60 Even-Heartedness for All Sentient Beings

Spring 2011 Shamatha Retreat

In this session, we approach the immeasurable of equanimity from a Mahayana perspective, using the practice of tonglen (sending and receiving) to attend to individual sentient beings.

The guided meditation begins at 7:10 in the recording.

Alan then answers these questions from the group:

1. What is the relationship between the four immeasurable and bodhicitta?

2. What about dedicating the merit? Do you have any special recommendations in the context of retreat? After each session? At the end of the day?

3. Sometimes I fall asleep lucidly without dreams. Is there a difference between being in a lucid dream, and being asleep lucidly without dreams? Also, last night I became aware of being asleep -- I had my senses, could feel myself breathing, see myself sleeping in my mind's eye. What was happening?

4. You mentioned earlier about how the four immeasurable can balance and complement each other. I love that weaving together. For example, during a meditation on equanimity, I saw indifference coming up, so I arose the immeasurable of compassion for some time before returning to equanimity. Can you say more about this balance, and how you work with segways between the four immeasurable, as well as the sources of these segways?

5. Can you talk about the relativity of space and time? I know, for me, these last five weeks have gone by very quickly, while for others, they have not.