Meditation is the simple yet profound practice of awakening to our most fundamental self. At this very moment, we have within us a fundamental state of being that is empty, open, and free. And yet, at present we cannot see it because it is covered over by all kinds of habitual tendencies and obscurations. Through the practice of meditation, we are gradually able to let go of these — burning away the extraneous and leaving exposed the brilliant, awakened state, which is what we really are. Opened by this process, we are able to engage our lives with tremendous clarity and warmth, so that we see and appreciate this sacred world and are able to love others in a way that is truly selfless. The process of meditation initially gives us back our lives and our deepest selves, and ultimately opens our hearts to the entire universe.
Through group retreats, personal instruction, and individual mentoring, Dharma Ocean offers training in the foundational aspects of mindfulness-awareness practice; the development of wisdom and compassion through working directly with the heart; and the recognition of the sacred world around us. The somatic practices of Meditating with the Body — the signature somatic emphasis of this lineage — are woven throughout all of the meditation practices taught in Dharma Ocean and provide the basic ground for discovering the openness, compassion, and vivid wakefulness of our lives.