“We must become intimate with anger to clear the way to our connectiveness—to our vulnerability and an aliveness to everything. In the end, our anger is transmuted to wisdom, which in turn gives rise to compassion.”

-Jules Shuzen Harris

This Week’s Discussion Topic
Have you ever paid attention to or become aware of the physical sensations caused by intense anger? What does anger feel like in the body, and how does this feeling relate to the mental sensations of anger?

“We have to be careful not to think that meditation is about getting rid of thoughts. On the contrary, I would say that meditation helps us to creatively engage with our thoughts and not fixate on them.”
-Martine Batchelor

This Week’s Discussion Topic
Discuss how your own relationship with thoughts has evolved since you started practicing.

“A mirror reflects everything, yet it is not altered by what it reflects and does not judge those reflections. If the mind is like a mirror, it is not conditioned by what appears in front of it.”

-Lama Tsultrim Allione

This Week’s Discussion Topic
Discuss your perception of “conditioning” and how it relates to your practice.

“Life will conform to neither the story you tell yourself about it, nor your interpretation of it. Believe a single thought that runs contrary to the way things are or have been and you suffer because of it. No exceptions!”

-Adyashanti

This Week’s Discussion Topic
What are some of the most common ways you resist life and reality? What emotions and feelings fuel this resistance?

“The realization of no-self is not at all nihilistic. It simply means that the self is something different from what we habitually assume it to be.”

-Guo Jun

This Week’s Discussion Topic
What did you consider “Self” to be before you started practicing? How would you describe Self now that you’ve gotten to know your mind and its qualities of perception better?

Note: There is no “wrong” answer, as the question is merely asking for your opinion.

“Death is all around us everywhere. For the most part—following the lead of our culture—we avoid death. But if we do open our hearts to this fact of our lives, it can be a great help to us. It can teach us how to live.”

-Larry Rosenberg

This Week’s Discussion Topic
What lessons have you learned from being around death and the dying?

“We need not be limited by our stories. We are much more mysterious than they are.”

-Mark Epstein

This Week’s Discussion Topic
Discuss some of the “stories” you’ve told/tell yourself about “yourself” and/or “reality.” Or, what story are you currently formulating in your mind about this DCZC meeting we’re having right now? For example, how do you think tonight’s sit went—was it productive or otherwise?

“When we make the effort to understand what may seem strange in the religious practices of others, we may find that it opens the door to something beyond the particular case, something quite general: the capacity of humans to participate in divinity.”

-Robert Bellah

This Week’s Discussion Topic
What’s one Buddhist ritual or practice that you initially thought was strange, but have since found to be  useful and/or practical?

“When a compassionate intention arises, don’t evaluate it. Trust it. Just do it.”

-Colin Beavan

This Week’s Discussion Topic
Can you think of any situation or circumstance where practicing compassion for another would NOT be appropriate? Discuss.

“When we start to develop maitri for ourselves—unconditional acceptance of ourselves—then we’re really taking care of ourselves in a way that pays off. We feel more at home with our own bodies and minds and more at home in the world. As our kindness for ourselves grows, so does our kindness for other people.”

-Pema Chödrön

This Week’s Discussion Topic
Do you often find it harder to forgive yourself, compared to forgiving others? Discuss reasons why/why not…