We explore five aspects of bringing our practice to conflicts - inner, interpersonal, group, or social:
1. At the heart of such practice is transforming reactivity and responding skillfully.
Also crucial are different ways of:
2. grounding and centering in the body,
3. resting in the heart,
4. maintaining a non-dual vision, and
5. continuing to be deeply engaged and acting without attachment to immediate outcomes, once we have acted responsively.
2008-05-26 Spirit Rock Meditation Center (added 2008-05-28)
Why is it so difficult to bring practice into situations of conflict? We look at five reasons for these difficulties, each of which suggests an aspect of our practice in the midst of conflicts. We then explore some resources for nondual conflict transformation, particularly the middle way of the Buddha and a "both-and" vision for working with conflicts.
2008-05-21 Spirit Rock Meditation Center (added 2008-06-11)
Transformation Beyond the Constricted Self
After a review of teachings about not-self, and an exploration of the ways that the self appears as an overlay on, or constriction of, the flow of experience, we look in this final talk at what si there when a constrictive self is absent: 1) individuality without identification, 2) awareness, 3) wmptiness of phenomena and self, and 4) compassion and responsiveness.
2008-05-14 Spirit Rock Monday Wednesday Talks (added 2008-05-24)
We first review the basic teachings on self and not-self, exploring the possible confusion and the paradoxes, as well as the teaching of the five skardhas. We then explore three main forms through through which the self appears.
2008-05-07 Spirit Rock Monday Wednesday Talks (added 2008-05-07)
Is there a self?? To explore these questions is to enter the territory of paradox. We investigate how to understand both conventional and conceptual approaches to self....
2008-04-30 Spirit Rock Monday Wednesday Talks (added 2008-05-03)
Mindfulness of the body goes against the grain of our culture yet is fundamental for most of us to bring awareness, compassion and wisdom to daily life. We explore some of the transformation possible through mindfulness of the body.
2008-04-09 Spirit Rock Monday Wednesday Talks (added 2008-04-11)
It's very challenging for our daily lives to be places of deep transformation, yet many of us want this. After looking at one of the challenges, we explore three ways to meet the challenges: 1) knowing what is important 2) taking "our bodies as our monasteries" 3) learning to "break the mirror", get unstuck, over and over again. For each of the three ways, a dharma reading and a poem are given.
2008-01-30 Spirit Rock Monday Wednesday Talks (added 2008-02-10)
Metta is a powerful practice that helps us lead with our hearts, develop concentration, and "purify" our bodies, hearts and minds, working through obstacles to metta and touching our deep luminosity. Yet metta sometimes seems opposed to wisdom and mindfulness practice, and particularly to equanimity. We explore the qualities of equanimity and then how mature metta requires equanimity and mature equanimity requires metta.
2008-01-09 Spirit Rock Meditation Center (added 2008-01-10)
The earth at the winter solstice invites us to embrace the darkness - as a stopping and stilling, an entry into the unknown, a being with difficulty, a fertile and generative source - and invite the light that comes out of the dark. We connect these themes with our practice and suggest particular further ways to practice at the solstice.
2007-12-19 Spirit Rock Monday Wednesday Talks (added 2008-01-16)
