Archive of Talks

Karma (or kamma in Pali), is the fifth of the Five Daily Recollections. It points to the natural law of cause and effect unfolding moment by moment. Joseph Goldstein describes karma as “resting on the tip of intention,” emphasizing that it is the quality of our intentions — more than the action itself — that shapes the Read more

The Path: what are its essentials?  How does it highlight the essentials for waking up?  How important are the most ancient traditions – and why?  And what might a modern pilgrimage look like? What is the role of others in our own awakening, and our role in theirs?  John guided our reflections this week, drawing on a dharma talk Read more

These days, we are awash in “free speech,” and lots of it is not wholesome. Much of what we experience in public and private discourse seems to be increasingly coarse and caustic. We may find ourselves drawn into toxic dialogue, in the workplace, in the coffee shop, or on social media, as relatively passive consumers Read more

Metta, or basic Friendliness, is quite wonderful in itself, and it opens the door to the other Brahma Viharas, four great virtues of the Buddhist Path. Mudita, often translated Appreciative or Sympathetic Joy – appreciating the good fortune of others – is certainly one of these, and sharing delight is something we could benefit from experiencing more Read more

In recent decades, Internal Family Systems (IFS) has offered to many people a perspective that clarifies the workings of our hearts and minds—in some ways like what we are exploring in Insight Meditation.   Drawing on several teachers in the field, Nelson guided our reflections this Sunday as we investigated the ways these two approaches might Read more

This week we received a dharma teaching by Venerable Thich Thien-Tu from Princeton Texas who visited us in person. Thanks to Jackie for organizing this talk. Read more