“We're not trying to turn ourselves into data reception units” this Sunday with Benjamin Hohl

Dear Community,

Sunday 10am Community Practice & Discussion

This Sunday, June 30th, Benjamin Hohl will lead an exploration of the theme “We're not trying to turn ourselves into data reception units” based on Ajahn Amaro's recent talk during a retreat at IMS (talk freely available on Dharma Seed here) — quote from the talk below. All are welcome! Registration and Zoom information available here.

Those of us who have been doing retreats for years and years and have been around Buddhist practice for decades, one of the things that is very common is that we use language like being the witness, being the one who knows, being the observer, or the watcher. And even though such terms… can be useful, they can have relative value, it can also lend a kind of a tone to our practice and our efforts. When we talk about non-attachment, or being the witness, being the observer, and so on, it can bring forth the sense of "I should just be like a video camera just recording the data of experience. I'm not involved." Or like a Marvel character, The Watcher — those of you who used to read Marvel Comics back in the ancient past — The Watcher, they lived up in some kind of a glorious spaceship that was never allowed to interfere. And we can make our awareness like The Watcher who's not allowed to do anything, can't interfere, can't touch anything. And I'd say, "Wrong view." We're not trying to turn ourselves into data reception units, where we're just sort of recording the data of experience and trying to dissociate or be abstracted from that.

With metta (loving-kindness),
Minneapolis Insight