Theme: Awareness of the Body
Recognizing: In the Buddhist main meditation teaching of Anapanasati, mindfulness of the body is the first stage of practice. The more awareness there is of the activities the body (walking, sitting etc.) and sensations (hard, soft) in the body the more grounding there is in the present moment. This can be considered the home ground.

Accepting: This is where emotions like anger or sadness can more safely be observed without becoming "I AM ANGRY' OR "I AM SAD". Rather sensations of anger or sadness are being known in the body. When this is done without adding extra personalized thoughts i.e. "I SHOULDN'T BE SO ANGRY' or "THEY MAKE ME SO MAD". The emotions are just acknowledge for what they are. Passing, stressful and non-personal. This greatly reduces unnecessary suffering.

Understanding: When the mind is calm and receptive the emotions and the cause and effect can the be reflected on. This often leads to a deeper understanding of Dhamma (the nature of things). When these new understanding are successful applied in daily life. Confidence and trust the increase which can lead to more study, practice and realization.

Chipping Away at the Defilements
Meditation practice helps develop patience and equanimity. These powerful skills are then transferred into daily living.

At the retreat we often we often heard Ed, the grounds keeper chipping away at the ice. This could also be used a model for chipping away at the hardened defilements of Ignorance, ignoring what is true, Hatred, hating what is not understood and the Greed, selfishly wanting more.

Ed would patiently chip away at the ice. He understood the characteristics of the ice. If the ice was too hard to work with at the back of the building, he would move to the front. He knew what was the most effect size of ice to remove, not too big and not too small.

Ed was able work at removing the ice all day. He would set a steady work pace, and take regular breaks to stop for rest and look out at the river. What he didn't get done one day he would return to the next.