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Dharma Talks
2009-06-23 The Awakening Prophet 63:39
Donald Rothberg
One interpretation of Jewish mindfulness connects mindfulness with the Jewish prophetic tradition. This suggests an understanding of spiritual practice as involving both "inner" transformation toward liberation and "outer" transformation toward a liberated society; actually, the two are intimately connected. We first explore, partly through music, the prophetic tradition. We then examine how both our inner and outer practice can be understood in similar ways, following the core principles, in terms of development in wisdom and mindfulness (the mind), compassion and love (the heart), and courage and skillful action (the body).
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Jewish Mindfulness

2009-06-22 Obstacles to Awareness of the Divine Presence 58:28
Rabbi Jeff Roth
In contemporary Jewish meditation the Divine is a reference to the interconnected unity of all being. This talk unfolds this metaphor and points out obstacles that occur in "small mind" that aggrandizes the self and cuts one off from unity, compassion and loving-kindness. A set of practice instructions proposes processes to turn the obstacles into compost for spiritual growth.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Jewish Mindfulness

2009-06-18 Compassion 64:07
Marcia Rose
Mountain Hermitage Vivekananda

2009-06-16 The Wisdom of Compassion and Forgiveness 62:49
Kamala Masters
Cloud Mountain Retreat Center Insight and Loving Kindness

2009-06-10 Practicing with Anger, Pt I 60:12
Donald Rothberg
For many of us, it is hard to know how to practice with anger. We explore some of the reasons for confusion about anger, including the mixed messages we get about anger in many settings, the different connotations of what is translated as "anger" East and West, and the conditioning around anger. We then outline three ways of more "inner" work with anger, through 1) mindfulness, 2) reflections and 3) heart practices like lovingkindness, compassion and forgiveness.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks

2009-06-09 Equanimity 41:43
Shaila Catherine
This talk explores equanimity as the fourth of the four qualities called Brahma Viharas. Previous talks in this series addressed loving kindness, compassion, and appreciative joy. Equanimity allows us to remain present and awake with the fact of things—equally close to the things we like and the things we dislike. It is important to develop equanimity in two arenas: 1) in response to pleasant and painful feelings, and 2) regarding the future results of our actions. Equanimity develops in meditation and in life. We can use unexpected events that we cannot control to develop this quality. Our job is not to judge our experiences, but to be present and respond wisely. Equanimity is a beautiful mental factor that can feel like freedom, but if "I" and "mine" still operate, there is still work to be done. Many suggestions are offered for cultivating equanimity.
Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley Four Brahma Viharas
In collections: Four Brahma Viharas, The Ten Paramis

2009-05-26 Compassion 22:19
Shaila Catherine
Compassion, karuna, is the intention of non-cruelty. It is the aspect of loving kindness (metta) that responds wisely to pain, and wishes to alleviate suffering. Compassion training helps us to remain present with pain. There is no need to fear pain, no need to consider pain bad or wrong. A compassionate self-acceptance allows us to remain present and responsive in the face of life's most difficult moments. With compassion we can ask "How can I help?" and stay present to respond.
Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley Four Brahma Viharas
In collection: Four Brahma Viharas

2009-05-20 Practicing with the Shadow, pt III The Collective Shadow and How We Work with It 65:24
Donald Rothberg
We first revisit the exploration of the shadow, how it forms, and how we work with it, we then look into the nature of collective shadow phenomena, how the personal and collective shadow inter-penetrate, and how we work with the collective shadow. The key, as always, is to establish a relatively safe space to develop awareness, compassion and wisdom, leading to skillful action.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks

2009-05-19 Four Brahma Viharas 2:18:08
Shaila Catherine
A collection of four talks on the immeasurable and boundless qualities of heart known as the Brahma Viharas: loving kindness/friendliness, compassion, joy, equanimity.
Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley Four Brahma Viharas

2009-05-12 Our Wisdom Heart 42:34
Sharda Rogell
As we walk the path of wisdom and compassion, we discover they are not separate. What happens when we let go of our identifications with our mental constructions and our mind drops into the heart?
Wood Acres Retreat Center :  Our Wisdom Heart

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