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Retreat Dharma Talks

IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

  
2018-12-26 Meditation: Awakening the Heart – Giving and Receiving Loving Blessings 11:06
Tara Brach
Our hearts awaken as we express and receive love in an embodied, conscious way. This guided practice brings our attention to dear ones in our life, and explores how we discover deep communion through offering and letting in love.
2018-12-26 Transforming Two Fears: FOF and FOMO 51:21
Tara Brach
Two common fears can block us from our full potential – fear of failure (FOF), and fear of missing out (FOMO). This talk explores how to meet these fears with mindful presence, and discover within them the essence energies of loving awareness and full aliveness (a favorite from the archives).
2019-01-09 Meditation: Letting Go… Letting Be 16:57
Tara Brach
This guided meditation invites us to imagine a clenched fist relaxing open, and explores this in releasing contractions in the body as well as the grip of thoughts. When we deeply let go and let be, our energy flows freely. We reconnect with our natural aliveness, love and awareness.
2019-01-09 Finding True Refuge: Pathways of Remembering 56:02
Tara Brach
This talk explores the three archetypal refuges of awareness (Buddha-nature), truth (Dharma) and love (Sangha) through stories, illustrations and reflections. We end with a Refuge ceremony that can be done by anyone who feels drawn. (To participate you will need a 20” red string.)
2019-01-16 Meditation: Relaxing Back into Awareness 20:04
Tara Brach
When we fully inhabit our body, we discover the space and wakefulness of awareness itself. In this meditation, we rest in this open awareness, and when the attention narrows into thoughts, we practice relaxing back into the openness that includes passing sounds, sensations and feelings. We close with a brief offering of lovingkindness to our own hearts and our world (with community OMs – no bell at end).
2019-01-16 Realizing Your Deepest Intention 49:31
Tara Brach
The Buddha taught that this whole life – including our thoughts, feelings and actions – arise from the tip of intention. While our intentions are usually marbled with wanting and fear, when intention comes into the light of consciousness, it unfolds into its most pure essence. This talk explores ways that when we are stuck in reactivity, we can become aware of intention, and find our way to the aspiration that expresses our most awake and loving heart.
2019-01-23 Love for Imperfect Things – featuring special guest, Haemin Sunim, with Tara Brach 58:24
Tara Brach
Internationally known Buddhist teacher and writer, Haemin Sunim, talks about his new book – Love for Imperfect Things. Then, he and Tara talk together and respond to questions.
2019-01-23 Meditation: Living Loving Awareness 19:53
Tara Brach
By bringing our full attention to the aliveness in the body, we can open to the experience of interior space and the space that includes all sensations and sounds. This then allows us to perceive continuous space filled with the light of awareness. This meditation attunes us to these dimensions of awareness: continuous open space, heart space and full aliveness. We end with a Zen poem that invites us to rest in this living, loving awareness, and know it as home.
2019-02-06 Meditation: The Practice of RAIN 20:07
Tara Brach
The acronym RAIN – Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture – guides us in bringing mindfulness and compassion to difficult emotions. With practice, we can find our way home to open-hearted presence in the midst of whatever arises.
2019-02-06 Living with Courageous Presence 46:59
Tara Brach
The essence of courage is to willingly feel our vulnerability; this is what allows us to respond to life with an undefended, wise heart. This talk explores the ways we resist opening to vulnerability, and three key steps in cultivating a courageous presence. “What does it mean to be courageous at this moment?”
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