Dharma Seed - James Baraz's Dharma Talks

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James Baraz's Dharma Talks

James Baraz

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I try to convey that the wisdom and compassion we are looking for is already inside of us. I see practice as learning how to purify our mind and heart so we can hear the Buddha inside. In doing so, we naturally embody the dharma and help awaken that understanding and love in others we meet.

I try to use the formal teachings as a doorway for people to see the truth in themselves. I feel I'm doing my job when people look into themselves to come to their own deep understandings of the truth, access their own inner wisdom and trust in their "Buddha-knowing," as Ajahn Chah called it, which is different from their intellectual knowing.

The Buddha-knowing is a deeper place, underneath the concepts, which is in touch with the truth, with our seed of awakening. I want practitioners to have more and more confidence in, and familiarity with, that deeper place of knowing. It is accessing this dimension of our being that becomes the guide to cutting through the confusion caused by greed and fear. We have everything we need inside ourselves. We do not need to look to a teacher when we remember who we really are.

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2017-01-26 "What Are You Going To Do Now?" 48:18	Download Listen
The swirl of political events with the new US administration have contributed to a culture of apprehension and anxiety for many as they adjust to this new reality. The question many practitioners are asking is what is the place of Dharma in this unfolding of events. What is Dharma and not Dharma? What is our responsibility? How does the political environment inform our Dharma practice? How does our Dharma practice inform our engagement in the world? The talk includes Bhikkhu Bodhi's essay Let's Stand Together that appears in the journals Lion's Roar and Buddhadharma.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley : IMCB Regular Talks

2017-01-19 "Being a Sacred Warrior in These Tough Times" 49:13	Download Listen
Martin Luther King Jr. said, "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." As we enter a time of uncertainty and, many are experiencing a swirl of emotions from apprehension and fear to anger and ill. How can we use our dharma practice to acknowledge and transform our negative emotions into wise effective response coming from understanding and love?
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley : IMCB Regular Talks

2017-01-05 What Channel Are You Tuned To? 50:52	Download Listen
(Note: This talk has some occasional sound distortion but it's worth it.) As the Buddha said, "We are what we think. With our thoughts we make the world." Our minds can go to the the greatest places of fear, anxiety and ill will or understanding, compassion and peace. When we're lost in confusion we have in us the capacity to remember the goodness and wisdom that our hearts long to connect with. This talk is about remembering that possibility and cultivating access to that Buddha right inside, especially when the outside world is giving us very different messages.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley : IMCB Regular Talks

2016-12-29 Goodbye 2016, Hello 2017: Reflecting on What We've Learned and Where We're Heading 59:14	Download Listen
As we leave 2016 and open to 2017, how can we learn and grow from what's past and set ourselves in the right direction as we face an uncertain future? This talk includes recent Spirit Rock's Statement of Values: Spiritual Sanctuary and Refuge and the teacher meeting out of which it came. James reflects on his recent Huffington Post article "Holding Hands Together: From Helplessness to Empowerment." Finally, there is a ritual for letting go of the past and creating a wise intention for the future.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley : IMCB Regular Talks

2016-12-11 Spirit Rock - Equanimity: Finding Balance in Our Practice with James Baraz 5:31:45	Download Listen
Equanimity is a highly valued quality in Buddhist teachings. It is one of the Four Divine Abodes, one of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and one of the Ten Paramitas or Perfections.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center

2016-12-08 "The Power of Equanimity" 56:49	Download Listen
Equanimity not only helps us stay balanced in difficult times. It is a foundation for strong, effective response, especially in response to the forces of greed, hatred and power.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley : IMCB Regular Talks

2016-12-03 Connecting Mind and Heart: Awakening Joy 1:15:13	Download Listen
The Dalai Lama says: "The purpose of life is to be happy." This practice leads to true happiness. It starts with the mind intending to awaken the heart and all the goodness within us.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center : Connecting Mind and Heart

2016-12-02 Forgiveness Practice 0:00	(Recording not available)
Forgiveness towards self (body, mind, heart). Asking and extending forgiveness with another.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center : Connecting Mind and Heart

2016-12-01 Love, Serve, Remember = Non-Greed, Non-Hatred, Non-Delusion 65:13	Download Listen
The three sources of true happiness are the same no matter what the spiritual tradition.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center : Connecting Mind and Heart

2016-11-29 Making Friends with Ourselves: Working with Judging Mind 67:58	Download Listen
Judging ourselves or comparing ourselves with others is a central issue for many. How we get caught and how to skillfully work with these habits is the topic of the talk.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center : Connecting Mind and Heart

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