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The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
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Dharma Talks
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2025-05-07
Guided Meditation: Exploring Emotions and Thoughts Connected to Contemporary Social and Political Events 2
40:16
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Donald Rothberg
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We begin with some guidance on developing samadhi (concentration) and stability, followed by practicing developing samadhi. After about 10 minutes developing samadhi, we move to mindfulness practice. After about another 10 minutes of practice, we then inquire into some of the emotions and thoughts that have been present recently, whether difficult or joyful, related to the current state of the society and world. We first relive a recent experience and then bring mindfulness to the somatic, emotional, and mental dimensions of experience. While staying silent, we also have a sense of being in community and sharing our experience. We then work with Kristen Neff's three-step self-compassion practice (shifting to a three-step joy or mudita practice if the experiences have been more positive).
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2025-04-30
Understanding and Responding to the World on the Basis of Core Teachings and Practices 1
63:13
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Donald Rothberg
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We first explore in general the relationship of core teachings and practices to the social and political dimensions of our lives. We see that Buddhist practice in the West has commonly emphasized meditation and inner practices, often neglecting or marginalizing the ethical training that traditionally is one of the three dimensions of training, even though the Buddha did often give social commentary (e.g., on the caste system) and at times social interpretations of the ethical precepts ("Let one not destroy life nor cause others to destroy life and, also, not approve of others’ killing. . . . Let one not cause to steal, nor approve of others’ stealing.'). We explore a vision of individual and collective awakening, inspired in part by more contemporary traditions of socially engaged Buddhism initially developed by pioneers like Thich Nhat Hanh, Sulak Sivaraksa, A.T. Ariyaratne, Dr. Ambedkar, Joanna Macy, and Robert Aitken. Then we give some attention to how to connect inner and outer practices, particularly focusing, as we did in the guided meditation, on practicing with challenging emotions and thoughts, and clarifying ways to act in the world. The talk is followed by discussion and ends with the setting of intentions.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2025-04-29
Listening for the Silence Beneath Everything
17:03
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Gregory Kramer
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This short guided meditation with Gregory Kramer invites participants into a spacious silence that supports awareness, curiosity, and presence. The meditation gently encourages letting go of habitual practices and idea to rest in simple awareness. Notice the hum of existence—the subtle energy of body and mind—and how beneath even agitation, words, or thought, there is always silence. The invitation is to listen deeply, beyond noise, toward the ever-present stillness beneath.
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Insight Dialogue Community
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2025-04-19
Holistic Awareness and Right Livelihood
42:02
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Ajahn Sucitto
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Mental consciousness experiences in terms of points and lines, holistic awareness is the mode the body uses for its maintenance, health and balance. This is what we cultivate in meditation, so that the heart attunes to it and is also well-maintained, healthy and liberated from stress. Right livelihood is a matter of sustaining this kind of awareness in terms of duties, collaboration and the welfare of others. These clear mental hindrances and restrictions and bring joy into our daily lives.
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Cittaviveka
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2025-04-09
Guided Meditation: Developing Samadhi (Concentration) 2
40:26
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Donald Rothberg
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This guided meditation gives more detail on developing samadhi than the guided meditation from a week ago. First, after a brief overview of the nature of samadhi (usually translated as "concentration"), instructions are given for a practice session developing samadhi, including on posture, gaze, possible objects of focus, and skillful effort. Midway through the session, some further guidance is given on "intensifying," which helps both to deepen samadhi and to cut through background thinking as well as foreground thinking.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2025-04-05
The Liberating View of Interconnection
1:24:18
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Nathan Glyde
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A meditation, reflection, and responses to questions on the power of conceiving of ourselves as interconnected. With examples from Palestine, the meditation cushion, and living with illness and loss. In all cases, perhaps this transformative idea is more potent than it is true. Some links from this session:
Essential Surgery in Palestine: https://chuffed.org/project/123753-essential-surgery-for-palestinian-medical-student
James Skeet, from Just Stop Oil, talking to Scroobius Pip on Distraction Pieces Podcast: https://www.scroobiuspip.co.uk/dp-player/?fl=https://embed.acast.com/$/ad4e2f12-9862-4cf6-b6af-3ae392c45fad/612jso&dl=
Sacred Places with SanghaSeva | Meditation in Action: https://www.sanghaseva.org/comingup.html#sacred
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Gaia House
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Online Dharma Hall - April 2025
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2025-04-02
Guided Meditation: Developing Samadhi (Concentration)
41:31
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Donald Rothberg
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We begin with a brief account of the nature of samadhi (usually translated as "concentration"), and then give instructions for developing samadhi in formal meditation. (We'll come back to discuss samadhi in more depth in the talk.) There are several reminders during the meditation to return to the focus on cultivating samadhi. In the last part of the meditation, we connect the greater stability that's developed in the practice of cultivating samadhi with cultivating mindfulness.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2025-03-28
Equanimity Meditation
45:04
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Kaira Jewel Lingo
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This meditation explores upekkhā, or equanimity—the deep steadiness of heart that meets life’s joys and sorrows with wisdom and care. Through reflections, guided phrases, and a progression of categories (from self, to loved one, neutral person, difficult person and finally all beings), we cultivate balance and spaciousness in the face of life’s ever-changing conditions. Rooted in the Brahmavihārā tradition, this practice invites us to rest in the truth that all beings are moving through causes and conditions beyond our control.
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Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center
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Return to Wholeness: Opening to Wisdom & Love - 25DW
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2025-03-22
Three kinds of Nibbana in our western Insight traditions
52:57
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Tempel Smith
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Within our blessed lineages of Venerables Ajahn Cha and Mahasi Sayadaw, and the teachings within the Pali Canon, we have found three kinds of nibbana. Nibbana is closely related to the full liberation from dukkha (suffering). To even talk about one kind of nibbana can be difficult as it is beyond language, yet there is another confusion within western Insight meditation. By practicing in Mahasi's Burmese meditaitons, in Cha's Thai Forest meditations, and here in North America, there are roughly three kinds of nibbana: a) an unperturbed background field of awareness, b) a perfect zero of cessation, and c) a stream of transient mind-body moments without greed, hatred or craving.
Knowing of these three kinds of nibbana can clarify what our vipassana practices are aimed at.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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March Insight Meditation 1-Month Retreat
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2025-03-16
Q&A
43:58
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Ajahn Sucitto
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Questions are précised. 00:36 Q1. Can you please clarify the difference between awareness and presence; 09:04 Q2 I became a monk but left due to overwhelming negative meditation experiences which are still continuing. Can you suggest something please? 15:24 Q3 In the evening I think I would like to get up early so there’s more time for practice; 19:42 Q4 I’ve been a Buddhist for 35 years but only recently have started to open up the heart. I’ve never been able to cry, only anger and depression. Since my mother died I cry a lot, even through the day. What can I do?22:43 Q5 I’m on two and a half solitary retreat. I use body practices but I am experiencing migraines. What can you suggest; 27:42 Q6 I live by myself after being asked to leave by house mates with no explanation. In my new place the neighbours pick fights with me and yell at my door. My previous housemates said I was psychotic. I am depressed. How do I not loose heart? 42:18 Q7 How can one embrace this human existence and remain unattached to any identity?
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Dhamma Stream Online Sessions
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2025-03-13
Instructions and Guided Meditation: Choiceless Attention
59:12
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Tempel Smith
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There is a style of mindfulness practice where we lightly attending a central, familiar anchor of attention, such as the breath or scanning the body, and then intentionally choose to watch our minds move through its habits and its nature. In this style of mindfulness practice we can watch our attention move through our six sense doors of stimulation. With this style of meditation we can directly see the dharma nature of our mind.
With this style of practice we have to be careful we not lose attentiveness, which can be a shadow side of choiceless attention. We want to keep learning and discovering the dharma, and not space out into half committed mindfulness.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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March Insight Meditation 1-Month Retreat
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