Dharma talk: How Noting Leads to Compassion

Here is the audio recording of "How Noting Leads to Compassion," a talk I gave in New York City on January 25, 2011.

This talk is both a lecture and a guided meditation. Themes include the relationships between noting, presence, and compassion as well as the Darwinian nature of thought and harnessing the power of the infinite loop.

Stream the audio here:

jaytek.net/KFD/03%20NYC%20Talk%20-%20Not...Jan%2025,%202011.mp3

Or download the mp3 here:

jaytek.net/KFD

Great! Can't wait to listen to it.
Say, Kenneth, have you considered creating an "Audio" link at the top of the page where all conference calls, dharma talks, etc., could be aggregated? You could even have an RSS feed whereby people could subscribe and automatically receive any newly posted audio.
(Easy for me to hatch such ideas, right?)
Just a thought...

Kenneth,

Thank you so much for your commitment to the dharma. I bless your existence and the light it brings to this earth!

Cheers,
Chris

I cant seem to find the mp3 stream anywhere. Searches just keep sending me back to this thread.
Im probably missing something really simple.. Any one else having trouble?

"Stream the audio here:

jaytek.net/KFD/03%20NYC%20Talk%20-%20Not...Jan%2025,%202011.mp3

Or download the mp3 here:

jaytek.net/KFD "

Copy either of those links into your web browser's address bar.

THANKS mumuwu ,have found it now.!

That was a really interesting way of looking at the darwinian thought "I must find out what 2 + 2 equals" and looping thought "I must get rid of the me"

I listened to a zen lecture about the Bodhisattva Vow "I will liberate all beings" and the teacher Norman Fischer also said something interesting. That our mind can never really be content with a darwinian thought because such a thought contains a goal which has a start point and an end point. The thought "I will liberate all beings" on the other hand contains a goal which is as limitedless as we ourseves are. He said that the mind will only be at peace with a goal that is limitless.

Do you have any comments on what the zen guy is saying there? I wonder about it because your teachings seem very goal oriented with stages and levels a plenty. You mentioned "harnessing the loop" for cultivating mind states; will harnessing the loop work for goals too, or is that just like jousting windmills?

Hi Mark,

First, to clarify the terminology: my point is that all thought is Darwinian in nature, meaning that it is subject to natural selection or "survival of the fittest." By that, I mean that some thoughts will inevitably persist better than others and will therefore be the most difficult ones for a meditator to deal with (especially if the meditator thinks his or her job is to get rid of the thought). So while "how do I solve 2+2?" and "I have to get rid of myself?" are both Darwinian thoughts, meaning that they are subject to natural selection, the former is a "Darwinian loser" while the latter is a "Darwinian winner." The 2+2 problem cannot persist because it is so easily solved. "I have to get rid of myself," on the other hand, is a Darwinian lottery winner precisely because it is a loop; the "I" that must be gotten rid of keeps reinforcing itself by the very act of trying to get rid of itself, and so on. Since loops are infinite, "I" will never get rid of "myself" no matter how much "I" try.

I'm suggesting harnessing the power of the loop to come back again and again to be present in this moment, converting the loop from an enemy into an ally. I think Norman Fisher's comment is intended to harness the power of the loop in a slightly different way, but with a similar end. By saying "I will liberate all beings," we can turn the mind toward positive mind states of lovingkindness and compassion, returning again and again to the Brahma Viharas and thereby turning away from distraction and negativity.

I really like that moment where you say, "OK, this stinks and I really want to get up and watch TV. How does that feel in the body?" And then go right to the body sensations and note them. This should be really helpful to my practice.
One question about the distinct pulsing. When that is happening, should you just stay with that, as in "pulse, pulse, pulse," maybe until some other distracting thought or body sensation becomes predominant? I've noticed that I tend to say "swaying, swaying" or "rocking, rocking" (when it's a forward-back motion), but then I'll just move on to another object. Funny how I've been waiting for some OTHER kind of pulsing. Surely, the one right in front of me couldn't be it! LOL.

Okay I see what you are saying there. Thanks for the clarification.

Lots o goodness in there! Thank you!

Brilliant Kenneth! Please keep these Dharma talks coming.

Antero.

This is the first time I've heard a metta practice that feels completely uncontrived and accessible. Amazingly out of the box. Gracias, Kenneth!

Thanks, Kacchapa for reminding me of this talk (had put off listening to it).

Liked it a lot, thsnks Kenneth!

nice talk - I think the ultimate darwinian winner thought must be "I must get rid of this anxiety/fear"