Archive of Talks

      Our starting place in the BuddhaDharma is almost always marked by Craving – for all sorts of goals, spiritual, psychological & material.   The promise of the Path is that there is a reliable way to move in the direction of Freedom and Awakening.  Sam guided our discussion this week of a key… Read more

      One of the bright promises of the BuddhaDharma is that we can shape our own mind states. And rather than just wishing for good results, there are paths and practices which we can follow to arrive at this capacity.            Ellen shared part of a talk by James… Read more

The Buddha frequently urged his followers to contemplate daily the five Remembrances that he practiced in preparation for his ultimate awakening.  The first three may be familiar–but the last two are so radical that they have the power to startle us into attention no matter how long we have been practicing. Sonia guided our investigation this week of… Read more

What does it mean to take refuge?   When on retreat, we often take refuge in the Three Jewels on the first day, and in some cases, first thing each morning that follows. But what does it mean to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in our everyday lives?   Eric offered his understanding of this and invited… Read more

Following the path of meditation from the initial stages to more advanced practice can be greatly aided by clear descriptions of how practice can change along the way.  Don utilized a dharma talk by Tina Rasmussen to share highly specific guidance on the techniques and markers of progress along the way. You can listen to the talk here:… Read more

That each person has an inherent capacity for awakening, or an already awakened consciousness or Buddha Nature is at the heart of the teachings of Dōgen Zenji, the founder of Sōtō school of Zen. Michael guided our exploration this week of some of the pathways by which Dōgen invites us to discover our own Buddha… Read more