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The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
Dharma Talks in English
2022-09-01 Five Spiritual Faculties (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 61:06
James Baraz
A description of how the meditation practice unfolds
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Labor Day Insight Meditation Retreat

2022-09-01 29 talk: Awakening Factors of Tranquility and Samādhi 42:09
Jill Shepherd
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-09-01 Guided Metta (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 31:06
Leslie Booker
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Labor Day Insight Meditation Retreat

2022-09-01 28 meditation: compassion and self-compassion 21:45
Jill Shepherd
Beginning with compassion for a good friend, then oneself
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-09-01 27 instructions: compassion 19:31
Jill Shepherd
A brief exploration of some of the challenges to practising compassion, and ways to help stay balanced
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-09-01 Putting our mind in our Body (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 60:23
Howard Cohn
First Morning of the retreat instructions
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Labor Day Insight Meditation Retreat

2022-08-31 Meditation: The Presence Beyond Thoughts 17:33
Tara Brach
We spend many life moments in a trance of thinking. This meditation awakens the senses through a body scan, and attention to sound. We then rest in the presence that can come alive in the gap between thoughts—the presence that is our true home.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

2022-08-31 Survival of the Nurtured – Our Path to Belonging 54:54
Tara Brach
We flourish when nurtured with love and understanding. Yet for so many, the violence of our society and lack of attuned caretakers has severed trust and belonging. This talk explores how meditation and conscious relating with each other can restore the connections so vital to healing and spiritual freedom.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

2022-08-31 "I Teach Dukkha and the End of Dukkha"--2 63:43
Donald Rothberg
This is the second of three talks in successive weeks on the "dukkha and the end of dukkha," at the center of the Buddha's teachings. Last week was an introduction and focused on individual practice; this week gives a review and then focuses on relational practice, with others. In the review, we once again point to the multiple meanings of "dukkha" in the Buddha's discourses, all but one of which don't help us to make sense of the "end of dukkha.". Rather, only an interpretation of dukkha coming out of the teachings of the Two Arrows and Dependent Origination, in which dukkha is understood as reactivity, as grasping or pushing away habitually in a variety of ways, can help us understand what "the end of dukkha" means (see the attached PDF file on the sequence from contact to grasping in the teaching of Dependent Origination). We then look at a number of ways of practicing with reactivity, and open to exploring the nature of reactivity in relational contexts, followed by pointing to a number of ways of practicing with reactivity in our relationships. The talk is followed by discussion.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
Attached Files:
  • The Sequence of Contact to Grasping in the Buddha’s Teaching on Dependent Origination by Donald Rothberg (PDF)

2022-08-31 Guided Meditation Exploring Reactivity and Feeling-Tone 35:00
Donald Rothberg
After brief basic meditation instructions related to stabilizing attention with an anchor, and then being present to the anchor or whatever else is predominant, there is an 8-minute or so period of settling and stabilizing. Then there is guidance to notice and be mindful of any kinds of reactivity (manifesting in the body, emotions, and thoughts), if in the workable range. After another 10 minutes or, there is guidance to notice a moderate or greater level of the pleasant or unpleasant (as long as it is workable), staying with the sense of pleasant or unpleasant, noticing any tendencies to reactivity (wanting and grasping, or not wanting and pushing away, at the levels of body, emotions, and/or thoughts).
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks

2022-08-31 23 meditation: mindfulness of mind 28:55
Jill Shepherd
Beginning with mindfulness of breathing, physical sensations and sounds, then bringing awareness to mental activity
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-31 22 instructions: mindfulness of mind 15:13
Jill Shepherd
Bringing awareness to mental activity: thoughts, emotions, moods and mind-states, and training in knowing the process of thinking without getting involved in the content of the thoughts
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-30 21 talk: Working with Afflictive Thought Patterns 46:52
Jill Shepherd
Exploring common afflictive thought-patterns such as lack mind, comparing mind and the inner critic, and orienting to wisdom and compassion to help them release
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-30 Sila, Part 2, and Gods 34:14
Kim Allen
Graduated Discourse 3
Uncontrived In This Very Life Sutta Study Class – SN 12

2022-08-30 Keeping the Practice Simple - Talk and short Meditation 60:53
Mark Nunberg
Common Ground Meditation Center Labor Day Retreat

2022-08-30 Reflections and Guided Meditation 55:53
Jenny Wilks
A Deeper Calm, Based on Insight.
Gaia House Meditation Day: A Deeper Calm than Stillness

2022-08-30 Reflections and Guided Meditation 45:51
Jenny Wilks
Seeing Clearly.
Gaia House Meditation Day: A Deeper Calm than Stillness

2022-08-30 18 instructions: mindfulness of mindfulness 6:50
Jill Shepherd
Bringing awareness to the quality of mindfulness itself, and changing to different "styles" of mindfulness to help the mind stay balanced.
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-30 Reflections and Guided Meditation 55:11
Jenny Wilks
Calming the Body and Mind.
Gaia House Meditation Day: A Deeper Calm than Stillness

2022-08-30 17 meditation: mindfulness of hearing 29:55
Jill Shepherd
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-30 16 instructios: mindfulness of hearing 11:45
Jill Shepherd
Opening up the field of awareness from breathing, to physical sensations to receiving sounds
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-29 15 talk: An overview of the four brahmavihāra heart qualities 40:37
Jill Shepherd
kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-29 Practicing with Wise View - Talk 56:45
Mark Nunberg
Common Ground Meditation Center Labor Day Retreat

2022-08-29 14 meditation: standing, noticing feeling-tones 24:23
Jill Shepherd
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-29 13 instructions: feeling-tone or vedanā part 2 20:54
Jill Shepherd
Beginning to deconstruct our experience into its component parts, beginning with sense contacts and feeling-tones, and seeing how these condition reactivity when there's no mindfulness
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-29 Awareness Meditation (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 61:12
Mark Coleman
Exploring Open awareness, nature of awareness in this 'Big Mind' meditation
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Loving Awareness: Meeting Reality with Wisdom and Kindness

2022-08-28 Realization & Actualization = Resilienz or the Capacity to Stay in Relationship with our Experience 55:26
Ayya Santacitta
Talk & Guided Meditation
Aloka Vihara Forest Monastery

2022-08-28 Short Guided Mettā Meditation 7:33
Leigh Brasington
Gaia House Jhanas, Insight, and Dependent Origination

2022-08-28 Exploring the Nature of Awareness (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 58:28
Mark Coleman
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Loving Awareness: Meeting Reality with Wisdom and Kindness

2022-08-28 Dharma Talk - Nibbāna 52:45
Leigh Brasington
Gaia House Jhanas, Insight, and Dependent Origination

2022-08-28 Compassion in the Midst of a Culture of Dominance (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 63:01
Leslie Booker
Talk on Compassion and Guided Meditation
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Loving Awareness: Meeting Reality with Wisdom and Kindness

2022-08-28 The Joy of Renunciation - Meditation 41:27
Mark Nunberg
Common Ground Meditation Center Weekly Dharma Series

2022-08-28 The Joy of Renunciation - Talk 39:20
Mark Nunberg
Common Ground Meditation Center Weekly Dharma Series

2022-08-28 08 instructions: continuity of mindfulness 8:24
Jill Shepherd
How continuity of mindfulness supports deepening awareness
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-28 07 meditation: mindfulness of breathing 27:24
Jill Shepherd
Beginning by steadying awareness on the simple rhythm of breathing, then refining mindfulness on the details of the breath
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-28 06 instructions: mindfulness of breathing 18:32
Jill Shepherd
Exploring different approaches to mindfulness of breathing, to support stability of mind (samādhi) or more refined awareness (sati)
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-28 The Six Elements & Emergent Response 29:55
Ayya Santacitta
Guided Meditation
Aloka Vihara Forest Monastery

2022-08-28 Reflection on Death as a Protection from Ignorance 28:14
Ayya Santacitta
Sacramento Insight Meditation

2022-08-28 We can train our minds to go deeper 37:29
Ayya Santacitta
Guided Meditation
Sacramento Insight Meditation

2022-08-27 Short Guided Metta Meditation 6:57
Leigh Brasington
Gaia House Jhanas, Insight, and Dependent Origination

2022-08-27 Loving This Moment (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 55:50
Eugene Cash
This is the only moment there is! This is your life Now! What happens if you give yourself to that truth? What happens is we let go of everything else except Being here right now. We discover the magic of reality revealing itself in this moment. To love the moment includes all the variants of love: liking, appreciating, caring for, wondering about, become enthralled or magnetized by, curious about & illuminated by Now.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Loving Awareness: Meeting Reality with Wisdom and Kindness

2022-08-27 05 talk: Refuge, Mindfulness and Investigation 39:41
Jill Shepherd
How taking refuge in the natural environment of Te Moata, together with the support of sangha, helps strengthen mindfulness and investigation, which lead to freedom of heart and mind
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-27 Opening to Appreciation 64:23
Zohar Lavie
Online Dharma Hall session including guided meditation and Dharma talk on the theme of the interwinding co-creating aspects of appreciation, gratitude, and joy.
Gaia House Online Dharma Hall - Aug 2022

2022-08-27 Dharma Talk - Emptiness 58:48
Leigh Brasington
Gaia House Jhanas, Insight, and Dependent Origination

2022-08-27 04 instructions: Dana, Sila and Wise Effort 28:10
Jill Shepherd, Di Robertson
Beginning with a brief overview of the five training precepts (Di), then connecting to our retreat aspirations, relinquishment of mobile phones and some relational practice exploring dāna as a support for Wise Effort (Jill)
Te Moata Retreat Center :  Healing the heart, refining the mind, finding freedom

2022-08-27 Transitioning 24:23
Nathan Glyde
SanghaSeva The Heart Unbound

2022-08-27 Experiencing the Body as Elements (retreat at Spirit Rock) 38:00
Leslie Booker
Morning Instructions on the first foundation of mindfulness.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Loving Awareness: Meeting Reality with Wisdom and Kindness

2022-08-26 Short Guided Mettā Meditation 7:56
Leigh Brasington
Gaia House Jhanas, Insight, and Dependent Origination

2022-08-26 Meeting the Hindrances with Faith 45:05
Leslie Booker
Centering the faith as the antidote to doubt, this talk takes us on a journey from bright faith, verified faith to unshakeable faith.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Loving Awareness: Meeting Reality with Wisdom and Kindness

2022-08-26 Concern for All Beings: Plant-Based Eating - A conversation with Tara Brach and Tricycle‘s editor-in-chief, James Shaheen. - 58:09
Tara Brach
A vegetarian diet, while encouraged in most schools of Buddhism, isn’t a requirement of the Buddhist path. But there are powerful spiritual opportunities in embracing a plant-based diet. Following a vegetarian or plant-based diet is one way to practice compassion, reduce harm, and recognize our interconnectedness with all living beings and the earth itself. So what does the dharma say about vegetarianism? How might plant-based eating support our spiritual practice?
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

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