Archive of Talks

The roots of the idea of one’s Buddha Nature are to be found in Early Buddhism; its flowering, in the Mahayana, Vajrayana, and Zen. What is this elusive quality of Being which grounds Awakening, and allows us to step forth into a kind of freedom that’s deeply connected to all the world? Michael guided our… Read more

This Sunday, the purpose of our meeting was to arrive at the best ways to sustain and carry forward the work of our sangha, in ways that benefit all. Sam framed our meeting with reflections from Shaila Catherine about dharmic perspectives on arriving at skillful decisions.  You can listen to Shaila Catherine’s talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/19180.html In… Read more

Intentions are important, even critical. In our criminal justice system, a trial attempts to ascertain the intentions of the perpetrator. In our everyday relationships our intentions can be obvious at times we wish that they were not. Buddhism treats intentions as crucial to our success along the path. This week, Jeff facilitated an exploration of… Read more

What does it mean to have your life become the practice and the practice to become your life? How do you do that? Leslie Booker gives a talk about how she has incorporated sila and the Five Precepts to be her north star and how living from the mindset of sila embodies a life lived… Read more

Almost everyone in our sangha has been practicing long enough to hit a dry patch, where meditation becomes dull and routine.  But then something happens that renews our practice. We go on retreat; we change our method in big ways or small.  Perhaps we take a vow, or discover an ancient mantra’s power.  Someone close to us… Read more

How do we process and respond to increasing societal oppression and violence? What helps us transform the energies of fear, hatred and delusion. To help shed light on this discussion, this week Ron drew on a talk by Tara Brach, which you can view at the link below. Read more