Coming to terms with the teaching and implications of the first noble truth can be challenging, confusing and ongoing. When we are unable to do the hard work of completing the task of the first truth, to embrace Dukkha, we become vulnerable to destructive emotions.
Discover more from the Dharma Library
-
Visions of a free life
Recorded :
July 16, 2017 Freedom is a central concern of all our lives, yet has many different manifestations, some of which run completely contrary to others. This class will explores the importance of social freedoms, inner freedom, personal and collective freedoms. We explore how different perspectives on free-ness shape how we practice; and how we understand life and our…
-
Daily Meditation Recordings, with Martin Aylward – Week of May 25
We’re fortunate that Martin Aylward has generously offered to lead our daily meditation sessions for Europe and the UK this week. To find out more about Martin, and view his other recordings on the platform, click here. Monday, May 25 Appreciation, surrender and generosity Wednesday, May 27 The ten paramis: wisdom and energy Friday, May…
-
You Are NOT Doomed: Breaking & Replacing Old Patterns
Recorded :
March 26, 2023 You may have noticed that sometimes breaking old patterns is hard to do! But thanks to surviving ancient Buddhist teachings, we are NOT doomed to being stuck in the rut of the same old painful behavioral and cognitive patterns, and we can create new helpful patterns. This talk explores the nature of the conditioned mind…
-
Relief – In This Very Moment, In This Very Breath
Recorded :
April 21, 2019 Practicing mindfulness together with the four Divine Abidings (loving kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity), we develop our ability to bring relief to even the most challenging moments of our lives. We begin by strengthening our habit to increase our mindfulness as stress increases and then apply the Divine Abiding that is most appropriate for a…
-
Daily Meditation Recordings, with Zohar Lavie – Week of 12 January, 2026
This week’s theme is: In Service of a Boundless Heart:
An exploration of the rich breadth of the teachings and their capacity to transform our experience into something beautiful and liberating. As we include more aspects of our lives in our practice and emphasise interconnection, ethics, compassion and wisdom, a precious process unfolds; a process of unbinding the heart and expanding it to be as wide as the world.
Our Dharma Library thrives through collective generosity. Your donation helps sustain this offering for our entire community.
-
Daily Meditation Recordings, with Jaya Rudgard – Week of Nov 22, 2021
This week’s theme is Similes and Images from the Ancient Texts .Each morning this week we’ll dive into one of the images from the natural world and daily life that the Buddha used to explain his teachings. Let’s see how how these similes and metaphors from the Buddhist texts can support our understanding and enrich our practice. We may also discover how practising with them can enhance our appreciation of the world around us.
-
Getting Real with Spiritual Bypass
Recorded :
November 14, 2021 Spiritual bypassing is a superficial way of glossing over problems in a way that might make us feel better in the short term, but ultimately solves nothing and just leaves the problem to linger on. This session is an opportunity to begin to understand the concept of Spiritual Bypass (as coined by John Welwood in his book “Toward a Psychology of Awakening”) and how to practice with it.
-
Comfortable with Discomfort: How to be a Bodhisattva
Recorded :
May 10, 2020 Our current situation is giving us great practice with discomfort. whether we’re experiencing small inconveniences or significant disruption. Dharma teaches us that this very discomfort is a gateway to realization. Once our efforts to soothe or transcend run dry, we gain the opportunity to develop insight, freedom, and true bodhisattva compassion. Compassion that is at…
