Eros is life force, the energy that animates our being. Eros fills our spiritual life with vitality, our minds with creativity, our ideas with embodiment and our relating with rich intimacy. To live full lives we need access to eros; without it we become dry, rigid, flacid and withholding. Yet what place does it have in dharma practice? Traditional teachings caution us when it comes to desire, and the erotic is rarely mentioned in a positive light. This Sunday we’ll explore how to engage eros and desire in a deepening practice of insight and understanding, one that is rooted in the body and in service to life.
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Surrendering the Clever Mind into the Listening Heart
Recorded :
February 14, 2021 As our deepening poly-crises shift us from a sense of predictability, stability, and even a future, into crisis management as a daily norm, how can our practice support inner resilience and a meaningful response? We will touch on Dharma practices and teachings that support the internal shifts needed as we transition from over-reliance on separative…
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An Experience is Not The Point
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May 13, 2018 A deep application of attention includes the sustained application to any important experience. This includes a vast range of happy or painful, spiritual or conventional experiences. There is the view of the experience and the experience. What is a fresh way to see an important experience? Does the view of the experience matter more than…
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The Skilful Process of Transformation
Recorded :
May 2, 2021 In this session, we’ll use the skilful means of mindfulness, mindful breathing and leading the nervous system into a parasympathetic state, to guide our mind towards organic spacious awareness. Within this relaxed spaciousness we’ll imagine the ways in which we wish to incline, head towards and become one with.
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Living the Dharma
Recorded :
October 4, 2026 The Dharma is meant to weave through our whole life. We give something of ourselves to it, and that creates our path. We’ll explore the Dharma of personal integrity, dedication, and caring deeply for something valuable. In today’s world, this is a radical act.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Yahel Avigur – Week of 14 September, 2026
This week’s theme is: Nourished by the Breath: A Path of Deepening Calm . We will dedicate this week of practice to meditation with the in and out breath, following the Buddha’s careful guidance. In the discourses on practice with the in and out breath, the Buddha offers guidance on important aspects of the path: bringing a kind sensitivity to the body and the breath; developing skill in relation to pleasure and pain; finding nourishment and well-being in the body; discerning helpful and unhelpful mental activity and learning how to calm body and mind; and cultivating liberating insight. These different dimensions of practice unfold organically, deepening and supporting one another, while allowing each practitioner to find their own pace. We will practise lightly and with curiosity around the first steps of this path: from establishing ourselves and finding nourishment in the body, towards calming mental activity. These steps can provide a clear and steady foundation for collectedness and deepening. Our Dharma Library thrives through collective generosity. Your donation helps sustain this offering for our entire community.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ulla Koenig – Week of July 11, 2022
This week’s topic is Mindfulness in Daily Life. Trying to practice mindfulness in the busyness of our daily lives can leave us confused or frustrated. We know the potential benefits of such a practice, but the different pace, sensory input and constant activity make it challenging to remember to practice, let alone develop a continuous sense of presence. In this week, we explore hands-on sustainable practices with fresh perspectives, free from idealistic expectations or guilt.
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Beyond Distraction: Five Practical Ways to Focus the Mind
Recorded :
April 24, 2022 Shaila will be sharing teachings from her new book, Beyond Distraction. This talk will introduce five pragmatic strategies to help you overcome distraction in meditation and develop clarity in relationships, work, and daily life. The strategies are: replacing, examining, ignoring, investigating, and resolving. You can learn to unlock the incredible capacities of your mind to think…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ulla König – Week of December 7, 2020
This week’s theme is The Paramis — Building a Powerful Support System.
