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

Mindful Intentions: From Pressure to Growth

With Ulla Koenig recorded on July 18, 2021.

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

What effect does it have if we practice mindfulness and meditation motivated by the fundamental assumption that there is something wrong with us? Perspectives such as ‘not being good enough’ or being ‘damaged goods’ can turn our practice into a painstaking attempt to improve ourselves. During this session we will inquire into our motivations for practice and suggest some alternative perspectives which can offer a sense of freedom, peace of mind and acceptance.

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

Discover more from the Dharma Library

  • photo of Martin Aylward smiling

    Letting your heart break … open.

    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.

    Read More

  • Three kinds of liberation.

    Freedom from stress. Freedom to Be. Freedom to Act. Join us as we explore with Christopher how these three freedoms give support to each other.

    Read More

  • Tuere Sala

    The Supramundane Nature of Emptiness

    Emptiness can be a loaded word for lay practitioners. It can bring up a sense of isolation and annihilation. The dharma of emptiness, however, is a fundamental part of practice. Even in the most mundane tasks of our ordinary lives, we can access emptiness and feel the freedom that comes with it. It’s not about…

    Read More

  • photo of Martin Aylward smiling

    On Teachings and Teachers

    People often ask about the importance (or not) of working closely with a teacher. One can benefit greatly from general meditation instruction, but personalised guidance from someone who knows you and your practice well can be deeply helpful. In this session, Martin speaks about approaching teachers for guidance and about the dynamics of the teacher-student…

    Read More

  • Jessica Morey

    The seven factors of awakening.

    Jessica discusses the seven factors of awakening (mindfulness, tranquility/relaxation, piti/joy, concentration, investigation, viriya/courageous energy, equanimity) and how to work with them in meditation practice to balance the mind and support insight through specific meditative techniques.

    Read More

  • Akincano M. Weber

    On Meeting Conflict and the Incompatible

    “When you can’t go forward, when you can’t go back, and when you can’t stand still – where do you go? This is your place of non-abiding. The things you love and the things you hate: these are your teachers.” – Ajahn Chah How do we perceive conflict? We often see it as disturbing, but…

    Read More