Mindfulness of the body feelings, emotions, thoughts, and hindrances.

This talk was given as a part of the series "Enhancing Mindfulness Skills: A Seven-Week Series Dedicated to Cultivating Transformative Insight." This talk focuses on "Four Elements." It is a traditional practice of mindfulness of the body. In ancient India, the materiality of the body was thought to be composed of four elements—earth, fire, wind and water. These four elements, in turn, have twelve characteristics—(earth) heaviness and lightness, hardness and softness, roughness and smoothness; (fire) heat and coolness; (wind) pushing and supporting; (water) fluidity and cohesion. All of these characteristics can be known with our mind and in our body. Discerning the characteristics of material elements will lead to a profound contemplation of impermanence and death. Seeing the impermanence of the body, we know we cannot control it. The body is not-self, it is not possessable, not I, and not eternally me. Understanding the impermanence of material elements and this body composed of elements, we learn to let go. This talk concludes with a guided meditation of body scans, with emphasis on the four elements and their respective characteristics.

Meeting pain with mindfulness is a very skilful way of understanding the true nature of unpleasant physical sensation.

The practice of mindfulness of the five hindrances can help to understand their impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and impersonal nature and thereby experience freedom

This talk discusses why we bring mindfulness to the body. What are the various insights we can have through these practices and how they can help us.

Guided Meditation on the five hindrances; sense desires, ill-will, restlessness and worry, sloth and torpor and doubt

This talk was given as a part of the series "Enhancing Mindfulness Skills: A Seven-Week Series Dedicated to Cultivating Transformative Insight." How do we approach the breath? The breath can be used in a variety of ways to enhance mindfulness and to cultivate the insight into impermanence. Observing the breath calms the mind and allows us to tune into present moment experience. By observing the changes in breathing we can assess our feelings, emotions, and moods. Realizing the impermanent, conditioned, changing nature of the breath supports a skillful and powerful recollection of death. Let this contemplation of death be poignant enough to stir a sense of urgency. Reflect on what is really important in life.

When harmful or unhealthy habits form, they can cause us much suffering and they can be hard to change because they are carried out automatically and without conscious awareness. Mindfulness is a key to changing harmful or unwanted habits as it provides skillful methods and practices to bring them into the light of awareness. Three elements of mindfulness are particularly important in changing unhealthy or unwanted habits - Intention, Attention, and Attitude. The talk explores these three elements with a focus on Intention.

On dukkha and what it means, on sati and its seed quality in the development of stillness, wisdom, brahmavihāra and ethics. 3 specific ways in which mindfulness transforms the experience of dukkha.

You're probably very familiar with the power of mindfulness. But as powerful as it is to just see things clearly, we can include a perspective that will bring richness and depth to our dharma practice.

This talk was given as a part of the series "Where Rubber Meets the Road: A Series on Mindful Living." A real place for us to check our practice is in our relationships. After all, we are deeply relational beings. Sometimes, our deepest grooves in our minds are only stimulated in relationships. Defilements and habits of mind, such as greed, anger, and delusion, arise in ways that they don't in other situations. In other words, forces of suffering that are latent in other situations can arise in the context of close relationships. Fortunately, this is actually not bad news. Rather, it offers us opportunity to practice, to see ourselves more clearly, to become more free, and to see how we can untangle the love from clinging.

Description: We don’t approach our meditation practice neutrally. Understanding need, bias, inclination in our approach to practice. About labeling as a sampajañña practice; Practical suggestions on questioning the breath and a glimpse on commentarial suggestions on how to go about mindfulness of breathing (Vism)

On the path to freedom, every moment in every life situation is an opportunity for training the mind. We plant seeds of virtue, watering them with renunciation, respect, contentment, generosity and valiant effort. We clear the cobwebs of lifetimes from the mind with wisdom and mindfulness guarding us from the eight worldly winds, while forgiveness, love and compassion hasten the heart's awakening to Nibbana.

Descriptions: Temporal continuity and spatial stability as the two ways of practicing attentional focus across Buddhist Traditions. Four commentarial similes for mindfulness of breathing.

Loving kindness is an important support for the work of wisdom and mindfulness

What is mindfulness? What is concentration? How do they work together with wise effort.

Mindfulness is not only for ones own benefit, but is also practiced externally, to cultivate compassion for others.

Please note that this talk is unfortunately cuts out after 30 minutes, but it is still well worth listening too!