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

Search Sangha Live

Two Wings to Fly – Cultivating Both Wisdom and Compassion

With Nina La Rosa recorded on July 25, 2021.

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

In traditional Theravada Buddhism it’s said that for one to truly experience freedom one needs to engage in the practices of both wisdom and compassion. Like a bird that needs two wings to fly, wisdom and compassion are two necessary parts on the path to a well-rounded enlightenment.

At first glance, practices that cultivate loving-kindness might seem quite different from those that develop insight. In this session we’ll explore a powerful practice that nurtures goodness in both the mind and heart.

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

Tags: compassion equanimity wisdom

Discover more from the Dharma Library

  • Yahel Avigur

    Daily Meditation Recordings, with Yahel Avigur – Week of 28 July, 2025

    We are delighted that Yahel Avigur is leading our Daily Meditation sessions this week. May these sessions support and enrich your practice.

    This week’s theme is: Equanimity: An Unshakable Heart

    Equanimity is the unshakability of the heart in the face of all conditions and experiences. It embodies depth and spaciousness, fearlessness, responsiveness and natural compassion, rooted in virtue and insight. It is a natural capacity of the human heart, a home that is always there for us to return to. In this week of practice, we will nurture the conditions that allow equanimity to arise and mature. Supported by practice, community, and teachings from the Buddhist tradition, we will meditate to cultivate kindness and insight.

    Our Dharma Library thrives through collective generosity. Your donation helps sustain this offering for our entire community.

    Read More

  • Leslie Booker

    Embodied Wisdom: The Self-Preservation of Activism

    Recorded : July 8, 2017

    Yes, the world is on fire. And, how do we respond to the rage, anger, and fear that can engulf us? How do we utilize these emotions as catalysts that can move us into action that doesn’t burn us up and destroy us? We investigate the Self-Preservation of Activism by feeling into our body wisdom…

    Read More

  • Ralph Steele

    A Skilful Dance: The Three Characteristics Of Life and The Winds of Dharma

    Recorded : June 7, 2020

    (Please note that, due to problems with the video streaming platform on the day of this session, this talk was unfortunately not recorded in its entirety.) In this session Ralph explores using the Winds of Dharma to gain insight into the Three Characteristics of Life. The ocean of consciousness can be equated to life’s characteristics…

    Read More

  • Chris Willard

    Danna / Generosity: It’s More than Just the Talk at the end of the Retreat

    Recorded : November 17, 2024

    Generosity, be it material or spiritual is universal across cultures and spiritual practices. In today’s talk we explore Buddhist and other teachings, as well as deeper neuroscience behind why generosity makes us happier and more resilient, even touching on whether science can validate karma as it relates to kindness and generosity. We’ll take the time…

    Read More

  • Deborah Eden Tull - Senior Dharma Teacher

    Live wholeheartedly and leave not a trace

    Recorded : July 30, 2017

    During the meditation and dharma talk Eden explores this Zen teaching by Suzuki Roshi: “When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.” How wholeheartedly are you showing up to life? What most helps you to remember that THIS IS IT? What helps you to see…

    Read More

  • Zohar Lavie

    The Wisdom of No Escape

    Recorded : February 16, 2020

    Our lives include facing things we didn’t choose, and often cannot change; such as getting ill or injured, or loosing something or someone that we love. Dharma teachings invite us to turn towards these, instead of turning away from them. What is the wisdom that is available to us when we meet our experience with…

    Read More