Q2-20020705-Larry_Rosenberg-IMSRC-learning_to_live_in_real_time_part_iii-8737 Leandra Tejedor

Talk: 20020705-Larry_Rosenberg-IMSRC-learning_to_live_in_real_time_part_iii-8737 Leandra Tejedor.json Start_time: 01:04:37 Display_question: What skillful means can we cultivate, to create more samadhi, in our daily lives? Keyword_search: samadhi, concentration, skillful means, attitude, Boston, suffering, New York, continuity, mindful, sitting, attention, reactions, wisdom, jhana Question_content: Questioner: I have a question about samadhi, in terms of skillful means, when you leave this place. One of the things that I noticed is, that in ordinary life you don’t have the access to that level of samadhi, and so I’m just curious what skillful means will help to generate little, tiny sort of like wells, if you will, during the day. To create an opportunity for a level of concentration, similar to here. Larry: Yeah, before getting to that, I'd like to get to again, attitude. Because let's say we've all worked hard, and to some degree, I hope our samadhi is a little bit more developed, than when we got here. Let's assume, that for the moment. In some cases a lot more developed. And we feel happy, that at least that's one tool, a very important one, in our practice. And then we get in our car, and we head towards Boston, let's say, if you're going there. And as the miles tick off, it gets less, and less bucolic, and rustic, and more trucks, and more cars, and then the police, and then a fire engine. And then in the meantime, our hard earned samadhi starts unraveling. Little by little, as the mileage ticks off, the samadhi is falling apart. Okay? Break_line: So, the attitude I'm talking about is, then there's suffering. I worked so hard to develop a samadhi, and now look at it. But the practice is being with what is. It's being with what is. And the conditions here, just in your words, the conditions here are all intentionally set up, to help us do that. Once you get into a city, like Boston, New York, wherever, wherever you live, some of these places, it's as if the conditions were devised by a maniac, to make sure you never have samadhi. Okay, and yet, this is the world we live in. But those pockets, first of all, keep your sitting practice strong. Try to sit each day, of course. Come to retreats as much as possible. Even though it feels like some of it falls away. There is a cumulative effect. But continuity is important. It's just day in, and day out. But it's not necessarily just day in, and day out, doing this. Break_line: For example, if you take on being mindful, from moment to moment, a quality of attention develops from that, that is quite strikingly useful. It's very useful. Remember, the deepest samadhi, is not the point. It's useful in that it's strong, to help you see into the nature of what is, from moment to moment. Now, the fact is you're not going to have the conditions you have here. So, get comfortable seeing letting go, let that go. These conditions help… were conducive to that, and you do what you can. Break_line: For example, there are moments you're waiting online, and maybe it's in the department store, and maybe it's a minute and a half, until it's your turn. You can be with your breathing, and that calms you down a little. It gets you a little bit centered. But look, I'm suggesting attend to your reactions. Samadhi isn't reserved to just sitting, and being with the breath. That's putting your attention on something, and keeping it there. Samadhi needs to also be pliable, flexible, so that you can bring it into daily life. If it's just something that you can only be done in the forest, or here, then it's still valuable, but it's limited. So that's the best answer I can give. But wisdom doesn't necessarily require the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, jhana. End_time: 01:09:03