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Retreat Dharma Talks
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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| Regular weekly talks given at the lower Spirit Rock meditation hall |
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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2009-10-21
Emptiness and Compassion Part I
48:00
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Donald Rothberg
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We examine the teaching of seeing the emptiness of self and things and how this, in its mature expression, is compassionate activity. We suggest simple practices to explore this sometimes confusing teaching, and everyday examples of how emptiness and compassion come together.
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2009-10-28
Emptiness & Compassion Part II
64:52
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Donald Rothberg
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We first review basic perspectives on emptiness and compassion and then explore three basic ways to access emptiness: 1) being with inner flow of experience and seeing where self and fixation occur, 2) opening to the "flow experience" in activities and relationships and 3) cultivating a sense of interconnection
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2009-11-11
Emptiness & Compassion III
64:01
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Donald Rothberg
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We review the teachings on emptiness in the context of the broader teachings on the centrality of developing wisdom and compassion, expanding our examination of these teachings from last time. The last part of the session involving doing several exercises, partly explaining experience as a flowing "stream" (and seeing what obstructs the flow) and partly doing a series of four exercises with "ordinary objects" designed to take us out of our ordinary way of constructing things.
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2009-11-18
Emptiness & Compassion Part IV
61:04
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Donald Rothberg
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After a short account of emptiness and how we cultivate a deeper understanding of it in very practical ways, we explore the nature of compassion. We look at how it can be developed and what forms it can take, all the time pointing to how mature compassion invloves a deep sense of emptiness and interconnection (and vice versa).
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2009-11-25
Distraction
61:52
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Donald Rothberg
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We look at the nature of distraction- not attending to what is our intended focus- in three main ways, each of which we can respond to: 1) our distraction moment to moment and how we train in mindfulness, 2) our distraction in our everyday lives, and 3) how our lives become distracted in relation to our deeper intentions.
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2009-12-02
Practicing with Views Part I
63:22
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Donald Rothberg
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We explore the nature of "views" (or strong beliefs or opinions) and how to practice with them by 1) grounding ourselves in some of the famous passages on views in the teachings of the Buddha, 2)identifying why and how views can be problematic and lead to suffering, and 3) offering practices this week to explore our views, whether personal, political or religious/spiritual.
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2009-12-07
Sangha, the value of community
58:03
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Mark Coleman
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The Buddha spoke highly of the value of Sangha, as a refuge and a support for practice & understanding. This talk explores what Sangha is & its positive values.
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2009-12-16
Practicing With Views II
57:24
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Donald Rothberg
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The Buddha's teaching on views and beliefs is radical, pointing to how we might investigate our attachments to and grasping after views and come to hold views much more lightly. How do we practice with views? We offer a number of further perspectives, from the Buddha and Nagarjuna, and practices to work with views.
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2010-01-30
Awakening Joy Daylong PM Session
3:09:21
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James Baraz
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James and co-writer of Awakening Joy Shoshana Alexander, plus many friends from the 10-month course--dharma teachers, happiness experts, neuroscientists, musicians and more--share their thoughts on true happiness. This is the PM Session which includes Syvia Boorstein, and Anam Thubten Rinpoche.
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2010-02-03
Practicing with the Body- Part I
60:12
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Donald Rothberg
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The body is the doorway to great transformation and mystery. Practicing with awareness of the body is central to grounding our practice in a highly mental culture. We explore 1) the importance of body-based practice, 2) our cultural and personal attitudes toward our bodies, and 3) a set of initial body practices.
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2010-02-10
Practicing with the Body- Part 2
65:15
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Donald Rothberg
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We review and expand the themes from last time- the importance of body practices for our times and lives, exploring our attitudes toward the body and developing basic body practices. Then we focus on mindfulness of the body, outlining several further practices and emphasizing especially how body practices help us practice more fully and critically in the flow of the daily life.
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2010-02-15
Love, Wisdom, and Awakening
51:37
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Nina Wise
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The journey and thread that weaves through each,... one begets and is of the other... how Valentines day and Presidents day can lead us to Awakening...
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2010-02-17
Practicing with the Body Part 3: Cultivating Wisdom
59:37
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Donald Rothberg
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After a brief review of the first two series, we focus on body practices to develop insight into 1) impermanence, 2) suffering and the roots of suffering, and 3)constructions of self. We suggest several concrete practices to develop wisdom through awareness of bodily experience.
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2010-02-24
Practicing with the Body- Part IV The Body-Mind-Heart Connection
59:43
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Donald Rothberg
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We review briefly our previous practices and investigations of body practices in the last three weeks. We then focus on the body's connection with mind and heart, how we practice individually with each of them, how we explore the dynamic relationship of body, mind, heart. We end by focusing on heart practices for our bodies and those of others, and on opening to the further mysteries of bodies.
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2010-03-01
Aloneness and Love
54:36
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Mark Coleman
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What is the relationship between love, attachment & aloneness. How does aloneness support us coming home to ourselves.
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2010-03-29
Shining The Light On Suffering
59:51
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Mark Coleman
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The Buddha stressed the importance of "being a lamp unto ourself" and to know the truth of suffering - as a vehicle for understanding & liberating ourselves from inevitable challenges of life.
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2010-03-31
Deepening Our Formal Meditation Practice
55:42
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Donald Rothberg
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Through reflection on just having taught a month-long retreat and several poems, we explore a number of ways to deepen our formal meditation practice through simplicity, focus, building a strong "container", developing mindfulness and lovingkindness in relation to what happens, and increased invocation of the "wise parent" (or grandparent...aka "discipline").
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2010-04-07
Deepening Our Practice II: Deepening in Three Domains of Our Life
58:42
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Donald Rothberg
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We build from last week's identification of four broad ways of deepening formal practice: 1) developing simplicity, focus and a sense of clear priorities in one's life; 2) developing a strong support structure in various ways; 3) cultivating, in practice, qualities like mindfulness, metta, wisdom etc.; 4) developing a wise and compassionate sense of the path. We explore what these also mean in two other domains- everyday life (work relationships, family, community, the flow of our days); and our service and action in the larger world.
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2010-04-12
Dancing With Desire
57:16
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Mark Coleman
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How to work with Desire. Understanding its bind of attachment, craving & aversion - using humor & awareness as supports for freeing ourselves from desires grip.
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2010-05-05
Four Reflections That Turn Us to Deeper Practice, II
66:10
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Donald Rothberg
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We continue to explore the Tibetan based teaching of the Four Reflections (or reminders) which help us turn more fully to the Dharma, giving a brief review of 1) the preciousness and rarity of human life, and 2) impermanence and suffering, then moving to examine in more depth 3) how our actions and thoughts matter and leave imprints- or karma, and 4) the importance of knowing and turning always from our habitual tendencies leading to suffering.
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2010-05-17
Forgiveness
66:43
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Jack Kornfield
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The art of forgiveness and the skillful means to practice the transformation of the heart.
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2010-06-21
Turning of the Seasons
61:16
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Jack Kornfield
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How to live wisely in the changes of life. How to honor the individual and universal perspective of our life with understanding and compassion.
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