How can we cultivate a deeper, more authentic experience of life, beyond the limitations of words and concepts?
In this talk, Dorothy Hunt explores the concept of “true seeing” in Zen practice, encouraging a shift from superficial perception to a deeper, more intimate connection with reality. She delves into the limitations of words and concepts in truly experiencing life, emphasizing:
- True Seeing Beyond Words:
- Words and labels often distance us from direct experience; true seeing involves moving beyond these labels to experience reality directly.
- Zazen as a Practice of Awareness:
- Zazen, or seated meditation, is a practice that allows us to witness the part of us that is already awake and aware, even before we try to cultivate mindfulness.
- Intimacy with All Things:
- Dorothy invites us to practice seeing with our whole body and mind, rather than just superficially. This deeper seeing is intimate and unites the observer with the observed.
- The Interconnectedness of All Things:
- Drawing from Zen teachings and poetry, she discusses the idea that everything in the universe is interconnected as exemplified in the metaphor of Indra’s Net.
- Practical Exercise in Seeing:
- Dorothy guides us through an exercise to shift from normal, conceptual seeing to a more concentrated, intimate form of perception, encouraging us to become the seeing itself rather than the one who sees.
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Dorothy Hunt serves as spiritual director of Moon Mountain Sangha and was the founder of the San Francisco Center for Meditation and Psychotherapy. She is the author of Only This!, Leaves from Moon Mountain, and Ending the Search: From Spiritual Ambition to the Heart of Awareness, as well as articles published on nondual wisdom and psychotherapy.
She teaches at the request and in the spiritual lineage of Adyashanti, who invited her to share the dharma in 2004. Dorothy has a long and deep connection to the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and the nondual teachings of Zen, Advaita, and the Christian mystics. She invites a deep welcoming of the human expressions of the mystery.
A licensed psychotherapist since 1967, Dorothy has now retired from her private practice. She is a mother and a grandmother. For more information, please visit: https://dorothyhunt.org or Dorothy Hunt – Moon Mountain Sangha on YouTube.