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Dharma Talks
2020-02-23
Puja – Resounding Meaning
19:17
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Ajahn Sucitto
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Puja is the act of praising, honouring, lifting up particular spiritual values. It’s not limited by what one can or can’t do. The heart can be lifted to feel spiritual qualities – awakening, purity, generosity. This shifts one’s centre from the world back to one’s own heart.
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Emoyeni Retreat Centre
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Clearing and Renewal
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2019-11-27
Cultivating Generosity and Gratitude
63:40
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Donald Rothberg
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A day before Thanksgiving, we explore the central importance of cultivating generosity (dāna) and gratitude (kataññutā), and their interrelationship. The Buddha teaches (AN 2.11): "These two people are hard to find in the world. Which two? The one who is first to do a kindness, and the one who is grateful and thankful for a kindness done.” We look at a number of ways to practice to cultivate generosity and gratitude, and some of the nuances and complexities of such practices, including the importance of gratitude as a practice in difficult circumstances. Ultimately, these two practices teach us to rest more and more with a sense of interdependence and what Thich Nhat Hanh calls “interbeing.”
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2019-11-27
Cultivating Generosity and Gratitude
66:24
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Donald Rothberg
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A day before Thanksgiving, we explore the central importance of cultivating generosity (dāna) and gratitude (kataññutā), and their interrelationship. The Buddha teaches (AN 2.11): "These two people are hard to find in the world. Which two? The one who is first to do a kindness, and the one who is grateful and thankful for a kindness done.” We look at a number of ways to practice to cultivate generosity and gratitude, and some of the nuances and complexities of such practices, including the importance of gratitude as a practice in difficult circumstances. Ultimately, these two practices teach us to rest more and more with a sense of interdependence and what Thich Nhat Hanh calls “interbeing.”
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2019-09-22
Insight Santa Cruz's 30th Anniversary Commemoration
1:26:03
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Mary Grace Orr
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Founding Teacher Mary Grace Orr and current Guiding Teacher Bob Stahl lead a celebration of Insight Santa Cruz's community for the center's 30th year anniversary. Joined by fellow Teachers Carla Brennen, Gil Fronsdal, Jason Murphy Pedilla, Marcy Reynolds. This recording includes silent sitting, brief dharma talks / shares by each of the leading teachers, and community members sharing about what ISC has meant for different people.
"This [was] a very special event to honor our Sangha. How special that we have been supported all these years through the generosity of our community and never charged a single cent! How wonderful to have served the Dhamma to thousands of people through the years." - Bob Stahl
"The gift of Dhamma, excels all other gifts". - The Dhammapada
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Insight Santa Cruz
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2019-08-15
Don't Be Afraid, Mahanama – Lean Towards Nibbana
32:54
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Ayya Medhanandi
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The Buddha told Mahanama not to be afraid of the muddled mind, just to keep developing the qualities which incline the mind to Nibbana. This Dhamma is for one who is content. A mind unburdened can pacify itself and be calmed. A mind fortified by faith, virtue – in particular, the virtues dear to the noble ones – learning, generosity and wisdom, will go to distinction. But for mental peace we have to consider how to seclude the mind and what we are giving our consent to in daily life.
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Satipanna Insight Meditation (SIMT)
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For Our Long Lasting Benefit
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2019-08-11
Beautiful Qualities - Five of the Ten Perfections
20:15
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Ayya Medhanandi
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The Buddha taught about ten perfections or beautiful qualities of mind that are needed to help us cross the flood of samsara, the cycles of existence. The first five of these are generosity, virtue, energy, wisdom and renunciation. When embodied, these qualities help to lead us out of the prison of impermanence. Overcoming ignorance and responding to life with greater joy, we live compassionate and harmless.
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Satipanna Insight Meditation (SIMT)
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For Our Long Lasting Benefit
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2019-06-19
Intention and the Power of Thought
46:18
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Shaila Catherine
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How are we using our minds? Where do our thought incline? The Buddha's teachings focus on the practical application of intention and the power of thought, rather than ritual, as the potent force behind action. Working with thought, we see how habits and tendencies develop and form patterns known as kamma (karma). We must be honest with ourselves and see any conceit, agitation, anger, greed, or restlessness that might be lurking as tendencies of mind. We can learn to use our thought skillfully, and guard the mind with diligent mindfulness. Wholesome and unwholesome thoughts are explored. There is nothing to fear from wholesome thoughts such as intentions toward renunciation, letting go, loving kindness, compassion, and generosity, and yet a concentrated mind will bring deeper rest. The path of liberation and awakening includes the development of morality and virtue, and also calmness, concentration, and wisdom.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2019-04-20
Lifetime Vow
41:17
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Ayya Medhanandi
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To vow for life: not to compromise our faith, our virtue, or our goodness - even in a moment of terror - is a powerful spiritual ally. Not cowering nor retaliating even in a hopeless-feeling-moment, we learn to stay present with compassion and kindness. As long as we remember to keep the practice alive within, we will have the stamina to grow in generosity, equanimity, and wisdom. So, at all times, make good-will the mantra of your heart.
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Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
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The Heart of Wisdom: Monastic Retreat
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2018-11-28
Practicing Generosity
62:03
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Donald Rothberg
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We review last week’s focus on developing gratitude, and continue with the related practice of developing generosity. We explore the importance of generosity across multiple spiritual traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and, in more depth, Buddhism, pointing to several practices of practicing generosity and some of the challenges of such practice.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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2018-10-14
Empty Mirror: Awake, Forgiving, Free
45:26
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Ayya Medhanandi
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Forgiveness is the greatest generosity we can give ourselves. We come to it by wisely seeing that the harm in the world, whether it originates within ourselves or others, comes from ignorance. So there is nothing to fear and nothing to forgive. We can surrender to the challenges of life which seem to overwhelm us by staying in the present moment awake and aware. And in this way we polish our hearts until they can reflect the Truth.
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Ottawa Buddhist Society
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2018-09-19
Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism From The Inside Out
52:42
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Ruth King
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The world’s heart is on fire, and race is at its core. The bitter racial seeds from past beliefs and actions are blooming all around us, reflecting not only a division of the races that is rooted in ignorance and hate, but also, and more sorely, a division of the heart. Racism is a heart disease. How we think and respond is at the core of racial suffering and racial healing. If we cannot think clearly and respond wisely, we will continue to damage the world’s heart.
In this talk, my hope is to ignite your imagination and help you discover your voice in the song of racial healing, and how we could live in this world if every one of us aimed our energy toward awakening, non-harming, generosity, and kinship—a world with race but without racism. It all begins with an examination of our habits of harm.
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Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC
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IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks
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2017-12-03
Dukkha, and the ending of Dukkha ...
60:37
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Jill Shepherd
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... and the ending of this retreat. The Four Noble Truths as a refuge, and suggestions for transitioning from retreat practice to daily life, using the ten parami of generosity, renunciation, ethical conduct, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, resolve, kindness, and equanimity
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Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
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Three-Month Retreat - Part 2
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2017-11-22
A Grateful, Giving, Happy Heart
49:20
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Tara Brach
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Gratitude is like breathing in – letting ourselves be touched by the goodness in others and in our world. Generosity is like breathing out – sensing our mutual belonging and offering our care. When we are awake and whole, breathing in and out happens naturally. But these beautiful expressions of our heart become blocked when we are dominated by the fear and grasping of our survival brain. This talk explores how we can facilitate the evolution of consciousness with the deliberate cultivation of generosity, and ends with a guided meditation on gratitude and generosity.
For happiness, how little suffices for happiness! … the least thing precisely, the gentlest thing, the lightest thing, a lizard’s rustling, a breath, a whisper, an eye glance-little maketh up the best happiness. Be still.
~ Nietzche ~
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Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC
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IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks
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2017-11-12
How Do I Save That Moth?
20:06
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Ayya Medhanandi
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The Winter of the World is here… How do we bear it? What does the mind need in order to open to the teachings? Dana. Sila. Generosity and virtue. Cultivating generosity, starting with the material, can mature into acts of sharing one’s time, energy, abilities, kindness and compassion. Let us cherish these noble qualities and develop them in a boundless way, for all beings. The Buddha advises us how to be fearless and present with a loved one near death. A talk given at Sati Saraniya Hermitage in November, 2017.
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Sati Saraniya Hermitage
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2017-03-24
If You Grow Good Fruit, Eat It!
13:58
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Ajahn Sucitto
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Ajahn Sucitto responds to a question about dana parami, describing the gift of safety that can be provided by keeping precepts and sustaining open awareness. He reminds us that in the field of dana we are also in a position to receive generosity, partaking of the good fruit we have grown.
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Tisarana Buddhist Monastery
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Morning Meeting Offerings
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2017-03-07
Money
41:24
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Kim Allen
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Kim Allen gave the third talk in a speaker series titled "Everyday Dhamma." She discussed how money is an important part of our life, as well as a potent realm for practice. Much of what the Buddha said about wealth and money was about our relationship to money, because this is where our suffering and freedom lies. More specifically, we can easily have an unwholesome relationship to our wealth. For example, we can become miserly and crave even more wealth. Or we can establish a wholesome relationship with our wealth, such as supporting our family, our friends, and the Dhamma. In this way, we can relate to money with wisdom and generosity, instead of grasping and fear.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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In
collection:
Everyday Dhamma
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2016-08-17
Love Wisdom More Than Life
8:08
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Ayya Medhanandi
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To bring the mind to peace, we must learn about all that makes it unpeaceful, unquiet. We learn how to guide ourselves to abide in wholesome states of mind, how to prevent dark and unskilfull states from arising and how to deal with them if they do. Follow virtue. Stay close to spiritual friends, and take refuge in the wisdom of the Buddha and our own potential to cultivate and develop this Noble Eightfold path. Practise gratitude, generosity, and kindness. Wake up. Love wisdom more than life.
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Satipanna Insight Meditation (SIMT)
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2016-08-16
Under the Canopy of Dhamma
17:16
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Ayya Medhanandi
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Where is safety in a world burning with greed, hatred, fear and violence? It is within us. Under the protective canopy of Dhamma, with unshakeable faith in the Buddha's awakening, we purify the heart – emulating his tactical strategies for training the mind to abandon unskillful physical and mental habits. We look for 'nothing' apart from how to wisely observe and truly see with penetrating discernment, and how to let go the delusion of self-identity. Secluded from the world, awareness knows imperturbable peace. This is the path of selflessness, of generosity, of great compassion, of harmlessness.
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Satipaññā Insight Meditation Toronto
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2016-05-03
Scared-in-the-Woods to Liberated
46:03
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Kim Allen
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Kim Allen gave the fourth talk in a seven-week series on lesser known Buddhist teachings titled "Thus Have I Heard." This talk explores how practice can be difficult, especially when it helps us become aware of the dark corners of our minds such as fear and dread. Fortunately, the Buddha taught us to train our minds so we won't give in to those tendencies, and instead live a skillful life with wholesome qualities such as generosity, virtue, and loving kindness.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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In
collection:
Thus Have I Heard
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2016-03-01
Recollection of Heavens
48:43
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Shaila Catherine
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Shaila Catherine gave the sixth talk in a series on Recollective Meditations. This talk explores the practice of devanusatti — contemplating the good qualities that lead to happiness in this life and future lives. This practice emphasizes five specific qualities: faith, virtue, learning, generosity, and wisdom. One first reflects on the superior qualities of the devas, and then contemplates those same qualities within oneself. By contemplating the success of celestial beings, we might realize that success is also possible for us. This practice can inspire us to develop those beautiful qualities of heart and mind.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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In
collection:
Recollective Meditations
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2016-01-19
Recollective Meditations
3:35:53
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with
Dawn Neal,
Shaila Catherine,
Tony Bernhard
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The Buddha taught a broad range of meditation practice -- far more extensive than simply observing sensations and breath. Practitioners can use six classic meditation subjects to nurture calmness, focus attention, inspire patience persistence, gain confidence in the efficacy of the path, and contemplate the nature of kamma, action, and mind. The six recollections are: Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, Virtue, Generosity, and Heavens.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2015-12-20
Virtue Goes Full Circle
30:11
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Ayya Medhanandi
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Virtue creates a force in the heart, a field of goodness, from generosity to joy to enlightenment and back again. Once there is joy in the heart, the mind finds ease to go to its depths. Be your own doctor, self-examine, see with the inner eye to discern and resolve our inner dis-ease and free the mind. Dukkha is not the problem, it is our teacher.
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Sati Saraniya Hermitage
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2015-11-28
The Skill of Gratitude
25:48
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Ayya Santacitta
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This talk is from - Giving Thanks - a daylong at Spirit Rock on Saturday, November 28th with Ayya Anandabodhi and Ayya Santacitta. On this Thanksgiving weekend, celebrating the great flow of gratitude and generosity that is sustaining life in every moment
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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2015-11-28
Living with Gratitude
22:13
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Ayya Anandabodhi
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This talk is from - Giving Thanks - a daylong at Spirit Rock on Saturday, November 28th with Ayya Anandabodhi and Ayya Santacitta. On this Thanksgiving weekend, celebrating the great flow of gratitude and generosity that is sustaining life in every moment
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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