Archive of Talks

  • Different ways of seeing our experience as not personal

    How often do we feel harshly put upon when things don’t go according to our liking? A big tree falls on your car. The doctor’s office calls with the seriously bad results of your test. The drain in your shower is clogged. Your computer freezes and won’t do anything. Ants show up at your picnic.… Read more

  • Four Truths, Tasks, or Vows

    What are the Four Noble Truths? Buddhist practice epouses practice and insight, and yet the core teaching of the path is a short list of statements. How can we look at this teaching from another perspective? Perhaps the Truths are meant to be activity rather than philosophy. This week Eric played a talk by Stephen… Read more

  • How Nature reveals dharma

    The natural world offers us readily accessible opportunities to become intimate with the wisdom and qualities we work so hard to cultivate in enclosed spaces. Bringing our bodies and our senses into the present, nature reveals the laws of dharma, things just as they are. Mark Coleman’s talk, “The Wisdom of Nature Practice,” presents a… Read more

  • Dharma & the Ancient Wisdom traditions

    The time before, during, and after the teaching career of the Buddha were rich in other Wisdom traditions worldwide. Some of these can shed light on the dharma with implications for a richer practice. Michael guided our discussion of these intersections this week and their possible potential. Some quotes from the talk and discussion: Lost… Read more

  • Social Anxiety and Buddhism

    While it’s not a new phenomenon by any means, the physical distance created between people by the Pandemic has made the topic of social anxiety much more ubiquitous in our culture. The fear of judgement by others, always present in our minds, can suddenly be debilitating. This can make everyday activities become traumatic events and… Read more

  • Unresolved pain in the heart

    Last week’s sangha conversation ended on the topic of dealing with the dissatisfaction of our current worldly condition and the ‘death of optimism.’ This week, Evelien played off of that topic and the concept of ‘death and rebirth’ with Mark Nunberg’s talk called ‘Meeting and Healing the Unresolved Pain in the Heart’.   Mark Nunberg talks about… Read more