Archive of Talks

What is the nature of awareness? Does it differ from consciousness and mindfulness? Who or what is doing the knowing of what appears? This week, Ron guided our reflections, drawing on a talk by Guy Armstrong addressing these critical questions. The key topic was the nature of Consciousness, as defined by the Buddha in the… Read more

Cultivating mindfulness, we learn how to pay attention to what might once have seemed ordinary or unimportant. Can it be that looking deeply into the body, and learning how it shapes and holds our experience — memory, habit, belief —  might help us to avoid delusion and find the freedom we seek?  Eric, drawing on a talk… Read more

As we progress with our practice, we may discover that there are moments, or even long periods of peaceful concentration. And these moments may occur even outside of formal meditation; we may be focused on a work task, a family task, even a beautiful song or a cup of tea. When such states are present,… Read more

The Buddha taught that Three Refuges support us in our practice:  the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.  In the sangha, the “Third Jewel”, we can reflect and find inspiration.  In sangha, our minds become harmonized, our bodies are invigorated, and our hearts are warmed. This week, Stephanie brought to our group the investigation of what makes a sangha… Read more

The world is messier than we would like, so we live in delusion, trying to make it the way we would like it to be. We tend to interact with our ideas about people and things, rather than with people and things as they really are. This leads to alienation and to suffering. In Part… Read more

Intentions and motivations. Why do we do what we do? The Buddha highlighted this impulse that connects body and mind calling it “intention” [Pali “cetena”] — the urge that gives rise to all we do. Every action of body, speech, and even every thought, is preceded by this impulse.  Attending to this factor and investigating it… Read more