Inner Awareness

• 427EMantra of Compassion

  Analyze the symbolic meaning of each syllable in OM MANI PADME HUM; evaluate how mantra recitation functions as both meditation practice and a method for cultivating compassion; and implement regular practice while documenting personal observations about the relationship between mantra repetition and emotional patterns or responses to challenging situations.
• 404ERight Mindfulness

  Analyze an experience of mindful pausing, evaluating immediate thoughts and feelings without judgment, and critiquing your chosen response.
• 405EMethods of Using the Breath

  Implement mindfulness and breathing awareness to develop a calm, focused, and balanced mind. Create and guide a basic breath meditation for others.
• 407ESympathetic Joy

  Analyze the nature of sympathetic joy; guide unscripted meditation practices for cultivating this quality; and develop the practice of responding by rejoicing when witnessing others’ happiness.
• 403EShamatha Meditation

  Explore shamatha meditation as a way to calm the mind and support both insight (vipassana) practice and everyday mental habits; evaluate personal experience with meditation; and demonstrate the practice by leading shamatha sessions that guide breath-based concentration while recognizing common challenges, obstacles, and their antidotes.
• 402EVipassana Meditation

  Analyze the distinction between awareness and its objects during vipassana practice, evaluate how investigating the three marks of existence (impermanence, suffering, non-self) through direct observation leads to insight, and synthesize understanding by creating guided practices that help others develop insight.
• 400EThe Five Hindrances

  Identify and categorize the five hindrances to meditation practice with their corresponding antidotes; analyze how these obstacles manifest in contemporary life beyond formal meditation; and implement systematic approaches for recognizing and addressing hindrances while evaluating the effectiveness of traditional Buddhist remedies in modern contexts.
• 401EDhyana: Meditation Techniques

  Compare and contrast multiple Buddhist meditation techniques (shamatha, vipassana, loving-kindness, walking meditation), analyze how each method addresses specific mental states and obstacles, and design appropriate meditation practices for different situations and temperaments.
• 406ELoving-Kindness

  Analyze the nature of metta/loving-kindness; improvise a guided meditation that generates this quality; and initiate kind actions based on understanding all beings’ desire for happiness.