Use code SUMMERPRACTICE for a 25% discount on all On Demand Courses through August 31.

Living by Vow

With Pamela Weiss recorded on July 23, 2023.

Found our teachings useful? Help us continue our work and support your teachers with a donation. Here’s how.

To live by vow is a radical reorientation – from reactivity to response-ability, and from fear to love.

This session will examine what it means to walk the spiritual path, and consider the importance of inspiration, aspiration and aligned, appropriate action.

Together we will explore the tenderness and power of meeting the world from what the Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki called “the heart’s inmost request”.

Please note that the recording of this session starts some way into the meditation.

Listen to the audio version below, or click here to download the mp3.

Discover more from the Dharma Library

  • Nina la Rosa

    Two Wings to Fly – Cultivating Both Wisdom and Compassion

    In traditional Theravada Buddhism it’s said that for one to truly experience freedom one needs to engage in the practices of both wisdom and compassion. Like a bird that needs two wings to fly, wisdom and compassion are two necessary parts on the path to a well-rounded enlightenment. At first glance, practices that cultivate loving-kindness…

    Read More

  • Kate Johnson

    From Freeze to Flow: Transforming Your Fear in the Midst of Pandemic

    Rarely has our inherent interdependence been more exposed than it is right now. As a society, we are depending on one another not only to wash our hands and keep our distance. We are depending on each other to take care of our minds and hearts, to transmit clarity and compassion rather than powerlessness and…

    Read More

  • Daigan Gaither

    Precepts as Orientation

    The 5 precepts often given to lay practitioners are (with positive instructions in parenthesis): I vow not to kill (Love and support all beings)I vow not to steal (generosity)I vow not to misuse sexuality (contentment)I vow not to lie (compassionate truthfulness)I vow not to intoxicate self or other (staying mindful) We can think of precepts…

    Read More

  • Yahel Avigur

    The Necessity of Trust

    The qualities of trust, faith, and confidence are essential for mental health, profound spiritual explorations and the depth of relationships. To serve well, trust needs cultivating in conjunction with qualities of discerning wisdom and conscious intention. This session explores how this can be encouraged in both meditation and in our heart’s countless daily actions. 

    Read More

  • Akincano M. Weber

    Touching the Earth: Turning the Mind to the Roots

    During this session we discuss the teaching on ‘wisely directing one’s attention to the roots’ (yoniso manasikāra). It is a remarkably pragmatic approach to contemplative practice and one of Early Buddhism’s unique contributions to the human emancipatory effort from suffering.

    Read More

  • Wes Nisker

    How to be an Earthling

    During this session we will use mindfulness meditation to explore our nature as nature, helping us to become more at ease and accepting of our lives and our place in the scheme of things.

    Read More

  • Wise Resolve: Finding Inner Strength

    In an effort to counter tendencies towards striving and over-achieving, many Western approaches to meditation and spirituality emphasize relaxation. While relaxation and ease are essential ingredients on the meditative path, they must be integrated with whole-hearted effort. How do we find inner strength and make a clear resolve that is informed by wisdom and balanced…

    Read More