Meditation x Attachment with George Haas

George unpacks the five kinds of phenomena that occur during meditation, describing how different mind states relate to metta (loving-kindness) and vipassana (insight) practice. This marks the beginning of Chapter 4 of Mahasi Sayadaw's Manual of Insight.

Delving into the techniques that are used to reach jhana, George and his students also discuss the challenge of moving from concentration to insight practice. This marks the last section of Chapter Three from Mahasi Sayadaw's Manual of Insight.

Nearing the end of "Absolute and Conventional Realities," chapter three of Mahasi Sayadaw's Manual of Insight, George explains how inference relates to insight practice and how memory relates to direct experience.

Expanding upon the technique of focusing on internal vs. external phenomena, George explains how contemplation of the past, present and future relates to meditation. From Chapter Three of Mahasi Sayadaw's Manual of Insight. 

Drawing on some of the foundations of his Meaningful Life curriculum, George forges onward into the Two Kinds of Insight section of Mahasi Sayadaw's Manual of Insight. After exploring the text directly, student questions prompt a fascinating talk about the pursuit of true happiness, the quest for limitless compassion, and what it means to grow old. In conclusion, George offers practical advice about how to focus on "mundane objects" to support khanika samadhi (access concentration) meditation.

George gets back to Chapter Three of Mahasi Sayadaw's Manual of Insight to explore the difference between absolute and conventional reality, honing in on how insight meditation affects that perception, and how the mind state can filter your view of the world.

Recorded during The Meaningful Life Winter Retreat at La Casa de Maria in Santa Barbara, this episode connects the dots between the psychology and physiology of childhood attachment with the specific steps that lead to achieving the jhana state through metta practice.

In this decidedly meta (and also metta) episode, explore one of the basic challenges of learning about Buddhism: how does anybody - including the teacher - explain something that can only be experienced directly. Delving deeper into Chapter Three of Mahasi Sayadaw's Manual of Insight, George also adds a dash of whimsy and humor to the proceedings as usual.

George breaks down the difference between ultimate reality vs. relative reality, connecting the dots between the original Pali terms and their modern interpretation. Drawing on the original text from Chapter Three of Mahasi Sayadaw's Manual of Insight, he offers his own unique take on how perception is affected by the physiology of eye sight, habituation and how we process sound.

Sex! Drugs! Veganism! George discusses how one-pointed meditation leads to the ethical undertaking of the five precepts of Buddhism. Delving into how concentration practice on generosity opens the possibility of achieving jhana, the pain of not engaging and the experience of cessation, this episode concludes the deep exploration of Chapter Two of Manual of Insight by Mahasi Sayadaw.

Taking a break from his ongoing exploration of Manual of Insight, George discusses the practice of generosity in Buddhism. This special episode of the DYP podcast delves into the basic ethics of the practice, the three levels of generosity, and how it all relates to the modern world. All with George's inimitable sense of humor and practical examples from his own life.

A fascinating look at karma, reincarnation and the traditional Buddhist vision of hell. The visceral, Dantean descriptions are paired with George's own unique secular Buddhist analysis. This continues the close reading of Manual of Insight Chapter Two, and also covers Burmese vs. Western practices, and practical approaches to noting.

A short dharma talk is followed by a guided meditation focused on overcoming the hindrances by going from concentration to insight. If you've never been to a class in person with George, this is a great chance to have that experience. For students following along in Mahasi Sayadaw's  Manual of Insight, "Purification of Mind," this episode continues the exploration of Chapter Two.

Covering the five major hindrances to enlightenment, the conversation gets into how noting can be an effective way to deal with them, and the visual and physical aspects of meditation.

Continuing the rich discussion of Chapter Two of Mahasi Sayadaw's Manual of Insight, George explains why the tome was nothing short of revolutionary for householders. Along the way, he touches on consciousness, the science behind pleasure vs. pain and how it all relates to the cycle of suffering and liberation.