Winter Practice Period
Perfecting Perfection: Practice Period Intention Agreement
Winter 2012 | December 4th – 30th
Giving: Selfless Service
I will deepen my engagement with the community and the world through the cultivation of selfless service. My letting go practice is to give 4 hours per week to help end violence against women. To start this service, I sent in my volunteer application on December 5, 2012 to La Casa de las Madres.
Ethics: Reducing Harm
I will bring my life into greater alignment with my purpose and values through the cultivation of self- responsibility and integrity. My harm reduction practice is to bring needed attention to this one of the Five Warrior Trainings – non-attachment – and to reduce my footprint on the earth by not buying anything material other than food or drink for this practice period.
Patience: Reclaiming Relationship (Domino virtue)
I will strengthen my mind and heart to find creative responses to life’s challenges through the cultivation of spaciousness and curiosity. My equanimity practice is to re-examine the following difficult relationship or situation and find greater balance: My relationship to myself and my path. To practice, I want to let go of my attachment to the opinions – real or imagined – of others. To support this practice, I will do a daily grounding visualization and journal half a page on my observations about the influence of others’ opinions.
Effort: Choosing Life Every Day
I will shift the way I show up through the cultivation of consistency and sustained intention. My fearlessness practice is to change the following behavior by applying myself daily to not distracting myself with Facebook. To support this practice, I will stay off Facebook for this 27-day period.
Meditation: Sitting & Sadhana
I will develop mental stability and self-awareness through the cultivation of sustained attention. My dynamic stillness practice is to increase my sitting meditation by 5 minutes to 40 minutes per day including practicing with the Mission Dharma sangha on Tuesdays @ 7:30 PM.
Wisdom: Waking Up
I will root each and every thought, word and action of these perfect intentions in transcendent understanding through the cultivation of deep insight. My skillfulness practice is to dissolve all ideas of who is doing practice, who practice is done for and practice that is done.
Personal Challenge
My own intention for this Practice Period is to strengthen my physical support practices by doing something physically active every day, practicing at least 5 minutes of yoga every day, and attending at least one goddess belly dance class per week.
As adjusted December 8 & 19, 2012
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It looks like this list is based on the Buddhist Pāramitā – which is much older than Miki’s list of “core commitments” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81ramit%C4%81
Yes, it’s definitely Buddhist based because that’s the lineage of the Center (as far as i know… i am not that involved there other than with this program).
(and i fixed the macron in Pāramitā…)
wow …that sounds like one major set of many-dimentioned commitments……..some of it reminds me of miki kashtan’s list of ‘commitments’.
it also sounds like there’s a community participating that could be supportive for the challenging, discouraging moments.
does this include in-person gatherings in your area? that could be a great help.
i hope you can share some of your experiences during and/or after the experiences.
your links here are great. especially the belly-dancer’s site…….makes me yearn to do some myself….and sad that i can’1`1t
Well, we’re encouraged to pick one to focus on primarily during this period (the “domino virtue”). Since they’re all interrelated choosing one will help with the others and things won’t be overwhelming…
There are some optional things to do in East Bay, though i am not sure how tied in they are with the 27-day period…
And, yes, i’ll share! 🙂
Are you still going to sit the 10 day Vipassana Meditation course during that time?
I changed plans… See your email for details 🙂