Master Culadasa discusses his lineage.

Explanation of attention versus peripheral awareness.

Explanation of how to do walking meditation.

Master Culadasa explains that meditation was always meant to be part of a wider practice, and devotes this talk to the practice of virtue. He explains that even though it is often overlooked in favor of meditation, the practice of virtue is a critical part of the path, and that many problems experienced in meditation can be remedied with the practice of virtue. This can be true for those who have been meditating for years, and feel they have made insufficient progress.

Meditation, without the practice of virtue, will be useful only up to a point.

Culadasa explains how the concepts of morality, ethics, and virtue are different, and how virtue is something you actually practice, in the same sense you might practice the piano, or do weight training to build your strength. You can make mistakes. You can experiment. You will learn as you go.

Practicing virtue is avoiding adding unnecessarily to the misery that already exists in the world; conversely, practicing virtue challenges us to remove misery whenever possible. In Sanskrit, this is called “ahimsa.”

Practicing virtue makes you a better person. This is why you do it. It has immediate good effects, thus it is “Good in the Beginning…“ You will sleep better at night, be happier, and enjoy life more. People will treat you better. You will move closer to enlightenment.

Culadasa requests us to take on the practice of virtue, along with our practice of meditation.