One of the Buddha’s primary realisations was ‘Life is painful and then you die.’ If this is true, then how do we respond to the difficulties of life? This session will explore how we are conditioned to protect, promote and satisfy a ‘self’ which can never be satisfied because ‘we are the slaves of craving.’ There will be a guided meditation cultivating an appropriate attitude to the vicissitudes of life.
Discover more from the Dharma Library
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Whole body breathing to regulate your mind and body
Recorded :
April 2, 2023 In this session Vidyamala introduces key areas of body awareness where mindful breathing can help to bring about regulation and calm in the body/heart/mind. She calls these the 5 B’s of the breath: Buttocks, Belly, Back, Back of the throat and Brain. She introduces the physiology of these areas and then leads a guided meditation….
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Zohar Lavie – Week of May 2, 2022
This week’s theme is: Opportunities for Deepening Compassion and Wisdom. Dharma teachings and practices invite us to use our difficulties and problems to awaken our hearts. Rather than seeing the unwanted aspects of life as obstacles, we can relate to them as the raw material necessary for awakening genuine wisdom and compassion.
The cultivation of wisdom and compassion for ourselves leads naturally to compassion for others. True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate than ourselves but from realizing our kinship with all beings. -
Equanimity: Finding Balance in Uncertain Times
Recorded :
January 4, 2026 Equanimity is a highly-valued quality in Buddhist teachings. But what is it, and how do we cultivate it in our meditation practice? How can we access equanimity in daily life, especially in the midst of uncertainty, fear, and sadness over the suffering in the world? Howard Zinn from “The Optimism of Uncertainty”To be hopeful in…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Caverly Morgan – Week of June 1
We’re very grateful to have Caverly Morgan hosting our Daily Meditation Series for North America. To find out more about Caverly, and to view her past recordings and contributions to Sangha Live, click here. Monday, June 1 Collective CARE and addressing whiteness Wednesday, June 3 Grounding and releasing “shoulds” Friday, June 5 Honoring the song…
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The nature of experience. Part 3: Non Self Existence.
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January 29, 2017 Today’s session is the third in a special run of three consecutive sessions with Martin, where he looks deeply at the nature of experience through Buddha’s profound descriptions of reality – Impermanence, Emptiness, Non self-existence. The classes point directly to how these themes can come alive in our practice and understanding, looking at the personal,…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Miles Kessler – Week of 28 October, 2024
We’re grateful to have Miles Kessler leading our Daily Meditation sessions this week. May they support and enrich your practice.
This week’s theme is: Practicing Insight In Daily Life
The practice of mindfulness meditation automatically triggers off a series of developmental insights that gradually develop over time. But how do these “insights” appear in your daily life? In this week of daily meditation practice, Miles Kessler will lead you through an exploration of how the path of insight meditation unfolds on the cushion, but also in your daily life. Join Miles in this week of daily meditations and integrating the “Practicing Insight In Daily Life”.
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When in doubt breathe out: the power of the breath to ease pain and other contracted states.
Recorded :
April 16, 2017 In this talk Vidyamala discusses how most of us hold the breath whenever we are in pain or other difficult states. She leads a ‘whole body’ breathing meditation followed by input on how to rest in the flow of the breath as a way to learn to rest in the flow of life and let…
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Not Clinging to Anything in the World
Recorded :
May 17, 2020 These words, spoken by the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta, point us to the potential for awakening inherent in mindfulness practice. Even now, in the midst of the pandemic of Covid-19, we can explore what it means to live a life of love, commitment and authenticity as we discover the freedom of not clinging to…
