Lost Coin Class Notes June 19. 2007

Subjects tonight: *deepening meditation* and *blame* as negative emotion

Three negative emotions we will cover: fear, blame, greed (constantly being unhappy with what one has)

*Blame:* broadly defined as *everything is someone else's fault*.

*Dukha* = suffering, as in a wheel with an axis that is unable to rotate

Shifting focus from blaming others, to you that you're working on, you that you're mastering.

Discussion of enneagram personality types. Cindy recommended Sikora website, costs $29, for those who are unclear on their type. Provides a 'map', showing what strategies one can best employ.

Daniel mentioned an astrology and enneagram book, *The Theory of Celestial Influence*, Rodney Colin

*Focus on deepening meditation practice*:

Type of meditation we are using: *shikantasa* = just sitting (vs. counting)

Noise should not disturb your meditation. Sitting on a medicine ball suggested for back problems. Think of self as an aquarium, not the fish. Don't get attached to anything. Stay active?aware?awake. We practiced. A very large, round aquarium, everything inside or  . . . no inside/outside. A floaty feeling. ? hour in length ideally. No naming, be one with the bird song, let all fill you.

Use meeting time to practice?get work assignment for the week.

Three stages of *shikantasa*:  1) *jiriki* = concentration power, focus mind on one thing, break associative thought; 2) *samadi* = absorption; 3) awakening, deep form of remembering self?*kensho* and *dikensho*(earth-shaking)

Our future retreats will build to third stage via long sittings?3 days, with guidance from Daniel. Value of *commitment* as more enabling than talent, luck, intelligence, etc.

Can try asking a question: "why do I hate my job?" sit for 20 minutes, then ask same question and will find you will be in a different place, more skilled, less aggressive.

Aids to sitting: incense, same place, same time, pillows, "anchoring"

In our groups, we gave feedback to assist each other with seeing ourselves relative to blame.

Weekly task: observe yourself in terms of blame. Blame is asleep. There are saner ways to solve problems.

Recommended books: Fritz Peters, *My Boyhood with Gurdjieff* and Katherine Hulme, *Undiscovered Country*
