Dear Rob
Thank you for your post and for listing the MP3 files from Module 2 Teaching Session 2 which are cut off.
Unfortunately, we had to use the same MP3 files as are ...
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Dear Rob
Thank you for your post and for listing the MP3 files from Module 2 Teaching Session 2 which are cut off.
Unfortunately, we had to use the same MP3 files as are available in the DB at home program and thus any errors or mistakes that were in that program will also be in the online version as you just discovered.
I am investigating if we still have access to the original recordings to correct some of these errors especially with the ones you have listed above.
I am also listing the segments from the transcripts below which are missing from the MP3 files so that other students are aware that these are missing and that the MP3 files need to be supplemented with the PDF transcripts in these cases.
In relation to audio quality, i am afraid that what we have is what we have. Many of these teachings were recorded a few years ago and sometimes the quality is not as good as we could do today. I am happy that some of our newer programs (eg Death and dying) have better quality audio.
In general, I hope that you and other students can still get benefit from the program and I hope that most of the content is ok and beneficial.
I will post any updates if new files are available.
Thanks
Eamon
Session 2 - MP3 File 2 - The following extract from the transcript is cut off in the MP3 File
... can do about them. It’s useful to know this information so that we can recognise these problems when they happen and can apply antidotes to deal with them. I will also talk about how to set up a session of meditation and what are the main components of a meditation session.
Session 2 - MP3 File 4 - The following extract from the transcript is cut off in the MP3 File
when we have to study for an exam, and there’s noise, especially if you are living in a college dormitory, with lots of people and radios and TV and so on. You have to learn to just shut out that noise and focus on your books and what you’re studying. And we do know how to do that. We have had experience of doing that. Or when we are reading a very interesting book or watching a football game on TV or watching a movie - there are certain times when we’re really interested and involved in something and we can get totally absorbed in that and we can just ignore noise that’s happening around us. The noise is there, it doesn’t stop, it doesn’t disappear but we just ignore it and continue to concentrate on what we are doing. So we’ve had the experience of doing that in our normal life, and we can do that in meditation as well. We can just ignore the noise and keep on doing our meditation.
Session 2 - MP3 File 5 - The following extract from the transcript is cut off in the MP3 File
Ignore them, just as you can ignore the noise from outside, the dog barking, the cars going by, the aeroplane going overhead, the TV, the radio, people talking. Just let them happen and focus on what you’re doing. Focus on your meditation. These are some ideas that might be helpful for you to deal with the things that disturb you and distract your mind when you’re meditating. Remember it’s a question of training and practice. The more you practice meditation – the more you develop the habit or familiarity with this discipline of focusing your mind on the breath or whatever the object is, and then bringing your mind back every time it wanders away – the more you train in that the easier it becomes. So it’s just a question of training and practice.
Session 2 - MP3 File 6- The following extract from the transcript is cut off in the MP3 File
It’s just a temporary thing. It happens for a while and if you resist it, then after a while it goes away and you’re wide awake again. So resist it, and eventually it will pass.
Another thing recommended in the teachings if the sleepiness is very strong and it’s very hard to stay awake is to take a break from the meditation. You can stand up and stretch, or go and put some cold water in your face, or get some cool fresh air on your face. Doing those kinds of things can help you wake up, and then after a few minutes when you feel awake again, sit down and go back to your meditation.
Something that could effect being sleepy in the first place is the temperature – if it’s too warm in the room that could make you sleepy. The warmer it is the more likely you are to fall asleep. So it’s better to have the air in the room cool, and then if you need to you can put a blanket around you to keep your body warm.
Also light can have an effect – if the room is very dark, that might be a cause for you to feel sleepy and dull. So don’t have it too dark. It’s also not good to have it too bright. Really bright light could be distracting as well. So have some light – don’t have it too dark but not too bright either.
Another thing is eating. If you try to meditate right eating a big meal, I think you would have to be a very good meditator to be able to stay awake. And that’s only normal because if we’ve eaten a lot then the energy of our body will be going into digesting the food. So it’s better to leave some time, at least an hour or maybe two hours after eating a meal, before you try to meditate. Those are some things that could be helpful to deal with the problem of sleepiness. I’ll talk about some of the other common problems and antidotes later, as we go along in the course.
