Archive of Talks

The Eight worldly winds of pleasure/pain, gain/loss, fame/disrepute, and joy/sorrow seem to present us with the never ending problem of attachment to some of them and aversion to the others.  Can we see this problem as beautiful? Drawing on a talk by Michele McDonald, Eric guided our reflections this week. One of the beautiful aspects Read more

There is a melody, often with a repeating lyric that we encounter in the first level of mindfulness.  But there’s a second melody available too — much richer, easy to overlook, but always present. Drawing on a talk by Brian LeSage, Don guided our reflections this week, focusing on this second melody, which we feel and touch Read more

Peace begins with our own hearts and minds.  As we treat ourselves, so we treat the world. Continuing our study of the Brahma viharas, we’ll turn our attention to compassion, and specifically self compassion. Lorilee guided our reflections this week drawing on a dharma talk by Beth Sternlieb at Spirit Rock. You can listen to the Read more

An awakening and opening of the heart is central to how many of us experience the contemplative path. Loving-kindness and compassion are often spoken about in Buddhism, but what about the other ways that love and even heartbreak are present and necessary on our path of awakening? This week, Tucker guided our reflections, drawing talks Read more

Humility may seem like a subdued virtue, but exploring it in depth reveals the humor, the insight and the surprise that can come in discovering the subversive forces that alternately undermine and promote humility.  Eric guided our reflections this week, drawing on a talk by Cara Lai, offering fresh insights into this quality we are often Read more

Equanimity may appear at the summit of the Seven Factors of Awakening, the Ten Paramis, and the Four Brahma Viharas, but it can prove essential, and attainable, right in the midst of everyday life.    Jackie, guided our investigation of Equanimity this week, drawing on her own experience and a talk by Jill Shepherd. A link Read more