In this teisho on the first day of the April 2018 7-day sesshin at Mountain Gate, Mitra-roshi shares pertinent points from Mark Epstein's newest book: Advice Not Given: A Guide to Getting Over Yourself. Zen practice is not meant to stop at awakening, but to continue forward to bring that awakening to life in everything we do or say or think. This means taking a clear look, possible with a deep enough awakening, at our negative habit patterns, our less than fully wise and compassionate behavior, and moving toward living in a way that more fully expresses our innate compassion and wisdom.

One of the practice emphases that comprise the Eightfold Path is Right View. In this teisho, Mitra-roshi speaks to the role of ego and how the Rinzai Zen practice known as susok'kan can help us see through the tyranny of ego and experience the benefits born of Right View.

Continuing the topic from yesterday's teisho, Mitra-roshi expands on Right View and the challenge of ego in opening to it—something every person doing meditation, whether it's mindfulness or zazen, faces.

Day 4 of the April 2018 7-day sesshin at Mountain Gate, Mitra-roshi continued to share and comment on the first step of the Eightfold Path: Right View, and how opening to it through committed meditation practice can establish mindfulness of the present moment. With that, our life unfolds in more rich and fulfilling ways.

Continuing with sharing teachings on the Eightfold Noble Path, Mitra-roshi speaks about Right Motivation, the second step on the Path.

In this unusual teisho, Mitra-roshi shares and comments from Mark Epstein's latest book, Advice Not Given: A Guide to Getting Over Yourself, on the psychological issues that can come up during meditation and the importance of not ignoring them.

On this final day of the April 2018 7-day sesshin at Mountain Gate, Mitra-roshi continues to speak on the Eightfold Noble Path, specifically today on Right Speech, and how it involves more than the usually considered aspects of over speech such as lying, gossip, denigrating others, and so forth. Often overlooked is the fact of self-talk, that inner dialogue that so colors our perceptions and assumptions, particularly about ourselves. She shares from Mark Epstein's latest book, Advice Not Given: A Guide to Getting Over Yourself, in which he writes of the importance of dealing with our inner dialogue lest it interfere with our meditation practice.