Clear Mountain Monastery Project

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho speak with Terry Real, therapist, author, and creator of Relational Life Therapy (RLT) (https://terryreal.com/).

00:00:00 Introduction

00:02:49 Coming out of the closet as a long-term meditator

00:04:46 Three parts of the brain and the psyche in RLT

00:05:42 Explaining the survival instincts of fight, flight, and fawn

00:06:22 Defining the "wounded child" and the nature of trauma

00:07:18 The role and function of the "adaptive child"

00:08:40 How trauma triggers reactivity in current relationships

00:11:41 The neurobiology of getting flooded and going offline

00:12:48 Introducing the concept of "relational mindfulness"

00:14:15 Moving from the reactive mind to the responsive mind

00:16:43 The importance of performing trauma work with partners

00:19:02 How the Buddhist Eightfold Path relates to reactivity

00:19:26 Integrating spiritual friendship with the need for seclusion

00:19:40 The framework and the "Ten Commandments of Timeouts"

00:20:25 Skillful distance and the dance of intimacy

00:21:20 Establishing healthy self-esteem and God-given worth

00:22:50 Balancing abandonment wounds versus intrusion wounds

00:25:31 Correcting the epistemological mistake of individualism

00:26:49 Waking up to ecological wisdom and relationality

00:30:01 A Zen story about treating others while "saving the world"

00:32:02 Releasing conceit and the movement from me to we

00:34:28 Common pairings of wounded and adaptive children

00:35:13 The five losing strategies of the adaptive child

00:36:59 Examples of how adaptive strategies reinforce each other

00:38:04 A story of recovery and relational heroism regarding lying

00:41:36 Understanding accountability and the "second consciousness"

00:43:53 Distinguishing between blame, victimhood, and responsibility

00:45:46 The risks of "parental determinism" and cutting off parents

00:46:50 Carl Jung and the necessity of a religious outlook

00:47:54 Spirituality as a cure for the disease of addiction

00:50:05 Einstein's question on whether the universe is friendly

00:52:24 Healing through relaxing into something bigger than oneself

00:54:37 A conversation with Jack Kornfeld on spiritual teaching

00:55:47 Final reflections on basic trust and nature looking back

Terry Real's Biography:

Terry Real is a family therapist, author, and teacher particularly known for his work on male psychology and relationships. His work has been featured in numerous academic articles as well as in The New York Times and Psychology Today; And he has appeared in conversation with Oprah, Esther Perel, Gabor Mate, and with our friend Rick Hanson, to name a few. Terry is the founder of The Relational Life Institute, and the author of "I Don't Want To Talk About It" on the topic of male depression, "How Can I Get Through To You?" on the role of patriarchy in relationships, "The New Rules of Marriage," and most recently, "Us: Getting Past You & Me and Building a More Loving Relationship".

Ten Commandments of Timeouts:

1. Use as a Circuit Breaker

2. Take Your Time-Out from the "I"

3. Take Distance Responsibly

4. Use Short Abbreviations

5. Don’t Let Yourself Be Stopped

6. Use Check-Ins at Prescribed Intervals

7. Remember Your Goal

8. Return in Good Faith

9. Observe a 24-Hour Moratorium

10. Know When to Get Help

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Ajahn Sukhito, Israeli-born abbot of Poo Jom Gom Forest Monastery in Ubon, Thailand and (https://ketkamala.org/).

00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction of Tan Ajahn Sukito

00:00:26 Biography: Early Life and Journey to Buddhism

00:01:04 Service at Wat Phu Chong Gom and the Gamala Foundation

00:01:38 Personal Connection and Reflections on Practice

00:02:27 Ajahn Sukito’s Experience in Northern India

00:04:21 Favorite Suttas and Precious Teachings

00:07:07 The Five Faculties as a Framework for Life

00:09:32 A Holistic Approach to the Dhamma

00:11:46 The Five Dimensions: Relationship, Action, and Supervision

00:16:37 The Five Dimensions: Inner Life and Continuous Learning

00:18:59 Tracing the Development of Faith (Saddha)

00:21:53 Meeting the Dhamma: A Powerful Shift in Perspective

00:27:56 The Faculty of Energy (Viriya) and the Path to Thailand

00:32:51 Discovering the Thai Forest Tradition and Its Teachers

00:35:51 Stepping into the Role of Abbot at Wat Phu Chong Gom

00:40:46 Managing a Forest Monastery for Holistic Practice

00:44:40 The Importance of Community in the Ajahn Chah Lineage

00:47:07 Balancing Aesthetic Seriousness with Lightness

00:48:49 Physical Work and Simplicity as Spiritual Practice

00:52:49 Cultivating Noble Friendship on the Path

00:55:19 The Faculty of Wisdom (Panna) and Education

00:59:48 The Vision of the Kate Gamala Foundation

01:03:40 Applying Dhamma to Global Challenges and Education

01:06:48 Guiding Hearts Through World Upheaval and Conflict

01:13:47 Closing Words and Gratitude

Ajahn Sukhito's Biography:

Ajahn Sukhito - born in Israel in 1970 - is a Theravāda Buddhist monk in the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah. In his early twenties, he traveled to the East, where he first encountered Buddhism in Northern India - an experience that profoundly shaped his life. He went on to study and practice within several Buddhist traditions before ordaining as a monk in the Ajahn Chah lineage. For over 30 years, Ajahn Sukhito has lived and practiced as a monk primarily in Thailand. For approximately 14 years, he has served as abbot of Poo Jom Gom (วัดป่าภูจ้อมก้อม) Forest Monastery in Northeast Thailand. In recent years, he has also spent extended periods in Israel at the invitation of his students, supporting the development of the local community of practitioners in the Ajahn Chah tradition. Also in recent years, Ajahn Sukhito has taken on the role (along with Ajahn Jayasaro and Ajahn Dton) of "Spiritual Advisor" to the Ket Kamalā Foundation มูลนิธิเกตุกมลา (https://ketkamala.org/), which provides Holistic Buddhist Education in the form of weekend camps at various monasteries and with a vision is to establish a Holistic Buddhist Bilingual School in Ubon Province.

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this session, Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho interview Loch Kelly - meditation teacher, author, and founder of the Effortless Mindfulness Institute (https://lochkelly.org/).

00:00:00 Introduction to Loch Kelly

00:02:14 Introduction to Effortless Mindfulness for Theravāda Listeners

00:12:14 Mapping Effortless Mindfulness to Samādhi and the Unborn

00:14:12 Resonance of Loch's Teachings with the Theravāda Tradition

00:19:40 Defining "Glimpses" and "Local Awareness"

00:27:35 Experiencing a Glimpse: What is the Nature of this Awareness?

00:29:03 Understanding the Capabilities of Local Awareness

00:30:08 Loch’s Personal Experience and the "Clear Light" of Rigpa

00:32:00 Determining the Relationship Between Awareness and the Deathless

00:39:06 Navigating the Conflict Between Dualistic and Non-Dualistic Teachings

00:45:52 Demonstrating a Second Skillful Glimpse

00:50:08 Distinguishing Types of Awareness: Attention vs. Mindful Awareness

00:53:11 Shifting the Location of Identity and the Mindful Witness

00:56:58 Identifying the Detours: Spiritual Bypassing, Psychological Overpassing, Cognitive Underpassing

01:02:40 Guiding the Seven Steps: Unhook, Drop, Open, See, Include, Know and Let Be

01:04:41 Implementing Effortless Mindfulness for Different Personalities

01:11:53 Paradoxes in Buddhism: Mundane vs. Super-Mundane Right View

01:15:12 Applying Mindfulness Tools to Deep Suffering and Trauma

01:25:19 Helping Students "Unstuck" from the Mindful Witness Position

01:28:30 Integrating Flow Consciousness into Everyday Life

01:32:11 Risks and Ethics of Sharing Direct Pointing Instructions

Loch Kelly's Biography:

Loch Kelly is a meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and is the founder of the non-profit Effortless Mindfulness Institute. A graduate of Columbia University and Union Theological, he has, since the late 1970s, studied in multiple lineages of Buddhism: with such Theravāda elders as Professor Lily de Silva and Godwin Samararatne; with the Tibetan masters Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Mingyur Rinpoche, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and Anam Thubten among other greats; and with modern teachers such as Adyashanti, Tara Brach, and Shinzen Young. Loch synthesizes ancient nondual wisdom, neuroscience, and contemporary psychology–especially Internal Family Systems–into a unique experiential teaching style focused on "small glimpses" many times. Loch is recognized for his collaborative research with neuroscientists at Yale and NYU, and is the author of "Shift Into Freedom: The Science and Practice of Open-Hearted Awareness" and "The Way of Effortless Mindfulness."

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

In this talk, Ajahn Nisabho recounts the Buddha's life and Enlightenment, emphasing both his relatability as a historical figure who lived 2500 years ago, and the transcendent aspect which we can contact today. By more deeply understanding his humanity, we understand that we too have the potential to Awaken as he did.

----

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!

Tune in with fellow practitioners for Clear Mountain’s weekly online and hybrid events!

- Wednesday Evening Teaching & Discussion (6:00 – 7:30 pm PT, YouTube then Zoom)

- Saturday Morning Meditation, Teaching, & Coffee Social (9:30 - 11 am PT, Online & In-Person)

- Sunday Evening “Mission Majjhima!” Sutta Teaching & Discussion (5:00 - 6 pm PT, Online)

See https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/ or visit https://linktr.ee/clear_mountain_monastery for details. Welcome!