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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Refuge, resilience and response in uncertain times
Recorded :
October 15, 2017 By now, we can consciously acknowledge that our planetary state of emergency and ineffectual political response is impacting and fast changing our Dharma curriculum. We are being mercilessly shaken awake while at the same time facing overwhelming uncertainties. In this session, Thanissara explores how the Dharma, its practices and guidelines, can come to our aid…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Milla Gregor – Week of 11 November, 2024
This week’s theme is: Warm Solitude, Beautiful Nature
There are many ways to be solitary, whether alone or in company. How might we cultivate a warm, friendly solitude? Nature is beautiful, both ‘out there’ and ‘in here’. How might we appreciate and support nature’s beauty? This week we’ll explore these questions together through practice, reflection and experiment.
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Daily Meditation Recordings with Christopher Titmuss- Week of February 12, 2024
Why can’t we always overcome fear by being bold? The mind sees fear as feelings, emotions and sensations. Such experiences do not confirm fear.
Experts tell us we cannot live without fear as we need fear to protect us. Dharma teachings remind us we cannot truly live with fear. -
A Relational Dhamma
Recorded :
October 17, 2021 If humans are intrinsically relational creatures, how do we integrate this understanding with the Buddha’s teachings on suffering and its cessation? Relational suffering and craving? Dependent origination? In this session, we explore the power and necessity of a relational understanding of the Buddha’s teachings. We discuss and practice relational aspects of the path, including the…
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With a generous spirit: your money and your life.
Recorded :
March 26, 2017 We often hear about Dana, or generosity, only when being asked for donations! Yet Buddha taught that “the practice of generosity is a foundation for happiness”. This session with Worldwide Insight guiding teacher Martin Aylward explores the depth and beauty of generosity, and how its practice can transform our own hearts and minds.
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Letting your heart break … open.
Recorded :
December 13, 2015 Martin looks at current events with an eye on the suffering of refugees, the climate emergency and growing Islamophobia, exploring how we can both empathize with and respond to human suffering, while also cultivating joy, gratitude and ease of heart.
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Climate Code Red
Recorded :
November 7, 2021 However challenging, we are in these times because we need to be here. We are here to release from what no longer serves and to infuse a new story with clear, wise, conscious intention; a story about building our collective resilience as we rise, with compassion, to save what we can.
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The ‘Self’ is Insubstantial
Recorded :
February 5, 2023 Humans live in the spell of the self, as if it had substantial existence.
Dharma offers a reflection/meditation/inquiry into this phenomenon.
One who asks ‘Who Wakes Up?’ lives in the spell.
Teaching will offer ways to a non-intellectual realisation of emptiness of self.
Be devoted to this in daily life – until obvious as seeing colour for one with sound eyesight.
To wake up from the dream of self is liberating.
Discussion