Archive of Talks

The Buddha frequently urged his followers to contemplate daily the five Remembrances that he practiced in preparation for his ultimate awakening.  The first three may be familiar–but the last two are so radical that they have the power to startle us into attention no matter how long we have been practicing. Sonia guided our investigation this week of… Read more

What does it mean to take refuge?   When on retreat, we often take refuge in the Three Jewels on the first day, and in some cases, first thing each morning that follows. But what does it mean to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in our everyday lives?   Eric offered his understanding of this and invited… Read more

Following the path of meditation from the initial stages to more advanced practice can be greatly aided by clear descriptions of how practice can change along the way.  Don utilized a dharma talk by Tina Rasmussen to share highly specific guidance on the techniques and markers of progress along the way. You can listen to the talk here:… Read more

That each person has an inherent capacity for awakening, or an already awakened consciousness or Buddha Nature is at the heart of the teachings of Dōgen Zenji, the founder of Sōtō school of Zen. Michael guided our exploration this week of some of the pathways by which Dōgen invites us to discover our own Buddha… Read more

Stilling the mind connects us to a tremendous sense of wellbeing.  This is not something we can do, but something we can allow and become. So the skillful question is: Living in a world filled with distractions, busyness, to do lists, etc, what can we do to create the ease and environment to allow our minds to… Read more

Bringing awareness to our experience, we will eventually notice the motions of the mind that are known in Buddhist thought as the Five Hindrances. Desire and aversion, ill will, restlessness and worry, sloth and torpor, and doubt appear and disappear, mixing in a complex alchemy that can seem, at times, to take over our life.k… Read more