Short Reflection & Guided Meditation with an poem by Rainer Maria Rilke | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene III | Online Wednesday-Morning

This dhamma talk, guided meditation, comments, questions and responses was offered on March 28, 2026 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!” Also included at the end is a sharing of a document titled "Practices for Before, During and After Dying." The document was created by Ayya Santussikā and includes suggestions on how to prepare for when you are dying and what friends and relatives can do after you die. Please note this document is a work in progress where changes may be made. You can find the document located on the following webpage https://www.karunabv.org/winter-retre... 22:38 - Dhamma Talk (DN 16.31) 29:50 - Comments, Questions & Responses (DN 16.31) 33:56 - Dhamma Talk (DN 16.34) 59:31 - Comments, Questions & Responses (DN 16.34) 1:14:04 - Introduction & Overview of Document “Practices Before, During and After Dying” 1:24:07 - Comments, Questions & Responses on "Practices Before, During and After Dying" From January 4th to April 2nd 2026 the regularly scheduled Saturday morning program taught by Ayya Santussika, will take many of the suttas referenced in "Mindfully Facing Disease and Death" by Bhikkhu Anālayo as their basis. For those who want to dive deeply into this material, you may want to read the book as we discuss the suttas, listed below. Jan 10 SN 22.1 Nakula’s Father Chapter 2 Jan 17 SN 36.6 An Arrow Chapter 3 Jan 24 SN 22.88 With Assaji Chapter 10 Jan 31 SN 22.89 With Khemaka Chapter 11 Feb 7 AN 10.60 With Girimānanda Chapter 12 Feb 14 SN 3.22 Grandmother and SN 47.13 With Cunda Chapters 13 & 14 Feb 21 MN 143 Advice to Anāthapiṇḍika Chapter 16 Feb 28 SN 55.3 With Dīghāvu and SN 55.54 Sick Chapters 17 & 18 Mar 7 SN 36.7 The Infirmary (1st) Chapter 19 Mar 14 AN 6.56 With Phagguna Chapter 20 Mar 21 SN 35.74 Sick (1st) and SN 41.10 Seeing the Sick Chapters 21 & 22 Mar 28 DN 16.31, 34-36 The Buddha’s Last Words Chapter 23

A reflection on the Buddha’s teaching of gradual practice, emphasizing patience and trust in the slow unfolding of the path.

Short Reflection & Guided Meditation | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene III | Online Wednesday-Morning

Situation Crafting in the social science of creating conditions that bring out the best in a group and/or an individual. One could see the teachings of the Buddha as elegant situation crafting with the aim of creating conditions that gradually led to awakening. Through meditation, contemplative inquiry, study, and reflection, we’ll explore how the teaching of spiritual friendship is a brilliant form of situation crafting that liberates the heart.

The Dhammapada is the most well-known collection of the Buddha's words. Consisting of 26 chapters in 423 verses, it contains pith teachings from discourses that are found throughout the Pali Canon. This talk explores some verses that are relevant in these times.

This dhamma talk, guided meditation, comments, questions and responses was offered on 4th of April, 2026 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!” 00:43 - Guided Meditation 28:09 - DHAMMA TALK 57:28 - COMMENTS, QUESTIONS & RESPONSES

Two questions about worry: Q1 Anxiety creeps in and brings imbalance and I fail to immediately recognize the signs. What can you advise? Q2 [continues] When sitting I go through the worry of being a failed mother of a grown-up child. Aversion, and craving how I'd like to see things different. I'm trying to be with these thoughts rather than in them. The inner tyrant exaggerates the situation. How do I deal with the worry? 16:47 Q3 Please explain about, and in what way, consciousness is an element. I've heard Ajahn Sumedho say it is an element. 30:34 Q4 Relationships are complicated and painful. However as my "don't take your life personally" practice goes on, it seems people around me can present problematic relationships. Another one: I've been experiencing feelings of being a misfit. Your speaking about personality as a "me bag" was illuminating and a release from taking it personally. But if I withdraw from others, I meet my inner critic and get berated for not fitting in. So I'm lost either way! Q5 38:03 I've become aware of a familiar feeling of being trapped as a result of my work situation. I can feel it and yet feel at ease at the same time. This was deeply heartening. Q5 41:02 Sometimes when you are talking there's a sharp nasal blowing sound. What's happening? It's quite jolting to the nerves as I'm listening. Also I noticed that you often laugh when things are distressing? What is this about? I don't mean to be respectful.

Ajahn Viradhammo reflects on the "foreground" and "background" idea that he often speaks about. The background is the awareness, and the foreground is the objects that arise and cease in awareness. When those objects are unpleasant or pleasant to we become obsessed by them, and "become" them. Or can we stay as the background watching phenomena arise and cease?

This talk continues exploring teachings from the Dhammapada, the most well-known collection of the Buddha's words. It shares the Buddha's teachings on harmlessness and the consequences of causing harm or threatening to cause harm. These verses seem relevant to current times.

From a simple moment of contact, the mind can create a lot of mental proliferation (papañca), leading to stress and conflict. This talk shows how to interrupt that process through clear, present-moment awareness, drawing on the Honey Ball sutta (MN18), and the Buddha's teachings to the wanderer Bahiya (Ud 1.10).

Short Reflection & Guided Meditation with quotes from Sand Talk, a book by Tyson Yunkaporta | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene III | Online Wednesday-Morning

This dhamma talk, guided meditation, comments, questions and responses was offered on April 18, 2026 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!” 00:00 - 22:50 Guided Meditation 22:50 - 45:00 DHAMMA TALK 45:00 - 1:30:00 COMMENTS, QUESTIONS & RESPONSES

Drawing from their new book "This Messy, Gorgeous Love: A Buddhist Guide to Lasting Partnership", devon and nico share practical insights on bringing mindfulness and compassion into the beautiful complexity of intimate relationships. A guided meditation is followed by a teaching.

Short Reflection & Guided Meditation with a poem by Karen Salmansohn | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene IV | Online Wednesday-Morning

This dhamma talk, guided meditation, comments, questions and responses was offered on April 25, 2026 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!” 00:00 - GUIDED MEDITATION 21:52 - DHAMMA TALK 50:42 - COMMENTS, QUESTIONS & RESPONSES

This talk explores the life of the Buddha from his early years as Prince Siddhattha through his awakening under the Bodhi tree. Through his search, struggles, and realization, we uncover insights into suffering, striving, and the Middle Way.

Short Reflection & Guided Meditation with a poem by Anne Hillman | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene IV | Online Wednesday-Morning

Dedicating time to mindfulness practice supports deepening and widening awareness in every moment of our lives. This nourishing and reflective evening will welcome you to fully embody awareness. In the guided meditation a strong emphasis will be placed on noticing the simple experiences of embodiment, like adjusting the posture and seeing the environment around you. The dharma talk will provide context and offer inspiration for bringing fuller attention to the body both in daily life and when sitting.

James has been offering reflections on the Dhammapada, the Buddha's collection of pithy teachings, and how they can be practically applied in our lives. Dhammapada Verse #165 emphasizes that individuals are responsible for the direction of their own spiritual unfolding. No external force or person can do it for us. This talk explores the implications.

Freedom can't be something that is "fascinating", it has to be bigger than the dualistic polarity of the conditioned world. That is something beyond fascination and boredom. The modern consumerist world want to keep us fascinated, keep us "engaged", so we continue to consume. What happened when we step outside that constant stimulus. And boredom sets in?

This talk explores the Buddha’s life after his awakening, his first teachings, and the wisdom he shared near the end of his life.

Practice can sometimes feel complicated with so many different techniques and instructions on how to extricate oneself from identifying with our experience. Using approaches from Tibetan Dzogchen and other non-dual teachings this talks explores the profound simplicity of letting go of all trying as a way to come back to our true nature.

Dhammapada Verses 129-145 Violence The text can be found here: https://suttacentral.now/dhp129-145 Look for Ācāriya Buddharakkhita version.

This dhamma talk, guided meditation, comments, questions and responses was offered on the 9th of May , 2026 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!”

Drawing on the legend of the Buddha touching the earth and the Barre town motto that named her retreat center, Sharon Salzberg explores viriya — the pāramī of energy, effort, and courageous application. This talk examines how right effort lives in the middle way between strain and indolence, how the integration of inner and outer work makes the dharma real, and how we claim our own right to aspire to freedom.

Questions are précised: Q1 Sometimes it's difficult to know what the right thing to do is. Or perhaps doubt arises when the moment has passed and you think maybe I misunderstood or I misinterpreted. Q2 05:49 How do we resolve things that in the heart remain unresolved, unfulfilled for a long time, even over generations and continue to unsettle us? Q3 13:00 You said earlier that thoughts don't have an endpoint. The image that came to my mind was scrolling on a phone. Could you talk a little more about that? Q4 21:31 Could you explore the process of resolution. Is there something that I can do to integrate the energies? Q5 25:57 I want to ask about clinging and letting go. How is the clinging happening? What is the difference between repressing/ pushing away and letting go?