The Central Practice

OK, here comes the first guided meditation. It's quite easy, all you have to do is listen to it (17:38 minutes). It is a very basic and simple exercise, yet very special and useful. Maybe it could be also called "Experience Exercise". Though if Tibetian prayers, sutras, or singing are not your thing (in this case actually in English), be patient for the first half minute and take that just as some historical background or atmosphere. Just saying this, as a friend checked out already after the first 10 seconds:). Anyway, here it goes, enjoy:

The Central Practice (from HSW01: Heart Sutra Workshop 00:18:10.60 - 00:35:49.00)

(download into iTunes)


And here is the adjacent explanation by Ken of the exercise:

Central Practice Comment (from HSW01: Heart Sutra Workshop 00:42:05.50 - 00:50:36.00)

(download into iTunes)

This is how you experience everything. All elements of experience are present. You see, things are much simpler than they are often presented to us. There are only three things we experience: thoughts, feelings, and sensations. Everything else is a construct, or an abstraction from that.
...

2010-03-06

Actually the naming was just my best guess (Absorption Meditation), and somehow it occured to me, it is quite close and maybe just a much longer version of the Primary Practice, which Ken uses and introduces in many retreats and classes.

Early this week Ken suggested renaming it to The Central Practice:

Very good to have this up and available. And, yes, the title could be better. The friend who developed it calls it "The primary practice" but I've never liked this term.

If it's not too late, perhaps change the name to "the central practice". And I'll start to use this terminology in my talks.

Renaming done.