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.
Discover more from the Dharma Library
-
Daily Meditation Recordings, with Leela Sarti – Week of Nov 8, 2021
This week’s theme is “Deepening Heart Presence: Life, Dukkha, and Beyond”. We need heart presence in order to digest life experience. It takes a lot of heart to live with integrity, sensitivity and openness. Awakening compassion, courage, and kindness helps us embrace the challenges and the sorrow of life. This week we explore the possibility of being grounded in the depth of timeless presence in the midst of daily life. We will inquire how to live and love from silence and emptiness, being yourself in peace with others, and doing what needs to be done.
-
Daily Meditation Recordings, with Martin Aylward – Week of 25 November, 2024
We’re delighted to have Martin Aylward leading our Daily Meditation sessions this week. May these sessions support and deepen your practice.
This week’s theme is:
-
The Practice is Earthed Through Our Body
Recorded :
October 5, 2025 Wherever we go, here is our body. Finding a sustainable shape when meditating is crucial for our practising. We can then use our bodies as ways of experiencing change and kindness. In this session, we will look at various forms of meditation (including standing and sitting) and do various techniques that can help our meditating.
-
Freedom through focusing in.
Recorded :
September 25, 2016 Before this live session, Nina wrote: “I want to share a mindfulness technique this Sunday that’s particularly alive in my life right now. As a new mother I’ve experienced an increase in planning, anticipating, worrying, and fear. Before the birth of my daughter a few months ago I read a book by Karen Maezen Miller,…
-
Embodying cultural diversity: dancing with the basket of virtue
Recorded :
July 2, 2017 Our Sangha has been predominately white since it branched off from the Asian countries. This Dharma talk offers a path for deeper inquiry and greater insight into how we can embody cultural diversity. The Eight Noble Truths will guide us toward a healthier way of conducting ourselves in the arena of cultural diversity, taking a…
-
Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ayala Gill – Week of 10 November, 2025
We are delighted to have Ayala Gill guiding our Daily Meditation sessions this week. May these sessions support and enrich your practice.
This week’s theme is: Three Jewels: Love, Truth, Belonging
We will explore the “Three Jewels” of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha through the immediate, embodied experience of love. By diving into the felt sense of this moment, we discover the precious refuge of love, truth and belonging.
Our Dharma Library thrives through collective generosity. Your donation helps sustain this offering for our entire community.
-
How Conduct Bears Fruit: Training in Not-Killing
Recorded :
February 21, 2021 In this session Shaila Catherine explores the fruits of karma and the consequences of action through a detailed consideration of why and how we practice ethical precepts. The focus for this talk is the commitment to not kill.
-
Daily Meditation Recordings, with Christopher Titmuss – Week of 17 November, 2025
We’re delighted that Christopher Titmuss is guiding our Daily Meditation sessions this week. We hope you find them enriching for your practice.
This week’s theme is: Going Beyond the World
Dharma practitioners tend to spend much time giving attention to practise. This is a worthwhile endeavour but it seems to go on and on until death. We can conclude that practice means improving the quality of our life, reducing suffering in our lives and showing kindness and compassion to others. Yes, this is significant. It is a credit to dedicated practitioners committed to exploration of such experiences as a way of life. This is not the core purpose of the Dharma but an important preparation for Going Beyond the World.
We have to understand what we mean by the world and going beyond the world.
In these five sessions, we will explore the core purpose in diverse ways. Talks, guided meditations and Q&A form the backbone of the inquiry. Every session will offer everyday examples of the theme of the session to enable seeing the world and confirming going beyond the world.Our Dharma Library thrives through collective generosity. Your donation helps sustain this offering for our entire community.
Discussion