Question

Would you please repeat all the different tools we were taught and what tool for what kind of work on the mind?

Answer

Do you want a second retreat? I will do it briefly, in general, the different tools: You have mindfulness of your body, mindfulness of your breath, mindfulness of the Hindrances, mindfulness of sensations in the body. You have the reflections; How Fortunate You Are, Death and Impermanence, Actions and Results of Actions, Dukkha or unsatisfactoriness, the relationship of Compassion and Equanimity. You have Compassion/Lovingkindness meditation, you have Sympathetic Joy meditation. Then you have mindfulness during the day, in the world, grabbing doors, washing dishes and so on. You also have food reflection. Those are the basic techniques that get taught in the normal Ten Day retreat. In this retreat, you are receiving more specific reflection techniques, to develop that aspect of the practice.

Now, what tool for what kind of work on the mind? Look at them deeper each for yourselves because if I go into that, it is far too long for this questions and answers session. But in specific you can look at some of the tools and their opposites: Compassion/Lovingkindness is opposite to anger. Sympathetic Joy is opposite to envy and jealousy. Death reflection is opposite to future dreaming, dreaming, dreaming. How fortunate you are is opposite to self-pity. So when you look at what the tools are directly opposite to, you then see more clearly when you need to use them.

Our apologies if there are any errors in the above text. If anything seems to be wrong or confusing in any way, please feel free to contact the teachers for further clarification.