Dharma Seed - Tara Brach's Dharma Talks

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In Memoriam: Rick Woudenberg

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Tara Brach's Dharma Talks

Tara Brach

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A pervasive but often invisible source of suffering in our culture is self-aversion. We are a busy culture, and we move through our life feeling anxious and dissatisfied, but not fully conscious of how we neglect or judge our inner experience. We suffer from a lack of belonging: to our own bodies, to each other and to the earth. When we practice Buddhist meditation, we learn how to listen deeply and hold our life tenderly.

The open space of compassion allows us to realize that our thoughts and emotions are not who we are; they are waves in our ocean. This gives us the freedom to live more wisely and love more fully.

For over thirty-five years, I've been exploring the awakening of awareness with yoga, meditation, a clinical psychology practice and relationships in spiritual community (sangha). Since the untying of emotional knots is an essential part of "waking up," it is natural for me to weave these elements into my Buddhist practice and teaching. With formal practice, and a genuine engagement in sangha, we can cultivate the qualities of heart and awareness that allow for deep emotional healing and spiritual freedom.

Buddhism guides us in slowing down, quieting and paying attention in an honest and caring way. Through our mindfulness and compassion practices, we establish a sense of intimacy and belonging to our life. We discover that there is no Buddha "out there." Rather, we realize that our true refuge is the wakefulness, openness and love of our own natural awareness.

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2018-10-07 Vipassana or Insight Meditation and Instruction: A Path of Practice from Retreat 31:15	Download Listen
Vipassana, also known as insight meditation, is training in bringing a clear mindful attention to our moment to moment experience. We begin by relaxing through the body and then resting attention with the breath – or some other sensory anchor – and allowing the mind to settle. Then we open to whatever is predominant or calling our attention – sensations, emotions, sounds – meeting each arising experience with a clear, kind attention. The gift of this process is discovering balance in the midst of the changing flow, and gaining deep insight into the nature of reality.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : 2018 IMCW Fall Retreat: Intimacy with Life

2018-10-06 Loving Kindness - Awakening and Expressing our Heart (Short talk and Guided meditation) 36:50	Download Listen
This short talk and guided meditation remind us that we each have the capacity to awaken our hearts. We explore together the lovingkindness (metta) meditation, and emphasize holding our own being and dear ones with a tender, open and loving presence.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : 2018 IMCW Fall Retreat: Intimacy with Life

2018-10-03 Meditation: Coming Home with the Breath 14:48	Download Listen
Our breath is always available as a pathway back to presence. This simple meditation guides us to relax and awaken in the body, and then establishes the breath as a home base for our attention. Our practice is to notice when the mind becomes distracted, and gently return to our breath and senses. This helps the mind to become increasingly settled, calm and clear. We close with a short heart blessing.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2018-10-03 Part 1: Rewiring for Happiness and Freedom 51:22	Download Listen
The Buddha said, “I would not be teaching this (a path of awakening) if genuine happiness and freedom were not possible.” While this is our potential, we each have deep conditioning to get stuck in feelings of fear, deficiency and separation from others. These talks explore the two interdependent pathways of undoing the conditioning that blocks our potential. In Part I we will look at how we can intentionally arouse states of wellbeing, and with practice, develop them into ongoing traits that bring presence and joy to our lives. In Part II, we will investigate how to cultivate an unconditional presence, and the radical acceptance and love, that are the grounds of true happiness and inner freedom.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2018-08-29 Meditation: Awakening Our Energy Body 19:50	Download Listen
This meditation scans the body and directly invites the awakening of key energy centers (chakras) in our body. We then rest in the openhearted awareness that includes this ever changing creative flow of aliveness (a special meditation from the archives).
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2018-08-29 Part 2: Vulnerability, Intimacy, & Spiritual Awakening 55:05	Download Listen
We each live with uncertainty and the fear of rejection and loss, and we each are conditioned to avoid feeling or expressing that vulnerability. Yet intimacy with this unlived life is the gateway to connecting authentically with others, full aliveness and spiritual realization. These talks explore the ways that we defend ourselves, and the pathway to gently, wisely and intelligently disarming and freeing our hearts. (a special talk from the archives)
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2018-08-22 Meditation: Awake & Open Awareness 21:02	Download Listen
This calming meditation practice helps settle the mind with the breath and then opens to the changing flow of experience, letting life be just as it is.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2018-08-22 Part 1: Vulnerability, Intimacy, & Spiritual Awakening 59:10	Download Listen
We each live with uncertainty and the fear of rejection and loss, and we each are conditioned to avoid feeling or expressing that vulnerability. Yet intimacy with this unlived life is the gateway to connecting authentically with others, full aliveness and spiritual realization. These talks explore the ways that we defend ourselves, and the pathway to gently, wisely and intelligently disarming and freeing our hearts.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2018-08-15 Meditation: Presence and Breath 21:39	Download Listen
This simple meditation guides us to wake up awareness of the body, and rest with the movement of the breath. We are invited to discover the presence that arises as we come home to our moment-to-moment experience. The practice ends with a short prayer, connecting with what most matters to our heart.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2018-08-15 Discovering the Power of Prayer 45:36	Download Listen
We all know the pain of separation and have a longing for connection. When we silently listen to and contact the depth of that longing, we are at the root of transformational prayer. This talk looks at what prayer is, who/what we are praying to, the shadow side of prayer, and ways of cultivating our prayers so that they become authentic vehicles for spiritual awakening.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

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