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The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
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Dharma Talks
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2020-09-27
When No Season is Too Much
30:15
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Ayya Medhanandi
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Sidelined by COVID, we are compelled to look at ourselves, at each other, at the world caught in pandemic restrictions we never imagined were possible. Besieged by fear and vulnerability, beings lack insight into the truth of things find no safe refuge. The time is ripe for waking up to gain freedom from the eight worldly winds and abide in higher states of mind. With peace of heart, wisdom and compassion run deep such that no season will be too much.
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Toronto Theravada Buddhist Community (TBC)
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2020-09-26
Morning Meditation
41:45
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Kirsten Kratz
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Aligning with our intention for the day, connecting to the part of us that may yearn to contribute to our own healing and the healing of the collective, sensing into our interdependence and relationality, choosing which practice we would like to play with e.g. relating to our body, or playing with the width of our awareness.
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Gaia House
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The Poetry of Self, The Poetry of Not Self
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2020-09-25
Evening Practice
56:03
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Yuka Nakamura
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Dharma Talk: Dancing Between Self and Not Self. One of the discoveries that can open up to us is the discovery that there is not just one, true self, but the arising of many different selves at different times, depending on context, depending on mindstates. We understand the relational and dependent nature of self. This is the middle way between the views of eternalism and annihilationism.
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Gaia House
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The Poetry of Self, The Poetry of Not Self
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2020-09-24
Samādhi Surfing
45:34
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Nathan Glyde
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1st guided meditation of the retreat, steadying into the present experience of body-heart-mind unification. Riding the wave of the present moment in intimate connection with breath & body sensations or sounds near and far.
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SanghaSeva
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Insights to Live By
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2020-09-24
Bringing Insights to Life
17:46
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Nathan Glyde
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Introducing the theme of the retreat: Insights To Live By, by defining insight (as Rob Burbea has) as ways of relating to life that bring freedom here and now. Insights are transferable between us, between sessions of meditation, and very possibly between all aspects of our lives.
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SanghaSeva
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Insights to Live By
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2020-09-23
Freedom from the Prison of Limiting Beliefs
56:06
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Tara Brach
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We suffer when we are caught in beliefs of our own or other’s badness, unworthiness, or lack of value. These beliefs hurt our bodies, lead to violent and/or addictive behaviors, and separate us from our own heart and each other.
This talk explores how we can discover who we are beyond these beliefs by recognizing when we are trapped, and learning how to turn to presence and love (dedicated to Ruth Bader Ginsburg).
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Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC
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2020-09-23
Evening Practice
69:23
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Yuka Nakamura
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Dharma Talk: How is our sense of self being created? One major way is our tendency to constantly compare and measure ourselves against others. The conceit (mana) that arises, that is, the feeling of being better than, worse than, or the same as others, is the source of much suffering. The talk discusses different forms of conceit based on birth, knowledge, beauty, etc., and shows ways in which we can practice with it skilfully.
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Gaia House
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The Poetry of Self, The Poetry of Not Self
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2020-09-23
Deepening Our Practice in the Pandemic 7: The Foundations of Wise Speech 4: Becoming More Skillful with Difficult Speech Situations 2
1:10:06
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Donald Rothberg
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After a brief review of the foundations of wise speech and the eight guidelines for skillful speech when there are difficult or challenging situations, we explore the connection of inner practices with such situations. We look at two dimensions of such practice: (1) looking at and transforming conditioning that makes it hard to engage in such situations, such as related to negative views about conflict and anger, and discerning when there is spiritual bypassing in relationship to difficulties; and (2) bringing mindfulness, inquiry, and investigation to difficult emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, etc.,and to thoughts and narratives (especially generated by the judgmental mind). We will continue this exploration, including of difficult body states, next time..
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2020-09-22
Evening Practice
54:25
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Kirsten Kratz
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An introduction to what will be explored on the retreat: looking at ways how we may construct the self; exploring how we can open up limiting 'senses of self' and reduce the suffering they bring, by using the Buddhist teachings on ‘not self' as liberating ways of seeing; experiencing the poetry and dance of 'self' that is beyond any fixed definition.
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Gaia House
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The Poetry of Self, The Poetry of Not Self
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2020-09-17
"Contributing Effectively in Times of Crisis" Part 1
53:47
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James Baraz
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In this time of great chaos and confusion we look at wisdom thinker Roger Walsh's new essay: "Contributing Effectively in Times of Crisis". We start by looking at four crucial questions:
1) What can I do? 2) What do I feel called to contribute? 3) What's the most strategic thing I can do?
4) How can I live my life so as to be an optimal instrument of service? The talk ends with Melanie DeMore singing I'm Sending You Light"
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2020-09-17
Buddhist Practice and Nonviolent Action: Transforming Inner and Outer Reactivity, Cultivating Love in Action
45:21
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Donald Rothberg
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We explore the deep resonance between Buddhist practice and nonviolent action (in the tradition of Mohandas Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, Cesar Chavez, and others). We first examine the core of Buddhist practice as expressed in the Buddha's statement: "I teach dukkha and the end of dukkha; we explicate dukkha as "reactivity." We then show how the nonviolence of Dr. King follows the same core understanding of developing non-reactive and nonviolent responses--for him especially to the institutionalized reactivity of greed and hatred. We identify six basic themes of such nonviolent action, which, in the words of John Lewis, is ultimately "love in action."
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Insight Meditation Tucson
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2020-09-16
The Four Remembrances
50:42
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Tara Brach
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When we attune to the reality of impermanence and death, we remember what most matters to us. But in daily life we can lose precious swaths of time in a reactive trance, on our way somewhere else, and lost in problem solving, judgment and worry.
This talk reflects on four remembrances or practices—Pausing, Yes to life, Turning toward love, and Resting in awareness—that help us awaken from trance and live true to the loving presence that is our essence.
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Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC
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2020-09-10
Holding a Positive Vision
53:47
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James Baraz
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It seems like an accomplishment just getting through such tumultuous times--wildfires on the West Coast, storms around the country, coronavirus lockdown and the US in daily chaos. It would be understandable to succumb to anxiety and overwhelm. But as the Buddha taught, practice is about overcoming negative thoughts when they arise and cultivating wholesome thoughts and mind-states. We will explore the importance of holding a positive vision even through the storm.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2020-09-09
Awakening from the Trance of Bad-Othering
46:31
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Tara Brach
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Great spiritual leaders of social movements teach that true transformation arises from realizing our interconnectedness, and the light of the divine in each being. Sadly, through human history, much suffering has come from perceiving others as bad-others, flawed humans who are excluded from our heart.
This talk looks at how our stories and mistrust of others—in personal relationships and in our society—can lead to cycles of violence, harm, and deepening alienation. We then explore the inner process that helps us shift to “bad behavior, not bad human” and allows us to respond to suffering with love-in-action.
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Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC
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2020-09-06
Practicing Dukkha and the End of Dukkha in a Time of Crisis
67:21
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Donald Rothberg
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The Buddha said, “I have taught dukkha [usually translated as “suffering”] and the end of dukkha.” This teaching is the heart of our practice, yet it is often misunderstood or even confusing to people, primarily because there are at least four different understandings of dukkha in the teachings. We’ll explore the nature of the teaching, emphasizing particularly the interpretation of dukkha as "reactivity" (particularly linked to the teaching of the Two Arrows or Two Darts), which comes in two forms--grasping or greed, and compulsive pushing away or aversion. We'll point to how we might practice with the teaching at this time of crisis--in our formal practice, in our practice in daily life, and in our work, service, and/or activism.
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White Heron Sangha
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2020-09-03
The Buddha as a Social Activist.
43:20
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James Baraz
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Sometimes the teachings seem to suggest a life of withdrawing from the world. But the Buddha himself was an example of engagement and could even be called a political revolutionary. As we try to sort out how to apply the teachings, (including duties of a good ruler) to contemporary issues, it can help to see his teachings in that light.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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