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Dharma Talks
2025-07-30 The Pressure Which Urges Us to Evolve 56:05
Ayya Santacitta
Short Reflection & Guided Meditation | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene III | Online Wednesday-Mornings
Aloka Earth Room

2025-07-30 Non-Harming: Core Teachings and How to Practice 64:42
Donald Rothberg
We begin by remembering the three core methods of training given by the Buddha (wisdom, meditation, and "ethics"), and their interrelationship. We reflect on how ethics has often been marginalized in Western Buddhism (and at times in Asian Buddhism). We then look in depth at the first lay ethical precept, non-harming, first in terms of the core teachings of the Buddha, and its centrality in the earlier Indian traditions of the Vedas. We examine some of the more "outer" dimensions of practicing non-harming, seeing how, with mindfulness and strong intentions, we can bring non-harming into our daily lives, including in our speech and communication. We then look at the more "inner" dimensions of practicing non-harming, looking in particular at how harming ourselves or others typically comes out of our own pain, so that practicing with pain (and the teaching of the Two Arrows) is central. The talk is followed by discussion.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks

2025-07-30 Guided Meditation: Concentration, Metta, Mindfulness (including of Negative Views), and Reflections 40:18
Donald Rothberg
In this guided meditation, connected to the later talk on "Non-Harming," we begin with about 8 minutes of settling and becoming more present, developing more samadhi (concentration). Then there is a period of lovingkindness (metta) practice, including starting where the lovingkindness flows the easiest and then extending the lovingkindness to many other beings. This is followed by mindfulness practice, with guidance on exploring when there are negative or blaming views of self or another. Finally, we close with several reflection questions related to how there is harming of self and/or others at times in our lives.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks

2025-07-29 Week 4 - Meditation, Teachings, Closing 64:30
Zohar Lavie
Gaia House Unshakeable Tenderness (online series)

2025-07-26 Fearless Joy 35:40
River Wolton
Guided meditation.
Gaia House Rainbow Dharma: A Retreat for the LGBTQI+ Community

2025-07-26 Yes, Please Do Resuscitate: Reviving Your Practice | Ayya Santussikā 1:19:42
Ayya Santussika
This dhamma talk, guided meditation, and Q&A was offered on July 26, 2025 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!” 00:28: Meditation 13:42: Dhamma talk 49:05: Q&A
Karuna Buddhist Vihara

2025-07-25 Cultivating Seeds of Friendliness 38:35
River Wolton
Guided mettā meditation.
Gaia House Rainbow Dharma: A Retreat for the LGBTQI+ Community

2025-07-25 Mudita Tone for Meditation Practice: Introduction and Guided Sit (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 45:40
John Martin
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Summer Insight Meditation Retreat

2025-07-24 meditation: Radiating energy method of mettā practice 28:54
Jill Shepherd
Auckland Insight Meditation Auckland Insight meetings 2025

2025-07-24 The Metaphors of Meditation 45:08
Bernat Font
This recording also includes walking meditation instructions from River Wolton.
Gaia House Rainbow Dharma: A Retreat for the LGBTQI+ Community

2025-07-24 Patience 13:24
Shaila Catherine
In this brief reflection, Shaila Catherine speaks about the role of patience in meditation practice. We need patience to endure conditions that we cannot control, such as heat and cold, mosquito bites, and unpleasant or wanted perceptions. We need patience to continue to cultivate mindfulness without judging our degree of success. We need patience to trust the spiritual faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom to gradually mature. We need patience to observe the flow of lived experiences, simply meeting each moment with the interest to know what is being known, and the quality of mind that is knowing it. Patience is worth developing.
Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge Forest Refuge - Shaila's talks

2025-07-23 Ancient Evolutionary Structures Rumbling 56:29
Ayya Santacitta
Short Reflection & Guided Meditation | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene III | Online Wednesday-Mornings
Aloka Earth Room

2025-07-23 Guided Meditation: Listening with all your Senses 34:19
Dawn Neal
Insight Santa Cruz

2025-07-23 Honoring the Life and Work of Joanna Macy 66:54
Donald Rothberg
This talk occurs five days after Joanna's death at age 96, and two days after Donald attended a wake for Joanna at her home, saying good-bye to her. Donald first met Joanna Macy in 1977, while still a student. When he moved to Berkeley, California in 1988, he helped start a neighborhood daily meditation group of ten households, including that of Joanna and her husband Fran. So he got to know Joanna and Fran as friends and neighbors. In 1991, he first trained in her approach, later called "The Work That Reconnects" and offered this work in different venues. Over the years, they have stayed friends and colleagues, and sometimes taught together. In this talk, Donald gives a sense of the trajectory of Joanna's life and work, showing photos of Joanna spanning her life-time and interspersing stories of training with Joanna and using her practices and perspectives in his own teaching. He focuses in the second part of the talk on the four aspects of the "spiral" of her teaching: (1) starting with gratitude, (2) honoring our pain for the world, (3) seeing with new eyes, and (4) going forth into the world. We close with a brief account of Joanna's wake from two days before the talk, and a video recording from the wake of group singing about the "Great Turning." The talk is followed by discussion and closing intentions. For the slides shown during the talk, see document 318, below.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
Attached Files:
  • Slide Show on the Life and Work of Joanna Macy by Donald Rothberg (PDF)

2025-07-23 Guided Meditation Inspired by Joanna Macy's Work 38:17
Donald Rothberg
We begin with a period of settling, developing greater samadhi or concentration, and then move to mindfulness practice, including giving some attention to noticing moderate or a little greater levels of pleasant or unpleasant feeling-tone. When we notice pleasant or unpleasant feeling-tones, is there any tendency toward grasping or pushing away, in habitual or automatic ways? We then explore gratitude as a practice, simply reflecting on ways that we are grateful, first for aspects of our own lives, and then for aspects of the wider world. This is followed by opening with mindfulness to some difficult or painful aspects of our world, whether close to home or farther away, inspired to see and be with what is painful through wisdom and care. We end with a return to mindfulness practice for a short time. (This guided meditation is related to the talk that follows, honoring the life and work of Joanna Macy.)
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks

2025-07-22 Week 3 - Meditation, Teachings 1:26:54
Zohar Lavie
Gaia House Unshakeable Tenderness (online series)

2025-07-21 Morning Instructions and Guided Meditation – Emotions and Mind States (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 51:05
Rebecca Bradshaw
Connecting with the emotions and mind states with warm hearted mindfulness
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Summer Insight Meditation Retreat

2025-07-20 Cultivating a Tone of Kindness 49:29
Anushka Fernandopulle
Bringing a quality of metta or goodwill to your Insight Meditation or mindfulness practice.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Summer Insight Meditation Retreat

2025-07-19 Radically Wise Acceptance 1:19:02
Nathan Glyde
A meditation, reflection, and (just the) responses to questions on the theme of bringing intentions to life. Feeling what brings more meaningfulness, checking in with how we are right now, and cultivating the release we aspire for.
Gaia House Online Dharma Hall - July 2025

2025-07-19 What You Know and What You Believe 68:43
Ayya Santussika
This dhamma talk, guided meditation, and Q&A was offered on July 19, 2025 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!” 00:00 - 34:16 DHAMMA TALK 34:16 - 108:44 Q&A
Karuna Buddhist Vihara

2025-07-16 Appreciative Joy Introduction (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 42:02
Rebecca Bradshaw
Intro to mudita and short guided intro to meditation.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Summer Lovingkindness Retreat

2025-07-15 Week 2 - Meditation, Teachings 68:30
Zohar Lavie
Gaia House Unshakeable Tenderness (online series)

2025-07-13 Living With Illness and Loss: Guided Meditation 2—Developing Mettā To An Easy Relationship 46:15
Nathan Glyde
Gaia House Living With Illness and Loss (online)

2025-07-13 Lightly Guided meditation: What Knows Thought 43:29
Kim Allen
Uncontrived Half-day Retreat

2025-07-13 Living With Illness and Loss: Meditation Instructions 2—Meeting With Appreciation 50:21
Zohar Lavie
Gaia House Living With Illness and Loss (online)

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