Samatha is the Buddhist practice of “peaceful abiding” characterized by the development of stable attention, mindfulness, joy, tranquility, and equanimity. Join meditation teacher, Pierre Zakarauskas, in this four hour introductory workshop where you will learn how to use the practice of unconditional love (“metta”) to cultivate this tranquil meditative state – both as a primary meditation object and alongside the breath. We will practice a number of different ways to approach metta through guided meditations, as none is guaranteed to work for everyone. There will also be time for discussion.
Schedule
11am-12pm Metta sutta and radiating metta practice
12-12:10pm Break
12:10-1pm Metta to oneself, and discussion
1-2pm Lunch Break
2-2:50pm Ayya Khema’s metta visualization practices
2:50 – 3pm Break
3 – 4 pm Combining breathing and metta practices, and closing discussion
Times shown in Mountain Standard time (MST). See what time that is for you.
About Pierre: Pierre was drawn to practicing the Dharma as a way to line up his understanding of the world as a physicist with how it felt to be human. Science provided him with a particular understanding of the world, including the mind, but it had nothing to say on how to live a good life, a happy and full life. A meditator since 1995 and a daily practitioner since 2002, in 2004 Pierre decided to devote a substantial portion of his time meditating, both at home and on silent retreats. Pierre’s main teachers were Ayya Khema and Leigh Brasington, in the Theravadin tradition, who taught the sutta jhanas as a way to cultivate the mind prior to and alongside insight practice, in addition to an emphasis on cultivating metta.
Pierre lives in Vancouver, BC, with his wife, Jennifer.
The times below reflect your local timezone.