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If you would like to download this talk, please right click and select “save as” here.
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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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.
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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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.
The Buddhist Ethical Precepts – Are They Really Not Commandments?
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The most important holiday in the Buddhist calendar is Vesak. This year for many Buddhists Vesak is celebrated on Sunday, May 19. It celebrates the important events in the Buddha’s life… his birth, enlightenment and reaching a final state of no suffering… paranibbana.
Enlightenment or Nibbana has a host of definitions, mostly consisting of what it isn’t. The Buddha never explicitly said what it is, or for that matter, even exactly “who” gets enlightened. Due to the inability to speak about “Nibbana, the“goal” of eliminating suffering is either impossibly vague or has disappeared entirely from view.
What Western Buddhists are left with is the “path” and perfecting the path now appears to be the goal rather than actual enlightenment. Why is that? Is Nibbana the same in 2019 as 2,600 years ago when the world was so radically different? We’ll investigate the traditional attempts at explaining Nibbana and also some new ideas emanating from the challenges of our times.
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This is the second talk, in a series of two, on working with difficult, problematic and obsessive thinking. A useful four page handout accompanied Dennis’ first talk on this topic on March 7th. The discussion this evening will look at the differences between working with thought during meditation and working with thought during daily lives. These are two different approaches.
For example, the traditional instruction is to “not go into the content of thought” during meditation. Is that the whole instruction? Doesn’t the Insight Meditation process involve some form of evaluation of thought while one is meditating? How does this basic meditation instruction apply to thought in daily life?
Among other thing, the evening will explore the five strategies the historical Buddha recommended for dealing with difficult, problematic and/or obsessive thoughts that distract us for seeing into their implications or true nature of being either harmful or unhealthy nature.
- Talk handout: Options For Working With Thought (.pdf)
(Note: This talk does not cover the same materials present in the talk on the “Two Types of Thinking” presented earlier this month on April 18 by Community Teacher Diane Wilde.)
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Dana is a Buddhist word that means generosity or heart. Nearly all Sacramento Insight Meditation activities are offered on a dana (donations) basis. This means our programs are sustained by the generosity of instructors in offering teachings freely and on the generosity of students and members of the meditative community in the form of financial support, service and participation in events. Practice dana, please support our Sangha. DONATE NOW