14 Empathetic Joy

Alan Wallace guides a 24-minute meditation on mudita, or empathetic joy, focusing first on oneself, then spreading outwards to others. During the following question and answer period, Alan answers these questions: 1. During shamatha, do we target the kind of focused attention that doesn't notice outside sensations such as sound, tactile sensations, etc.? 2. How do I know the difference between foreground and background when I am primarily attending to the breath, my attention is with the breath, and at the same time some other thought or feeling arises? 3. Is it okay to generate mental images while practicing in order to become familiar and mindful of these arisings? 4. Where is the place for labeling such as "thinking", "planning", "hearing" etc.? 5. Lama Yeshe says that reincarnation happens between a few moments and seven weeks after one's death. What say you? 6. If one is single pointedly focusing on tactile sensations while eating, can taste fade away? 7. How does one best practice awareness of awareness while in the supine position?