Meditation, the Monkey Whisperer Way

The Buddha famously described our easily distracted mind as the “monkey mind”. If this was the state of affairs 2500 years ago, how much more so now!

Sentha’s story of two monks shows two ways to work with the “monkey mind.”

The Monkey Wrangler monk tries to control and subdue the monkey through sheer force, but every forceful action provokes the monkey to fight back with equal and opposite resistance. While the wrangler might eventually coerce and control the monkey, doing so takes great effort and leaves behind a residue that must be dismantled later.

The Monkey Whisperer monk understands where the monkey comes from because he’s been there, done that (being a monkey 😉). He recognizes the “monk” inside the monkey. He sees that all of the monkey’s leaping about is because the monkey doesn’t get itself, doesn’t recognize the monk in the monkey. In the monk’s wide-open, compassionate and understanding presence, the monkey naturally settles down, resolves and dissolves. All the monkey really needed was for the monk to recognize its true nature so that it can do so too.

The Monkey Whisperer Way is how Sentha presents the Third Turning of the Buddha’s Dharma wheel. These are the teachings of Buddha Nature, our inherent awakened nature that we only have to recognize, not create from scratch. While these third-cycle teachings are common to Chan, Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, glimmers of this approach can be found in texts from Early Buddhism like the Luminous Heart Sutta.

When approached through the Monkey Whisperer Way, your meditation practice can be easy to start, easy to maintain, and easy to come to fruition.

What you will learn

Breath and body awareness for cultivating presence and resilience

Everyday presence is the ability to be present with life’s ups and downs. Everyday resilience is returning to feeling okay after getting stuck in life’s ups and downs.

In this series, you will learn:

• Breath and Body awareness practices that cultivate presence.
• Resilience techniques that return you to feeling okay when you feel stuck in stress or anxiety.

Boundless heart qualities to be with what is just as it is

Ways of relating with boundless tender-heartedness:
• Compassion: For when we find ourselves or others hurting.
• Appreciative Joy: For when we find ourselves or others happy.
• Loving Kindness: To wish ourselves and others well.
• Equanimity: To be with what is just as it is.

About Sentha

Sentha Sivabalan has over 20 years of experience in studying, practicing and teaching meditation in all three current streams of Buddhism: Chan (Chinese precursor to Zen) Buddhism with Gilbert Gutierrez, Tibetan and Theravada Buddhism with Marvin Treiger. Both of her teachers have authorized and encouraged her to teach. Gilbert often says to Sentha, “You’ve received my marrow.” Marv says about Sentha, “Sentha is that rare combination of loving Grace & Precision—Wisdom that informs and inspires the student towards their best.”

More about Sentha