|
|
Donate |
Contact
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
|
|
|
| |
|
Dharma Talks
|
2026-07-13
Monday Night Talk: The Foundations of Our Practice
60:25
|
|
Donald Rothberg
|
|
|
A main way to understand generally our practice is by seeing it as combining (1) avoiding “unskillful” or “unwholesome” actions and states of mind (and knowing how to practice when they arise), and (2) developing skillful or wholesome qualities. We explore different aspects of this way of seeing our practice: Understanding its relationship to the teaching on wise effort; seeing the core unskillful quality as reactivity (dukkha) in its two forms as grasping after the pleasant and pushing away the unpleasant, each in myriad ways; and developing positive qualities like concentration, mindfulness, kindness and compassion, generosity and the other paramis, and the Seven Factors of Awakening. We examine some of the complexities of practicing with reactivity, with a main one being that reactivity is often enmeshed with discernment; I can be judgmental and caught in reactivity, for example, as an activist who sees injustice clearly, with discernment. This calls therefore for transforming the reactivity, so we can make use of the discernment skillfully. We also look into some examples of both forms of practice, both in meditation and in the flow of daily life. The talk is followed by discussion.
|
|
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
:
Monday and Wednesday Talks
|
|
|
2026-07-08
Fierce Compassion
45:54
|
|
Lila Kate Wheeler
|
|
|
When news of the world is challenging and there is uncertainty for everyone, letting reality in can feel impossible or scary. Yet Buddhist practices are designed to support exactly this, though maybe not all at once. Supported by each other and those who have gone before, bolstered by an innate determination to be free, we practice skills and arts of goodness. Compassionate ethics protects ourselves and others. Meditation turns awareness toward direct experience, open to its textures. Things might start to shift a bit. One practitioner may sense honesty and compassion growing as they admit some limitation. Another might see space for choice where they hadn’t imagined choice was even possible. There are lots of possibilities.
|
|
Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
|
|
|
2026-06-28
Doing and Not-Doing in Meditation and Daily Life: Talk and Discussion
62:13
|
|
Donald Rothberg
|
|
|
We explore the nature of doing and not-doing, both in meditation and more generally. We begin with emphasizing the importance for the Buddha of diligence, skillful effort (one of the factors of the Eightfold Path), and doing. Yet there also is a clear place for what we can call “not-doing,” for example, in cultivating mindful receptivity to experience. We examine as well how being a “doer” is so central to many of our identities, whether in our roles or work or even in our meditation. We also look to how we often experience a kind of not-doing in everyday life in “flow” experiences in different aspects of life. Finally, we show how accessing the depths of human experience commonly requires a profound not-doing, as we find brought out, for example, in Taoism, some of the Buddha’s teachings, and Tibetan Mahamudra and Dzogchen. The talk is followed by discussion.
|
|
Benicia Insight Meditation
|
|
|
2026-06-27
Q&A
50:31
|
|
Ajahn Sucitto
|
|
|
0:53 Q1 I'm very impulsive and I find that smoking grounds me. I'd like to quit but it's not the proper time or the moment. Do you have any suggestions? 07:29 Q2 I have a question about recognizing not self, anatta. It's difficult to maintain this perspective over a longer period of time. I feel quite content but my personality keeps popping up and I struggle with the anxiety of aging and losing my job. How can I handle living in the real world? 18:40 Q3 Some questions on measureless States: a) I was attending a retreat with Ayye Anandabodhi what arose was a sense of gratitude. Is gratitude a prerequisite for cultivating the brahmaviharas? b) A local sangha leader often mentions "it's like this now'. Sometimes I find this just frustrating. Can you say something about this? c) 27:29 Q4 Sometime ago you talked about the fruition of karuna / compassion as boundless space, muditha/sympathetic joy as boundless consciousness and upekkha / equanimity as no-thing-ness. Can you speak more about this? 33:17 Q5 Resignation and acceptance. I can only accept my life situation at this moment is to resign myself to the circumstances. I experience a lot of direct and indirect rejection but feel sorry and defeated. 44:12 Q6 I'm 54 and I'm feeling in a kind of bardo, an in-between space in my life. My question is not about ambition but how do I want to spend the rest of my life. What can you advise?
|
|
Dhamma Stream Online Sessions
|
|
|
2026-06-23
The 4 Elements, Earth as Creator (Retreat at Spirit Rock)
45:24
|
|
Tere Abdala-Romano
|
|
|
We are nothing but Earth inlcuding all its elements, not separete from her/them, Inviting to honor, revere it, seeing clearly the interdependence. Inviting to shift from seeing Earth as a resource to recognizing it as our creator, sustainer, healer, and home. By remembering that we are not separate from the living world—but an expression of it—we cultivate humility, gratitude, ethical responsibility, joy arises from a deeper sense of belonging, inspiring both inner transformation and compassionate care for all life.
|
|
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
:
Awaken the Elements: Connect with Joy
|
|
|
2026-06-20
Dhammapada Verses 146-156: Old Age
1:36:31
|
|
Ayya Santussika
|
|
|
This dhamma talk, comments, questions and responses was offered on June 20, 2026 for East Bay Dhamma.
Dhammapada verses 146 -156 Old Age was discussed.
The text can be found here:
https://suttacentral.net/dhp146-156/en/buddharakkhita?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false
00:00 - 1:36:32 DHAMMA TALK, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS & RESPONSES
|
|
Karuna Buddhist Vihara
|
|
|
2026-06-19
Juneteenth and Our Practice
53:13
|
|
Donald Rothberg
|
|
|
We begin with a short account of some of the history of Juneteenth and its origins in Texas, as well as how it developed in the decades after 1865, including under Jim Crow. We ask how consideration of Juneteenth and the ensuing history informs our practice, considering the three main elements of our practice: Training in wisdom (particularly in understanding the roots of racism in greed for power and wealth and a "divide and conquer" approach); meditation (both in examining our conditioning and working with difficult emotions), and ethical practice (developing care and addressing harm, for the benefit of all beings). The talk is followed by discussion.
|
|
East Bay Meditation Center
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
