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The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
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Dharma Talks
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2011-09-11
Wise Speech in Groups, Part 2: Becoming More Skillful in Challenging Group Situations
3:22:40
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Donald Rothberg
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We begin with a review of what was covered in Part I (July 10, 2011), covering the importance of speech practice, the basics of Wise (or “Right”) Speech practice, what this practice looks like in the context of small groups, and the basics of how to approach speech practice in challenging situations. We then bring in new materials, using short presentations and exercises, that expand our capacities to respond skillfully in challenging situations. We first examine how to direct mindful attention to emotions and underlying interests or values both in ourselves and in others (using some of the models from Nonviolent Communication and the Harvard Negotiation Project on "Difficult Conversations"). We also bring attention to our stories and narratives, using the model of the "Ladder of Inference" to help clarify how we often go very quickly to stories (particularly self-centered ones, often way beyond the "data") in challenging situations. We then develop further our capacities to use these tools and perspectives in situations in which we are triggered, and to respond more skillfully.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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2011-09-11
Talk Five - The Heart Free of Clinging: Four Expressions of Love
1:21:01
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Martin Aylward
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The series of 5 talks from this retreat explore a central feature of Dharma practice and teachings: How we get uptight and reactive (Upadana / Clinging) around our experience, and the transformational possibility of letting go. The talks cover the Buddhas teachings on the 3 main realms of experience that we cling most tightly to, as well as exploring and pointing towards the nature of the heart that is free from clinging. This fifth and closing talk looks at the affective quality of our experience in the heart. This explores the subjective experience of clinging as greed, hatred and delusion, and Martin points out how as the heart clarifies, it naturally rests into the expanded states of different forms of love.
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Gaia House
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Live and Let Go: Freedom From Clinging
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2011-09-10
Guided Meditation - Directing Attention To Arising
48:07
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Ajahn Sucitto
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Begins with guidance to establish a relaxed, steady, upright posture, wishing well throughout the body. When a balance of energy comes, begin turning the mind around. Get back to where the thoughts and memories are coming from. Direct yourself to the place of arising, before it takes form. The sense of formlessness and openness can then be experienced.
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Cittaviveka
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Vassa Group Retreat
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2011-09-10
Meeting The World
41:21
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Ajahn Sucitto
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Practice meeting your reality directly, just being with what arises without getting involved. The spiritual faculties come alive and support you. When there’s nothing you can’t meet, what else do you need? Through this cultivation, you have a calming, cooling refuge place in your life.
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Cittaviveka
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Vassa Group Retreat
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2011-09-10
Talk Four - To Be Or Not To Be : Is There a Self or Isn't There?
41:40
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Martin Aylward
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The series of 5 talks from this retreat explore a central feature of Dharma practice and teachings: How we get uptight and reactive (Upadana / Clinging) around our experience, and the transformational possibility of letting go. The talks cover the Buddhas teachings on the 3 main realms of experience that we cling most tightly to, as well as exploring and pointing towards the nature of the heart that is free from clinging. Starting with the existential, progressing towards the personal, this fourth talk explores the Buddhas teachings on the third realm of clinging - to existence and non-existence. Martin explores what we identify with - as well as what we dont, and our limited capacity to only conceive in terms of is or isnt, exists or doesnt, while pointing to a way of meeting life that isnt constrained by this reductive dichotomy.
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Gaia House
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Live and Let Go: Freedom From Clinging
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2011-09-09
Talk Three - Beyond Belief
48:20
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Martin Aylward
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The series of 5 talks from this retreat explore a central feature of Dharma practice and teachings: How we get uptight and reactive (Upadana / Clinging) around our experience, and the transformational possibility of letting go. The talks cover the Buddhas teachings on the 3 main realms of experience that we cling most tightly to, as well as exploring and pointing towards the nature of the heart that is free from clinging. This third talk explores how our ideas, beliefs and opinions obscure our true knowing of reality. Martin progresses through our views about life itself, unconsciously conditioned by both scientific and religious cultural myths, our views about and in relation to others, and our painful, evaluating views of ourselves. The encouragement is to examine our beliefs so as to make them transparent, to see life clearly, to recognize its freely unfolding process that cannot be defined by mere idea or view.
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Gaia House
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Live and Let Go: Freedom From Clinging
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2011-09-08
Talk Two - Freedom and Desire
43:34
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Martin Aylward
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The series of 5 talks from this retreat explore a central feature of Dharma practice and teachings: How we get uptight and reactive (Upadana / Clinging) around our experience, and the transformational possibility of letting go. The talks cover the Buddhas teachings on the 3 main realms of experience that we cling most tightly to, as well as exploring and pointing towards the nature of the heart that is free from clinging. This second talk explores the powerful force of wanting, and how to meet, explore and understand our clinging to desire. Martin encourages us to inhabit the movement of wanting more fully, leaving aside the objects of our desire in order to be more fully with the wanting itself. Offering three different ways for working with desire, we are pointed towards a freedom from both the obsessing about what we want, and from its opposite; the denying the dynamism and depth at the heart of our longing.
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Gaia House
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Live and Let Go: Freedom From Clinging
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2011-09-07
Talk One: Opening Talk for Live and Let Go - Freedom From Clinging Retreat: Inhabiting the Heart, Body and Mind
1:21:22
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Martin Aylward
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The series of 5 talks from this retreat explore a central feature of Dharma practice and teachings: How we get uptight and reactive (Upadana / Clinging) around our experience, and the transformational possibility of letting go. The talks cover the Buddhas teachings on the 3 main realms of experience that we cling most tightly to, as well as exploring and pointing towards the nature of the heart that is free from clinging. This introductory talk looks at the broad 3-fold field of our experience corresponding to the experience of body, heart and mind; Sensation, Feeling and Thought. Martin explores the differences in meditative approach to working with the different elements of experience, and invokes the teaching of the Middle Way in avoiding the extremes of on the one hand obsessing / wallowing in our experience, and on the other rejecting / denying / shutting down to what is happening.
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Gaia House
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Live and Let Go: Freedom From Clinging
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2011-09-03
Floating On The River Of Mind
41:34
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Ajahn Sucitto
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When we meditate, we notice that mind is like a river, constantly moving along, continually generating conditions. One thing we can always come back to is paying attention. When we want or don’t want something, it generates stress. Just be open and pay attention. This unbiased attention is most useful. Mind settles by just paying attention.
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Cittaviveka
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Vassa Group Retreat
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2011-08-30
Guided Meditation
55:41
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Ajahn Sucitto
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Mind is endlessly moving, meandering, outflowing. Meditation is about bringing the mind back through the use of particular reference points. Use the guided meditation to firmly, kindly, repeatedly bring the mind back.
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Cittaviveka
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Vassa Group Retreat
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