The communicative loop of listening and speaking forms a powerful karmic workshop. Language taps into our karmic archive, sankhara. It reaches other people and, if they are listening, there is mind-to-mind contact. Relational contact is intrinsically powerful because humans are intrinsically relational: when we engage together, our mutual responsiveness amplifies our efforts. Speaking and listening together empowers us to do good works, or drives us towards anger and fear. Sila. It empowers our development of mindfulness and calm concentration, or it is a channel for distraction. Samadhi. It carries wisdom and deep inquiry or driveling trivia. Panna. All of these are enfolded in meditation in which the doorway to speech is opened.
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Breath as Medicine
Recorded :
January 5, 2025 Join us for our first Sunday Sangha session of the year on January 5th with Vimalasara Mason-John, inviting us to breathe into the new year with equanimity. It was through the potency of the breath that Prince Siddhartha became awake. It’s said that at the time of enlightenment, the Buddha was practicing anapanasati, the mindfulness…
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Let Your Heart Grow Fat With Friendliness: Metta Matters
Recorded :
May 17, 2026 Now is the time to strengthen the heart, to commit every day to doing more good and less harm. Fully engaging life with its inherent joys and sorrows, opportunities and limitations, successes and failures is no small task, and the Dharma offers timeless wisdom and practical guidance for these times. Join us as we take…
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The Phases of Insight
Recorded :
April 7, 2024 Similar to the phases of the moon, our spiritual practice is full of natural rhythms and seasons. In this session we will learn a simple chart, called the phases of insight, that supports recognizing what can unfold at various points in meditation. By learning these patterns we can open our hearts with more confidence, and attune to…
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Working with Stress and Fear
Recorded :
July 17, 2022 Not all stress is bad. Yet without mindful awareness, anticipatory stress may spiral into reactivity, paralyzing fear and suffering. How do we meet this stress mindfully, use it skilfully, then let go?
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The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together
Recorded :
September 11, 2022 As spiritual practitioners faced with the enormity of our world’s problems, we are often left wondering how our individual practice might make a tangible difference in our world. In this gathering, we will explore how contemplative technologies designed for realization of personal freedom can – and must – be applied collectively, delving into a deeper…
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Faith in the Three Jewels
Recorded :
February 24, 2019 Booker writes: “Growing up in the Baptist faith, I was taught to believe what I was taught, and to not have my own experience or exploration; to not know for myself. This didn’t sit well with me as a child! During this teaching, I will share my spiritual journey from Bright Faith to Verified Faith….
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Grief, sorrow and the intertwining of ethics with meditation practice.
Recorded :
April 19, 2015 Worldwide Insight talk from Michael Stone: “Grief, Sorrow and the Intertwining of Ethics with Meditation Practice”. Guided meditation, Dharma talk and Q&A.
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Integrity – A Bridge Over Troubled Water
Recorded :
July 12, 2020 In challenging situations, we can lose our ground. Not knowing what to rely on, we are liable to reactivity, either withdrawing or lashing out. Fear and anger are very human reactions to what we perceive as injustice or threat. While there is no need to condemn us for experiencing them, our hearts might yearn for…
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