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The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
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Dharma Talks
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2025-10-12
Valuing Tranquility - Meditation
32:40
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Mark Nunberg
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This program is offered over Zoom. It is also simultaneously broadcast on Youtube and recorded. See below for more details.
The weekly practice groups are designed to be a cornerstone for one's practice by providing ongoing instruction and teachings that will help illuminate the simple but challenging practice of mindfulness. The Buddha taught that mindfulness is the way to go beyond habits of distraction and grasping. To walk this path of wisdom and compassion, we need the support of a community that shares this intention. Each session includes a guided meditation, dharma talk, and discussion. Both experienced and beginning meditators are welcome. No registration necessary. Led by Mark Nunberg and guest teachers.
All programs at Common Ground are offered freely in the spirit of generosity.
There will be an opportunity for small groups after the Weekly Practice Group, both in person and on Zoom.
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Common Ground Meditation Center
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Weekly Dharma Series
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2025-10-12
Valuing Tranquility - Talk
41:21
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Mark Nunberg
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This program is offered over Zoom. It is also simultaneously broadcast on Youtube and recorded. See below for more details.
The weekly practice groups are designed to be a cornerstone for one's practice by providing ongoing instruction and teachings that will help illuminate the simple but challenging practice of mindfulness. The Buddha taught that mindfulness is the way to go beyond habits of distraction and grasping. To walk this path of wisdom and compassion, we need the support of a community that shares this intention. Each session includes a guided meditation, dharma talk, and discussion. Both experienced and beginning meditators are welcome. No registration necessary. Led by Mark Nunberg and guest teachers.
All programs at Common Ground are offered freely in the spirit of generosity.
There will be an opportunity for small groups after the Weekly Practice Group, both in person and on Zoom.
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Common Ground Meditation Center
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Weekly Dharma Series
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2025-10-01
Effort means using energy wisely
46:54
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Ajahn Sucitto
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The indriya work together – if one's faith is placed with wisdom and mindfulness sustains the focus on the wholesome, concentration occurs and one's energy is replenished. Effort should be wisely applied to break the pull of negative obsessions, The sense of time is to be uprooted, for example in walking meditation.
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Cittaviveka
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Cittaviveka 2025 Vassa
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2025-08-21
Anapanasati: The Buddha's Teaching on Mindfulness of Breathing
49:31
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James Baraz
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Working with the Anapanasati Sutta in some depth. There are 16 steps in four tetrads that the Buddha lays out regarding how to practice this way. It is more than simply keeping one's attention on the experience of breathing. Some of the steps will likely surprise you. I thought it would be interesting to hear how the Buddha himself practiced using the breath and then practice together as he suggested.
Anapanasati Sutta Majjhima Nikaya #118
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.118.than.html
Anåpånasati- Summary of the Four Tetrads (16 steps)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yE2GiJtr3nnMGR_2YYOEA7eZ9W02ti52PD5abYF_Ius/edit?tab=t.0
Thich Nhat Hanh
Video TNH explaining the 16 steps (28 minutes)
https://youtu.be/inPkOzo_8XQ?si=nKp94lysBPxn4od_
Ven Analayo
Audio guided meditations successively building on the tetrads. Last one includes all four.
Mindfulness of Breathing with Bhikkhu Anālayo
https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/resources/breathing-audio/
Written Overview
Analayo - Understanding and Practicing the Ānāpānasati-sutta
https://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?t=30301
Bhikkhu Bodhi's videos going through the sutta in detail.
https://www.youtube.com/@BAUSChuangYenMonastery/search?query=Bhikkhu%20Bodhi%20Majjhima%20Nikaya%20118
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2025-07-30
Non-Harming: Core Teachings and How to Practice
64:42
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Donald Rothberg
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We begin by remembering the three core methods of training given by the Buddha (wisdom, meditation, and "ethics"), and their interrelationship. We reflect on how ethics has often been marginalized in Western Buddhism (and at times in Asian Buddhism). We then look in depth at the first lay ethical precept, non-harming, first in terms of the core teachings of the Buddha, and its centrality in the earlier Indian traditions of the Vedas. We examine some of the more "outer" dimensions of practicing non-harming, seeing how, with mindfulness and strong intentions, we can bring non-harming into our daily lives, including in our speech and communication. We then look at the more "inner" dimensions of practicing non-harming, looking in particular at how harming ourselves or others typically comes out of our own pain, so that practicing with pain (and the teaching of the Two Arrows) is central. The talk is followed by discussion.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2025-07-28
Danger of Fixation: Right View As The Path
22:17
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Shaila Catherine
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In this talk, Shaila Catherine explores right view and addresses the danger of attaching to a position, philosophy, belief, or opinion. Primary sources that inspired this talk include suttas numbered 72 and 74 the Middle Length discourses. By recognizing the problems created by clinging to beliefs and opinions, we choose instead to bring mindfulness to our direct experience and investigate what is actually happening in this present encounter with mind and body. This pragmatic path of mindful investigation leads to liberation.
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Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge
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Forest Refuge - Shaila's talks
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2025-07-25
Morning Instructions: Mindfulness of Self'ing
48:08
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Tempel Smith
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Once we have a base of simple connection to breath, body, and our immediate senses, we can explore our driven habits of adding a sense of self to these very simple experiences. As stated in the Bahiya Sutta, in the seeing just let there being the seen, with out adding a sense of "you" to what is being seen. We can compare moments of the day where the the mind isn't entangled in concocting a sense of self versus the mind which is adding a very thick sense of self.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Summer Insight Meditation Retreat
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2025-07-24
Patience
13:24
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Shaila Catherine
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In this brief reflection, Shaila Catherine speaks about the role of patience in meditation practice. We need patience to endure conditions that we cannot control, such as heat and cold, mosquito bites, and unpleasant or wanted perceptions. We need patience to continue to cultivate mindfulness without judging our degree of success. We need patience to trust the spiritual faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom to gradually mature. We need patience to observe the flow of lived experiences, simply meeting each moment with the interest to know what is being known, and the quality of mind that is knowing it. Patience is worth developing.
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Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge
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Forest Refuge - Shaila's talks
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2025-07-23
Guided Meditation Inspired by Joanna Macy's Work
38:17
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Donald Rothberg
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We begin with a period of settling, developing greater samadhi or concentration, and then move to mindfulness practice, including giving some attention to noticing moderate or a little greater levels of pleasant or unpleasant feeling-tone. When we notice pleasant or unpleasant feeling-tones, is there any tendency toward grasping or pushing away, in habitual or automatic ways? We then explore gratitude as a practice, simply reflecting on ways that we are grateful, first for aspects of our own lives, and then for aspects of the wider world. This is followed by opening with mindfulness to some difficult or painful aspects of our world, whether close to home or farther away, inspired to see and be with what is painful through wisdom and care. We end with a return to mindfulness practice for a short time. (This guided meditation is related to the talk that follows, honoring the life and work of Joanna Macy.)
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2025-07-18
Trust In Pure Awareness
28:59
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Ayyā Nimmalā
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The Buddha encourages us to abandon the unwholesome and develop wholesomeness in our daily acts, words and thoughts. As we learn to trust in pure awareness and present moment mindfulness, the weight of the world is lifted from the heart. Here and now, we abide in the formless, changeless, and eternal. Not only do we bear testimony to others that this is within our reach but we are also directly blessed by it ourselves. We see the nature of emptiness and know the peace of true freedom.
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Ottawa Buddhist Society
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2025-07-16
Insights Into Perception and Equanimity
56:57
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Walt Opie
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In the Honeyball Sutta (MN 18), it says, "What one perceives, that one thinks about. What one thinks about, that one mentally proliferates (or complicates)." And this mental proliferation often leads to "evil unwholesome states" which can cause harm and suffering. When we bring mindfulness to the subtle realm of perception, we start to see more clearly without adding anything extra. This is where equanimity comes in, allowing us to meet life with fewer preferences and with greater mental balance.
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Cambridge Insight Meditation Center
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2025-06-29
Q and A
52:19
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Ajahn Sucitto
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Q1 - What would you suggest as priorities for lay practice, recollections to establish a steady orientation to Dhamma?; 13:08 Q2 - Mindfulness when talking and using computers etc.; 18:30 Q3 - Energy, qi, anapanasati and integration of energy; 26:24 Q4 – I feel lots of unpleasant skin sensations when sitting, What might these be? 28:46 Q5 You’ve referred to integrating energy as a new way to consider. What does this mean? 36:09 Q9 Why couldn’t it be that nibbana is like chasing the unicorn; 37:23 Q10 Can you speak about wisdom and samadhi; 40:33 Q11 Can you provide some guidance on mudita, rapture (piti) and stability/ staying grounded; 44:52 Q12 Contemplating the arising of the ‘me’ sense, dependent on phenomena.
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Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge
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One Month Retreat at the Forest Refuge
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2025-06-24
Q and A
56:50
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Ajahn Sucitto
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00:18 Q1 It said that the awakened ones attained nibbana through mindfulness of the body. What about going through the formless realms? How do you maintain awareness of the body until nibbana? 13:02 Q2 I consider that for nibbana it requires mindfulness to be present every second, not just a while but continuously. This may be uncomfortable, perhaps we should bite the bullet and speak it out. On the other hand it's common when one has a strong practice for extended hours, for a few hours to think maybe I'm close? 25:35 Q3 Can you say more about the cultivation of the measureless states. 34:39 Q4 Ajahn Chah says something like happiness and unhappiness are both suffering and Buddhism seeks peace not happiness. Could you help me hear that as less of a bummer? 37:32 Q5 A person mentions that both teachers on the retreat like each other and are happy not just peaceful. Could you speak about this? And, why do you bother to dress your salad? 40:57 Q6 Regarding the spinal, sense could you please expand on this as a place of security and refuge, neutrality and Buddha. Does it have anything to do with the chakras? 48:35 Q7 Can you talk about practice to forgive oneself and others?
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Cittaviveka
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2025-06-18
Q and A
57:31
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Ajahn Sucitto
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Q1 00:52 When you're walking around and brushing your teeth what's your experience of the sense world and nibbana? I'd like to experience more beauty and sacredness in the sense world and cultivate a relationship with the transcendent, but it feels so out of reach; Q2 17:43 Recently I listened to a talk by Ajahn Tanissaro and he said he didn't know any practitioner in the West who was a stream enterer. I was disheartened. Can you say something about this? Q3 28:09 can you give some advice on cell phones and technology please? They drain my energy quickly. Q4 35:34 (several questions) In mindfulness of breathing, does one proceed sequentially through the 16 phrases, or pick up the steps that seem to fit with whatever seems to be arising. Why is it presented as a graduated training? Also, can you speak about releasing the heart? Q5 44:18 What are the differences between attention and awareness? What are their Pali terms? Q6 49:42 "One reviews the extent to which one's mind is liberated..." In the Book of the 5s. If one's mind is non-liberated how do you go about it? Q7 52:59 How to relate when resistance arises in practice from feeling blocked, to discouraged or lost etc etc etc.
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Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge
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One Month Retreat at the Forest Refuge
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