Archive of Talks

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

The experience of the present moment looms large in Buddhist thought and practice.   Is it the complete embodiment of change, disappearing almost before it begins? Or is it where eternity lodges in every instant of our living? Ethics, Perception, Metaphysics, Character; what is beyond the domain of the present moment? Sam guided our reflections… Read more

Compassion is deeply rooted in feeling, but to be realized, it must also be grounded in skill.  Using an excerpt from a talk by Christina Feldman, Darryl guided our reflections this week on Karuna, the second Brahma Vihara, including a glance at Avalokiteshvara, the imaginative many-armed icon of complete compassion, whose multiple eyes guide various hands hold different tools,… Read more