Equanimity is the quality of presence that is open, balanced and non-reactive. As this talk explores, when equanimity is lacking, we become easily lost in trance, identified as a defended and controlling egoic self. When present, the solidity and constriction of egoic self dissolves, and our heart is free to respond to life with love, compassion, forgiveness and joy.

Cours débutant avec une méditation guidée vipassana de 15 minutes, suivi d'enseignements sur le thème de la compassion

Wisdom and compassion are often described as two wings needed to be able to fly. This talk explores some ways in which they mutually support each other, how compassion supports deeper and deeper wisdom, and how wisdom will bring forth compassionate action.

Cultivating wise inner speech and safety

Every mind state can be met with dignity, even difficult mind states. Thus we move from reactive to responsive mind states.

Anger is an intelligent emotion, a natural part of our evolutionary design that lets us know when we are endangered or impeded in our progress. But when it locks into ongoing resentment and blame, our heart becomes armored and we lose access to a wholeness of being. This talk explores forgiving as a process of relaxing our armoring and awakening a healing compassion for ourselves and others.

Six Principles of Compassionate Action

Most of us consciously value compassion, but move through much of life without access to the full capacity of our heart. This talk explores the self-compassion that is the very grounds of loving our world.

We look at the importance of the different parts of our practice - intentions, ethics, mindfulness, wisdom and grounding in the body - for responding to difficult situations- individual, interpersonal and related to the wider world. We then look at how to develop and practice compassion in difficult situations.

Developing a wise and compassionate attitude in meditation

This talk explores stress-related emotional suffering and how mindfulness and compassion practices can serve our children’s natural intelligence, creativity and openheartedness. Trainings in presence are the hope for this next generation, and the healing of our world. CULTIVATING RESILIENCE: MINDFULNESS TRAINING FOR STUDENTS ~ How mindfulness training can benefit students and the adults who nurture them An evening with Tara Brach and Congressman Tim Ryan at Walt Whitman HS, Bethesda, MD. Talk given on 2013/10/07.

Our meditation practice leads to a natural compassion that can transform the world.

We explore compassion and practice to help us respond to difficulties particularly pain and suffering. We examine the distinction between pain and suffering, the nature of compassion, receptive and active compassion, the shadow of compassion and some types of compassion practice.

For thousands of years people have cultivated mindfulness as a complete path to awakening. Contemporary research reveals how mindfulness improves attention, reduces stress, and increases health, well being and the capacity for happiness. Mindful awareness allows you to be attentive in the present moment with the quality of acceptance, spaciousness and equanimity. It is the foundation for living with wisdom and compassion and is the seed from which springs much joy and peace. On this day you will learn the foundations of mindfulness that enable you to live with a clear and wakeful presence in every aspect of your life. We will explore this innate quality of awareness and what interferes with establishing this mindful presence. Participants will learn to cultivate awareness through accessible yet profound meditations on the breath, the body, and how to work with emotions and thoughts that can hamper our well being. You will also learn how mindful awareness provides the basis for insight and freedom.

For thousands of years people have cultivated mindfulness as a complete path to awakening. Contemporary research reveals how mindfulness improves attention, reduces stress, and increases health, well being and the capacity for happiness. Mindful awareness allows you to be attentive in the present moment with the quality of acceptance, spaciousness and equanimity. It is the foundation for living with wisdom and compassion and is the seed from which springs much joy and peace. On this day you will learn the foundations of mindfulness that enable you to live with a clear and wakeful presence in every aspect of your life. We will explore this innate quality of awareness and what interferes with establishing this mindful presence. Participants will learn to cultivate awareness through accessible yet profound meditations on the breath, the body, and how to work with emotions and thoughts that can hamper our well being. You will also learn how mindful awareness provides the basis for insight and freedom.

How to bring your metta practice alive in the midst of the inevitable cycles of difficulty and purification. Stories, poems, practices and tools to help us "keep going".

What are the hindrances to meditation - how do they manifest and how do we develop a skillful compassionate and wise relationship to them.

The Neurology of Awakening, with Rick Mendius: The latest brain research has begun to confirm the central insights of the Buddha and other great teachers. And it's suggesting ways you can help your brain to enter deeper states of mindfulness and concentration, love, and happiness. Suffering, joy, and freedom all depend on what happens within your nervous system. Skillful practice thus means being skillful with your own brain. This experiential workshop offers user-friendly information with lots of practical methods. No background in neuroscience or mindfulness is needed. We'll cover: --- The relationship between the mind and the brain; --- Strengthening neural factors of mindfulness; --- The role of concentration in Buddhist practice; --- Practical help from brain research for steadying the mind...quieting it... and bringing it to singleness. Learning Objectives for participating health care professionals- This workshop is designed to help you: a) Name two mechanisms of experience-dependent neuroplasticity; b) Give clients two examples of how repeated mental activity changes brain structure; c) Describe temperamental variations in the control of attention; d) Teach clients two ways to practice mindfulness.

Finding compassion & balance amidst the wild & beautiful changes of Life...

Dharma practice shows us how to awaken to the stillness of the unmoving mind, where joys and sorrows move freely through our heart.