We sometimes feel very connected with our love, wisdom, and mindfulness. At other times, we may feel disconnected from these qualities, stuck in what the Buddha called the five "difficult energies" (or hindrances). We explore compulsive desire and aversion, sloth & torpor, restlessness, and doubt - suggesting how to respond to these when they arise, both in meditation and daily life.

A continuation of the study of the Buddha's account of his awakening in the ARIYAPARIYESANA SUTTA (M.26). Mindfulness as the way to GROUND oneself in the GROUND of Conditional Arising. the subjective pole of this ground is the stopping of greed, hatred, delusion. The Buddha was reluctant to teach because what he had awoken to "WENT AGAINST THE STREAM". The talk concludes with several passages from the UPANISHADS to illustrate this.

Mindfulness in body as ground will help us to deal with our physical and emotional feelings in a non-reactive way. What does equanimity truly mean in dealing with difficult feelings.

In this retreat, we are cultivating clear seeing especially through development of mindfulness and wisdom. In this talk, we focus on mindfulness- exploring its qualities of bare attention, directness, non-reactivity, present centered-ness, and interest. We introduce the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, with a particular focus on mindfulness of the body, and how this leads to wisdom.

What did the Buddha teach that was distinctively his own view? This talk attempts to answer this question. I start to define three cardinal tenets of the Buddhist teachings: the Principle of Conditionality; the Process of the Eightfold Path, and the Practice of Mindfulness. I then examine a passage from the Ariyapariyesana Sutta in which the Buddha describes his awakening as a shift from a Place to a Ground. NOTE: The quality of the recording of this talk may be improved after 11/15

This talk elucidates the Buddha's teaching on Sattipattana - mindfulness of Body - what is mindfulness, what is its function, and how it illuminates the understanding of suffering, impermanence and selflessness.

Instructional overview of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, focusing on intentional investigation, your attention with an allowing attitude. Vipassana, clear seeing, as outcome to this practice.

Dharma Talk

Discusses mindfulness and understanding of hindrances as doorways to freedom

Dharma Talk

Viriya is a quality of mind that is an essential aspect of our path; frequently mentioned by the Buddha. Often translated as “effort” we can easily confuse this quality with one of striving or “efforting” which leads to suffering. Viriya: patient courage supports mindfulness and wisdom.

Ways to use mindfulness to help with depression.

The Buddha said that we continue to live in hostility, with confusion, because we hold onto preferences. Mindfulness practice helps us recognize and trust that awareness has no preferences

How to work with the three fundamental attitudes or habitual tendencies of mind that obscure our ability to be present and how the mindfulness ultimately reveals and liberates these forces so we can abide more in the peace of our true nature.

Unlike the three Western monotheistic religions, Buddhism is not a religion of the book. Rather, Buddhism is based on the Buddha’s enlightened experience. More specifically, among other things, the Buddha was an early scientist. He said that if you reproduce his experiment by cultivating the Eightfold Path, your can replicate the same enlightenment result in yourself. There is no need for any beliefs, cosmology, dogma or creed. Indeed, all sentient beings are endowed by the luminous Buddha nature. The Buddha merely serves as a mirror for us to see our own enlightened nature. However, this means that we need to have the wisdom to see our true nature as it really is. This wisdom is described as the “right view” in the first step of the Eightfold Path. The problem is how can we see things as they really are when our attention is so scattered and our view is so obscured by poisons such as greed, hatred, delusion, pride and jealousy? The answer is through mindful awareness. Indeed, mindful awareness is something that we can learn even the first time we meditate. Eventually, we can reach a state of effortless awareness. This clear seeing allows our mindfulness to create some space between the stimulus and our response. Instead of knee-jerk, blind response, our mind has more time to choose a more skillful, intelligent response, thus, leading to more freedom and proactivity.

Class

An overview of the Eight Fold Path with emphasis on the ways we practice it on meditation retreats and with a special focus on effort and mindfulness.

Mindfulness or awareness is the foundation for development of seclusion, liberating insight and peace of mind. The distractions in practice makes the difference.

In the path of liberating our hearts we learn to be intimate with all things. This talk focuses upon the power of aversion to create alienation and division and the power of mindfulness to uproot ill will.