Mahamudra and the Joy of Failure

Posted by on Jul 10, 2011 in Podcast, Teachings | 2 comments

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Kenneth guides a student to the happiness that does not depend on conditions. Embracing failure as the ideal condition for progress. (Guided meditation. Mostly audio only, with some video toward the beginning of the talk.)

2 comments

  1. JoelG
    July 11, 2011

    Hi Kenneth.
    Thanks for posting this. I can definitely relate to the sense of feeling defeated.

    I’d be interested to better understand how noting practice fits in with what you’re describing here. I guess it’s all about the attitude one brings, whether the practice itself is noting or just resting the mind in mahamudra? I certainly think of noting as a means toward an end–a surefire method that guarantees development through the Progress of Insight. In that sense, it’s sort of like “I can win by doing this. I just have to follow the instructions and I’ll get what I want.” Or “I can get what I want; I just have to come up with the right strategy for getting out of the way, because I’m told lack of surrender is the obstacle.”

    So I guess noting with the attitude of “I can win” + [various strategies] is the functional equivalent of trying to “clamp down” on mahamudra? Note in a way that “doesn’t hurt”? Hmmmm…
    Joel

  2. Mark P.
    July 11, 2011

    This is beautiful. It’s what I’d give to a friend who wanted to know what working with Kenneth is about. Just tried noting without hoping I will get something from it. Such a different flavor.

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