiced direct contemplation outdoors for 15-20 minutes, resting as awareness on sounds and visual elements. Emily shared how she used metta meditation to address anger toward someone, finding peace through sending loving-kindness to that person. Barry provided guidance on metta practice, explaining the technique of starting with feeling love for someone close before extending metta to others, including difficult people. The discussion concluded with Barry explaining the connection between silent illumination meditation and direct contemplation, emphasizing the importance of returning to pure awareness and how this practice can lead to peace, contentment, happiness and improved relationships.
Chan Meditation Practice Discussion
Barry discussed the practice of Chan meditation, explaining that while eyes are typically kept open during practice, they should be relaxed with a gentle unfocused gaze rather than wide open. Emily asked about the difference between this meditation and visualization techniques, expressing difficulty with open-eye meditation due to visual distractions. Barry advised sticking with a single meditation approach for consistency and recommended Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche's visualization retreats (pristinemind.org (for those interested in that method.
Guided Meditation Session
Barry led a meditation session, guiding participants through bringing awareness to each area of the body to allow tension to relax. Then, transitioning to full awareness of breathing meditation. After some time, he instructed the group how to transition from following the breath to silent illumination meditation, maintaining bright, open, clear awareness during the meditation. The session concluded with a short metta meditation and guidance on coming out of meditation gracefully, including massaging the body to restore circulation.
Guided Meditation Session Discussion
The group discussed their experience with a guided meditation session led by Barry. Participants shared their observations and challenges, including physical discomfort and the process of bringing awareness into the body. Barry explained meditation techniques and offered to continue sessions either as a group or one-on-one, including the option of Indian astrology readings on a donation basis. The group agreed to continue meeting after Barry returns from vacation and after Anne’s move in about a month, with Emily expressing particular interest in the astrology service pending availability of her birth certificate for exact time of birth.