Archive of Talks

This Sunday, Don again took us on an excursion into the jhanas, those states of deeper concentration that were touchstones for the Buddha and his disciples.  These progressive levels of focus can be accessed in well-defined progressive stages, and a high level of jhana is the subject of the dharma talk by Leigh Brasington which anchored our… Read more

Is there a better moment than this moment? That is a key question that Narayan Helen Liebenson posed during a recent Dharma talk devoted to liberation realized as always already in the present moment. Sam hosted this week as we explored this insight using excerpts from Narayan’s talk, along with more input from John Peacock. Sam quoted from the Middle… Read more

Throughout the ages of Buddhism, monks have been supported by receiving food from their communities, traditionally by going on rounds with a begging bowl. The lay people would place food and medicine within these large bowls which would then be used by the monks not only to feed themselves but also their entire Sangha. Even… Read more

We may have begun spiritual work in a quest for certainty, but the more we examine our lives, the more we see how uncertainty is a constant – just as the Buddha predicted.  Darryl has chosen excerpts from a talk by Mark Nunberg to help frame our exploration of the role of uncertainty in our lives.… Read more

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