A Student writes:

While reading the Living the Awakened Heart Training Course Companion booklet, I really connected with some of the points you wrote about ‘Sensitivity‘, as my experience of meditation has been very ‘dry’ at times. Despite glimpses and seeing something of the illusory nature of things, I missed the ‘aliveness, well-being and joy’ that you discuss in the booklet.

Lama Shenpen:

It is interesting isn’t it? With a bit of effort we can get certain experiences that seem to be leading in the right direction and then what?  There is much more to it than passing experiences and trying to revive or prolong them – to really link into the real significance of those and all one’s experience we do need guidance and what one might perhaps call a multi-faceted approach.

Student:

From reading your booklets so far I can see that I probably excluded the ‘heart‘ from my practice at times.

Lama Shenpen:

I am always very struck with how we can talk about ‘mind’ and ‘true nature of mind’ and even ‘awareness’ without noticing we have excluded all the associations that we have with heart – it is somehow the way the English language has developed and uses words like heart and mind.

Student:

In my mediation I have already started to include “heart” a bit more alongside the instructions ‘being present’, ‘wake’ and ‘open’. 

Lama Shenpen:

Isn’t it interesting how this can make so much difference? Just that simple moment of including ‘heart’ – it’s like magic almost – how words and meaning – our experience – work together.

Find out more about Lama Shenpen’s Living the Awakened Heart Training – the structured, comprehensive, supported, distance learning programme in Buddhist meditation, reflection and insight. The training, which is open to all, brings the profound Dzogchen and Mahamudra teachings to a Western audience in an experiential, accessible way, through spiral learning. Find out more and how to join at www.ahs.org.uk/training