(James was on retreat this day but invited two guests speakers for the talk: Rene Rivera and Fresh! White.)

"How the Dharma urges us to take wise action to try to change the wrongs that we see in our world." ------------ Suzie Brown has recently moved with her family from Melbourne, Australia. She is co-founder of the Melbourne Insight Meditation Group and has taught Mindfulness to medical students at Monash University. Suzie has also been a facilitator, trainer and educator for over a decade in the areas of environmental sustainability and organizational strategy, running her own consulting business for the last 8 years.

The Buddha taught, "We are what we think with our thoughts we make the world." It important to understand how our thoughts create our reality. And it's also vital to realize that our reality is just the way we're seeing the world at a particular moment in time. Others may have different realities. And in time our own perspective might change. Seeing this is a key to genuine freedom and support for choosing wisely the thoughts we want to empower.

Do you ever find yourself needing to communicate something that will be hard for someone else to receive?

Karma, the unfolding situation of our individual lives, is often understood to be dependent on our actions. These are, in turn, based on the intention of our underlying mind state. But what about societal conditions—including prejudice and inequality—that affect people’s lives? Is there collective karma? If so, can we affect it?

Joining James to discuss his work is Gautham Prabu, co-founder of FSHM an NGO for social transformation whose work has primarily supported Dalits (formerly India's "Untouchable" caste) many of whom have become become Buddhist practitioners and the Tamil Buddhist Society based in Tamil Nadu, India. He is a member of International Network of En

Often our meditation practice helps us understand or see for the first time something that’s never been clear before. That experience of insight where exclaim to ourselves “Aha!” It can have a profound impact that genuinely shifts our perspective. However, even after this powerful glimpse of seeing with new eyes, the old habits and thought patterns still have their influence and we can forget what we know to be true. This is particularly frustrating and can lead to great doubt. How can we both honor our familiar old friend, confusion, and remember to access the wisdom in our new understanding?

In the Satipatthana Sutta (MN#10), the Buddha's discourse on mindfulness, the Buddha instruct's us to contemplate mindfully, ardent and clearly comprehending each of the four foundations. "Clear comprehension" also translated as "clearly knowing" includes four areas of context for our mindfulness practice. In this talk the first two aspects of Clear Comprehension are explored: "Clear Comprehension of Purpose" and "Clear Comprehension of Suitability of Action."

James invited Barbara Gates, co-editor for 31 years of Inquiring Mind journal, to discuss how she brings her dharma practice to her voter registration work which is her service commitment for the Buddhist Chaplaincy Program. They discuss bridging the divide between you and those with a very different perspective including skillful listening, engaging with metta, curiosity, non-separation and commitment to making a difference in the world.

James in a conversation with Dawn Mauricio, a fresh dharma presence based in Montreal. Dawn is in the current Spirit Rock Teacher Training and is also on the West Coast assisting some upcoming Spirit Rock retreats. James invited Dawn to share her perspective on how the Dharma might unfold in the coming years and her experience teaching as a young strong female voice and teacher of color.

In the Satipatthana Sutta (MN#10), the Buddha's discourse on mindfulness, the Buddha instructs us to contemplate mindfully, ardent and clearly comprehending each of the four foundations. "Clear comprehension" also translated as "clearly knowing" includes four areas of context for our mindfulness practice. In Part 1 we explored the first two elements of Clear Comprehension: "Clear Comprehension of Purpose" and "Clear Comprehension of Suitability of Action". In this talk we discuss the second two aspects: "Clear Comprehension in the Domain of Meditation" and "Clear Comprehension of Reality". With metta, James

In the opening line of the Dhammapada the Buddha teaches: "We are what we think with our thoughts we make the world." Although we have limited control over what happens to us, we can hold our experience with a wise perspective that makes all the difference. Famed Buddhist writer Christmas Humphreys put it this way: "The one miracle this path has to offer is a change of heart." We can change our relation to experience and make the shift from suffering to clear seeing, wisdom and compassion. In this talk James sings a song he wrote in his 20's entitled "It's All in Your Mind".

"The Buddha spoke of Sila, the Pali word for Integrity or Virtue, as the foundation for inner peace and awakening."

Oren Jay Sofer offered the talk this week at our IMCB Monastery. Oren is a a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council, a Nonviolent Communication Trainer, and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner for healing trauma. He is the founder of Next Step Dharma, and the author of the book, Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication.

This month marks the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Ajahn Chah, one of the most influential Theravadan masters of the 20th Century from the Thai Forest tradition. Ajahn Chah was the primary teacher of Jack Kornfield, Ajahn Sumedho, Ajahn Amaro and other influential teachers. Ajahn Chah's teaching is a major influence on the Dharma as presented at Spirit Rock. This talk offers some reflections his approach to practice at once deep, fierce, down to earth, humorous and wise.

After seeing the movie "Won't You Be My Neighbor" about Mr. (Fred) Rogers, James offers reflections about how deeply we can be touched and inspired by the good we see in others. That capacity to be touched by and love goodness is, in some sense, the heart of spiritual practice. Something in us loves the truth and is drawn to goodness around us. And it makes us yearn to activate the good inside.

Suzie Brown is from Melbourne, Australia. She’s co-founder of the Melbourne Insight Meditation Group and has taught Mindfulness to medical students at Monash University. Suzie has also been a facilitator, trainer and educator for over a decade in the areas of environmental sustainability and organizational strategy.

Is it something deep within, is it a feeling of familiarity and spiritual belonging, or is it a physical place or group of people?

As a Zen teacher of mine used to say,"Life... very serious joke." Things can get real heavy sometimes - in life, and in contemplative practice. This talk explores the importance of finding some levity and enjoyment in our formal spiritual practice through the lens of play. Enjoy!

This is a practice that brings in ease to the mind and body, offering relief from our dukkha while also supporting more mental clarity to see through some of our confusion and aversion. It can be used for stress, grief, and being overwhelmed. It can also be used to prepare for more concentration and steady mindfulness when the mind or body is a bit stirred up.

James returns from his recent teaching In Europe and Israel. Besides his trip to the West Bank for a glimpse of Palestinian life, he shares a fascinating project: Israelis’ actually changed their attitude about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a marketing experiment called “The Conflict Campaign” based on paradoxical thinking principles.
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The video clip of the campaign in the talk can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZadiztzLt0
To learn more about “The Fund for Reconciliation Tolerance and Peace” go to:
http://www.frtp-arik-peace.org/
Or, “Like” their Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/fund4rtp

Let others know.

One definition of the word Dharma is Natural law. Trees hold a very special place in the Buddha’s teaching.. The Buddha was born under a tree, enlightened under a tree and died under a tree. He told his disciples to find “roots of trees” to sit and meditate. Trees are the perfect environment to practice in the Thai Forest Tradition. Metta practice was taught by the Buddha in response to actions of “Tree spirits”. We’ll explore the special significance of trees and Nature in the Buddha’s teaching.