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The greatest gift is the
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Dharma Talks
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2016-01-07
Guided meditation
37:38
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Ajahn Sucitto
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Developing the skill of recollection and the experience on the citta; where does the meaning sit?; the arising of citta to meaning; cultivating the immeasureables; the experience comes first; what is the quality of being touched by others’ suffering? Being willing to stay present with that is the movement of compassion; mudita; appreciating a feature or lucky moment for another, for oneself; appreciating the absence of physical pain; learning, sustaining and enriching the experience
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2016-01-07
Morning talk
45:15
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Ajahn Sucitto
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coming out of self view; bringing forth energy; recalling the spiritual faculties; applying wise energy regardless of the system used; calm as a consequence of faith and confidence; two recollections; don’t let the citta be bound by historical or domestic considerations; willingness to do the work; feeding the citta; mindfulness of the body, the inevitable decay of the body; what is it that evades or finds truth uncomfortable; differing views of Samadhi; the” I-am” looking for support; learning to push away the hindrances through experience; noticing craving, ill will and resistance; using metta, compassion, mudita, upekkha to approach unification of the citta by removal of the 5 hindrances; now is the time to rise up to it; restlessness, boredom, doubt; know them as they are not as myself; this is not worthy of this citta; using the wisdom factor to find appropriate attention; who is that?; feel how it is; going beyond thought; discernment of the release of grasping; the shift moment and the growth of confidence in it; noticing the struggle to find something; what about the measurelessness/ the sign-less?
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2016-01-06
The Measureless States/ The Divine Abidings (the Brahma-viharas)
58:28
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Ajahn Sucitto
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metta (good will/ loving kindness –the experience of the lovability of beings), karuna (compassion – sees the vulnerability of beings), mudita (sympathetic joy - experience of the enjoyment of one’s own and others’ good states)and upekkha (equaminity – the ability to be present with the ups and downs of phenomena); the citta has 2 inputs – feelings(from body or mental perception) and associations/ images/ impressions; skillful intention and the associated joy; volition and sustaining volition as a characteristic of the citta; to others as to myself; the citta adopts various clothes, one of which is “me”; the citta is abundant, rich, calm, exhaulted, measureless/ suffusing, free from hostility and ill will; the significance of the metaphors of language; the measureless empathy of the Buddha; “just like me”, we are all like this as a source of the volition; it’s not so much object oriented as cultivating states of mind and freeing the citta from any state of ill will; identifying the signs that lead to the bonding with / settling of the citta and unification of the mind; find one that works for you; the object one chooses to facilitate this is not important; pitfalls and sidetracks to be avoided in the cultivation – the story of other particular people and of the self, thinking of the past and the future ; finding satisfaction and comfort; the wisdom faculty sees it has been identified and sustained and not owned personally
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2015-12-20
Peace Without Fear - Seven Lights to Freedom
29:18
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Ayya Medhanandi
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The Buddha teaches us about seven lights to gain true freedom. They are none other than the factors of enlightenment. Three are dynamic skills that deeply cleanse the mind. In turn, these give rise to four 'septic friendly' brightening agents that lead us to inner wisdom. We learn how to practice forgiveness and compassion, and how to awaken to a selfless benevolence - an unassailable joy, peace and complete freedom of heart.
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Sati Saraniya Hermitage
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2015-12-12
Workshop - Relating Wisely to the Uncertainties of Environmental Health and Climate Change
2:52:24
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Mark Nunberg
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It is not uncommon for us to feel confused, numb, angry or overwhelmed when we hear about environmental change and uncertainty. The health of our planet, our homes, our bodies and minds all depend on the continuous balancing of so many interdependent natural processes. It is no surprize that we often prefer distraction and denial rather than an honest acknowledgement of this uncertain dynamic. In this workshop we will explore how a fearless opening to uncertainty can be the cause for a more wise and compassionate response to this world we share together. These Living the Practice Workshops include talks, guided meditations, guided reflections, and large and small group discussions designed to reveal the essential art of awakening wisdom and compassion in our actual lives.
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Common Ground Meditation Center
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2015-12-09
Desire: A Current of Homecoming
1:13:53
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Tara Brach
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Desire is intrinsic to our aliveness, yet when we have unmet needs, it can possess us. This talk explores how to relax open the grip of wanting and heal the suffering of addiction. You will learn how to bring mindfulness and compassion to the roots of desire, and be carried home to open loving presence.
“Recovery is also about spirit – about dealing with that ‘hole in the soul’ … so how does this hole get filled and become holy space?”
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Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC
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IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks
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2015-11-20
Moral Integrity, Courage, and Peace
30:08
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Ayya Medhanandi
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The real path to peace lies in developing moral integrity. Our spiritual strength depends on purity of heart and action. We learn to identify unwholesome habits that obstruct our well-being and practice courageous compassion to discover the joy of harmlessness. These are the qualities that take us the way of the Noble Ones - to the summit of our human potential.
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Satipaññā Insight Meditation Toronto
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2015-11-04
Compass of Our Heart
50:26
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Tara Brach
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All of our actions, our entire life experience, arises from the energy of intention. While it’s natural that our intentions are shaped by egoic wants and fears, when we bring this into conscious, compassionate awareness, we can discover the deep aspiration that guides and energizes our awakening hearts and minds. This talk explores the movement from egoic intention to liberating intention…the movement from “my will” to “my hearts will."
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Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC
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IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks
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2015-09-05
The “Thinning” of the Self: Exploring and Practicing Anattā (“Not-Self”) 1: Introduction and Overview
45:58
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Donald Rothberg
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The teaching of anattā (“not-self”) points to one of the three fundamental areas of liberating insight taught by the Buddha (along with the teachings on impermanence and on suffering or dukkha). Yet anattā can very challenging and confusing for contemporary practitioners. Is there “no self” (as anattā is sometimes translated)? How do we make sense of our feelings of individuality, identity, ancestry, and vocation? How do we address our own personal experiences of woundedness, trauma, and oppression? Are these all simply to be “transcended”? How is a sense of self actually in many ways important for contemporary spiritual development, and how is working with our own individual conditioning, whether psychological or social in origin, central to our liberation? How do we integrate attending to such conditioning with opening as well to the power and energy of experiences beyond the habitual sense of self?
In this daylong, we will explore these vital questions primarily in a practical way. Using the metaphors of “thinning the self” and working with a “thick” sense of self, we will cover three aspects of practice: (1) cultivating, in several ways, the “thinning” of the self, both in meditation and in everyday life, including working with the Five Skandhas or “aggregates” of experience; (2) tracking and working with different manifestations of a “thick” sense of self, both as appearing in experience and as hidden to awareness; and (3) opening to experiencing beyond a fixed sense of self, as awareness, compassion, and responsiveness deepen.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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2015-08-17
Ignorance and Delusion
28:12
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Shaila Catherine
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Shaila Catherine discusses how ignorance (sometimes referred to as delusion) is the root of all unwholesome activities. Ignorance is present any time that we fail to see the three characteristics of experience: impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-self. The wisdom that develops through insight meditation practice can overcome and uproot even deeply conditioned ignorance. Wisdom helps us to understand suffering and the cause of suffering, and awaken compassion for ourselves and others who suffer due to ignorance.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2015-07-21
Ethics, Action, and the Five Precepts
3:26:01
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Jason Murphy,
Shaila Catherine,
Sharon Allen,
Steve Gasner,
Tony Bernhard
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This series explores virtue as the indispensable foundation of Buddhist practice. It is structured according to the five training precepts. These precepts are not rules to be followed obediently; rather, they serve as guidelines for the intentional development of compassion, mindfulness and wisdom. These five precepts offer us a joyful method to cultivate the heart, nurture harmony in our relationships, and free the mind from inner forces of greed and hatred that if left unrestrained might cause suffering for ourselves and others.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2015-05-06
Othering & Belonging 1
58:06
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Donald Rothberg
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In the contexts of our practice of examining the nature of self and of a recent conference on "Othering and Belonging," we look at ways that we create an "other." We may do this in terms of social groups (according to race, age, gender, religion, ability/disability, educational level, etc.), interpersonally, or in terms of parts of oneself (I "other" my fear or shame or brilliance). This week we focus on "othering" (the "other" is often noticed, but not really known or seen), how to track our own ways of othering, and how to work with and transform othering, opening to greater compassion, wisdom, and connection.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2015-04-30
Mindfulness of Pain, Illness, and Death
44:11
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Kim Allen
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This talk was given as part of the series “Strengthening Mindfulness.” Dukkha, or suffering, includes pain, illness, and death; yet these are inevitable visitors to our lives. It is our practice to gently turn towards what’s difficult and painful in our lives, and understand truly these human experiences. When we are mindful, we become aware that there are the bodily sensations of pain and discomfort that we may not control, and there are our mind’s reactions to these sensations that we may observe and change. Mindfulness of death can lead us to a sense of spiritual urgency, and help us to cultivate compassion for this shared experience among all human kind. This knowledge of commonality can also help us to overcome fear.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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In
collection:
Strengthening Mindfulness
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2015-03-29
Listening to the Heart - Sun
2:46:34
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Kittisaro,
Thanissara
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This Dharma teaches “our heart / mind (citta) is already pure, luminous, free and endowed with wisdom.” Realizing this is the fruit of practice while the embodiment of this truth is the path of practice. To walk this path is a life time undertaking which is made all the sweeter through fellowship within “beloved community.” This weekend we explore teachings and practices of freedom while deepening support of ourselves within community. Besides drawing from classical teachings of Dharma and meditation, we will also focus on practices and teachings from Kuan Yin bodhisattva of deep wisdom and compassion, who is a metaphor for our true heart. There will be Dharma teachings, meditation practice, discussion, chanting, ceremony and cultivation of authentic inquiry.
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New York Insight Meditation Center
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2015-03-28
Listening to the Heart - Sat. PM
64:23
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Kittisaro,
Thanissara
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This Dharma teaches “our heart / mind (citta) is already pure, luminous, free and endowed with wisdom.” Realizing this is the fruit of practice while the embodiment of this truth is the path of practice. To walk this path is a life time undertaking which is made all the sweeter through fellowship within “beloved community.” This weekend we explore teachings and practices of freedom while deepening support of ourselves within community. Besides drawing from classical teachings of Dharma and meditation, we will also focus on practices and teachings from Kuan Yin bodhisattva of deep wisdom and compassion, who is a metaphor for our true heart. There will be Dharma teachings, meditation practice, discussion, chanting, ceremony and cultivation of authentic inquiry.
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New York Insight Meditation Center
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Life, Death, Etc. ...All in a Year!
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2015-03-28
Listening to the Heart - Sat. AM
2:25:28
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Kittisaro,
Thanissara
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This Dharma teaches “our heart / mind (citta) is already pure, luminous, free and endowed with wisdom.” Realizing this is the fruit of practice while the embodiment of this truth is the path of practice. To walk this path is a life time undertaking which is made all the sweeter through fellowship within “beloved community.” This weekend we explore teachings and practices of freedom while deepening support of ourselves within community. Besides drawing from classical teachings of Dharma and meditation, we will also focus on practices and teachings from Kuan Yin bodhisattva of deep wisdom and compassion, who is a metaphor for our true heart. There will be Dharma teachings, meditation practice, discussion, chanting, ceremony and cultivation of authentic inquiry.
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New York Insight Meditation Center
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