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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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2012-02-08 This Precious Opportunity 63:24
Suffering can lead to contraction and more suffering or can be a catalyst for awakening. Just why and how some people have the good karma to hear the Dharma and practice is a mysterious blessing and precious opportunity. This talk explores the different temperaments that fuel practice, known as the Four Iddhipadas.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Insight Meditation Retreat, February Month long
2012-02-03 The Wise Attitude in Practice: Relaxed, Interested, Kind Awareness 57:28
If we can remember the skillful attitude of relaxation, interest and kind awareness with our experience the practice unfolds naturally and deeply.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Insight Meditation Retreat, February Month long
2012-01-26 Amazing Grace 48:48
Suffering is an integral part of life—the First Noble Truth. How is it possible that some people go through suffering and even trauma and, instead of becoming bitter or damaged, use it as a catalyst for deep compassion and awakening? Most people don’t realize they have the choice to work skillfully with regard to the challenges life gives them. This is one of the greatest blessings of practice. Consciously appreciating this blessing brings a deeper connection to practice.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
2012-01-19 Embracing Resistance 35:46
When things don’t go the way we hoped, resistance is often a natural response. A key element in our practice is how we respond to that resistance. Of course accepting things as they are is an essential part of our practice. This includes accepting the resistance. But an even more powerful practice is actually embracing the resistance so that it becomes a direct doorway to freedom.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2012-01-12 The Honeyball Sutta: The Source of Our Confusion and the Way Out 57:10
In this discourse the Buddha explains how we get lost in our stories through papanca or proliferation of thought. The talk focuses on how papanca works in our lives and how we can work with it to free ourselves of confusion.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-12-15 Cultivating a Bodhisattva Heart 55:06
We don’t have to wait to take Bodhisattva vows to practice the Bodhisattva attitude of being there for another’s suffering. In this talk we explore principles and practices to cultivate compassion—the heart of the Bodhisattva ideal—including 1) developing a caring heart towards those we may not feel an affinity and 2) holding the pain we feel at another’s suffering with wise discernment.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-12-08 Seeing Beyond Appearances 47:44
Bay Area musician, composer and dharma student Ben Rivers speaks about what it’s like to live with severe disability from Parkinson's and Lyme diseases. He shares about his life as we explore seeing beyond appearances, relating to someone who seems different as not so different, with their own unique gifts and challenges.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-12-01 Balancing Contentment With Aliveness 48:39
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-11-17 The Buddha's Discourse on Blessings 49:53
Not missing all the goodness and blessings in our life as an aid to true well being and happiness. The talk is based on the Buddha's Mangalam Sutta, which is also known as the Discourse on Blessings
.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-11-10 From Cynicism to Love 42:08
When our hopes for a better world or better personal life are dashed, we can become cynical and begin to assume that forces of greed and hatred will win out over forces of consciousness and love. How can we keep our hearts open in the face of personal and societal disappointment?
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks

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