Many people have encountered the Buddha’s teachings when learning to meditate. Many more people in the world, however, have learned about the Buddha through stories imparting lessons about how to live wisely. Why is there so much emphasis on meditation? What else is there in the teachings to support wise and ethical living?
Discover more from the Dharma Library
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Sitting with Pointlessness – Living with Potentiality
Recorded :
October 16, 2022 During a recent retreat, the teachers’ instruction was to hold the question ‘What is this?’ in mind. While sitting on the cushion, the thought struck me that my life is futile! I am genetically programmed for survival and sex; everything else is just distracting window-dressing. This talk will explore the journey from the apparent ‘futility’…
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Faith and confidence: the first spiritual faculty.
Recorded :
September 4, 2016 Faith, confidence, and trust are English translations for the Pali term saddhā. In this talk, Shaila Catherine explores the cultivation of saddhā as an aid to awakening and as the first in the list of spiritual faculties that include faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom.
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Nothing is my own, everything is my own.
Recorded :
February 12, 2017 It’s a pretty delicate task to find the right posture inside ourself in relation to the events that occur in our everyday life. Some are really desired and welcome; some are unexpected or disappointing. We gain things, we lose things and people, and good health comes and goes. On the one hand, everything we experience…
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Mindfulness, Samadhi, Insight and Patriarchy: Seeing and Not Seeing Things As They Actually Are
Recorded :
April 23, 2023 When the mind is both bright and still, it sees things that are usually hidden to it. And there are things it does not see. And there can be apprehensions that change everything, and those that change little. Gregory will speak about meditative insight, deep personal and cultural conditioning, and other things about which he…
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Nirmala Werner – Week of 24 November, 2025
We are delighted to have Nirmala Werner guiding our Daily Meditation sessions this week. May these sessions support and enrich your practice. This week’s theme is: Embodying the Four (or Five) Elements: Meditation for Everyday Presence. Rooted in Buddhist wisdom, this practice invites us to connect with earth, water, fire, air, and space as living forces within and around us. By attuning to their ever-shifting qualities, we find grounding amidst change-an anchor of presence, steadiness, and clarity to meet the movements of daily life. Our Dharma Library thrives through collective generosity. Your donation helps sustain this offering for our entire community.
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The voiceless voice of awareness.
Recorded :
June 26, 2016 How often does it seem that the master of your life is the conditioned mind? To what degree does this mind of limitation color your experience? When the conditioned mind reigns, it becomes difficult to hear the still, small, voice within. This voice could also be talked about as the voiceless voice of awareness itself….
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Truth and surrender.
Recorded :
February 7, 2016 Worldwide Insight talk from Christelle Bonneau: “Truth and Surrender”. Guided meditation, Dharma talk and Q&A.
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Nourishing Compassion
Recorded :
January 9, 2022 His Holiness the Dalai Lama has shared that compassion is not a luxury but a necessity for human beings to survive. There is no more important time to understand and strengthen compassion than right now.
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