At present our mind is easily distracted and, as a result, our meditations lack power. In this series, we will learn practical methods to deepen and stabilize our meditative experience through training in concentration. With continued training, our concentration eventually improves until it gives rise to a special bliss of suppleness that will benefit every aspect of our life. We cultivate an inner source of joy and contentment, so our emotional dependence on external sources of happiness reduces, calming our anxiety, incessant craving, and sense of restlessness. Our mind becomes peaceful and flexible, allowing us to easily generate beautiful, positive minds that greatly benefit others while creating the foundation for our happiness.

When we train in concentration, we bring a specific structure to our meditation practice. The structure is like a trellis we construct for a climbing plant so it can thrive and soar upwards. Each week, we will gather to meditate in community, share our experiences of our practice, and learn new methods to build together the structure for strengthening our experience of concentration. The intention of this series is to empower us to establish an effective meditation practice in which we can journey at our own pace through the different levels of meditative concentration and attain the state of a fully developed concentration called tranquil abiding.

The seven-week course will conclude with a blissful half-day silent retreat on Sunday, November 9.