Dharma Seed - Dharma Talks from Retreats

Three Month - Part 1

This six-week partial of the three-month course is a special time for practice. Because of its extended length and ongoing guidance, it is an opportunity for students to deepen the powers of concentration, wisdom and compassion. Based on the meditation instructions of Mahasi Sayadaw and supplemented by a range of skillful means, this retreat will encourage a balanced attitude of relaxation and alertness, and the continuity of practice based on the Buddha’s Four Foundations of Mindfulness.

2013-09-10 (43 days) Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center

2013-09-11 Opening Night - 3 Month Retreat 62:35
Carol Wilson	Download Listen
Refuges and Precepts

2013-09-12 Wise Mindfulness 57:55
Andrea Fella	Download Listen
The Buddha encouraged us to cultivate wise mindfulness, which is more than simply being aware. This talk explores some of the qualities that support wise mindfulness.

2013-09-13 Guided Metta Meditation 61:52
Winnie Nazarko	Download Listen
Some overview comments about Metta (loving kindness), followed by real time meditation instruction for this practice. Q&A afterwards

2013-09-13 Renunciation / Letting Go 66:18
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
Renunciation is a gateway to awakening. Through letting go of greed hatred and delusion, we can experience true happiness and ultimate liberation.

2013-09-14 The Three Refuges and Aspirations For Practice 45:13
Bonnie Duran	Download Listen
This talk offers the three refuges as a reflection for practice. The qualities of self reliance, mindfulness and aspiration - are briefly covered.

2013-09-15 Mindfulness Of Pain 61:26
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
Through non-reactivity to pain we can begin to understand its true nature and gain insight of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and non-self.

2013-09-15 The Five Hindrances - Part 1 61:58
Guy Armstrong	Download Listen
The hindrances are forces that obstruct or divert the current of our awakening. This talk discusses sense desire, sleepiness and restlessness

2013-09-16 Motivation and Wise Effort 56:53
Winnie Nazarko	Download Listen
Description of the kind of effort needed to liberate the mind and how to make this effort skillfully. Practical ways to work with motivation. Stories illustrating principles.

2013-09-17 Meditation: Experiencing the mind and body directly with right understanding. 61:57
Carol Wilson	Download Listen

2013-09-18 Doubt and Aversion: Two of the Five Hindrances 60:39
Joseph Goldstein	Download Listen
How to recognize and work with these common hindrances

2013-09-19 Investigation 57:51
Andrea Fella	Download Listen
Meditation includes this art of investigating our experience by simply being with it - rather than trying to "figure it out"

2013-09-20 Working With Obsessive Thoughts 61:46
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
Seven ways of dealing with obsessive thoughts/distinctive thoughts . The arising of thoughts beyond our control. The awareness of thoughts can make a difference between freedom and bondage.

2013-09-21 Choice-less/Open Awareness 60:51
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
The practice of choice-less awareness allows us to expand our awareness whenever the mind is over active or restless.

2013-09-21 Rubbing Up Against Dukkha 55:43
Bonnie Duran	Download Listen
This talk is about the three types of dukkha and how we might realize them on the cushion.

2013-09-22 The Five Aggregates Are Not Self 57:24
Guy Armstrong	Download Listen
This talk explores the five aggregates as a way to understand the Buddha's teaching on anatta or not-self. This insight helps us gain a small glimpse into the mystery of death.

2013-09-23 Review Of Meditation Instructions 58:42
Winnie Nazarko	Download Listen
A comprehensive review of two weeks of progressive insight meditation instructions. A reminder of the various techniques which can be used to establish presence.

2013-09-23 Metta Practice: Working with difficulty 58:39
Andrea Fella	Download Listen

2013-09-23 Metta First Expression In The World 58:38
Winnie Nazarko	Download Listen
The "back-story" to Buddha's teaching metta (goodwill)to a community of monks. A chanting (in English) of the Buddha's instructions. Discussion of objections to metta.

2013-09-24 Faith (Saddha) and Determination: Allies Of Mindfulness 63:22
Carol Wilson	Download Listen

2013-09-26 Awareness Of Awareness 59:58
Andrea Fella	Download Listen
In doing mindfulness practice we often neglect to observe mindfulness itself. We can lean a lot about our minds by watching the coming and going of mindfulness.

2013-09-27 Guided Metta Practice - Self, Friend and Benefactor 47:07
Bonnie Duran	Download Listen

2013-09-27 Equinimity 63:31
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
Equanimity is a mental quality of the heart and mind that can be cultivated in order to gain a balanced view as regards to mental states and beings.

2013-09-28 Morning Questions and Answers 15:37
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
The difference between equanimity and acceptance; the application of wise action and choice-less awareness.

2013-09-28 Cravings and its Manisfestations 48:36
Bonnie Duran	Download Listen
This talk offers reflections on the nature of craving bot individually and socially.

2013-09-30 Forgiveness Practice 59:35
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
Forgiveness practice is a process of letting go of the emotion of feeling being hurt or wounded

2013-09-30 Surrender To Truth 54:59
Winnie Nazarko	Download Listen
How "wise effort" to practice the Dharma is really a kind of receptive letting go. How our usual ways of controlling things can be relinquished.

2013-10-01 Exploring Perception and sense Of Self 55:09
Carol Wilson	Download Listen

2013-10-03 Guided Meditation: Expanding Awareness 46:22
Andrea Fella	Download Listen

2013-10-03 Mindfulness of Feeling: 62:35
Andrea Fella	Download Listen
When the experience of vedana - of pleasant, unpleasant or neutral feeling tone - is not clearly seen with wisdom, it tends to lead on towards craving and suffering. With mindfulness of feeling, we understand feeling's nature as impermanent, which leads us towards peace.

2013-10-04 Eight Precepts and Q&A 57:39
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
Reflecting on one's ethical conduct can bring a lot of gladness and joy in one's meditation practice.

2013-10-04 Sharpening The Five Spiritual Faculties 62:06
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
When the five spiritual faculties are aroused, sharpened and balanced - they can cut off the obstacles to the path of enlightenligment

2013-10-05 Retreat is Ceremony: Staying connected during intensive practice 56:20
Bonnie Duran	Download Listen
This talk summarizes the learnings from sitting in on practice interviews, IMS staff, and advise and personal reflections about continuous mindfulness.

2013-10-06 Seven Factors Of Awakening 62:40
Guy Armstrong	Download Listen
The Buddha described seven qualities of mind as leading directly to awakening. This talk describes the development and balancing of the factors.

2013-10-07 Evaluating Your Meditation Practice 54:31
Winnie Nazarko	Download Listen
We have a strong tendency to "grade" our practice as we do it. Generally, this does not work well, and this talks explains why.

2013-10-08 Wisdom Needs Compassion; Compassion Needs Wisdom 60:10
Carol Wilson	Download Listen
How being with our own suffering experiences, with mindfulness and a patient heart, is the beginning of compassion for all beings

2013-10-10 Morning Questions and Answers 15:06
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
How to work with the concept of "self" and "non-self"

2013-10-10 Dependent Origination 61:27
Andrea Fella	Download Listen
The Buddha clearly described how suffering (dukkha) comes to be in the teaching of dependent origination. Understanding this teaching helps us to recognize this process at work in our own minds, which allows mindfulness and wisdom to begin to uproot the fundamental cause of dukkha: ignorance.

2013-10-11 Nibbana: the third noble truth of the cessation of suffering. 62:54
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
Nibbana or Nirvana is the final goal of meditation practice From the time we begin the practice we begin to experience peace and happiness until we realize final liberation.

2013-10-12 The Attitude that Opens and Transforms the Heart 48:49
Alexis Santos	Download Listen

2013-10-13 Unentangled Knowing 60:56
Guy Armstrong	Download Listen
How the sense of self is created through the links of dependent origination and how not becoming lets us touch a peace that is somewhat unconditioned.

2013-10-15 Generosity: Transforming the Heart 59:40
Carol Wilson	Download Listen

2013-10-16 Q&A Session 19:33
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
Questions about Karma - All beings are owners of their kamma; all beings have kamma as their property

2013-10-17 The Path reflects The Goal 58:07
Andrea Fella	Download Listen
The eight fold path is often emphasized as the set of practices that support us to reach liberation. It is also described as being the" possession" of those who are liberated. So we can understand that in our practice of the eight fold path, we are emulating those who are free.

2013-10-18 Anger 101 66:16
Bhante Buddharakkhita	Download Listen
Through mindfulness practice, we can cast off the traces of anger and turn it into opportunities for experiencing inner peace, happiness and freedom.

2013-10-20 Joy and Happiness 62:33
Guy Armstrong	Download Listen
Joy and happiness are essential aspects of the journey to awakening. This talk explores the role they play and how they can be developed through mudita, virtue, nature, generosity, concentration and insight

2013-10-21 Pleasant Isn't Everything 66:34
Winnie Nazarko	Download Listen
A reflection and exploration of greed and the downsides of making what is pleasant our primary concern