Contemplative Studies Program Blog
Offer a Mandala & Prayers | Step 6 of Awakening in 30 Steps Jul 16, 2021

 Step 6 concludes the Six ‘Ordinary Preliminaries,’ a container or crucible for our visualization practice.

Can you integrate your personal spiritual practice - yoga, dance, martial arts, art, writing etc. - into this container?

Conclude your daily practice by offering a...

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Prepare Body & Mind with Posture & Motivation | Step 3 Jul 09, 2021

Steps 1-6 are called the Ordinary Preliminaries and have to do with our meditation practice.

Prepare your body for meditation with a dignified and comfortable posture.

Prepare your mind for meditation with one of three kinds of motivation depending on your predisposition and capacity.

1)...

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Create a Sacred Space & Make Offerings Jun 29, 2021

Sitting cross-legged in an upright meditation posture facing an altar, I take refuge in the Three Jewels in Pali and then Tibetan. My voice is overshadowed by an unfamiliar sound on a loudspeaker – the call to prayer beckoning the Islamic devotees to the mosque. A reminder that I am no...

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