In a meeting 26 July 2019, the Cetanā team (composed of Taeya, Maheen, & Jake, with Roxanne joining to offer Consultation during part of the meeting) decided on a policy regarding how and when to decide about the range of meditative practices to be included in Attha (a video recording of the meeting is available here):

• the Gathering process for the Fall Inquiry, during August & September 2019, will be cast broadly:
  • outreach will focus not only on Buddhist practitioners but those from any tradition (religious or secular) who want to cultivate good states of mind & heart.
  • the application and the website will retain the current use of Pāli terms, and these will be explained clearly enough to be easily understandable by those with no background in Buddhism.
  • the website and application process will make clear our aim that, among those who want to cultivate good states of mind & heart, those of all backgrounds will feel equally at home and equally challenged in this program.
  • we will adopt an open and supportive attitude towards critical inquiry into proposals from all the sources we draw on, following serious questions wherever they lead, not stopping with an appeal to the authority of any text, teacher, or tradition.

• the online Fall Inquiry 2019 will focus on one particular conception of a path & goal of practice: the practices of satipatthāna (mindfulness) & brahmavihāra (divine abidings of goodwill, care, joy, & evenness of mind/heart), with a particular focus on critically examining the employment of these practices for the sake of cessation (nirodha):
  • the inquiry will aim to be as rigorous as possible within the time allocated; an outline produced by the Inquiry team is available here.
  • the aim will be to enable individuals to decide for themselves what to think about whether that path and that goal are coherent and meaningful.
  • practice periods during the Fall will be rooted in the practices of satipatthāna & brahmavihāra, as understood by the Guidance team.
  • the overall aim of the Fall Inquiry will be to nurture an organic selection process that allows the group to discern its communal values at the same time as individuals discern their level of energy for a group that holds those particular values, especially in relation to collaborative leadership, the value of tradition, and which specific tradition(s) to value.

• Having engaged in this focused inquiry into one particular conception of a path & goal, during the 3 Year commitment period 2020-2023:
  • we will conduct online inquiry modules as well as small residential retreats. The structure of these is to be determined in large part by collaborative teams made up of those in the community committed to 3 years together. That decision making process will be launched at the end of Fall 2019 Inquiry.
  • members of the group will be free to adopt any other practices - from the broad range of human efforts to cultivate good states of mind & heart - as they see fit outside of the retreat periods, assuming these practices fall within any broad ethical guidelines we commit to together.
  • In 2020, the Guidance team anticipates beginning by inviting, to conduct the retreats, teachers who focus on satipatthāna & brahmavihāra.
  • the interests of the group will determine whether and what other practices will be examined, during Inquiry periods, for possible incorporation into practice aspects of the Attha program.
    • The process of considering a new meditative practice for inclusion in practice periods will involve an open, rigorous, communal inquiry comparable to the Fall 2019 Inquiry into satipatthāna & brahmavihāra, including:
      • an inquiry into the value of the means & purpose of the practice being considered for inclusion
      • whether there is any practical conflict between existing practices and the proposed introduction, for instance in the context of retreat practice
      • the relative value and priority of existing practices and the proposed introduction, and specifically the energy within the community at that time for incorporating the proposed practice into the program
    • One result of such a collaborative Inquiry could be the nomination of someone with interest or expertise in the proposed practice to the Guidance team, which is responsible for deciding which teachers to recruit to guide study, daily life, and retreat practice