Guided Big Mind Meditations?

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philosopher
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Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by philosopher »

I recently came across a guided big mind meditation by Shaila Catherine and found that it immediately deepened my formal practice greatly. I prefer to not listen to the same recording over and over again, however, so I found a couple others: one by Jack Kornfield and another by Howard Cohn. Does anyone know of any others?

If you've not tried the "Big Mind" meditation I'd highly recommend it. Here are the ones mentioned above:


Please let me know if you know of any others.

SC:
http://imsb.org/prev/teachings/guidedMeditations.php

JK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SroTzdcqEBg

HC:
http://dharmaseed.org/talks/audio_player/82/24531.html

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mikenz66
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Re: Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by mikenz66 »

Hi Philosopher,

You could look at:
http://www.dharmaseed.org/talks/?page=2 ... e_items=10
http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/1770.html

Perhaps you could explain the idea of "Big Mind".

:anjali:
Mike
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Re: Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by philosopher »

mikenz66 wrote:Hi Philosopher,

You could look at:
http://www.dharmaseed.org/talks/?page=2 ... e_items=10
http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/1770.html

Perhaps you could explain the idea of "Big Mind".

:anjali:
Mike
Thank you!!

I don't think I am a position to explain anything, but the sense I get is that these meditations attempt to cultivate a vast, expansive, inclusive nature of the mind. Shaila's meditation also includes questions that lead to insight.

Still very much a beginner so the above is just my initial impression, but this "technique" or attitude is working very well for me at this stage.


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daverupa
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Re: Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by daverupa »

Big Mind.... Sort of an unfortunate term, I think... reminds me of Mr. Merzel's shenanigans.
  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
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mikenz66
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Re: Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by mikenz66 »

Here are some previous discussions:
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.ph ... 4&start=20
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?t=13078

I'm not familiar with this idea, but from listening to a little of Shaila's guided meditation, this could very well be a helpful way of breaking down some preconceptions, and becoming more aware. I wouldn't personally want to use it as a primary method, or use it as a basis for insight, but that applies to a number of other visualisation-related techniques, such as metta meditation.

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Aloka
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Re: Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by Aloka »

daverupa wrote:Big Mind.... Sort of an unfortunate term, I think... reminds me of Mr. Merzel's shenanigans.
There was a Brad Warner article which criticised Dennis Merzel/Genpo Roshi's "Big Mind":

http://hardcorezen.blogspot.co.uk/2010/ ... llion.html


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tiltbillings
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Re: Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by tiltbillings »

Big Mind is a Zen expression likely coined by Suzuki Roshi which Dennis Merzel/Genpo has co-opted for his version of whatever.

I doubt that others mentioned use it the way Dennis Merzel/Genpo does. It is far more like they are using "Big Mind" the way Suzuki Roshi used in his book ZEN MIND, BEGINNER'S MIND.

Here is a brief description of Suzuki's notion of big mind: Big mind and little mind are just concepts that Shunryu Suzuki used to explain the difference between self as an ideal to cling to and self as the real nature of your own existence. At least I think Shunryu Suzuki coined the terms, and I don't think it's a direct translation of any term in common use, but I suppose it might be. Anyways, clinging to the little mind is problematic. Clinging to anything is problematic, but in order to understand the nature of existence, big mind, one has to let go of cherished ideas about one's identity, small mind. At least, I think that's one way to think about it.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Aloka
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Re: Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by Aloka »

tiltbillings wrote:At least I think Shunryu Suzuki coined the terms...
Brad Warner mentiones Suzuki in the article I referenced :
This is serious business. Big Mind™ is irresponsible and dangerous.

But there is a lot of irresponsible and dangerous stuff going on in the world of this type of cheesy vaguely Eastern feel-good-now spirituality. The reason I have focused so much attention on Genpo Roshi’s rotten Big Mind™ scam is because it pretends to be related to Zen. Not only to Zen, but to the Soto tradition of Master Dogen. Genpo has even stolen Suzuki Roshi’s phrase “big mind” — first used in his book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind — and trademarked it for himself (SFZC really should make a legal complaint about that, since they own the copyright to Suzuki’s works). But Big Mind™ has nothing whatsoever in common with real Zen practice.

http://hardcorezen.blogspot.co.uk/2010/ ... llion.html
.
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bodom
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Re: Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by bodom »

From Steve Armstrong:

http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/170/?search=big+mind" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:namaste:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
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bodom
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Re: Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by bodom »

Joseph Goldstein:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SroTzdcqEBg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:namaste:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
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bodom
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Re: Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by bodom »

Ines Freedman:

http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/audio_player/1770.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:namaste:
Liberation is the inevitable fruit of the path and is bound to blossom forth when there is steady and persistent practice. The only requirements for reaching the final goal are two: to start and to continue. If these requirements are met there is no doubt the goal will be attained. This is the Dhamma, the undeviating law.

- BB
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m0rl0ck
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Re: Guided Big Mind Meditations?

Post by m0rl0ck »

"Mind" in reference to something absolute has gotten a lot of use especially in zen. My sense of the use of the term "Big Mind" is that its at least a little farther away from the sense (as i understand it from looking at some of the vids and some reading) in which some zen ancestors used the term "Mind" and it might be helpful to look at some of the earlier uses of "Mind" as background.

This for instance from the intro to "The Zen Teachings of Huang Po" translated by John Blofeld:
The text indicates that Huang Po was not entirely satisfied with his choice of the word “Mind” to symbolize the inexpressible Reality beyond the reach of conceptual thought, for he more than once explains that the One Mind is not really MIND at all. But he had to use some term or other, and “Mind” had not often been used by his predecessors. As Mind conveys intangibility, it no doubt seemed to him a good choice, especially as the use of this term helps to make it clear that the part of a man usually regarded as an individual entity inhabiting his body is, in fact, not his property at all, but common to him and to everybody and everything else. (It must be remembered that, in Chinese, “hsin” means not only “mind,” but “heart” and, in some senses at least, “spirit” or “soul” – in short, the so-called REAL man, the inhabitant of the body-house.) If we prefer to substitute the word “Absolute,” which Huang Po occasionally uses himself, we must take care not to read into the text any preconceived notions as to the nature of the Absolute. And, of course, “the One Mind” is no less misleading, unless we abandon all preconceived ideas, as Huang Po intended.
I dont think there is anything really new about "Big Mind" except the packaging and marketing and imo it never helps to further objectify ideas like this.
“The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling.” ― Robert M. Pirsig
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