Recorded at Insight Meditation Satsang
Online,
January 17, 2023
DESCRIPTION
We keep going with good qualities for starting out the year, and talk about urgency (saṁvega) and continuity in practice. Urgency is also inspiration, so points to all the factors that keep us engaged with the path. Not giving up or wasting our time on things that don’t serve our well-being. It is also an attitude that directly challenges inertia, laziness, and nihilism. If you don’t think your actions matter much, and don’t think any aspect of your experience of pain lasts past your death, then it’s hard to stay motivated. Saṁvega cuts through these freezy parts of the psyche and tries to wake you up. Once your passion for practice is lit, things become much easier.
Continuity means keeping the heat on. It’s not only easier to move when you have energy, but when you’re already moving. So there’s getting your steam up for the work of practice, and then there’s keeping it going. It’s not a race, so this doesn’t mean rest is anathema to practice—the opposite is true. Rest is golden. But dissipating energy through forgetting to be mindful or tend your state isn’t.
SEAN OAKES
Sean Feit Oakes, PhD (he/they, queer, Puerto Rican & English, living on Pomo ancestral land in Northern California), teaches Buddhism and somatic practice focusing on the integration of meditation, trauma resolution, and social justice. He received Insight Meditation teaching authorization from Jack Kornfield, and wrote his dissertation on extraordinary states in Buddhist meditation and experimental dance. Sean holds certifications in Somatic Experiencing (SEP, assistant), and Yoga (E-RYT 500, YACEP), and teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, East Bay Meditation Center, Insight Timer, and elsewhere.
LINKS
Website: seanfeitoakes.com
Community Page: In It To End It
YouTube channel: In It To End It
Spirit Rock: spiritrock.org/teachers/sean-oakes
Insight Timer: insighttimer.com/seanoakes
GIVING
All of Dr. Oakes’ independent teaching is offered on the model of Gift Economy, in the Buddhist tradition of dāna, inspired giving. Support of our teaching and community is gratefully received. Thank you for your generosity.
Donate:
seanfeitoakes.com/gift-economy
Blessings on your path.