Rebel Saint is a vipassana meditation group and sangha (community). Vipassana meditation is a simple practice of observing in the mind so we can identify the conditioning and assumptions that make up habitual patterns of thoughts and feelings. Habitual thinking is limiting - mostly based on the satisfaction of desires to things we like and aversion to things we don't. We also tend to identify with these thoughts and feelings, we are deluded into thinking our successes or failures at getting what we want is who we are. So with a clear mind (free from desire, aversion and delusions) we can be more fully in the present moment. We can learn to respond to life instead of constantly reacting to every turn of events. A steady mind is skillful, bright and brimming with the wisdom that comes from seeing life as it is, not as we wish it to be. Vipassana is not self discipline or self help. It is the path of training the mind to be more aware more of the time.
We can compare practice to a bottle of medicine a doctor leaves for his patient. On the bottle are written detailed instructions on how to take the medicine, but no matter how many hundreds of times the patient reads the directions, he is bound to die if that is all he does. Doctors prescribe medicine to eliminate diseases from the body. The Buddha can be considered a doctor prescribing cures for the illnesses of the mind which are found in each one of us, without exception. When you see these illnesses of the mind, does it not make sense to look to the dharma as support, and to meditation as the medicine to cure your illnesses?
So come to the Santa Monica Zen Center on Monday nights at 7:30 and meditate with us! Guided meditation and dharma talks given by Noah Levine . Classes are donation based.
The Rebel Saint Myspace group is HERE.
