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Dharma Talks
2022-08-24 "I Teach Dukkha and the End of Dukkha"--1 69:18
Donald Rothberg
The Buddha, at the center of his teaching, taught "dukkha and the end of dukkha." Yet it is not always clear either what "dukkha" means in this context or what "the end of dukkha" means. In this talk, we explore this core teaching in several ways. First, we distinguish four different meanings of "dukkha" that can be seen in the discourses of the Buddha, only the last of which, interpreted as "reactivity," helps us to make sense of the "end of dukkha." (See the attached PDF file.) This meaning of dukkha can be reconstructed from two core teachings, the "Two Arrows" and Dependent Origination (see the attached PDF file). We then look at several ways of practicing with reactivity, including understanding and working with the common complexity of there frequently being some kind of insight or something important being "mixed" with reactivity, as, for example, when I am very reactive about injustice.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
Attached Files:
  • Four Meanings of Dukkha by Donald Rothberg (PDF)
  • The Sequence of Contact to Grasping in the Buddha’s Teaching on Dependent Origination by Donald Rothberg (PDF)

2022-08-24 Guided Meditation Exploring Feeling-Tone and Reactivity 37:48
Donald Rothberg
After brief basic meditation instructions related to stabilizing attention with an anchor, and then being present to the anchor or whatever else is predominant, there is a 10-minute period of stabilizing. Then there is guidance related to noticing a moderate or greater level of the pleasant or unpleasant (as long as it is workable), staying with the sense of pleasant or unpleasant, noticing any tendencies to reactivity (wanting and grasping, or not wanting and pushing away, at the levels of body, emotions, and/or thoughts). Near the end, there is some further guidance on staying with moderately unpleasant sensations for 2 minutes or so.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks

2022-08-24 Meditation Instructions 4: Compassion 60:56
Zohar Lavie
SanghaSeva The Heart Unbound

2022-08-23 Short Guided Mettā Meditation. 8:54
Leigh Brasington
Gaia House Jhanas, Insight, and Dependent Origination

2022-08-23 Letting Go: Learning to Set Aside 37:26
Brian Lesage
Flagstaff Insight Meditation Community FIMC Monday Night Talks

2022-08-23 Guided Meditation: Mettā and Karuṇā to Subtilise Sensations 43:54
Nathan Glyde
Offering a wide, welcoming, and interested, good will or care to more challenging or more neutral sensations, and seeing what unfolds from that way of relating.
SanghaSeva The Heart Unbound

2022-08-23 Dharma Talk - The Fruits of the Spiritual Life. 41:31
Leigh Brasington
Gaia House Jhanas, Insight, and Dependent Origination

2022-08-23 Guide metta: loving kindness for self, friend, and enemy 45:33
Matthew Hepburn
A brief story on development of metta for the enemy followed by guided practice for three categories using phrases
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Your Life Is Your Practice: Insight Meditation Retreat

2022-08-23 Compassion 50:40
Zohar Lavie
SanghaSeva The Heart Unbound

2022-08-23 Mindfulness of thoughts 34:14
Devon Hase
Short teaching and guided meditation on mindfulness of thoughts and thinking.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Your Life Is Your Practice: Insight Meditation Retreat

2022-08-23 Breathing In and Out in All Conditions (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 60:11
Tempel Smith
At the beginning of breath awareness practice we can feel our attention is either with the breath or distracted. As we deepen out faith and dedication to mindfulness of breathing we learn to breath in and breath out in all conditions. The breath becomes a sanctuary to accompany us in all conditions.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Cultivating Concentration

2022-08-23 Meditation Instructions 3: Metta Continued to Include the Neutral Relationships 61:19
Nathan Glyde
SanghaSeva The Heart Unbound

2022-08-22 Mindfulness is the heart of awakening 52:34
Matthew Hepburn
Mindfulness of death, mosquitoes, and descriptions of the enlightened mind. How to make humble moments of simple presence the direct path to Nirvana
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Your Life Is Your Practice: Insight Meditation Retreat

2022-08-22 Concentration and Insight (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 2:10:17
Tempel Smith
In the detailed description of the 16 steps of anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) the first 12 steps develop samadhi (concentration) as a basis for the last four steps (13-16) of insight practice. These are using in and out breathing to become sensitive to impermanence (anicca), and from impermanence to releasing the agitation (viraga) from trying to find security in a fluid and fluctuating world. The second to last step in relaxing into the completeness and thoroughness of endings (nirodha), as a support to the last step of fully letting go.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Cultivating Concentration

2022-08-22 Short Guided Mettā Meditation 2:50
Leigh Brasington
Gaia House Jhanas, Insight, and Dependent Origination

2022-08-22 The BramaViharas--Mudita / Empathetic Joy 56:02
Tina Rasmussen
Insight Meditation Tucson

2022-08-22 Tree of Enlightenment Meditation | Monday Night 24:53
Jack Kornfield
Let your body be present and also relaxed. As you let go, feel how the Earth completely supports you. Let the heart be soft to receive whatever arises with compassion. Begin to notice how the body is breathing itself, exchanging air with the leaves of the trees around you and with the breath of every other living being on Earth—we share this atmosphere.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks

2022-08-22 The Buddha's Last Teachings | Monday Night Talk 60:27
Jack Kornfield
This dharma talk centers around teachings from The Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta which is a story about the last year of the Buddha's life. This text has two main themes: 1. The Buddha wanted to leave his teachings as guidance for his followers to empower them. 2. The Buddha wanted to encourage his followers to foster wise relationships to one another in the spiritual community and to the world.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Cultivating Concentration

2022-08-22 Guided Meditation: Mettā to Oneself, Easy Relationship, Another, and All Beings 45:05
Zohar Lavie
SanghaSeva The Heart Unbound

2022-08-22 Metta for a friend 39:23
Devon Hase
Guided Meditation on metta for a friend with receiving practice at the end.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Your Life Is Your Practice: Insight Meditation Retreat

2022-08-22 Mettā Expands Beyond Dukkha 45:35
Nathan Glyde
SanghaSeva The Heart Unbound

2022-08-22 Dharma Talk - Jhanas 1-4 50:05
Leigh Brasington
Gaia House Jhanas, Insight, and Dependent Origination

2022-08-22 Meditation Instructions 2: Metta 60:04
Zohar Lavie
SanghaSeva The Heart Unbound

2022-08-21 Balancing energy on the path 45:17
Devon Hase
Stories, reflections, and images, to support wise effort and balanced energy in retreat and in daily life
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center Your Life Is Your Practice: Insight Meditation Retreat

2022-08-21 Dukkha Without Tanha: Integrating Buddhist Insights and Neuropsychology 1:32:03
Rick Hanson, William Edelglass
As the First Noble Truth, the Buddha pointed to dukkha: some experiences are painful; enjoyable experiences are impermanent; and all phenomena lack an enduring essence. Dukkha is routinely (mis)translated as “suffering” or “unsatisfactoriness” - but these are not inherent in it! The Buddha’s liberating teaching in his Second Noble Truth is that it is tanha - “craving” - which turns dukkha into suffering. Biologically, we crave when we feel something is missing or wrong. So, in this conversation with Rick Hanson, we'll explore how to build up a sense of fullness and balance that’s hardwired into the nervous system, and grow the inner strengths that can meet our needs without craving . . . and face the challenges of life with an unshakable core of contentment, love, and inner peace.
Barre Center for Buddhist Studies

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