In an effort to counter tendencies towards striving and over-achieving, many Western approaches to meditation and spirituality emphasize relaxation. While relaxation and ease are essential ingredients on the meditative path, they must be integrated with whole-hearted effort. How do we find inner strength and make a clear resolve that is informed by wisdom and balanced with love? We will explore the power of determination in meditation and daily life.
Discover more from the Dharma Library
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Working with the first stage of loving-kindness.
Recorded :
September 6, 2015 Worldwide Insight talk from Vimalasara Mason-John: “Working with the First Stage of Loving-Kindness”. Guided meditation, Dharma talk and Q&A.
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Communication, Clarity and Consequences
Recorded :
September 30, 2018 Everything that we write matters. Everything that comes out of our mouth matters. Important communications require calm and insightful reflection afterwards. Wisdom and Liberation of the voice support each other. Clear communication with another (spoken or written) expresses itself freely from the extremes of positivity and negativity. The middle way shows itself in exploration of…
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Daily life practice – the cultivation of virtue in ordinary action.
Recorded :
December 11, 2016 Shaila discusses the cultivation of virtue. Her talk will considers the relationship between virtue practices, and the more popular practices of compassion, mindfulness, and wisdom.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ulla Koenig – Week of 26 January, 2026
This week’s theme is: The Tender Edge of Awareness: Befriending the Unwanted Within
We all encounter emotions we’d rather not admit to ourselves and others. Self-righteousness, rage, ill will, revenge, vanity or greed are just a few of the dynamics the Buddha encouraged us to have a good eye on. In the upcoming week, we will practice how to meet such dynamics with the necessary clarity rather than self-judgement or denial.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Ayala Gill – Week of December 11, 2023
This week’s topic is “Embracing challenging emotions”. There are no negative emotions, only ones that we find challenging to embrace, like anxiety, anger, grief and fear. When we relate to them in distorted ways, their expression is indeed negative. Over this week (at a time of year where they may be particularly triggered!) we will explore how to come into a sacred relationship with each of these challenging emotions.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Zohar Lavie – Week of February 1, 2021
We’re fortunate that Zohar Lavie has generously offered to lead our daily meditation sessions for Europe and the UK. To find out more about Zohar, and to view her other contributions to Sangha Live, click here.
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Daily Meditation Recordings, with Martin Aylward – Week of Jan 24, 2022
Daily meditations with Martin Aylward.
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Genuine Happiness: An Alternative Perspective
Recorded :
March 10, 2024 So much of what we hear and learn about within Dharma practice places an arguably unnecessary emphasis on suffering (dukkha). While the acceptance of suffering (dukkha) is an important and essential aspect of the path, it is by no means the end of the story. In one of the Buddha’s oldest descriptions of what it…
