Archive of Talks

  • Creative Engagement with the Eight Worldly Winds

    Today Payton led a discussion on ways we can engage with the Eight Worldly Winds in a skillful manner, without being caught by the sense of self. Here are some notes on the Winds: Praise: there is a difference between accepting praise and needing it. Blame: if someone blames me does it mean that they… Read more

  • Praise and Blame: Our Response to Criticism

    Margaret led our reflections this past Sunday on how we respond to real or perceived criticism. What are our own responses to our perceptions of criticism from within and without? How about praise? How can we respond wisely when these “worldly winds” blow in our lives? The talk was supported by this recording of James… Read more

  • Meditations on Breath

    Last Sunday, Michael directed our reflections on breath, dividing the session into two parts. First was the way the Buddha described his own default practice during the long rains retreats as a “sacred dwelling, a noble dwelling, and a tathagatha’s dwelling. To explicate this, we began by listening to a short excerpt (minutes 11-27) from… Read more

  • Masks and Personas of Self

    This Sunday Wendy guided a discussion which revolved around the idea of Personas and the sense of self. The central theme was being able to exist in roles and experience the world without being caught up in one “self” or another. That is, to still have an ego, but to recognize it and be able… Read more

  • Non-duality

    This past Sunday, Sam guided our reflections on Non-Duality. This spiritual approach spans a number of different orientations and appears in different forms in Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as esoteric versions of other faiths. The discussion was broadened with a recorded talk by James Baraz: http://dharmaseed.org/teacher/86/talk/11695/ In particular, we listened to minutes 6:47-13:03 and… Read more

  • Hindrances or Opportunities

    Following our discussion of dukkha, Joey offered the guidance by Yanai Postelnik on the hindrances and how we can work with them.  You might notice how they are arising in your practice this week, naming them and bringing any part of that experience to our discussion.  Just to remind you, the hindrances are desire, aversion,… Read more