Hi Everyone,

We will be hosting our next chat on the Zoom platform in February. Details of when the chat is & how to join are below (if you join via computer you will be prompted to download the Zoom app). As a heads up, we're intending to record this chat using the built-in Zoom tool. This is so that folks who can't make it still get to join the fun after the fact.

I will be sending out a separate note about this, but I wanted to plug it here as well. If you join the call, please feel free to “lead” the call or facilitate discussion on it. You can do this by spontaneously jumping in or by sending me a note in advance that you would like to it. Either way is totally fine! As long as the goal is to foster a space for equal participation from everyone, I’m eager to have others step in

A little bit of background:

-Who's Welcome? Everyone who is interested in deep practice of any form & open to talking about their experiences in meditation.
-Why Join? For fun. To deepen your practice. To share ideas & experiences. To make friends. For support. To geek out on unusual, common interests.
-Meeting Agenda:
1) Short intros & share how your practice has been
2) Recent hot topics or points of interest in your practice
3) Other topics: Dharma talks/books of interest, experiences with different techniques or maps, how does formal practice intersect with daily life, etc.
-Other Points: Speak from your own direct experience. Don't hog the floor & stay off the soap box. Play nice. Have fun

Hope to see you all there,

Noah
====================
Meeting Time:
Saturday, Feb 17, 2018 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
To Join Meeting (from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android):
zoom.us/j/3670180780

Convert to your time zone:
savvytime.com/converter/wa-seattle/feb-17-2018/12pm
Email List Sign Up (To receive a reminder before the chat):
www.eepurl.com/c9sgUT

Join from iPhone one-tap :
US: US: +16699006833,,3670180780# or +14086380968,,3670180780#
Join from US Telephone:
US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 408 638 0968 or +1 646 876 9923
Meeting ID: 367 018 0780
Join from International numbers: zoom.us/zoomconference?m=XGiQTcwymz-MyBg7vOOBO0ksgoz11mNU

One week reminder for the 2/17 PDS video chat!

Wish I could join you! I’ll be at a weekend retreat.

Two day reminder for the PDS video chat.

Meeting Time:
Saturday, Feb 17, 2018 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
To Join Meeting (from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android):
zoom.us/j/3670180780

More details here: awakenetwork.org/forum/pds/13642-pds-mon...-chats-february-2018.

What are the details on the meditation that Jim will lead at 4:00 pm pacific today?

Thanks

Hey Cedric - Sorry for the delay. I fell asleep right after the call

So Jim is working with a senior teacher (John Mann) to figure out a way to scale structured, peer-guided meditation learning sessions for the masses. It's basically everyone trying a technique, leaving comments about it in a google sheet & then everyone else commenting on those comments in a grid format. Finally, there is free discussion at the end.

If you want to join, here's the link:
Hi there,

PDS is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Sangha OverIP beta session 1
Time: this is a recurring meeting Meet anytime (4PM PST 2/1)

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: zoom.us/j/582149991

Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +14086380968,,582149991# or +16468769923,,582149991#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 408 638 0968 or +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833
Meeting ID: 582 149 991
International numbers available: zoom.us/zoomconference?m=wgZ1m5mHoLjapPji4v86YUBfcyjp6Kbf

Pragmatic Dharma Society Video Chat - February 2018

Chat went very well this month. There was a great conversation flow & I was happy to see others jumping in & facilitating with follow-up questions/talking points. Seems like the format is starting to come together & also folks are recognizing each other's practice progressions month over month, which is what has worked so well in the Seattle group & would be great to replicate here.

Link to the recording: drive.google.com/file/d/1i1lMoy01zx1Cq-x...-bS/view?usp=sharing

Link to previous archived recordings: drive.google.com/open?id=1v1J9FmpcvaDHQ5c7O7itnehFJf_G2vz4
Link to previous chat notes: awakenetwork.org/forum/pdschats

Topics:
-1st jhana: signs of entry, being pulled away from the fire kasina, transition to 2nd
-proper attitude towards practice (acceptance, flow, surrender)
-pragmatic morality
-hardwiring happiness
-fire kasina & the dream team project (Daniel, Kenneth, Culadasa, Shinzen, Shannon - all teaming up to explore the fire kasina!)
-switching from afterimage to "the murk" (learning to move attention around within the background visual field)
-Finding support in practice (TMI, fire kasina - see links section)
-Common stages people move through in practice (initial "trigger" [i.e. goenka retreat], phase of exploration [i.e. reading different books, forums], finding structure [i.e. TMI, following POI])
-Reminiscing about Buddhist Geeks conferences - excited about video conferencing for community now
-Dullness: gross vs subtle, time of day, fatigue vs dullness, the utility of concentration for daily activity
-Applying insight in daily life, in work meetings, in relationships
-Working with anxiety: cultivating optimism, investigating root cause, just being with it

Attendees: Ken, Marco, Elizabeth, Nick, John, David, Noah, Jim, Alex, Moon , Cedric, Matthew, Jeff, Chris, Gilbert, Rob

Links: These are the links which were brought up in conversation.
integrateddaniel.info/my-experiments-in-actualism/
www.dharmaoverground.org/discussion/-/me...ards/message/6363460
firekasina.org/2018/01/29/elizabeths-retreat-report/
dharmatreasure.org/teachers-in-training/
awakenetwork.org/forum/104-meditation-pr...mi-related-questions