Meditation, Stability, Clarity: Experiencing the Liberating Power of Full Attention
D1S1 - Motivation, Hedonic Pleasure and Settling the Mind
Lama Alan · 90 minutes · recorded June 4, 2025
Why we practice, before what we practice: Lama Alan distinguishes hedonic pleasure, which depends on circumstance, from genuine well-being that grows from within, and tells why the Buddha left a secure life in search of a path. He introduces the terms samadhi, shamatha and vikalpa, the obsessive, compulsive flow of thought meditation is meant to settle, closing with a guided practice of settling body, speech and mind in their natural state.
Buddhist psychology Genuine happiness and wellbeing Motivation and intention Mindfulness of breathing Settling the mind in its natural state Shamatha (calm abiding) Vipashyana (insight)