Videos from the GWV Summer 2012 wilderness meditation retreats

[Jhanananda]

The Value of the Long Meditation Sit
GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat
August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM


Walking Meditation that leads to jhana


We get out of meditation what we put into it


Bliss Bunnies and Jhana Junkies


Stilling of the mind can expose underlying emotions, a dialog Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo


Saturation in the Charisms, A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo


Jhana and the use of a Meditation Object
Jhana and the use of a Meditation Object to traverse the 8 stages of samadhi. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo


Kundalini and chakras
The religious experience is not the possession of a people or religion. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo


Kundalini, chakras, the spiritual crisis and letting go
There are shades of gray in the religious experience. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo


We can all be messiahs, christs, buddhas, avatars on this bus
Enriching the Religious Experience
If we do not Enrich the Religious Experience, then it is just a bunch of tingles and weird sounds. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo


The Religious Experience and the Death of the Mystic
Death of Siddhartha Gautama and Saint Francis of Assisi. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo


Coming into the clear light
Michael Hawkins speaks about finding light, sound and other charisms at his first long meditation retreat. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo


The 7 Chakras and the 4 Jhanas
The 7 spiritual centers are compared to the first 4 stages of the religious experience. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo


Wildlife and meditation to jhana
Uploaded on Jan 22, 2013
A sign of deep meditation is when wildlife wants to be close to you when you are meditating
Some wildlife seem to be attracted to people who are meditating. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo

[Jhanananda]

11:17
A critique of Charismatic Pentecostal Religion HD
A critique of Charismatic Pentecostal Religion & sexuality in the contemplative life. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo
January 29, 2013 8:42 AM

[Jhanananda]

4:38
Meditation, Posture and Kundalini HD
February 11, 2013 10:49 AM
Meditation, Posture and Kundalini Meditation Posture and practice method that can produce Kundalini. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo

[Jhanananda]

Care of the chakras
Discipline, meditation, stilling of the mind and surrender are the best care for the chakras. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo

[Jhanananda]

Music, Set and Setting Conducive to the Attainment of Kundalini & Jhana
GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat,
August 2012, Gila Wilderness, NM

[Jhanananda]

The Athletic Zone and the 2nd Jhana
The Athletic Zone is like the second jhana. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo

[Luke Avedon]

Hello,

Looks like the latest video is set to "private" in youtube.  Making it impossible to watch sadly. Or it may be something wrong with my computer?

Best, Luke

[Jhanananda]

Thanks, Luke, its fixed now.

[Jhanananda]

Pre-verbal and non-dual meditation states of jhana.
A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo

[Jhanananda]

Skillfullness of the mystic I
Mindfulness is the skillfulness of the mystic. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo

[Jhanananda]

Skillfulness of the mystic II
Authenticity is the skillfulness of the mystic. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo

[Jhanananda]

Bringing the retreat home
A contemplative life that bares ample fruit of attainment requires a radical lifestyle change. A dialog at the GWV Ecstatic Buddhist Wilderness Retreat, August 2012 Gila Wilderness, NM with Michael Hawkins, Karen Sattler, Stuart B. Skadden and Craig Anzelmo

[Luke Avedon]

Hi Jeffrey,

I am sorry I have not been in touch. 

I just wanted to let you know how much I have gotten out of these videos.  Thank you for making them.

I had one quick question regarding the stilling of the mind:

I can have some pretty blissful meditations -- which seem to map onto your description of the first Jhana--but as of yet I have not experienced the stilling of the mind, an end to complete sub-vocalized inner chatter etc.

Is the idea that the bliss will intensify to such a degree that my mind will become glued to the blissful sensation and that will burn off distracting thoughts?

From some of the discussions it seems like some folks hop over the blissful first jhana stage and land right into the stilling of the mind? Also, perhaps people who are used to having peak athletic experiences (i.e. the zone) have a mind that is not so far away from the second Jhana?  I don't have these sorts of experiences so I wouldn't know.

I hope I am being somewhat clear.  I find it difficult to describe these sorts of things.

Thank you again.

Best, Luke

[Alexander]

The general idea is something like:

Applied and sustained attention (vitarka & vicara) help to promote the first jhana, which we associate with those subtle, self-arising feelings of joy & and bliss. Given time - and the continued development of those powers of the attention - the first jhana deepens and becomes the second jhana, which we associate with the -relative- stilling of the mind.

After this second jhana, there is a long time. The mind emerges and subsides, we make progress then we backslide, until finally the dark night "of the spirit" comes. This is a dark night which is different from the previous, dark night "of the senses" (in which we stripped our passions/transformed our views). In the dark night "of the spirit" our sense of "I" or "mine" is shed, or at least severely stripped.

Because our sense of "I"-hood is not different from our mind, if there are no thoughts there is no "I" there. This means that the third jhana is a huge transformation in our way of functioning. In true silence/stillness we give up ourselves as being individuals.

In the Bahiya Sutta:

Bahiya, you should train yourself thus: In reference to the seen, there will be only the seen. In reference to the heard, only the heard. In reference to the sensed, only the sensed. In reference to the cognized, only the cognized. That is how your should train yourself. When for you there will be only the seen in reference to the seen, only the heard in reference to the heard, only the sensed in reference to the sensed, only the cognized in reference to the cognized, then, Bahiya, there is no "you" in terms of that. When there is no you in terms of that, there is no "you" there. When there is no "you" there, you are neither here nor yonder nor between the two. This, just this, is the end of stress (Nirvana).

[Jhanananda]

Hi Jeffrey,

I am sorry I have not been in touch. 

I just wanted to let you know how much I have gotten out of these videos.  Thank you for making them.

I am only too glad that you have found the videos useful.  I liked  aglorincz's response so much that I almost did not respond, because he had covered the bases so well.

I had one quick question regarding the stilling of the mind:

I can have some pretty blissful meditations -- which seem to map onto your description of the first Jhana--but as of yet I have not experienced the stilling of the mind, an end to complete sub-vocalized inner chatter etc.

Yes, the first jhana arises before the stilling of the mind.

Is the idea that the bliss will intensify to such a degree that my mind will become glued to the blissful sensation and that will burn off distracting thoughts?

Well that is part of it, it is also in finding meditation fulfilling and pleasant that we engage in meditation more, and by so doing many of us find our mind becomes still.  Deep meditation requires a lot of meditation practice, which we are not inclined to do, unless we find it pleasant.

From some of the discussions it seems like some folks hop over the blissful first jhana stage and land right into the stilling of the mind? Also, perhaps people who are used to having peak athletic experiences (i.e. the zone) have a mind that is not so far away from the second Jhana?  I don't have these sorts of experiences so I wouldn't know.

I hope I am being somewhat clear.  I find it difficult to describe these sorts of things.

Thank you again.

Best, Luke

Well, those who find a still mind, even the athletes who experience the zone, find it pleasant, so they keep coming back for more.  And, to dovetail into aglorincz's response, the experience of deep meditation in jhana is non-dual.