We live in challenging times. Biologists speak of micro-systems where species sequester during times of crisis. They are called refugia. In times of uncertainty and fear, we too need refugia, places of spiritual safety where we can put down roots, grow and thrive. In this Sunday teaching, Willa invites us to explore the concept of refugia, and how it can help expand our conventional understanding of what “refuge” means in the Buddhist context. Refuge, an ancient Buddhist practice of finding sanctuary in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, is not a ritual or initiation. It involves a deep exploration of the role of safety in spiritual life. Refuge is an ongoing inquiry into what refugia looks like for each of us, into our crisis-sanctuaries and how they become a catalyst for our spiritual evolution.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ulla Koenig – Week of 02 December, 2024
We are grateful to have Ulla Koenig leading our Daily Meditation sessions this week. May these sessions support and deepen your practice.
This week’s theme is: Soothing the Grieving Heart
As human beings we have the privilege to consciously experience many beautiful and joyful things. And we are constantly in touch with the changeability of nature, relationships, our body, hearts, self and much more. Without knowing how to accommodate the naturally arising sadness, change and loss can be easily overwhelming. We will dedicate this week in the darkest time of the year, to open up a compassionate space to explore skillful grieving.
Our Dharma Library thrives through collective generosity. Your donation helps sustain this offering for our entire community.
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Faith, Hope and Love on the Dharma Path
Recorded :
April 4, 2021 “Join me and the sangha for meditation, reflections and conversation to resource, encourage and uplift the heart as we engage with the challenges of our lives. Everyone is welcome.” – Jaya
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Nirmala Werner – Week of 21 October, 2024
This week’s theme: The Joy of Simplicity
Simplicity, joy and deep rest are profound qualities which support our spiritual journey. During this week we will explore the simple depth of Buddhist practice and listen to the enchanting morning talks of abbot Linji from 875 from his monastery at the river Huoduo.
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Embodying Presence – the Deep Current
Recorded :
January 27, 2019 A river of presence flows through all of life, connecting us with ourselves and each other and the essence of living. In this session, let’s open to a direct experience of this clear, wakeful presence. The practice of embodied, mindful meditation opens the possibility to understand and transform our habits of dissatisfaction and distraction and…
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Faith and confidence: the first spiritual faculty.
Recorded :
September 4, 2016 Faith, confidence, and trust are English translations for the Pali term saddhā. In this talk, Shaila Catherine explores the cultivation of saddhā as an aid to awakening and as the first in the list of spiritual faculties that include faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Jaya Rudgard – Week of October 3, 2022
This week’s theme is “The Practice of Courage in Everyday Life”
Courage is an essential quality in life and on the spiritual path and it comes in many guises. Anything that challenges our unhelpful habits requires a capacity for determination and the stretching of our comfort zones. This week’s morning meetings will reflect on some of the ways we can cultivate courage in meditation and daily life and resource ourselves to meet the challenges of living in these times.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Antonia Sumbundu and Christopher Titmuss – Week of 27 October, 2025
We’re delighted to have Antonia Sumbundu guiding our Daily Meditation sessions this week. May these sessions support and deepen your practice.
This week’s theme is: Awakening Courage: Embracing Being, Belonging, and Becoming
A week of morning meditations to awaken the heart’s quiet, natural courage. Through presence, reflection, and stillness, these sessions invite us to rest in being – gently returning to awareness itself; to open into belonging – feeling our inseparable connection with the web of life; and to trust our becoming – the unfolding of wisdom and love through all that we do.
In the rhythm of being, belonging, and becoming, we are invited to live with authenticity, tenderness, and wholehearted courage.
Our Dharma Library thrives through collective generosity. Your donation helps sustain this offering for our entire community.
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Receptivity: Deep Listening as an Antidote to Reactivity and Violence
Recorded :
October 14, 2018 In these hyped up divisive times, there is an ever-greater need for tools to de-condition ourselves from reactivity. The practice of listening – within ourselves and with others – is much more significant than we often acknowledge. The contrast of receptivity against the backdrop of a world conditioned to impose, label, judge, and solve, is…
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