Our mission is to find truth by turning inward to the space of the heart. We may think we know why we are here on this earth but we can only really know when we enter the sanctuary of this inner space and turn the world off. Then we will surely find the pearl of truth we long for. It is universal, not contrived nor concocted by our ignorant mind – and it gives us a peace and happiness that is unshakeable, incorruptible, and unconditional.

An introduction and overview of the Seven Factors of Awakening

A weekly drop-in group that focuses on bringing our Buddhist practice fully into our lives. We will meditate together, listen to Dharma teaching, and share the lived experience of our practice. We aim to create a radically inclusive space where all are welcome (especially those who might have experienced marginalization such as LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, disabled, and economically impacted people). All levels of experience are invited to attend. All are welcome.

A talk given at the online retreat with Ajahn Anan on the 31 March 2022

By not resisting, by letting the waves wash through us, we began to relax. Rather than fighting the stormy surges, we rest in an ocean of awareness that embraces all the moving waves. We arrive in a sanctuary that feels large enough to hold whatever was going on.

The medicine our world most needs is compassion, and it is crucial that this include all living beings. Our societal conditioning blinds us to the horror of suffering experienced by non-human animals through our cruel system of factory farming. This conversation looks at how facing and responding to this suffering is necessary for the freedom of our own hearts, and the healing of the world.

Compassion (karuna) is an upwelling of tenderness and care in response to suffering. This beautiful quality of the heart has some "near enemies" that disguise as wise care, but cause our good intended words and actions to fall short, or even do more harm, to us and others. With song and story, this talk explores examples of near misses, and offers practices that allow wise compassion to emerge.

Equanimity is seen as the crown of our practice: it is the final parami, as well as the final quality in many other central lists in the Buddhist teaching. We will explore this quality and its liberating invitation this week.

The Ten Ox Herding Pictures

A few days after returning from four weeks on retreat at Spirit Rock, Donald reflects on a number of themes related to his retreat, including: the importance of retreat (as well as short periods of meditation) and getting away, if possible, from everyday demands and busyness; the centrality of noticing habitual tendencies and patterns; opening to the unknown and the mysterious; attending to what surfaces, including difficult material, deep aspirations, and insights; the importance of exploring "non-doing" in meditation and activities, and an opening to what is larger than oneself; and taking everything as part of a path of learning.

Our practice comes down to building up Path factors. Building up skills of integrity, loving-kindness, clarity of mind, and calm in order to be able to fruitfully meet dukkha. Clearing the ground, so citta is properly fed and encouraged to meet where the sense of self, the identification experience, comes to light – then citta can speak from its depth.

How to practically Meet Life with Awareness and Wisdom through mindfulness practice

The mind is affected by the world of sense consciousness – creates boundaries and generates a self. But what’s to be cultivated is the unconditioned where those limitations and differentiations don’t exist. Relax the boundaries with the practice of goodwill. Incline towards harmony, respect, integrity, and paying careful attention, for your welfare and the welfare of others. This is an end to our proliferations.

Reflect on the value of a peaceful heart. What is it like to have a peaceful heart among the worldly winds of praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, fame and disrepute. These are the worldly winds that constantly change. It's important to stop, take a pause, and feel that we are part of something so much greater than the individual life that we live. Our awareness is big enough to hold all of this, because we are awareness itself.

We are in a time of great transition. The climate crisis, the pandemic, war, injustice, racism: they're all pressing on us to live in a different way. And if you live with a peaceful heart, the point is not to let your heart get hardened. Don't turn your gaze away. But see another possibility—see with the great heart of compassion. My teacher Ajahn Chah said, "We human beings are constantly in combat, at war to escape the fact of being so limited by so many circumstances we cannot control. But instead of escaping, we continue to create suffering, waging war with evil, waging war with good, waging war with what is too small, waging war with what is too big, waging war with what is too short or too long, or right or wrong, courageously carrying on the battle. It's time to stop the war. " The sociobiologist Edward O. Wilson said, "The real problem of humanity is the following: we have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology." The first response is tend the wounds, feed the hungry, and stand up for peace in whatever way you can. But there is also an inner response needed. We know where war starts—it starts in the human heart. We must make the heart a zone of peace. Set your compass to your highest intention. Something in us knows there is another way.

This talk explores the basics of mindfulness from the perspective of attention, attitude, and intention. It touches briefly on the five hindrances and includes a story about an exploding egg. Good for beginners!

What is This ?

Mindfulness of Body and Breath Instructions - 1st day of a retreat

The thinking mind conceives, weaves into being other people and self; it’s very convincing. But there is a choice – you can refer to things, people, situations – or you can refer to where faith arises. Turn to that faith-vehicle and let the energies and the tonality of faith, generosity and virtue shape mind (or ‘heart’ citta). Then you find a proper basis for mindfulness.