08/15/2019 “Pilgrimage, Devotion, and Uposatha” with Rich Howard, John Phelps

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How does our practice include the warmth of heart, expressed freely in devotion? Sometimes it may seem as if Buddhism’s intention to relieve suffering and be awake to the way things are, in Western practice centers, sidesteps the personal intimacy of devotion that we see in Asian temple life, and in other faith traditions. To whom and what is devotion given? What can we learn from others, and from attending to our own longings and gratefulness? Rich and John have been exploring this topic and will invite our participation in that exploration.
After the presentation, Rich Howard and John “Boogie” Phelps hosted an evening of meditation and chanting as long as people wanted to stay (up to midnight). In many Theravada countries, special practice days are observed in line with phases of the moon, called Uposatha. On this full moon day, folks were are also invited to practice the eight precepts. Chanting books were provided.

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08/08/2019 “Exploring the Refuges” with Tony Bernhard

Exploring the Refuges as an Investigative Practice

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Calling to mind The Three Refuges is usually done as a devotional practice. This discussion will look into the nature of refuge itself and ask how Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha might serve as a sanctuary for Buddhist practitioners.

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08/01/2019 “MBSR and Secular Mindfulness” with Matt Russell

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This talk provided an introduction to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in anticipation of the 8-week MBSR course which will be offered at SIM beginning August 21, 2019. This recorded presentation should be of interest both for individuals considering participating in the MBSR course, as well as those interested in the place of secular mindfulness in contemporary culture and its connections with Buddhism.
We are aware that this audio recording is incomplete and ended abruptly. If you’re interested, there is another more complete recording from the introduction session offered last year: click here.

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07/27/2019 “Insanity and Sound Mind” with Ayya Santacitta and Rev. Diane Wilde

The Buddha’s advise on what is insanity and how to cultivate a sound mind

Daylong Retreat with Ayya Santacitta and Rev. Diane Wilde; Two audio files:

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If you would like to download this Diane Wilde talk, please right click and select “save as” here.

We human beings, in this human realm, rarely realize that we operating in a state of of delusion.Not only are we operating in a deluded state, we expect this current mind state to provide us a sense of happiness and well-being. Because we really have no idea what we are doing, the goal of happiness is illusive and frustrating. This is also the Buddhist view of mental disease. Delusion is a mental illness that causes all sorts of suffering; mental health can be restored by correcting the flaws in how the mind operates. We will investigate our “mental disease” in both classical terms as well as our contemporary daily life and how we can cultivate “sanity” both for ourselves and the larger world itself.

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07/25/2019 “Seeking Nothing, Fearful of Nothing, Being Free” with Dennis Warren

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Some of the most fundamental instructions we heard about practice – “Seek nothing, Be fearful of nothing, and You will be free” – seem to conflict with other fundamental instructions such as not striving for any particular results of state of mind. How do we explain this situation?
This evening we’ll explore the answer to this apparent contradiction in fundamental instructions. Understanding why such fundamental instructions are not contradictory and not in conflict is key to a sound practice. This will be the important territory we’ll investigate Thursday evening.

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07/18/2019 “Bringing Creativity to Dharma Practice” with Laura Rosenthal

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06/27/2019 “Is Forgiveness Always the Right Response?” with Diane Wilde

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We read often of the power of forgiveness and are inspired by those who, even after suffering the devastating loss of loved ones and community members, still forgive. Is this always the right response? In the Buddha’s teachings, patisaraniya-kamma or reconciliation — means a return to amicability, and that requires much more than forgiveness. What are the criteria for reconciliation that the Buddha set out and what do we do if we feel reconciliation is impossible?
There are right and wrong ways of attempting reconciliation: those that skillfully meet the necessary requirements for reestablishing trust, and those that don’t. To encourage right reconciliation among his followers, the Buddha formulated detailed methods for achieving it, along with a culture of values that encourages putting those methods to use.
We will discuss forgiveness, reconciliation and what needs to take place for these conditions to occur… or not.

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06/20/2019 “Wisdom” with Rich Howard

 

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This talk concludes Rich’s series on the three root defilements (greed, hatred, and delusion) and their antidotes. Wisdom is the way out of Delusion, which we discussed on June 6. While we may picture wisdom as only available far away, it is right here inthis moment, waiting to be discovered. We will explore the different kinds of wisdom in the Buddhist tradition and the ways by which wisdom grows and benefits our practice and all beings.

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06/13/2019 “Psychedelics and Buddhism…” with Matt Russell

Psychedelics and Buddhism: Hindrance or Skillful Means?

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You may have heard, there is a “new science of psychedelics” and major studies are showing that these substances, when properly used, can help relieve human suffering, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and addiction. Some proponents claim that psychedelics have the potential to revolutionize health care as well as our understanding of the mind.
Psychedelics and Buddhism have a long, if seldom discussed, overlapping history in this country that continues into the present day.
This talk will offer an inquiry into the implications of the current state of “psychedelic science” on dharma practitioners, exploring the possibilities as well as the potential dangers and perils.
We will inquire into topics such as: psychedelics and the 5th precept, the impact of psychedelics on the formation of the Dharma in the West, academic research into the effects of psilocybin on the brains of long term meditators, the current landscape of contemporary dharma teachers and practitioners who integrate psychedelic use into their dharma practice, how we might think about psychedelics in the context of addiction and recovery.

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06/06/2019 “Can We Be Aware of Delusion?” with Rich Howard

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This evening will be the latest in Rich’s exploration of the three roots of suffering – greed, hatred, and delusion – and how to work with them. Since delusion is always present along with any of the unskillful mind states, it is especially important to recognize it and get to know its unique flavor. But how do we know when we’re deluded? Wouldn’t delusion prevent us from knowing we are deluded? Let’s look at these questions together in a spirit of inquiry.

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