2011-12-07 – The Backward Step – Our habit is to think we are on our way someplace else, and that our happiness is to be found outside ourselves. Yet realization becomes possible when we take the backward step into the formless dimension of our own bei…
Tara Brach
Genuine Acceptance
2009-08-26 – Our capacity to accept this life is key to our freedom, yet there are many misconceptions about acceptance: People wonder, if acceptance makes us a doormat in relationships? Isn’t acceptance akin to resignation? Doesn’t it make us passive…
Pathways to a Grateful Heart
2011-11-23 – Pathways to a Grateful Heart – When we are filled with gratitude, we are living from the most sincere, awake part of our being. This talk explores three pathways of practice that open us to serving and savoring this life. Please support t…
Mindful Speech
2011-11-16 – Mindful Speech – Deception, gossip and aggressive speech are pervasive in our culture. This talk looks at the roots of these forms of communication, and the way they entrap us in a contracted and separate sense of self. We then explore the…
The Space of Presence
2011-11-09 – The Space of Presence – The perception of “there’s not enough time or space” in life blocks our natural capacity for intimacy, creativity and wisdom. Pausing and connecting with the space of presence transforms our entire experience of bei…
Divine Abodes: Equanimity
2011-11-02 – Divine Abodes: Equanimity – Equanimity is the mental state of balance and non-reactivity that arises when we are resting in open, wakeful presence. This talk reviews the key pathways to equanimity in the face of difficulty. We also explor…
Divine Abodes: Joy
2011-10-26 – Divine Abodes: Joy – Joy is an innate capacity, an expression of unconditional presence with life. Yet for many, it is blocked by our conditioning to grasp after life and to defend against loss. This talk explores how we can develop the s…
Divine Abodes: Compassion
2011-10-19 – Divine Abodes: Compassion – We cultivate compassion by letting ourselves be touched by the suffering within and around us. Because our conditioning is to avoid vulnerability, the path of compassion requires courage and purposefulness. As…
Unconditional Love for the Life Within
2011-10-08 – Unconditional Love for the Life Within – (Retreat Talk) The tyranny of “should” prevents us from living and loving fully. This talk explores how we get trapped in the identity of a flawed self and the ways a wise attention can free us. Ple…
Divine Abodes: Lovingkindness
2011-10-05 – Divine Abodes: Lovingkindness – Love is the most basic expression of who we are, and yet it is often obscured by the trance of separation and fear. This talk explores how we habitually armor our hearts, and the training of attention that …
Causing No Harm
2011-09-28 – Causing No Harm – The mindstates behind violence–anger and fear–are universal and natural. If they possess us and drive our actions, we suffer. If we learn to meet them with a mindful awareness–if we step out of judgment and angry react…
Part 2 – Do You Make Regular Visits to Yourself?
2011-09-21 – Part 2 – Do You Make Regular Visits to Yourself? – These two classes cover the basic instructions for Buddhist mindfulness (vipassana or insight) meditation. The first class explores the attitude we bring to meditation that makes it rewa…
Part 1 – Do You Make Regular Visits to Yourself?
2011-09-14 – Part 1 – Do You Make Regular Visits to Yourself? – These two classes cover the basic instructions for Buddhist mindfulness (vipassana or insight) meditation. The first class explores the attitude we bring to meditation that makes it rewa…
Finding The Juice Inside Fear
2011-09-07 – Finding The Juice Inside of Fear – Learning to bring a mindful presence to fear is an intrinsic part of spiritual awakening. In this talk we look at the ways we get caught in the trance of fear, and how the two wings of presence–clear rec…
Befriending Irene
2011-08-31 – Befriending Irene – Whether you face chronic anxiety or more violent storms of fear and anger, you can cultivate the wings of freedom–the mindfulness and compassion–that free you. This talk explores how the habit of being reactive cause…
Wholehearted Living
2011-08-24 – Wholehearted Living – What stops us from being wholehearted in our relationships and life? This talk explores the conditioning that keeps us from an engaged presence, and the key elements to manifesting heart and spirit in all that we do. …
Wholehearted Living
2011-08-24 – Wholehearted Living – What stops us from being wholehearted in our relationships and life? This talk explores the conditioning that keeps us from an engaged presence, and the key elements to manifesting heart and spirit in all that we do. …
The Gift of Silence
2007-09-26 – The Gift of Silence – Through all spiritual traditions, there is a valuing of silence and stillness. When the mind has quieted, it becomes possible to see into the truth of what we are. Yet quieting can turn into a battle with the process …
Relating Wisely to Desire
2011-08-10 – Relating Wisely to Desire – Without desire, this world would not exist. While this universal energy is entirely natural, if we are not mindful of it, desire can become a narrowed fixation or addiction that creates deep suffering. This tal…
Learning to Respond, Not React
2011-08-03 – Learning to Respond, Not React – When life doesn’t go our way, we often launch into a chain reaction of obsessive thinking, blaming and unpleasant emotions. This talk explores how we can use meditative practices to step out of reactive pat…
