The practice of Open Awareness involves effortlessly resting as spacious, clear, pristine awareness. Related forms of this practice are known by many names, such as shikantaza or “just sitting” in the zen tradition, “non-meditation” in the Mahamudra teachings, non-dual awareness in Advaita Vedanta, or “do nothing” in pragmatic dharma circles.

This is a practice of deep allowing and non-reactivity that enables ego-fixations to drop away. There is then a vivid, bright, spontaneous display — everything is appearing crisp and radiant, just so. You are intimate with all things, without separation, without construction, without any doing whatsoever.

This session will explore the history and context, practical instructions, and guided meditation to offer participants a direct experience of how this can be freeing. All levels of experience are welcome.

Kynan Tan is a meditation teacher who takes a collaborative approach to helping students achieve their meditation goals. He came to meditation after struggles with stress, anxiety, and depression and found the practice to be transformative. He believes that meditation has enormous potential for creating positive change and opening up new ways of relating to our experience.

Kynan draws upon a number of different modern and traditional techniques of contemplative and introspective practice. He is a longtime practitioner of the stages of samatha-vipassana (as presented in the book The Mind Illuminated), Rob Burbea’s insight meditation techniques, nondual awareness, and brahmavihara practices (metta, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity).

Kynan teaches residential retreats, one-on-one students, co-teaches the Pragmatic Dharma Club at the San Francisco Dharma Collective, and leads online meditation courses. Kynan has sat a number of retreats, including a month-long solo retreat in 2021.

All Sessions are by Donation (Dana) to the Buddhist Library. All donations to the Buddhist Library of $2 and over are tax deductible.

Dana is the traditional practice of generosity, the extending of one’s goodwill, which is fundamental to Buddhism and other spiritual traditions. The dana you give is shared equally with the teacher and the Buddhist Library. This helps to maintain the Library and supports the teacher so that they may offer more teachings on the Dhamma in the future. It is up to each person to determine the amount of dana they’d like to offer. We understand that this is a difficult time financially for many, and people will give what they can. An appropriate dana can’t be prescribed but requires sensitivity to its intent and to the individual’s own situation, as well as awareness of the cost of organising events and supporting teachers who spread the Dhamma.