Section 3: Unpacking Suffering, Locating Freedom
This week, you will unpack some of the building blocks of suffering in your life (What the Buddha called, the “Three Marks of Existence”). These include pushing away that which you don’t like (and grasping things you do), denying change, and believing that you are separate and alone. You will look inward to see where you engage with these painful mental processes and begin to use the transformative power of accepting and allowing in order to experience more ease and freedom.
Module 1: Unpacking Suffering, Locating Joy
Module 2: Meditation for Acceptance
Section 3 Journal Prompts
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Scan your body/mind for suffering at this moment. Note if any of it is related to 3 marks of existence and/or their denial.
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What happens when/if you notice that it is? How does that shift the experience if at all?
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In any of these places of suffering, what happens if you shift out of thought and into sensation - i.e. feeling, hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling?
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Does practicing this way shift anything about the place of original suffering?