2012-01-25 – Part 1 – Three Blessings on the Journey – Drawing on a wonderful teaching story from the Upanishads, these two talks explore the role of forgiveness, inner fire and looking at our own minds, in finding freedom. Please support this podcast …
Part 1 – Three Blessings on the Journey
2012-01-25 – Part 1 – Three Blessings on the Journey – Drawing on a wonderful teaching story from the Upanishads, these two talks explore the role of forgiveness, inner fire and looking at our own minds, in finding freedom. Please support this podcast …
Part 2 – Trusting Your Basic Goodness
2012-01-18 – Part 2 – Trusting Your Basic Goodness – Einstein says the most important question we will ever ask ourselves is, “Is this universe a friendly place?” Do we trust that there is something essentially benevolent or good about this universe? T…
Part 1 – Trusting Your Basic Goodness
2012-01-11 – Part 1 – Trusting Your Basic Goodness – Einstein says the most important question we will ever ask ourselves is, “Is this universe a friendly place?” Do we trust that there is something essentially benevolent or good about this universe? T…
The Blessings of Embodied Presence
2011-12-29 – The Blessings of Embodied Presence (retreat talk) – All that we cherish – love, creativity, wisdom and aliveness – becomes available when we come home to an embodied presence. This talk looks at how the two wings of mindfulness and compas…
No Mud No Lotus
2011-12-21 – No Mud No Lotus – Our attitude in the face of life’s challenges determines our suffering or our freedom. This solstice talk explores the light of compassion that blossoms when we honor our difficult times with a deep, mindful attention. Pl…
The Dance of Relational Trance
2011-12-14 – The Dance of Relational Trance – When we become emotionally reactive in our relationships, we often go into a trance that creates separation and locks us into a narrow sense of self. This talk explores how, by pausing and deepening our at…
The Backward Step
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…
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…