Guided breath meditation on the ease of thoughts stopping. Dhamma talk on Right Speech in the context of Twitter collapsing, the rise and fall of authoritarians and fraudsters, current large positive changes taking place. How might we use social media with Right Speech.

Skilful use of fields – of precepts, skills, virtues, relaxing the sense of self and releasing the citta from it.

Our ignorance of citta's nature allows craving for objects to arise, diverting the citta towards sense objects, rather than finding and resting in itself. Awareness is key to noticing and understanding this.

Reflections on how the hindrances can effect the foundation of the mind.

When the mind is completely silent, we experience the peace and happiness of pure awareness. This far surpasses any worldly promise of impermanent gains or pleasures. Instead, through wise intuitive insight, we enter into a blessed interior seclusion. Metaphorically speaking, not a shred of love exists in the cloud where we trust storing all our important digital data. Yet with our pure awareness, we see what can never be seen in the cloud. Where else but within does the Buddha guide us to know our true nature? Giving up all self-preoccupation for unconditional love, we know the heart’s true freedom.

The Buddhist writer Wei Wu Wei wrote: "True humility is the absence of anyone to be proud." We are often humbled by life. How we handle it can either lead to defeat or profound growth. We explore how being humbled can deepen our capacity to open to all of our experience and strengthen our confidence and trust as we align ourselves with something greater than ourselves.

In a collaborative practice with others, we relax our individualities. It sets the view, tone and energy through which we can understand and purify our own kamma.

An exploration of mana, comparing mind, and its roots in craving for becoming and non-becoming

In the midst of difficulty we need access to our deepest wisdom and love. This guided meditation calls forth this loving presence by opening to the heart and spirit of whatever being in our life we most experience as calm, wise and compassionate. How do we find that inner place of calm in the midst of the storm?

The Dalai Lama invites us to trust in the power of heart and awareness to awake through all circumstances. What does that look like in the midst of our current global crises? These two talks explore what these times are drawing forward in us individually and collectively, and how we can live true to the full wisdom and love of our beings.

Training precepts provide ancient themes for spiritual development, establishing boundaries of restraint. They are guardians of the world creating happiness for yourself and others.

One of the central intentions of our practice is to learn from all experiences. This is not easy, both with difficult experiences or with wonderful experiences; we might in both cases revert to habitual forms of consciousness and behavior. We explore ways that we might "turn all obstacles into the path of practice" (as is said in the Tibetan Lojong teachings), or see "the obstacle as the path" (as in Zen). Central is our practice particularly with unpleasant or difficult experiences, studying and transforming our reactivity. We also see how sometimes there are important gifts that come from painful and/or difficult experiences; we share together in the group some of these kinds of experiences. We end with an invitation to practice with this basic intention to learn from everything in the next week!

Meeting fear with mindfulness, courage, and wisdom can lead to peace, happiness, and final freedom

This talk reflects on the deep causes and conditions for what arises in our individual experience. This view supports an understanding of "not self" and compassion

Inviting listeners to breathe softly and naturally amidst it all, Jack helps us flow through waves of thoughts, emotions, and sensations in order to come to rest in loving awareness, the timeless witness dwelling in each of us—who we truly are. “When you notice that a wave has pulled your attention from the breath, receive it. Let go of the attention to the breath, and receive it with the same loving awareness, as if to bow to it gently.”

An exploration of the clinging aggregate of Saṅkhāra, volitional mental formations, and their role in constructing self-view

This is a short, guided meditation exercise in extending forgiveness to a part of yourself. The meditation is designed for healing, and you can practice it as many times as needed, for different ages/parts of yourself.