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 Miles Kessler – Week of 15 June, 2026
This week’s theme is: The Seven Factors Of Awakening . In this week of daily meditations, you will explore the Buddha’s foundational teaching on the “Seven Factors of Awakening” (bojjhaṅga): mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity. Together we will examine how these qualities arise in meditation practice, are gradually cultivated, and are the very factors that support awakening. Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of how the path of practice unfolds, and you will gain practical tools for cultivating greater balance, clarity, and insight. “For one who is mindful, investigating phenomena, energy arises. For one who is energetic, joy arises…” – Samyutta Nikaya. Our Dharma Library thrives through collective generosity. Your donation helps sustain this offering for our entire community.
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Beyond the Self-Improvement Project
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April 25, 2021 It’s common to come to the spiritual path seeking relief from psychological suffering or emotional pain. The modern wellness industry presents mindfulness and meditation as the ultimate antidote to stress and personal foibles. Yet the Buddhist path is about something far deeper than stress reduction or having an agreeable personality. In this session, we’ll explore…
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Samadhi: The Reliable Path to Wisdom, Joy and Happiness
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June 9, 2024 Samadhi is the art of nourishing, gathering, and collecting the heart. Highly regarded by the Buddha, this practice relies on honesty and wisdom, reliably leading to joy and happiness, and inclines the heart towards the depth of the path. In this session, we will open a door to cultivating this skill.
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Wholehearted living.
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March 12, 2017 How do we transform habits of dissatisfaction and distraction, and invite real spaciousness and openness in our day-to-day lives? Becoming intimate, moment by moment, with living reality expands our life-perspective and attunes us to what really matters in life. Leela will explore the nature of love and the implications of loving whatever arises.
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How to Recharge Your Practice with a Tried and True Inquiry
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October 22, 2023 Even if you’ve been meditating for years, you probably encounter old patterns that seem impervious to your mindful awareness. Maybe at times these patterns are dormant, but during challenging moments they reappear and perhaps feel intractable. In this session we’ll explore inquiry practices that can help interrupt and disentangle the mind from its habitual “stuck”…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Martin Aylward – Week of April 17 – 21, 2023
Daily meditations with Martin Aylward.
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Insight and practices for difficult times
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February 4, 2018 We are in a race between fear and consciousness. Never before have forces of greed hatred and ignorance enjoyed such a platform of populist divisiveness that instills fear and separation throughout society, endangering our very civilization. And never before has there been as much caring and worldwide commitment to making this a better world. In…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ayala Gill – Week of 09 February, 2026
This week’s theme is: Embodied Release, Effortless Renewal
The universe is endlessly generative. We resist its creative flow through contraction and collapse in the body, breath, mind and heart. With truly embodied release, renewal becomes effortless.
Our Dharma Library thrives through collective generosity. Your donation helps sustain this offering for our entire community.
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