Feel and Reflect… Your Sutra!

For the final project leading up to our last class together on Sunday, January 26th, I’d like to try something we had great success with during the last Level 2 meditation training. Instead of a final review quiz, we’re going to take time to reflect on our experience with each of the topics and write a sutra for each—a concise, poetic summary encapsulating your personal experience of the topic in one or two sentences.

For example, Patanjali says of the witness: “The only constant is the self, which is often called the witness.” While this may or may not match our personal understanding of the witness, it’s a beautiful way of capturing the essence of the concept.

You’ll find examples of previous students’ sutras in the comments section below. They’re inspiring and fun to read, but I encourage you to sit down and reflect on your own experiences with the following topics before diving into the examples:

• Preparing for meditation

• Bodhicitta

• Surrender

• The witness

• Karma

• Circular breath

As you reflect, ask yourself: Where does this land for me? What does this mean to me? Let yourself get a little poetic—remember, it’s impossible to sum up these profound concepts in words. Instead, think of your sutras as a way to point in the direction of your lived experience.

Once you’ve written your sutras, we’ll share a few of our favorites during class, and everyone will have the chance to read yours in the comment section of this post.