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The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
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Dharma Talks
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2023-07-23
Maintaining Clarity, Joy and Peace
38:44
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Ajahn Achalo
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This talk, given on the last day of a 9 day online retreat from Wat Marp Jan, gives some perspective as well as useful pointers, with regards to progressing steadily in the gradual training towards complete liberation of mind.
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Wat Marp Jan
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2023-07-23
Talk: Dukkha and the End of Dukkha 2
64:06
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Donald Rothberg
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We start with a review and expansion of the main themes of the talk from two weeks ago, looking especially first at the possible confusion around the nature of "dukkha" (usually translated as "suffering"). We look at four meanings of dukkha in the teachings of the Buddha (the first of which is the most common meaning of dukkha as what is "painful"). Only the last sense of dukkha as reactivity (based on the teachings of the Two Arrows and of Dependent Origination) helps us make sense of what the "end of dukkha" means. We then give attention to a number of different ways of practicing to transform and "end" reactivity, followed by discussion with the community.
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Benicia Insight Meditation
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2023-07-23
Guided Meditation Exploring Reactivity
45:10
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Donald Rothberg
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After an introduction of the teacher, there is a 30-minute guided meditation. We set the intention to track for moments of reactivity, and then have the first 10 minutes or so for settling. Then there are several lightly guided suggestions of ways to practice with reactivity, including noticing moderate or a little greater experiences of pleasant or unpleasant, and seeing whether we move to wanting and grasping, on the one hand, or not wanting or pushing away, on the other. At the end, there is guided practice on bringing up an experience of reactivity and exploring it especially with mindfulness and the wisdom of appropriate response. The meditation is followed by a dana talk.
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Benicia Insight Meditation
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2023-07-21
Empowering Faith Nourishing Resolve
43:22
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Ajahn Achalo
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In this talk, delivered at a retreat at Wat Marp Jan, Ajahn discusses the subject of cultivating, deepening Faith, and then applying the good energy that comes from this in useful ways. Learning how to apply a more consistent and diligent effort as a consequence of having deep conviction and confidence in both the goal and one's ability to realize it. A Thai version is here: https://youtu.be/0AxHwFX1yK4
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Wat Marp Jan
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2023-07-19
Q&A
41:31
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Ajahn Sucitto,
Laura Bridgman
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Questions are précised; one live question (Q3) was précised and read into the file: 00:08 Q1 Could you say a few words about dealing with traumatic memories or body memories. 13:47 Q2 I fear that I am not able to connect with non-self. Can you say more about non-self. 20:27 Q3 When I was sitting my timer went off and there was a vague voice that was encouraging and reassuring me that whatever issues I face can be resolved. I find this very exciting. What do you think is happening here?28:34 Q4 If a part of our being nature gets accessed by a higher paced energy, can sati and a slower mode of being lead to loosing access to sides of our being?
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Gaia House
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Unrestricted Awareness
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2023-07-19
Cultivating Wise Speech 2: A Review of Three Foundations of Wise Speech and An Introduction to a Fourth: Empathy Practice
64:50
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Donald Rothberg
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We first focus on the importance of the practice of wise speech and then review three foundations of such practice: (1) developing presence in the midst of communication; (2) working with the four guidelines for skillful speech developed by the Buddha; and (3) integrating our practice to be mindful and skillful with thoughts, emotions, and body states with our speech practice. We then introduce a fourth foundation, empathy practice, aiming to understand and connect with another, exploring the roots of such practice in the innate capacity of empathy. We then identify a simple yet basic practice of tuning into someone's emotions and "needs" (or what matters to someone), based on the work of Nonviolent Communication (developed first by Marshall Rosenberg). A discussion follows, particularly examining bringing these practices into challenging interactions. (Materials on emotions--or feelings, needs, and an "empathy map" are given below, under "documents.")
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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Attached Files:
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Feelings Inventory from NVC
by NVC (added by Donald Rothberg)
(PDF)
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Needs Inventory from NVC
by NVC (added by Donald Rothberg)
(PDF)
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Empathy Map
by Donald Rothberg/Oren Jay Sofer
(PDF)
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2023-07-18
Q&A
57:29
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Ajahn Sucitto,
Laura Bridgman
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Questions are précised: 00:00 Q1 What do you mean by “re-wilding your mind”? 19:59 Q2 What’s the relation between pitti, sukka and chi. 25:05 Q3 Which comes first after sense contact, sannya (impression/ perception) or vedena (the feeling)? 28:00 Q4 Does the third sattipatana (the establishments of mindfulness) only include citta of mano / manus? 34:21 (LB) Q5 How to contemplate the “gunky” parts of the body – the organs that get diseased etc. 41:35 Q6 I have a sense of the experience of annica like a connection to dynamism. Impermanence has a very time bound quality to it. 42:31 Q7 How can one develop one’s yoniso manisakara to keep attention turned inwards?
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Gaia House
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Unrestricted Awareness
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2023-07-18
The Gateways of Deliverance (on nimitta)
60:47
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Akincano Marc Weber
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Practicing with the characteristics – Differing temperaments and inclinatons, different axis of practice – Three Gateways of Liberation (vimokkha-dvāra / vimokkha-mukha).
Usages of the term 'nimmita' in the suttas and their application – rather than the stock commentarial reference to the Visuddhimagga's understanding of the term.
On the practice of 'neither dwelling on signs nor dwells on their details'. Practicing with anicca -> signlessness (animitta-v.) | Practicing with dukkha -> wishlessness (apaṇihita-v.) | Practicing with anattta -> suññata-v.
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Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
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Cultivation – Investigation – Contemplation
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2023-07-17
The Nature of Awakening: Traditional and Contemporary Paths of Awakening
68:04
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Donald Rothberg
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We examine first the Buddha’s teachings about awakening, We see how he understands the process as involving two processes. We are mindful of and work through what gets in the way of touching our natural awakening—greed, hatred, and delusion (or the two forms of reactivity—grasping after the pleasant and pushing away the unpleasant, along with ignorance about the nature of impermanence, reactivity or Dukkha, and not-self). We also develop those qualities which both support and manifest awakening, qualities identified in the teaching of the Seven Factors of Awakening. We see further how the Buddha at times identified the nature of awakened awareness as “signless, boundless, all-luminous,” and trace similar accounts of awakened awareness in the Thai Forest tradition and Tibetan Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā.
Then we ask the question about whether these wonderful teachings and associated practices are sufficient for awakening in the contemporary world. We point to how such teachings and practices are crucial but also need to be complemented by and integrated with a contemporary map of awakening, identifying forms of contemporary conditioning (and greed, hatred, and delusion) that are not found in the traditional account. Broadly speaking, we can identify two inter-related core areas—a first identifying more “psychological” conditioning, and more “social” conditioning (for example, around gender, race, sexual orientation, age, etc.). The talk is followed by discussion.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Spirit Rock Live: Monday Night with Donald Rothberg
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2023-07-15
Q&A
14:42
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Ajahn Sucitto
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00:05 Before encountered the dhamma I always thought that problems required solutions. You say they need spaciousness, openness and patience. What then is the place for mental strategies and solutions.
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Gaia House
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Unrestricted Awareness
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