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Retreat Dharma Talks
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IMCB Regular Talks
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2015-01-15
Anything Can Happen At Any Time
52:53
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James Baraz
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The one thing that is certain in life is its unpredictability. Having an awareness that inner and outer circumstances could change in a moment can inform our lives in a profound way. Rather than living with vigilance and fear an on-going understanding of the fragility in life can lead us to more wakefulness, appreciation and freedom.
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2015-03-05
"What Do They Really Think About Me"
55:57
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James Baraz
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Much of the time our actions are motivated more by concern about what others think about us than what our own truth is.
What would it be like to not be ruled by those thoughts?
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2015-03-12
“What Lineage Will You Choose?” or "Choose Your Lineage"
57:17
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James Baraz
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Many influences shape the thoughts and perceptions of how we view ourselves and the world.
Some result in a fear-based perspective that leads to suffering. Others create more clarity and love in our mind and heart.
Can we consciously choose which ones will determine how we lead our lives and is it possible to not be run by deeply ingrained habits that no longer serve us?
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2015-03-19
Berkeley Community's Own New Green Committee
57:02
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James Baraz
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James along with Kerry Nelson, who is with Spirit Rock's Green Group and Sean Munding, from our community, are the speakers.
Sean will be enthusiastically heading our Berkeley Community's own new Green Committee.
We will be exploring using our practice to meaningfully address the issue of climate change.
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2015-03-26
"The Choice Is Ours"
59:17
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James Baraz
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The Buddha said that hatred never ceases by hatred, but only by love. How can we heal from interactions with others that have hurt us or closed our heart? Once we learn to hold what has happened in a wise way, the heart can open and transform the hurt into compassionate understanding.
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2015-04-16
"The Heart Sutta"
51:08
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Kate Munding
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Talk on the Heart Sutta, which contains the Buddha’s teaching on not-self and relate it to our day to day existence.
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2015-05-28
Just Like Me
54:07
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James Baraz
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A discussion based on Thupten Jinpa's book A Fearless Heart with particular focus on the profound practice of understanding our shared humanity.
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2015-06-04
Castles Made of Sand
50:09
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James Baraz
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We get very attached to things as if they were extremely important (e.g. your basketball team winning a championship or a conflict with a friend). However, in the bigger scheme of things all of these seemingly crucial things can be held in the wider, wiser perspective of impermanence. A parable from Buddhist teachings helps illustrate this essence of true equanimity and wisdom.
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2015-06-25
"Seeing the Big Picture"
53:49
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James Baraz
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"The key to equanimity is a spaciousness that holds all of our dramas in widest perspective. This talk was inspired by the film Planetary."
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2015-07-02
The Nature of Aversion
61:27
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Kate Munding
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The Nature of Aversion; Why we have it, when it’s helpful, and when it’s not. I’ll focus on the nourishing and healing aspects of turning towards the stuff that agitate, irritate, and even repulse us. We’ll explore how important this is to the awakening of our happiness and greater understanding.
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2015-07-16
"On the Subject of Faith"
61:35
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Kate Munding
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Tonight I will be giving a talk on the subject of faith. The Buddha talked about the different types of faith and how, as our practice evolves and our heart-mind becomes more clear, it is our verified faith that becomes a source of strength and refuge in the face of difficulty and life challenge. Unlike blind faith when one relays on what others tell them, the Buddha taught that we should “see for ourselves”, through practice and inquiry, what is truth and worth having faith in. We’ll explore all of this tonight.
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2015-08-06
"The Courage to Cultivate Wisdom"
56:09
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Kate Munding
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Tonight I will start a short series on the Eight Fold Path (listed below). This quintessential list from the Buddha is a guide to ending our stress, suffering and unsatisfactory overlay on life. It is the path towards true happiness and freedom.
The suggested reading is:
"The Noble Eight Fold Path,
The Way to the End of Suffering"
by Bhikkhu Bodhi
See: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/noble8path6.pdf
This will be discussed during the next Dharma talk.
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2015-08-13
"Exploring the 3rd Through 5th Factors of the Noble 8 Fold Path: Wise Speech, Wise Action and Wise Lively Hood"
59:10
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Kate Munding
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Tonight, at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, I'll be continuing the series on the Noble Eightfold Path. Last week I spoke about the first two path factors, wise view and wise intention. We'll continue this Dharma by exploring the 3rd through 5th factors, wise speech, wise action and wise lively hood. This section of the path is the cultivation of virtuous harmony and is seen as a purification of our body, speech and mind. I'll be relating this to how we interact and communicate with others. We'll do a lot of experiential practice this evening to strengthen our ability to act from a place of wisdom, connection, and harmony. I hope you'll join us!
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2015-08-20
"Refinement of Mind, Part 1"
52:59
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James Baraz
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One way to think of dharma practice is as a path of purification. The talk uses a discourse by the Buddha's as a way to describe this process. We can see how, little by little, over time we are purifying the mind and heart. The key is to keep facing in the right direction as we develop increasingly wholesome thoughts, words and actions.
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