The great Black American singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder once sang, “Love’s in need of love today.” His words couldn’t be more true as we face a global community struggling with war, poverty, illness, climate instability, and the rise of political authorities and governments who do not seem to be grounded in compassion or kindness. We speak about love and attempt to practice love but some of us are losing faith in the transformative power of the wish for ourselves and others to be happy. Our practice of love is in need of our renewed faith in love. In this talk, we explore the question of how practicing love can become a strategy that resists and undoes our experiences of fear, apathy, and numbness as we attempt to live and love in a challenging world.
Discover more from the Dharma Library
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ulla Koenig – Week of June 13, 2022
This week’s topic is Healing Shame and Guilt. Psychologists describe shame as soul-eating emotion. Shame and guilt prevent us from developing trusting connections with others and a healthy sense of appreciation for ourselves. The Buddha taught that systems of self-reference such as shame and guilt can cause pain and stress. To find liberation is to find freedom from these deeply harmful emotions. We will look at practical ways to find such freedom in our own lives.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Martin Aylward – Week of May 24, 2021
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.
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Speaking Out Against Injustice with Deep Listening and Loving Speech
Recorded :
June 3, 2018 How can we stand up for the values of social justice, inclusion, respect and dignity for all in a way that helps to heal division? How can we reach out to those who are different from us to help bridge the divide? In this session we explore the power of loving speech and deep listening,…
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Lovingkindness in the Little Things
Recorded :
September 10, 2023 In this session Shaila Catherine explored the practice and purpose of lovingkindness (mettā) meditation. She clarified what mettā is, and what mettā is not. Mettā is more than merely an antidote to apply on occasions when fear and ill will arise. Mettā can become a skillful and liberating way to experience all moments of life.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Nathan Glyde – Week of April 3, 2023
This week’s topic is “Imagine That”. Edgar Allan Poe wondered, “Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?” According to naive realism, we do not perceive things as they are, yet think we do. The Dharma exists to wake us from delimiting dreams, so we may live lives of profound awakening.
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Not two, not one: experiencing non-duality in the ordinary.
Recorded :
September 13, 2015 Worldwide Insight talk from Jaya Julienne Ashmore: “Not Two, Not One: Experiencing Non-Duality in the Ordinary”. Guided meditation, Dharma talk and Q&A.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Wiebke Pausch – Week of December 4, 2023
This week’s topic is “Exploring the Art of Radical Rest”. Conditioned and surrounded by a restless culture, we are constantly driven towards self-optimisation and self-improvement. Our practice is often affected by the striving and the effort to become a perfect meditator. We will explore together how to rest in the midst of all that is unfinished and imperfect. When we allow ourselves to rest deeply, experience can unfold naturally and we come into contact with the very essence of being alive.
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What Feeds your Craving?
Recorded :
May 19, 2024 The Buddha discovered that craving is the cause by which stress comes into play. Letting go of this constant pursuing of our desires is possible. Befriending this human and natural craving needs the power of kind awareness and an ongoing reflection: What feeds my craving? And: What feeds letting go?
Discussion