There are two main aspects to equanimity as a Brahma Vihara: first, a balanced, spacious mind, which is a mental factor we can know and cultivate. Secondly, an understanding of the nature of reality, known in Buddhist teachings as the dhamma, or truth, which is expressed here in the teachings on kamma (karma in Sanskrit.) Kamma simply means action, and refers to the universal laws of cause and effect and conditionality. In this teaching, the Buddha highlighted the importance of intentions in our actions. We come to understand that our lives are shaped by our choices, and the importance of bringing mindfulness and wisdom to our choices and intentions. We also should be aware that, even with good intentions, our actions can have harmful impacts, especially as we live, work and practice in communities with people with different cultural, racial, economic, gender identifications, sexual orientations, or other diverse experiences.

This is the second talk of a two-part talk titled "Mindfulness, Insight, and Compassion."

These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

Equanimity is central to the Buddha's teachings and practices, and so underlies and supports both mindfulness and metta (loving-kindness). For Samma Sati, Right Mindfulness, to develop, equanimity needs to function to keep us connected with experiences even when they are difficult or challenging, to deepen insight into the true nature of reality. In metta practice, equanimity keeps the heart open when conditions are not ideal for kindness - and they are often not ideal!

The experiences we most value – feeling creative, loving, vital – require being awake in our bodies. Yet when faced with physical pain, our conditioning is to pull away from our bodies, and get lost in thoughts. This talk offers guidance in working mindfully with different levels of pain, as we cultivate our capacity to live from an embodied presence and open heart. After the talk, Tara offers a short period of question and response on embodiment.

This is the first talk of a two-part talk titled "Mindfulness, Insight, and Compassion." According to Jenny Wilkes, "mindfulness" is becoming such a commonly used term that its depth and liberating potential may be underestimated or misunderstood. The Buddha's teaching on establishing mindfulness (the Satipatthana Sutta) invites us to cultivate mindfulness both "internally" i.e., a deep awareness of our inner experience in order to cultivate liberating insight; and "externally" i.e., an open-hearted awareness of others in order to cultivate an ethical and compassionate response. The two-part talk explores how together these can support our mindfulness practice so that it becomes, as the Buddha described, a "direct path to awakening."

When the mind is cleared of obstacles, we gain a special skill in developing samadhi. Mindfulness is the gatekeeper enabling the burning away of the defilements. There in the clear, stilled, stabilized mind of unfabricated, primordial purity, the factors of awakening arise. No where else in the world but within this seclusion of mind can we find our true home and realize our Buddha nature.

When we disconnect from the aliveness of our body, we are in a trance that prevents us from living and loving fully. These two talks examine our habits of dissociation – including the cutting off that comes from trauma – and the suffering of “unlived life” that this creates. We then look at how practices of mindfulness and compassion, guided by the acronym RAIN, enable us to re-enter our bodies, and discover the creativity, love and wisdom that naturally flow from embodied awareness.

How this the illusion of mine comes about and how to practice with it using mindfulness wisdom and compassion

When we disconnect from the aliveness of our body, we are in a trance that prevents us from living and loving fully. These two talks examine our habits of dissociation, and the suffering of “unlived life” that this creates. We then look at how practices of mindfulness and compassion, guided by the acronym RAIN, enable us to re-enter our bodies, and discover the creativity, love and wisdom that naturally flow from embodied awareness.

Dharma talk with Sylvia Boorstein from Wednesday, March 9th

Fourth foundation of mindfulness, six sense spheres, Bahiya sutta, advice on long retreats. Eat what's on your plate!

Guided Meditation and Dharma Talk from Monday Night Meditation Class on March 7th, 2016

Working from hindrances to mindfulness, and the value of a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich

This talk explores the second foundation of mindfulness, the feeling tone (vedana -- pleasant, unpleasant, neither pleasant nor unpleasant) and the teachings in the Sallatha Sutta (SN 36.6) on the second arrow.

Tonight we will review the Buddha's teaching on the Seven Factors of Awakening. There are the inherent qualities of mind that when recognized and developed in balance with each other inevitably lead onward to awakening. They include mindfulness, investigation, energy/persistence, joy, tranquility, concentration/steadiness and equanimity. Joseph Goldstein calls these factors, "The sap that runs through the Buddha's tree of liberation; a powerful healing medicine that we must actually develop in our own minds." In the Buddhist tradition, it is thought that just to be reminded of these inherent qualities, to bring them to mind, is considered to be deeply healing and protecting. Are we willing to learn to recognize them, and learn how to feed or strengthen these aspects of the mind. Here is a link to the Ahara Sutta, a discourse of the Buddha's where he describes how to strengthen and weaken the factors of awakening This discourse also describes how to feed and weaken the five hindrances

This is the 4th talk in a 5-part speaker series titled "Balanced Practice." Shaila Catherine explores the compassion of protecting others and the wisdom of protecting oneself through the practice of mindfulness. Mindfulness guards the mind and protects the mind from sliding into actions based upon unwholesome tendencies. Mindfulness also protects us from the unmindful actions that could easily cause harm. Mindfulness has a capacity of naturally drawing everything into balance, so the mind progresses with a balance of effort and ease, of tranquility and investigation, and of calm concentrated state and engaged state.

The teaching, relevancy and understanding of Karma, which is one of Buddhism's central themes, is really quite accessible and even quite ordinary. It's not something to be believed in, but rather it is to be understood as we come to see and know it in operation. Karma is 'action' or 'deed'. In the context of the Dharma it is defined as "action based on intention". This talk explores how through clarifying and purifying our intentions via mindfulness based Buddhist meditation practice we can free ourself from the actions that repeatedly throw is into suffering……free ourself from repeatedly being re-born into the realm of suffering.

A description of what embodied mindful presence actually looks like, and how one can cultivate this presence

Every moment we are planting seeds of suffering or seeds of happiness. Through mindfulness, we are cultivating letting go and generosity (non-greed), kindness and love (non-hatred) and clarity and wisdom (non-delusion)

This talk begins with the 3 kinds of Dukkha and Tanha (Craving). It then outlines how mindfulness transforms Dukkha through (1) HOW we focus, (2) WHAT we focus on and the (3) VIEW we take in our focus.

Loving awareness - mindfulness and compassion arising together

Relationship of mindfulness, equanimity, and emotional regulation

Based on the earlier meditation, we examine the importance of reflection on and mindfulness of, impermanence, both gross impermanence and moment-to-moment impermanence; why it's difficult to be deeply aware of impermanence; practices to explore impermanence; and deeper understandings opened up by practices with impermanence.

These regularly scheduled evenings will begin with a guided meditation and then open up to our practice questions allowing us time to deepen in Sangha through mindful community discussion.

Mindfulness meditation leads to insight into the nature of our hearts and minds, revealing an inherent clarity, openness, and ease. This course includes exploration of the intention behind practice, an introduction to insight (vipassana) meditation techniques, instructions for working with common obstacles, an overview of the practices of lovingkindness, and a discussion on how mindfulness can be part of one’s daily life.

Compassion is a central quality in life and practice - and is a beautiful expression of an awakened life. This talk explores what compassion is and how it can be developed and integrated into mindful awareness.

the doors to the deathless; right view the essential reference; that which can arise and be gladdened; 11 doors or entry points –4 jhanas, 4 bhrama-viharas and three immaterial states; the Buddha advised meditators to “absorb”, rather than concentrate / tightening up; a sponge must absorb to open up, not contract; need to drench ourselves in withdrawal; viveka, vitaka, vichara, piti and sukka; in the body; using wise (rather than hard or tight) attention; withdrawal from unwise attention; intention (the inclination of the heart) comes before attention and replaces immature lunging in or irresolute attention; make the intention one pointed as the mind settles down and the attention will follow; necessary wise preparation; a wise cow in the mountains; shortcoming of language; tracking the breath through the body, its beginnings and endings; a careful and deliberate enjoying is to be encouraged; open and soften; spread it through the body by directing it; first jhana; seeing the presence and absence of hindrances and learning though the simplicity of the experience of it; it’s like THIS now; not rushed , not biased or corrupted by the mind turning things upside down/ getting things wrong; appreciate the comparative slowness of the dawning quality on the citta; the open moments; pausing at the end of things; what’s helpful now?

coming out of self view; bringing forth energy; recalling the spiritual faculties; applying wise energy regardless of the system used; calm as a consequence of faith and confidence; two recollections; don’t let the citta be bound by historical or domestic considerations; willingness to do the work; feeding the citta; mindfulness of the body, the inevitable decay of the body; what is it that evades or finds truth uncomfortable; differing views of Samadhi; the” I-am” looking for support; learning to push away the hindrances through experience; noticing craving, ill will and resistance; using metta, compassion, mudita, upekkha to approach unification of the citta by removal of the 5 hindrances; now is the time to rise up to it; restlessness, boredom, doubt; know them as they are not as myself; this is not worthy of this citta; using the wisdom factor to find appropriate attention; who is that?; feel how it is; going beyond thought; discernment of the release of grasping; the shift moment and the growth of confidence in it; noticing the struggle to find something; what about the measurelessness/ the sign-less?

1. On energy and breathing; 2. On 'traffic lights' 3. Moderating the practice 4. On dealing with rapture; 5. On world-weariness & death; 6. On choiceless awareness; 7. Mindful responses to sense contact; 8. On 'not being good enough'; 9. On fatigue

This day of Insight Meditation will follow the Buddha's Way of Mindfulness, Concentration and Love, illustrating how each of us can move from clinging and attachment to freedom, from confusion to clarity and from tension to ease of well-being.

This day of Insight Meditation will follow the Buddha's Way of Mindfulness, Concentration and Love, illustrating how each of us can move from clinging and attachment to freedom, from confusion to clarity and from tension to well- being.