Rather than waking up it seems that most of us need to wake down. How can our insights and the awakening process move from being primarily experiential to becoming functional, relational, and lived? In this session Leela explores spiritual practice as a fundamentally earthly practice. How do we awake a presence that does not contract in contact with experience? It is an invitation to explore what it means to awaken a belly presence that makes us truly embodied and that potentially embraces and integrates our instinctual nature: our social, sexual and survival drive.
Discover more from the Dharma Library
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Understanding and developing Citta (heart-mind)
Recorded :
January 28, 2018 All schools of Buddhism acknowledge that the development of Citta is an essential aspect of the awakening process. Within classical Mindfulness teachings, it encompasses the entirely of the third foundation of practice. At its core, it encourages us to recognize the presence and absence of greed, hatred and delusion. In its fruition it points to…
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Apply as Needed; the Benefits of Skillful Means
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November 8, 2020 Becoming quiet allows for deeper listening – to the whispers of the body, heart and mind as parts of a whole and as harmonic convergence. How we tune our instruments depends on what we hear. Skillful means provide a variety of tools to self prescribe and address what is needed in the moment. We’ll practice…
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Spiritual Friendship: The Whole of the Path
Recorded :
December 7, 2025 We exist within a web of relatedness. Much of our stress and suffering arises in relationships. The troubles of this world too, can often be traced to a breakdown in relationship; with ourselves, with one another and with the more-than-human world. More than ever, it feels vital to bring the benefits of meditation practice off…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Nathan Glyde – Week of Oct 25, 2021
This week’s theme is Making Sense of Self.
Although the Buddha encourages us to not indulgently ponder whether the self is real or not, he did offer us a way to explore how the sense of self appears. This methodology, called the khandhas (aggregates: the heap of heaps), exposes all aspects we gather together to create and hold to our sense of self: form (body); vedanā (subtle preference); perception; saṅkhāra (mental formations – like intention, attention…); and consciousness (knowing). -
The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together
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September 11, 2022 As spiritual practitioners faced with the enormity of our world’s problems, we are often left wondering how our individual practice might make a tangible difference in our world. In this gathering, we will explore how contemplative technologies designed for realization of personal freedom can – and must – be applied collectively, delving into a deeper…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Martin Aylward – Week of March 1, 2021
We’re fortunate that Martin Aylward has generously offered to lead our daily meditation sessions for Europe and the UK this week. To find out more about Martin, and view his other recordings on the platform, click here.
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Getting Free: The Infinite Middle of the MiddleWay
Recorded :
September 26, 2021 Dharma teachings are sublime, subtle, and onward leading: they are always going deeper and wider than we may first presume. Yet, they also meet us where we are, in the midst of our life. In this session we’ll explore two expressions of the middle-way we can cultivate and develop in our practice and in our…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ulla Koenig – Week of Oct 17, 2022
This week’s topic is “A Peaceful Mind”. Thoughts are our continuous companions. While some are harmless, others have a deep impact on us: not only do they shape perceptions, but they also influence our physical and mental well-being. In our darkest hours, we might feel the pain of negative, depressing or restless thought patterns. Shaken by their invasive nature, we often wish for a rest from the never-ending chatter. We dedicate the upcoming week to an exploration into the realm of thoughts and skilful practice.
Discussion