Chapter 10 of “Mind Training in Seven Points”
[…] as we’ve been calling it. And yesterday afternoon I introduced you to another way of just letting the attention rest in presence. Some people call this the primary practice—it may have other names that I’m not aware of—focus, field, internal material, presence. Now, when you rest like that in the totality of your experience—which means […]
Chapter 6 of “Buddhahood Without Meditation”
[…] and you are awake in it. That’s why you need a high level of attention, which is why I recommend you do either guru yoga or the primary practice on a regular basis. Because that’s what helps to raise the level of attention. Student: When you’re asleep and you’re dreaming and you’re aware that you’re […]
Chapter 11 of “Mind Training in Seven Points”
[…] who attend retreats with me. Thank you. Yes, Guy? Guy: It seems like a combination, it seems like it has elements of protection [Unclear]. Ken: Yeah, the primary practice is an ecstasy practice, yes. Guy: Bring energy to [unclear]. Ken: Yeah, exactly. The principle here is rather than working with an object on which you’re […]
Chapter 3 of “The Warrior’s Solution”
[…] presence. Presence is being in the full experience of what is arising—internally, externally and the awareness thereof. So right now, take a moment and return to the primary practice. Pick a focus. Expand to the field. And when you can rest in the field, then include the internal material. Drop the distinction of inside and […]
Chapter 5 of “Buddhahood Without Meditation”
[…] “to firm.” La is the word “to relax.” So you make an effort to move into attention and then you relax. Another way if you take the primary practice. There’s a certain effort involved in opening to all sensory experience. There’s a continuation of that effort, in opening to all the internal material. When you […]
Chapter 1 of “Power and Presence”
[…] right now I want to turn it over to Jeff, who’s going to introduce you to the meditation practice that we’re going to do for this retreat. Primary practice and opening Jeff: You do primary practice. I’m sure at least several of you have done it before, but this is a slightly different way of […]
Article
One of the primary characteristics of learned helplessness is that the person feels passive with respect to the system. The passivity, however, is only half the story… Can learned helplessness be undone? The answer is “Yes.” The cost, however, is high.
Chapter 2 of “Power and Presence”
[…] going to say is now in our next sitting session, I’d like you to think about showing up in your body, in the practice we’re doing, the primary practice. Okay? We tend to believe that our ideas about our experience are far more important than our actual experience. [Laughter] They’re not. So showing up in […]
Chapter 8 of “Pointing Out Instructions”
[…] plane or same— Ken: So you see it’s another example of level of attention. You follow? Student: Mm-hmm. Ken: Yeah. This is why I gave you the primary practice. You do this on a regular basis. It’s an energy pump. And it’s transforming energy of sensations and then internal material, into attention. That’s one of […]
Chapter 8 of “Power and Presence”
[…] rest of it. Valerie: I’m thinking about how when you sit down to meditate, you begin with an intention, for instance, in this retreat to do the primary practice. And yet I sit down on the cushion and maybe I start with that, but then something comes up and it’s like the group turned and […]
Chapter 6 of “The Warrior’s Solution”
[…] a level of attention there, and can experience that, then you’re able to experience the next level down. So you start peeling them away. Further instructions: The primary practice and sacrificing what you are unable to do Ken; Now there are a couple of more things I want to do this morning. I want you […]
Chapter 4 of “Buddhahood Without Meditation”
[…] it usually takes that kind of energy or attention to bring that about. You follow? Practice instructions Ken: So, next piece in your practice. You do the primary practice, say. And if you just do it at the first level, welcome to all sensory sensations. You can do this right now. We sort of did […]
Chapter 36 of “Then and Now: A Commentary on The Jewel Ornament of Liberation”
[…] the different aspects to awakening, these things would be subjects of study and training. And you’ll see that they are also highly idealized. At this level, the primary practice is one of generosity. It’s the first of the six perfections, and you see we just go through the perfections here. And if we look at […]
Chapter 7 of “There Is No Enemy”
[…] And I said there were several techniques which could be used for that. One’s the five-step practice, which allows us to open more deeply. Another is the primary practice, which works both broadly and deeply. Student: Did you give us the primary? Ken: I gave it in previous retreats and we’ll be putting something up […]
Chapter 4 of “Meditating on the Four Immeasurables”
[…] had to do with joy, and now I see. Ken: Okay, good. Okay. Are you okay with this? Joe: Yes. One final thing. [Laughter] When I’m doing primary practice, I suppose what I was looking for when I’m trying to just experience everything I’m experiencing, and drop the distinction between inside and outside … never […]
