Certain moments, events and experiences open our awareness beyond the everyday to a sense of something more eternally present. Meditation points our attention to just this place, which the poet TS Eliot called ‘the point of intersection of the timeless with time’. Contemplating life from such a perspective we can often find fresh resources of inspiration, courage, compassion and creativity. Today’s session will invite us to look deeper into our moment to moment experience and explore our sense of time and timelessness.
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Not-other: knowing our solidarity with all beings.
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April 30, 2017 Dharma teachings point at the way our experience is not-self. This also means that everyone else is not-other. In this class we explore the ways we isolate and defend ourselves, and reach for and reject others, looking towards a greater inclusion of and intimacy with others as the ground for both better relationships and true…
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The Monastery has Come to Us: Working with Thoughts and Emotions to Fuel Our Awakening in a Demanding Time
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September 27, 2020 We’re in uncharted territory. Each day brings new shocks and challenges. How is it possible to respond with flexibility, kindness, and wisdom? Together we will get through this. Let’s practice a meditation strategy to weather (and even transcend) the ups and downs and support each other through this intense time.
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The Dharma of Homecoming in Times of Fear
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July 26, 2020 Maya Angelou once wrote: “The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” James Baldwin reflected: “Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.” In The Wiz, Stephanie Mills sang: “When I think of home I think of…
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The Roots of Discouragement
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September 12, 2021 Progress in meditation may be slower than we anticipate. Discouragement develops when the comparing mind holds unrealistic expectations, demands perfection, and craves for measurable progress, predictable results, or signposts of success. This talk explores the obstacle of discouragement and its roots in conceit and the comparing mind. To prevent discouragement, we develop skillful ways to…
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Beyond Mindfulness: The Fullness of Insight Meditation
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June 13, 2021 Mindfulness is the engine of meditation practice, and it tends to get all the press. But is mindfulness sufficient to transform our hearts, minds and lives? In this session, we’ll explore some of the other qualities and cultivations that are essential to deep on the spiritual path.
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Feeling the blessings of your life.
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July 26, 2015 We are easily and often exposed to the greed, hatred and delusion that easily directs our own minds, and seems to be running the world. Yet whatever our personal circumstances, there is much we can appreciate and be grateful for. In this session, Martin explores the quality of appreciation – mudita – as a way…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ulla Koenig – Week of July 11, 2022
This week’s topic is Mindfulness in Daily Life. Trying to practice mindfulness in the busyness of our daily lives can leave us confused or frustrated. We know the potential benefits of such a practice, but the different pace, sensory input and constant activity make it challenging to remember to practice, let alone develop a continuous sense of presence. In this week, we explore hands-on sustainable practices with fresh perspectives, free from idealistic expectations or guilt.
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Changing the Channel: Opening to Goodness
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January 7, 2024 The barrage of frightening headlines often leaves us with feelings of despair, hopelessness, and negativity. While it’s important to feel connected to the suffering all around us, it is equally important to nourish ourselves by opening to the goodness in life–both inside and around us. Our caring can then be held with more spaciousness and…
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