Archive of Talks

The meaning of “faith” is complex and, for many of us, strongly colored by past experience. In Buddhist philosophy, the word is sometimes translated as “trust” and is based solely on our own experience. We have “faith”, after all, that the sun will rise because we’ve seen it happen so many times. It is not… Read more

Our perceptions shape our lives. Fortunately, with a little practice, we can perceive how we shape our own perceptions, and realize we are making our situations better or worse by how we perceive them. Then our whole understanding can be stood on its head, transformed: “Here in the dragon’s jaws—many exquisite jewels,” says the Blue… Read more

After leaving his cushy palace home in search of deeper insight into life, the Buddha spent most of his life in the outdoors, walking the roads, living in forests, sitting at the edges of rivers.  Most of the instructions on how to meditate begin with the direction to find the base of a tree at… Read more

Perhaps the easiest fundamental of the Dharma for almost everyone to agree with is anicca – that everything changes. On the surface, at least, it seems like common sense.  But if that is the case, why do we find it so difficult to let go of our preferences, attachments, and long-held ideas?  Sam guided our reflections on this conundrum… Read more

This Sunday Margaret guided our reflections on the Buddha’s advice about how to deal with what he called the eight “worldly winds,” which are often paired as gain and loss,pleasure and pain,praise and blame,fame and shame. “Wind” is a wonderful characterization for these circumstances, because they are as much beyond our control as is the… Read more

Last week Ginny led us in reflection on why we practice.   Lorilee built on that theme today, with a teaching on developing gracefulness in the face of suffering.  “Dukka is part of the deal,” states Eugene Cash. Buddhism teaches to become “bigger containers” for this world’s challenges.  Suffering itself can call forth a grace in… Read more