In this talk, you are invited into a relaxed, fireside chat exploring awareness as the mind-heart’s capacity to know without grasping, fixing, or becoming entangled in what is known. Through reflections on aspects of the Naturally Arising Practice Method (dharmaground.org/teachings) including: inward-staying (from Upasika Kee Nanayon's pointer), knowing experience from within experience, and letting go of the mind’s habitual leaning toward objects, the talk points toward the fruits of stillness, coming home, wellbeing, equanimity, and joy. This exploration of awareness supports a more spacious and wise relatedness to daily life, where even difficulty can be met with greater presence, choice, and a quiet freedom.

Exploring virāga, the fading away of craving, and how insight into impermanence, not-self, and dukkha supports this release. As the impulse to grasp, resist, and control gradually loses its hold, we can discover greater ease and the possibility of peace within the changing conditions of our lives.

Gil’s first connection to Buddhism in Santa Cruz goes back 49 years, two years after he was introduced to Zen Practice. His involvement with Buddhism in Santa Cruz has been an important part of those next 49 years. He shares his personal stories and lessons from his half century adventure with Buddhist practice in Santa Cruz and beyond.

General and specific aspects of the unfolding of wisdom.

This is a brief sample of "Feeding Your Demons," developed by Lama Tsultrim Allione.

Guided practice exploring impermanence as the flow of present-moment experience. By noticing pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral experiences arising and changing, we begin to see through the sense of solidity and discover greater ease in allowing each moment to come and go.

In the First Noble Truth the Buddha encourages us to turn towards dukkha, acknowledge it and understand it. This is essential for awakening, for freeing ourselves from bondage. This talk contains stories about how one might do this, ending with a brief intro to the process "Feeding Your Demons."

This guided meditation establishes mindfulness through the Arriving Sequence (a part of the Naturally Arising Practice Method - dharmaground.org/teachings) before turning toward objects of experience. The practice then cultivates embodied knowing, sensing the space within and without, and eventually opens to the vastness of consciousness knowing space. This spacious knowing supports a freedom from grasping, allowing experience to pass through while remaining grounded in well-being.