Summary: Series Description: The four brahmaviharas, translated as the four "divine abodes," "inner friends," or "immeasurable minds," are loving kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita), and equanimity (upekha). In this weekend silent meditation retreat, we explore these four qualities of mind in an experiential way, using a mix of guided meditation, group activities, and instruction from the teacher. A mind pervaded by the four brahmaviharas is described by the Buddha as an awakened mind. Can we develop these boundless qualities in our own minds and wake up? Episode Description: In this first segment of the retreat, Sensei Irene introduces the four brahmaviharas as skillful means, or methods, for us to practice and deeply integrate into our lives. The word "vihara" means "abode" and "brahma" means "divine," so the brahmaviharas are four "divine abodes" for our minds. Sensei then discusses the first of these four divine abodes: metta, or loving kindness, which Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh says is a "practice" that must begin with ourselves. We must learn to love ourselves unconditionally in order to love others in a way that is not contingent on others being lovable. In metta meditation practice, we begin by extending loving kindness to ourselves, then to loved ones, strangers, and even to those we don't like, in an effort to see all beings as worthy of love. Sensei Irene ends the session with an extensive and beautiful guided metta meditation. Sensei Irene Kaigetsu Bakker is a certified zen teacher from the Netherlands, a Zen priest and Dharma successor of Joan Jiko Halifax Roshi. She has been a student of Zen in the White Plum Sangha tradition since the mid-80s. Irene Sensei first met Roshi Joan Halifax in Auschwitz in 1996 and they had a strong connection. Irene Sensei then became involved in Upaya's Zen training and Being with Dying training. In 2004, Roshi Joan asked her to continue her training on death and dying in Europe. Every summer, Sensei assisted teaching at Upaya Zen Center. In Holland Sensei serves as teacher for Zen Spirit which she founded in 2004. As family and systems therapist, she works with people with cancer, end of life care, in psychiatry, and private therapy practice. As a mindfulness trainer she teaches future MBSR trainers at the College / School for Social Work in Utrecht, Netherlands. When receiving Denkai and Denbo in March 2012, Roshi Joan gave her the name Kaigetsu (Ocean Moon) in addition to Kyojo (Jeweled Mirror Samadhi), her Dharma name since Jukai in 1989. For Part 2 (of 2) of this series, please click here.
