Author: Payton Swick

The Buddha taught many different practices for wisdom and compassion, but one which is not often discussed is how to set appropriate boundaries for one’s self and others. And yet, this was actually a core of the early Dharma and is essential to both our wise action in the world and our mental health. This week, Payton guided a discussion on the experience and challenge of setting healthy boundaries from a Buddhist perspective. 

You can listen to the talk Payton played here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/78014/

     The Buddha frequently closed his dharma discourses recommending that his followers then turn to take up the practice of the Jhanas, to help them deepen their practice and complement their understanding.  The Jhanas outline a progressive path of stilling, clearing, and focusing the mind that takes us beyond the practices of vipassana, and into a different region of consciousness.  

     Dharma teacher Leigh Brasington has become well known for some years as an advocate for practicing the jhanas.  This Sunday Don drew on a talk by Brasington as a way of framing our conversation about the value, difficulties, and opportunities we may encounter when entering these ever quieter states.

You can listen to the talk here: https://www.dharmaseed.org/talks/64153/

At the heart of forgiving is developing a skillful, unstuck relationship past harm — ours or others.  Choosing to forgive, we end the story of suffering and all that flows from it, then or now.  It is a kindness toward ourselves as well as others.

Jeff guided our steps over this tender ground this week, drawing in particular on Yuka Nakamura’s talk on “The Capacity to Forgive”.

You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/74862/

“If you want to see the brave,
look to those who can return love for hatred.
If you want to see the heroic
look to those who can forgive.” — Bhagavad Gita

Winnie Nazarko define forgiveness as follows: The process of developing a skillful, unstuck relationship to the past harmful actions of ourselves or others. It involves choosing the intention to forgive in order to end a suffering relationship to the story, to the people involved and to current arisings which are related to it. This is a way to let go, disengage from continued harm and entanglement with suffering.

What maintains and what strengthens a healthy Sangha? How does practicing in Sangha support us on the path to liberation, in our practice and in our life generally?  As Sangha members become our dharma friends, might we meet for other events beyond Sunday mornings?  Darryl framed our discussion this week with a talk by Jill Shepherd and a few words from Larry Ward.

You can listen to Jill’s talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/69792

You can hear Larry’s talk here: https://forthewild.world/listen/dr-larry-ward-on-healing-the-colonial-mind-296

     This Sunday’s In-person Meeting of the Sangha featured Tea and Cookies to accompany the discussion circle around the coffee table, all provided by Stephanie, our presenter.  

     In a world in which our media and politics often deploy Fear as a primary motivator, Stephanie will share a talk by

The recorded talk was by Ayya Medhanandi, guiding teacher of Sati Saraniya Hermitage in Perth Ontario, Canada. Her talk explores the false, fierce tyranny of fear, and how by emptying the mind of fearful thoughts, we stop clinging to anything in the world – one moment at a time.

You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/81711/

     Each of us knows the experience of having our minds hijacked by extraneous thoughts that whisk us far away from the present.  Among the ways we seek to correct course is to draw upon the capacities of our individual minds, by trying to ‘concentrate harder.’  

     We rarely seek balance outside ourselves.  

But as we sit together, we may be embedded in the solution – the sangha itself.   Practicing with sangha can strengthen our mindfulness, thin our perceptual distortions, and help us find our ground again.  

     Darryl guided our reflections this Sunday, drawing on excerpts from talks by Christina Feldman and Jill Shepherd.

You can listen to these talks here:

Christina’s talk: https://www.dharmaseed.org/talks/player/78898.html (part of a series that starts here: https://www.dharmaseed.org/talks/player/78895.html)

Jill Shepherd’s talk: https://www.dharmaseed.org/talks/player/69426.html

     It is sometimes noted that the Early Buddhist teaching tradition, in which our sangha mainly operates, is not entirely intuitively persuasive about anatta, non-self.  

     Other related traditions can provide experiential and intellectual support for the context out of which anatta arises.  This week, Eric brings to us a guided meditation from Richard Lang and a talk from James Low, a Scottish teacher in the Dzogchen practice of Tibetan Buddhism, who invites us to zoom out and notice the no-thingness of any arising phenomena.  Even trees.

Listen to the full talks here (we heard excerpts from the first two): https://simplybeing.co.uk/audio-records/year/dissolving-attachment-18-2017/

Some may be familiar with the poet Matsuo Basho’s haikus, each a literary snapshot of a moment in time.  One of his most famous is “The old pond,” here translated by Robert Hass:

The old pond–

a frog jumps in,

sound of water.

The more we look into it, the more remarkable it becomes. Artistic expression has a long-standing history in Buddhist tradition, with mindfulness and creativity feeding one another and resulting in an increased sense of presence and aliveness. Andrea hosted this week’s talk with a recording by Anne Cushman that elaborates on the role of creativity in our mindfulness practice.  

You can listen to today’s talk here:

https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/15870.html

The year’s beginning is a good time to renew our practice – and going back to basics with a fresh perspective can be a good way to do that.

Jackie guided our session this Sunday, drawing on the approaches taught by dharma teacher Tuere Sala, known for her emphasis on meeting overwhelm and stress with grounding in somatic experience.

You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/80508.html

Doubt is the fifth of the Five Hindrances, which the Buddha taught. Phillip Moffitt considers doubt to be the most devastating of the hindrances because when it arises and overwhelms the mind, the mind ceases to work to understand itself. Doubt also undermines effort. In this talk, Moffitt deconstructs doubt and suggests ways of applying mindfulness practice to it. Stephanie shared the talk this Sunday and guided a lovely New Year’s Eve discussion.

You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmawisdom.org/doubt/