Discussion Facilitator: Bruce Cantwell. Saturday, July 25, 2020.

Guided Meditation
1. Let's begin by calling to mind a time we were curious, fascinated or engrossed. It could be experiencing a great movie or piece of art, a deep moment of connection, a sporting event, spending time in nature. Tune into the feelings of that moment.
2. What thoughts come to mind when you bring your attention to this moment? How do you experience it in your body?
3. Now, call to mind a moment when you felt stressed or judgmental about yourself.
4. What thoughts come to mind for you when you bring your attention to this moment? Where do you experience this in your body?
7. Now, out of deep self-compassion, try to bring that sense of non-judgmental curiosity to the stressful moment.
7. What do you notice? Does anything about the stressful moment change? Does it stay the same? Where do you experience this in your body?

Discussion
1. According to the penultimate section of the four fields of awareness, the seven factors of liberation from habitual reactivity are: curiosity, investigation, energy, joy, calm, concentration, and equanimity.[1] What activities bring out these traits in you?
2. Do you think that paying greater attention to the positive aspects of curiosity when it naturally occurs in your life will help you draw upon it more often in situations where you might have moved more quickly to judgment?[2]

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Complete Series on the Four Fields of Awareness

[1] “The Section on the Factors of Enlightenment” Mahasatipatthana Sutta - The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Awareness, www.tipitaka.org/stp-pali-eng-parallel.shtml#39.
[2] Brewer, Judson A, et al. “Why Is It so Hard to Pay Attention, or Is It? Mindfulness, the Factors of Awakening and Reward-Based Learning.” Mindfulness, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Mar. 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3827730/.