Archive of Talks

  • Are we Called by the Dhamma, or Freed by it?

    Does the Dhamma call us and guide us to a kind of action, or does it free us to act more spontaneously with whatever arises?  Drawing on a talk in which Gil Fronsdal explores this distinction with subtlety and insight,  Ellen guided our reflections on this question and its implications for each of us, as we pass… Read more

  • Liberation and Interconnection

    Steve was this Sunday’s Topic and Presenter. He drew on a talk by Jack Kornfield, in which Jack fearlessly confronts some of the most difficult and divisive issues afflicting our society and reminds us: “The inner practice of liberation is not an individual matter. One of the deepest realizations that comes when we meditate, as… Read more

  • Stepping Free of Habitual Suffering

    Our habit energy, invested in trying to control the world, leads to our suffering. The Buddha instructs us to lay down the burdens of life and experience freedom. Following the Buddha’s path insulates us from external conditions. This week Jeff shared a talk given by Mark Nunberg entitled, “Mountains are only heavy if you try… Read more

  • Subtle perspectives on the climate crisis

    Our role in the climate crisis is usually understood as the heedless use of energy polluting the atmosphere, resulting in escalating temperatures which produce aberrations in the environment at large. Perhaps a greater depth of understanding can be discovered in the image of Indra’s Net, a symbolic representation of interdependence with ramifications in many dimensions… Read more

  • Coming out of nowhere

    We have all had them, these “coming out of nowhere” moments when we are just here right now; when nothing happens but everything is different somehow. Ron guided our visit to this mysterious territory this week, drawing on the insights of a dharma talk by Brian Lesage, who leads us to look deeply into these… Read more

  • The Greatest Question

    As 2023 begins to unfold, we find ourselves in the midst of what Duane Elgin calls a “global initiation process for humanity”, with climate chaos intensifying suffering for all sentient beings. How can our meditation and mindfulness practices help us to work constructively with the anger and grief that naturally arise in response? Jane led… Read more