Being in alignment with the truth and falling into the natural flow of things through the practice of mindfulness.

Mindfulness to body: A guided sweep through the body with emphasis on the head and trunk of the body.

Instructional sit #4: A guided meditation on breath and body using sounding to help explore sensation of experience.

This talk begins with the First and Second Foundations of Mindfulness and continues with the sharing stories of how and where Ruth began teaching.

Instructional sit #2: A detailed description of the practice of mindfulness to breathing through exploring sensations in the body.

Instructional sit #1: Guided mindfulness to body through the practice of attention to breathing.

Understanding the complete practice of mindfulness

This talk continues the exploration of how the practice cultivates happiness and joy. Topics include mindfulness as appreciation, wonder, gratitude, bliss of blamelessness, letting go, mudita, friendship and liberation.

How metta and mindfulness are inherent in each other, as reflected by the instructions in the Metta Sutta.

Satipatthana is a description of Mindfulness.

How the five spiritual faculties: faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom serve as a map and sequence towards deeper understanding and freedom.

INTRODUCTION TO BREATH MEDITATION Learn how to enjoy keeping the mind with the breath. If you spend time with the breath, you get sensitive not only to the breath, but also to what the mind is doing in the present moment and to the way it causes unnecessary suffering for itself. GETTING TO KNOW THE BREATH We live with the breath, and yet we don’t know it, and as a result don’t get as much out of it as we could. The breath can provide food, clothing, shelter, and medicine for the mind if you take the time to get to know it well. INSIGHT FROM THE BREATH The type of insight that’s going to make a difference in the mind has to come from the mind’s being solidly based. So, until your mindfulness of the breath is really solid, this is where you want to focus all your efforts. WHY THE BREATH The breath is like a mirror for the mind. When there’s greed, anger, delusion, they’ll show up in the breath. And you find that not only does the breath reflect the mind, but you can use the breath to have a positive effect on the mind as well. THE FULLNESS OF THE BREATH When the breath in the body is full, you find that it’s really resilient and eases your burdens in lots of ways. So experiment to see what a “full breath” is. THE BREATH'S POTENTIAL The mind is like an animal: that if it hasn’t been trained it’s difficult to live with. Once we train it, though, it stops creating so much suffering for itself. So we begin by staying in one place with something really simple: the breath.

A talk on the integration of mindfulness and loving kindness, and on the importance of compassion.

The type of insight that’s going to make a difference in the mind has to come from the mind’s being solidly based. So, until your mindfulness of the breath is really solid, this is where you want to focus all your efforts.

Harsh judgements of ourselves in practice and in life may be connected to an underlying sense of not being good enough. The talk explores remedies in the moment (mindfulness and reflection) and long term (metta, selflessness).

Mindfulness is our doorway to reality, or nature, which reveals its truths to us. The qualities of mindfulness, effort and concentration, are at the heart of the meditative path. As they develop, they bring our hearts and minds ever closer to the awakened mind of the Buddha. Only mindfulness can stem the tide of conditioned thought patterns that sweep us into sorrow.

arousing the power of mindfulness by learning to see in a clear, direct and simple way

arousing the power of mindfulness by learning to see in a clear, direct and simple way

Patience and renunciation: what they are and how they support the development of mindfulness and the path to liberation.

Part 1 illuminates the fundamental nature and support of faith, or confidence, as a sustaining force in practice. Courageous energy follows, as the courage required to carry Dhamma into depths of one’s being.

Loving the purifying aspect of mindfulness practice and loving pure exploration.

Maintaining continuity of mindfulness in our moment-to-moment experience is a tightrope of continual re-balancing as life changes. Surrendering to this process strengthens wisdom and love.

The Buddha's invitation to us is "to come and see" for ourselves what is true. Investigation is the "activity" of mindfulness. It's the activity of discernment. It illuminates the object. When things are brightly lit, what is already present is then clearly seen and known, and confusion is dissipated. "EHI PASSIKA" "Some and See" investigation is the active aspect of mindfulness. It brings a clear discernment of our body-mind experience. Investigation is what lights up the truth for us.

Mindfulness is needed in all instances. It has the capacity to connect with and accept whatever phenomenon is presenting itself at any of the six sense doors without judgement, evaluation or the attachment of self-identification. Mindfulness is the "mother" of all the factors of enlightenment. It offers the great intimacy with experience that is needed for the door of truth to open.

Why be mindful? Different aspects of mindfulness including seeing clearly and non-judging as well as benefits of mindfulness practice.

Introduced by gratitude to teachers and lineage. Followed by a thorough description of mindfulness and the four foundations of mindfulness. Concluded by how to support skillful states of faith and courageous energy.

Developing faith, effort, mindfulness, collectedness and wisdom.

Mind is not pure, but it can be made pure. It has ignorance and greed, and because of ignorance and greed, we are born again and again.

The unification of the heart. Bringing the Mother Cow within us and Baby Calf within us together in metta or mindfulness practice.

Mindfulness is a collaboration of concentration and awareness, designed to balance the mind. In a context of non-reactivity the three characteristics are clearly seen.

This is really 2 talks in one, the first suggests different ways to work with strong emotions in both vipassana and dzogchen styles. The second relates the qualities of mindfulness and consciousness as used in Pali Suttas to the innate awareness of rigpa.

Mindfulness of breath leads to the potential for accurate understanding of mental and physical experience. This simple mindfulness can lead us to the end of suffering.

Through mindfulness, we water the seeds of wisdom and compassion - inherent qualities of our nature.

How these two practices of mindfulness & metta are, in fact, enfolded in each other.

Stokes Valley Monastery Retreat, New Zealand The poison arrow of ignorance spreads its toxins through passion, desire and ill will. By sitting still, applying mindfulness and surrendering to what is, the right view will illuminate our minds and will help us extract the arrow and heal the wound.

Learn how we can refine our mental skills of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. Enhanced by right view and a deepened understanding of the Four Noble Truths, these spiritual powers vanquish hatred and fear, nurturing our readiness to forgive, and the blessed qualities of universal loving-kindness and compassion. A talk given during a 10-day retreat at Bodhinyanarama Monastery, Stokes Valley, New Zealand in 2002.