Meditation without virtue
is
Wisdom without compassion.
A householder’s Vinaya
HOME RETREAT GUIDE
Virtue with meditation
teaches
Wisdom with compassion.
offered by
Allan Cooper
Introduction
Householding meditators almost always try to fit their meditation practices into their daily lives instead of making their lives into their meditation practice. There are very real reasons why this is the case—typically, people feel too busy, have little or no support for their practice, and/or lack adequate instruction.
Householdersvinaya.com is where a serious meditator can get clear instructions on how to plan and do a Home Retreat; get help in making one’s daily life into a proactive and workable Home Practice; and construct their own householder’s Vinaya.
When we choose to make Home Practice our life, we do the best we can under whatever the inner and outer conditions are to incline the mind with a friendly determination toward mindfulness and clear comprehension (sati-sampajañña) coupled with virtue (sīla).
When we do formal meditation, we incline our minds toward continuous mindfulness. When we work we incline our minds toward continuous work, and when we play we incline our minds toward continuous play. Training ourselves to include as much sati-sampajañña in all our activities, whether on the cushion, at work, or sipping coffee with friends, we are actively sculpting the mind/heart toward wholesomeness in all our activities.
The rest takes care of itself.
Visitor Center
Above, on the website’s menu in Featured Materials is the Home Retreat Guide; scroll click and read or click PDF for download/print. Sign in to check out the blog themes. Here you will be able to comment on original material and offer your help and wisdom to fellow meditators.
The Home Retreat Guide is an accessible step by step ‘how to’ manual for anyone wishing to create a Home Retreat. It details specific and practical steps that instruct the yogi to sculpt an everyday life into a new way of applying one’s meditative intentions. These new ways help cultivate and deepen meditative Wisdom and establishes a deeper and more textured baseline when returning to the retreat center or monastery.
Home Retreat is not a mirror or silhouette of a formal residential retreat. Instead it is designed to be done by any householder in whatever conditions one finds oneself be he/she a worker, a family provider, a retiree, or anyone from any other walk of life. In fact, this method uses everyday life and our everyday practice and transforms chores, distractions, and any normal activity into the householder’s monastery. Our daily practice combined with our everyday activities become the field of practice.
Embracing practice in this way helps to integrate a continuous attention towards skillful means. It is precisely this style of practice that is necessary to establish the continuity of attention needed for transformation to arise, stick and deepen.
Please use the website. Householdersvinaya.com is offered on a dana (donation) basis, and currently offers in the drop- down menu on the Home Page the Home Retreat Guide, a library of selected readings, original articles and links, resource information for formal practice centers, a blog to discuss personal issues surrounding Home Practice/Home Retreat, live seminar opportunities, and contact information for the author.
New material and study opportunities will frequently be posted.
Welcome.
May this practice serve you well.
If you want to understand your mind. Sit down and see for yourself.
Munindra
Much can be accomplished in a week or a ten-day Home Retreat. However, shorter periods of time, even just one day, can also be extremely valuable.
Allan Cooper