Archive of Talks

In his article in the spring Tricycle “The Elephant in the Dharma Hall”, Buddhist scholar John Peacock quotes Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek:  “Although Buddhism presents itself as a remedy for the stressful tension of capitalist dynamics, allowing us to uncouple and retain inner peace…it actually functions as capitalism’s perfect ideological supplement…The “Western Buddhist” meditative path… Read more

Concentration is the final element listed in the Eightfold Path – and throughout our practice life some degree of concentration is necessary to be able to look deeply into the workings of the mind.  This may range from the amount of attention necessary to read a book (Ajahn Cha) to the profound absorptions of the jhanas… Read more

Sharing Joy, celebrating the good fortune that comes to others, can be quite individual. But it can also be deeply social – as when we work for social justice to change the lives of others for the better.  We can work with joyful hearts to move beyond racism, economic inequality, gender bias and the like, rather… Read more

Gratitude is a doorway into our practice. We are always in relationship – interdependent with everything around us.  An attitude of gratitude – fully realizing ‘I am receiving this in this moment’ – can be felt in the body. It relaxes and calms the mind.  We are unstuck, and the world looks new. With open eyes, we… Read more

Stress is at the heart of most suffering, and many teachers today have begun to use “Stress” as the best translation of Dukkha.  Stress is stressful not only because we resist it, but because we actually  participate in its creation as well.  Ironically, we may seek to ‘cure’ it by engaging in other activities that are themselves stressful.… Read more

All indigenous healing systems highlight the elements we humans share with the physical world we inhabit, and from which we arise—Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Lorilee facilitated our session this week based in a guided Gaia meditation by Jenny Wilks, exploring our true nature and what we are made of. You can listen to the meditation… Read more