Week One
Introduce this month's topic to the group: "This month we are
going to focus on a particular aspect of the Buddha's teachings, brought out by
Sri Easwaran in the video [or readings]. It is the art of 'swimming against the
current,' or learning to make choices independent of our personal conditioning
or the rigid, selfish, or unthinking patterns in the world around us.
"Easwaran defines the 'current' we are asked to swim against as 'doing
what we like and avoiding what we dislike.' In our discussions and inspiration
we will be exploring how that current shapes our lives, and how it feels to
swim against it.
"This week and next, we will look at the external current - the
conditioning we receive through our external environment, such as the media,
societal habits, and the attitudes of acquaintances."
Then, pose this discussion topic to the group:
"Practicing the Eight Point Program makes us more sensitive to the power
of external conditioning. In what ways do you see the 'external current' of
conditioning affecting you? How do you use the Eight Points to counteract
it?"
When it's time for inspiration, read the introduction from the video study
guide and watch the first of the talks on this tape, "Swimming Against the
Current." (This talk is 30 minutes long.) If your group is not using the
videos, please read from the chapter entitled "Chasing Rainbows" in Climbing
the Blue Mountain.
End the session with 30 minutes of meditation.
Week Two
Introduce this week's topic: "This evening we'll be continuing our
exploration of the art of swimming against the current - learning to make
choices independent of our personal conditioning or the rigid, selfish, or
unthinking patterns in the world around us. Sri Easwaran defines the 'current'
we are asked to swim against as 'doing what we like and avoiding what we
dislike.'
"Last week we began talking about the external current the conditioning we
receive through our external environment, such as the media, societal habits,
and the attitudes of acquaintances. Take a minute to reflect, and choose one
area in your life where you'd like to swim more effectively against the
current. What has kept you from doing that as fully as you'd like? How might
you become less susceptible to the conditioning of your environment?"
When it's time for inspiration, please read from the chapter entitled
"Juggling" in Sri Easwaran's book, Conquest of Mind.
End the session with 30 minutes of meditation.
Week Three
Introduction: "We have been exploring the effects of swimming
against the external current - the conditioning we receive through our
external environment, such as the media, societal habits, and the attitudes of
acquaintances. This week we will shift to our own internal current the
long-term conditioning that shapes our inner life and makes it much harder to
resist the external conditioning that surrounds us.
"Sri Easwaran discusses five hindrances to meditation, as outlined by the
Buddha: physical cravings, ill will, sloth, restlessness, and doubt. In your
efforts to swim against the external current, have you noticed any of these
internal hindrances arising? Have you observed how they make it harder to swim
against the current of conditioning coming to us through the media or other
external forces?"
When it's time for inspiration, read the introduction from the video study
guide and watch the second of the two talks on this tape, "Intimations of
Immortality."(This talk is 36 minutes long.) If your group is not using
the videos, please read from the chapter entitled "Obstacles and
Opportunities" in Conquest of Mind.
End the session with 30 minutes of meditation.
Week Four
Introduction: "This week we are continuing with an exploration of
how our internal conditioning makes us more susceptible to external
conditioning. We'll be elaborating on an exercise we did two weeks ago. Take a
minute to reflect, and choose one area in your life where you'd like to swim
more effectively against the external current the conditioning of the media and
our environment. Now, reflect on which of the five hindrances listed by Sri
Easwaran physical cravings, ill will, sloth, restlessness, and doubt are likely
to impede your progress. Let's talk about how we can develop strategies, using
the Eight Points, to counteract those inner forces, focusing on gradually
building our capacity to swim against the internal current. Here are some
examples:
"You may notice that you are especially vulnerable to advertising when you
are bored with a job you don't like. Try gently but firmly to give more
attention to the job, with the object of harnessing your restlessness. When
it's time for a break, go for a brisk walk repeating the mantram.
"Or you may notice that, when it's time for morning meditation, you say to
yourself, 'Why bother? I doubt that I'll make any progress anyway.' That is a
clever alliance between doubt and sloth. Once you've discovered this, you might
try to get up before that thought has enough power to keep you in bed. Or, if
you can't manage to change that habit yet, you might look for other ways in
which sloth and doubt work together in your life, and make changes there.
"An important note: when you notice that a force like sloth or ill will is
active in your consciousness, don't take it personally. These forces are at
work in all of us. Try to think of them simply as a current that is pushing you
away from where you want to go, and start swimming against the current."
When it's time for inspiration, please read from the chapter entitled
"Desire" in Sri Easwaran's book Original Goodness.
End the session with 30 minutes of meditation.
* * *
How to Use This Curriculum
The BMCM monthly video series presents a special opportunity for BMCM
Satsangs to enrich the content of their meetings and coordinate their program
with the Center and with other Satsangs. Each month many of our Satsangs will
be following this program, which has been created by workshop presenters at the
BMCM, based on programs at our Tuesday night Satsangs in Petaluma and Berkeley.
This video curriculum is not required. The choice of which of our approved
formats to follow is up to you and your Satsang. We understand that not all
groups have access to a TV and VCR for showing video tapes. While the videos
are a great aid in using this curriculum, it is also possible to follow it
without the videos, using the questions for reflection and readings that are
contained in this curriculum.
We do recommend this curriculum (and especially the videos) as an ideal way for
a new group (or a "Satsang of One") to get well grounded in Sri
Easwaran's core teachings and to feel more "in touch" with the
Center. If you would like assistance in deciding on a format, please feel free
to contact us at the address below.
The choice of when to start using the curriculum is also up to you. Week One,
therefore, may end up being the second or third week of the month. That's fine.
But we do suggest that you follow the order of the weekly curricula as they
appear here. For groups that meet monthly, you may want to use only the weekly
sections that include videos, or to cover two weekly sections if your meeting
is longer.
We have tried to make this Satsang curriculum flexible enough that it can be
used completely within the Eight Point Format, as outlined in the Satsang
Guidelines. For your "Eight Point Focus" you can continue to cycle
through the Eight Points weekly or monthly as it suits your group, and use this
curriculum to deepen your study of Sri Easwaran's teachings.
For those of you who distribute messages via email to your Satsang, feel free
to forward parts of this email to members as a preview of the coming month's
program.
We are eager to hear about your experiences with this curriculum, and welcome
your feedback. Please send it to:
satsang@nilgiri.org
Robbie Nichols
BMCM
P O Box 256
Tomales, CA 94971
Copyright (c) 2003, Blue Mountain Center of Meditation