12/08/2016 “The Greatest Blessing” with Rich Howard

The Greatest Blessing: Reflecting on the Maha-Mangala Sutta Seeing things as they are requires opening both to life’s pain and to life’s gifts. For his first presentation in our new home at Sacramento Dharma Center this Thursday, Rich will bring reflections on the blessings listed in the Maha-Mangala Sutta. This beloved sutta reminds us that our ordinary lives contain so many sources of happiness, many of which we may overlook. Bringing awareness to these blessings provides a balance to our…

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Here is the lyric-poem that Rich recited during this talk: Love Minus Zero by Bob Dylan

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11/17/2016 “Change And Karma” with Dennis Warren

CHANGE AND KARMA

What is the relationship between the constant element of change in our lives and what is called “Karma” in Buddhist practice? These two realities can act as powerful resources for understanding Buddhist psychology; informing our meditation practice; and helping us live more satisfying and meaningful lives. How does the Buddhist understanding of these issues differ from that of other spiritual traditions?

This evening with SIM’s Founding Teacher, Dennis Warren, will explore these topics from both a short and long term perspective. As background for this evening, you may find it helpful to review Dennis’  presentation from Oct 20, 2016 on the nature of change.

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11/03/2016 “Friendship” with Diane Wilde

Friendship… the friend we are to others and the friendships we cultivate.    Our new home and the first SIM Dharma sitting practice and discussion at the Sacramento Dharma Center is a wonderful opportunity to look at friendship in this new, expansive and beautiful venue… our new home. What kind of friends do we cultivate? What kind of friend are we to others? What hinders us from being a friend and why do some of us shy away from developing friendships? What can we learn from those whom we consider “difficult”? With three sanghas coming together in our shared space, it is a timely topic.
All of us who practice and study the Buddha’s teachings at the Sacramento Dharma Center will all be asked to help and support our new home. This is a wonderful opportunity to deepen old friendships and cultivate new ones. The Buddha offered wise and compassionate advise which couldn’t be more relevant then right now.

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10/27/2016 “The Eight Worldly Winds” with Laura Rosenthal

The Eight Worldly Winds encapsulate the many vagaries of life that can challenge our sense of balance and ease or, as teacher Donald Rothberg says, “the …ways…we may get blown off center.” Join Laura Rosenthal for a discussion of the role these “winds” play in our lives and in Buddhist practice. How do they challenge our equanimity and how are they a tool for cultivating greater insight and ease?
Laura is a longtime SIM participant. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP4) and is currently participating in Spirit Rock’s Advanced Practitioners Program.

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10/20/2016 “Change and Adapting to Change” with Dennis Warren

Change and Adapting to Change

While change is inevitable in our lives, the appearance of things remaining the same seems to be the constant focus of our attention. Many, if not most, of our decisions are based on an assumption – the assumption that things will remain as they are. Why do our minds do this?

This evening with SIM’s Founding Teacher will explore the nature of change and adapting to change from the perspective of Buddhist psychology and practice. What are the conditions, mind states, and attitudes that allow us to adapt to change with a sense of ease, acceptable and equanimity? And which hinder or act as obstacles to it?

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10/13/2016 “Better Than, Worse Than, The Same As” with Diane Wilde

 

Better than, worse than, the same as…

The habit of fault-finding and comparison is part of a larger pattern of insecurity in which we always feel the need to judge ourselves in regards to other people. It is as though we need to convince ourselves that we are okay, which we can only do indirectly, in comparison to people who we feel are superior, are less okay or just like us.

The point is not to dwell on our own faults—or our own virtues, for that matter. It is to see ourselves and others in a clear and unbiased way. It is to see, but not to dwell on the seeing. The first step in this practice is awareness of what we are doing, actually seeing and experiencing the discontent of the comparing mind! We will discuss the judging mind and the Buddha’s advise on how to abandon it.

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10/06/2016 “Depends on What?” with Rich Howard

Depends on What?: An Exploration of Causes and Conditions

You may have heard about the importance of “causes and conditions” but what does that mean to our practice in formal meditation and daily life? Can we learn to recognize how causes and conditions work in our lives experientially without making it into an intellectual analysis? What would it be like to know a peace that does not depend on outside circumstances?

Rich Howard will lead this evening exploring the practical application of the Buddhist understanding of conditionality. As a start, notice how the experience of finding a parking place near the Friends’ Meeting House affects your mood!
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09/22/2016 “Being Of Service to Ourselves and Others” with Dennis Warren

BEING OF SERVICE TO OTHERS & OURSELVES

It’s not unusual to think of “service” as something special we do: working at a soup kitchen, homeless shelter, dog shelter, the pediatric unit in a hospital, a clothing donation center. But “service”, in a Buddhist sense, is a much bigger idea that encompasses even small acts of supporting or helping a relative, a friend or our spiritual community, such as SIM.

This evening will explore the nature of service, its values and its benefits. Dennis has been leading a year-long course entitled “How Can I Help” which includes each participant doing service in the community each month. A number of the insights and experiences from the course will be included in the discussion.

Dennis will also discuss a new effort by SIM to establish a sound, new SIM volunteer infra-structure in anticipation of moving to the Sacramento Dharma Center building sometime in October.


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SIM 2016 Residential Retreat

SIM 2016 Residential Retreat with Dennis Warren, Diane Wilde, and Rich Howard.2016 SIM Retreat Summary

** If you would like to download any of the following dharma talks, please right click on the talk’s link “talk x of y” and select “save as”.

“An integrated path of practice (1)” – talk 1 of 7 with Dennis Warren

“Metta” – talk 2 of 7 with Diane Wilde

“Compassion” – talk 3 of 7 with Rich Howard

“An integrated path of practice (2) Key elements” – talk 4 of 7 with Dennis Warren

“Sympathetic joy” – talk 5 of 7 with Diane Wilde

“Equanimity” – talk 6 of 7 with Rich Howard

“An integrated path of practice (3) Spiritual and Daily Life” – talk 7 of 7 with Dennis Warren

 

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09/08/2016 “Directions to the Middle Path” with Tony Bernhard

Thursday, September 8, 7-9 pm. Sitting and Dharma Talk with Tony Bernhard, Visiting Teacher. Directions to the Middle Path: the Buddha’s roadmap to the end of suffering…

This talk references a handout: click here

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