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The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
James Baraz's Dharma Talks
James Baraz
I try to convey that the wisdom and compassion we are looking for is already inside of us. I see practice as learning how to purify our mind and heart so we can hear the Buddha inside. In doing so, we naturally embody the dharma and help awaken that understanding and love in others we meet.
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2001-10-17 Working with Fear 26:09
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
2001-10-12 Working with Fear 26:54
2001-09-19 In Response to September 11 7:25:54
with Gavin Harrison, Jack Kornfield, James Baraz, John Travis, Larry Rosenberg, Narayan Helen Liebenson, Robert K. Hall
2001-07-18 After the Honeymoon, the Marriage 1:17:32
2001-07-18 After The Honeymoon, The Marriage: Plateaus In Practice 65:46
After our initial and excitement encountering the Dharma, reality hits us and our practice may appear to stagnate. How can we renew our inspiration and reawaken our enthusiasm for practice?
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
2001-05-26 Cultivating The Wholesome: The Brahma Viharas 64:27
Right Effort includes developing and increasing wholesome states by recognizing them or inclining the mind to their development. The four states of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity can be consciously developed through practice. (Includes experiential exercises.)
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
2001-04-11 Refinements of Life 1 and 2 65:31
2001-04-11 The 2nd Refinements of Life 69:02
2001-03-29 Refinement Of Mind - part 2 60:08
The Buddha explained how concentration, energy and equanimity work together to help purify a practitioner's mind over time. How can we wisely develop and bring to balance these qualities essential to waking up?
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
2001-03-22 Refinement Of Mind - part 1 63:45
The Buddha's discourse on refinement of mind from the Anguttara Nikaya describes the process a practitioner experiences in moving from grosser types of attachment to more subtle and refined ones. This talk focuses on how the practice affects our thoughts, words and actions as we continue our journey of awakening.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
2001-03-08 The Retreat Experience: Why Intensive Practice? 58:42
Why do people go on intensive silent retreats? What is the process one goes through and how does it change us? This talk explores understanding how the retreat experience works?
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
2001-02-24 Spiritual Passion: The Iddhipadas (Bases Of Power) 59:49
Passion is often considered to be an unspiritual quality, but if used wisely, actually is the basis of spiritual power. What are the four sources of passion that motivate our spiritual practice?
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
2001-02-20 The Comparing Mind 56:23
Exploring how to work skillfully with the comparing and judging of ourselves and others.
2001-01-01 Learning To Love Yourself: A Bodhisattva Act 47:05
An essential part of liberation is including ourselves in the love we aspire to cultivate for all beings. This becomes a gift we can model for others. Why is this such a difficult task? How can we develop authentic self-love?
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
2000-11-30 Closing Talk 61:22
2000-11-25 Wise Intention 60:59
2000-11-21 Angulimala Sutta 58:56
2000-09-02 The Five Faculties 63:29
2000-05-25 Unknown 58:43
2000-05-22 Intention 58:44
2000-03-23 Losing It: How Being Humbled Can Lead To True Humility 56:49
The experience of seeing the confusion in our minds as well as its unskillful expression in words and actions can be very humbling. How can we use our mistakes to deepen our practice and turn them into a noble humility that deepens our understanding and enriches our spiritual life?
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
2000-03-02 Trusting Your Buddha 59:59
2000-02-26 Questions And Answers 61:07
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
2000-02-25 A Path With Heart 56:26
Cultivating a heart-felt motivation toward practice, and the different ways we can express this essential connection.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
2000-02-20 The Composing Mind 35:21
2000-02-14 The Brahma Viharas 66:46
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
1999-12-15 Generosity As A Source Of Happiness 62:15
Why does generosity bring us joy? How can we consciously cultivate this wholesome habit that both acknowledges our interconnectedness and develops a heart that knows the power of letting go?
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
1999-11-27 Seeing Through Limiting Beliefs 60:12
Most of our confusion comes from believing the stories, such as personal history and self-image, that run through our mind. Seeing through these stories is the key to freeing the mind and opening the heart to the realization we are much greater than our limiting beliefs.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
1999-11-23 The Process Of Awakening: Five Spiritual Faculties 59:42
Faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom build on each other in a natural development. Understanding their relationship gives us a map for how the meditation process unfolds.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
1999-11-01 Appreciation As A Source Of Happiness 61:16
The practice of appreciation is an exercise in mindfulness, openness of heart and wisdom. Whether experience is pleasant or unpleasant, inclining our minds toward appreciation allows us to open to our joys and sorrows as valuable gifts that make each moment come alive.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
1999-09-09 The Buddha's Prescription For Happiness: Seven Factors Of Enlightenment 57:18
The Seven Factors of Enlightenment are mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, calm, concentration and equanimity. When brought to fruition they lead to the highest happiness we can experience. How can we cultivate these qualities consciously in our meditation practice and in our life?
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
In collection: Foundations Of Practice
1999-09-05 The Process Of Awakening: Five Spiritual Faculties 60:37
Faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom build on each other in a natural development. Understanding their relationship gives us a map for how the meditation process unfolds.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
1999-09-02 How Suffering Can Lead To Faith 55:40
Although there is suffering - the First Noble Truth, the Buddha has taught that wisely processing our pain leads to greater faith, compassion and, eventually, the end of suffering.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
1999-08-26 Truthfulness 53:01
Truthfulness was the one quality the Bodhisattva possessed through all his previous lifetimes before his enlightenment. Telling the truth to oneself and others is a direct source of happiness and is the guiding principle for the spiritual journey.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
1999-05-22 Wise Reflection And Practice In Daily Life 58:35
Dharma practice is more than concentrated bare attention. The Buddha spoke often of the importance of reflection in developing wisdom. We can develop wise reflection on retreat and bring that attitude into daily life.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
1999-03-23 Transforming Suffering Into Happiness 61:21
1999-03-16 Seeing Through Our Stories 49:27
1999-03-12 The Comparring Mired 57:21
1999-03-09 Passion for Practice 52:55
1999-01-01 Learning To Ride The Roller Coaster: Dealing With The Unexpected 47:17
Life is a continual surprise. How can we hold unexpected challenges and ephemeral joys in a spirit of practice so that we meet experience with wisdom, equanimity and an open heart?
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
1999-01-01 Refuge In The Sangha: Importance Of Like-Minded Friendship 57:22
Why did the Buddha consider like-minded friendship "the whole of the holy life?" This talk focuses on the importance of developing a sense of community as a true support for our practice. Included are the Buddha's words on what constitutes a good friend.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
1998-11-29 Trusting Our Buddha Knowing 45:27
1998-11-25 Balance Of Effort 54:12
When whole-hearted commitment is balanced with a spacious lightness of heart, the practice flowers in a rich way. This talk explores how we can combine those two attitudes in our meditation and in our lives.
1998-11-21 Power of Intention 50:35
1998-10-15 Right Thought: Creating An Inspiring Vision 43:09
As we understand the power of thoughts to create our reality, we can empower those thoughts that inspire us and see the emptiness of those thoughts that don't serve. This is the key to manifesting our vision of awakening.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
1998-06-26 Intimate Relationship As Spiritual Practice 54:47
Intimate relationship can be a vehicle for cultivating authenticity, understanding our shadow, and true opening of the heart. The challenges and opportunities of using a primary relationship as part of our awakening process are explored.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
1998-06-19 Waves On The Oceans-Not Being Bothered By Thoughts 50:09
We can't control all the thoughts that pass through our minds. What we can do is learn how to work skillfully with troublesome thoughts and patterns in the mind so they lose their power to confuse us.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
1997-04-08 Five Hindrances 61:58
1996-12-06 Nourishing Healthy Seeds: Compassion, Mudita And Equanimity 65:30
Noticing and cultivating the wholesome states of compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity as they arise is a powerful training towards greater happiness.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
1996-11-14 Bothicitti 55:37

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