8/29/2024 “Concentration Is Really Composure of the Mind” with Walt Opie

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In daily life, we have a lot of distractions that can easily cause our minds to be quite scattered and distracted, and lacking in composure or serenity. One aspect of insight meditation practice that we are gently cultivating is what we call concentration, or samadhi in Pali. Buddhist scholar Bhikkhu Analayo says the term samadhi “carries nuances of a bringing together.” He writes that other translations for samadhi include “collectedness” and “composure of the mind.” In this talk, we will explore various aspects of developing greater concentration and how it can help transform our practice and our life. 

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8/22/2024 “Walking the Path”with Rich Howard

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Discursive, subtle states of mind are difficult to isolate which makes it difficult to utilize methods to lessen their negative impact on us. They just seem to be “us”, who we are. Even though they are almost always “invisible”, you can count on experiencing their results… anxiety and more anxiety! The Buddha describes these troubling subtle states of mind as the Ten Fetters. He offers an approach, a sort of “To-Do List” on how to mentally address the Fetters, and what happens when we undertake the process of recognizing them. Tonight we will do a brief overview of the Ten Fetters and their unique properties. We’ll spend additional time on the first fetter, which is the illusion we each have concerning our own personality, or “personality view”. We will explore this first fetter through a few brief mental exercises.

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8/15/2024 “The Buddha’s To-Do List for a Happier Life” with Diane Wilde

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Discursive, subtle states of mind are difficult to isolate which makes it difficult to utilize methods to lessen their negative impact on us. They just seem to be “us”, who we are. Even though they are almost always “invisible”, you can count on experiencing their results… anxiety and more anxiety! The Buddha describes these troubling subtle states of mind as the Ten Fetters. He offers an approach, a sort of “To-Do List” on how to mentally address the Fetters, and what happens when we undertake the process of recognizing them. Tonight we will do a brief overview of the Ten Fetters and their unique properties. We’ll spend additional time on the first fetter, which is the illusion we each have concerning our own personality, or “personality view”. We will explore this first fetter through a few brief mental exercises.

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8/8/2024 “Finding Freedom Amidst Difficulties” with Diana Clark

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In this talk we will explore a well-known Buddhist story, inquiring how we can apply the learnings in the story to our own lives.

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8/1/2024 “These Are A Few Of My Least Favorite Things” with Seth Castleman

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How can we find balance and acceptance in the face of suffering, loss, and injustice, in our lives and in the world? Through our practice we find the middle path between complacency and worry.

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7/25/2024 “Planting the Seeds of Forgiveness” with Greg Scharf

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7/18/2024 “Boredom: Door to Awakening?” with Rich Howard

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As the dog days of summer arrive, we may not be filling our days with as many activities. We may even be facing periods of boredom. Or we may have children who are BORED!! Dr. Katie Hurley (Happy Kid Handbook) says, “We have a tendency to treat boredom as a sign of distress, or a sort of call for help. It is uncomfortable, but it’s not necessarily negative.” Like any hindrance (restlessness, sleepiness, etc.), we can take up boredom as an object of awareness, and by learning about an apparently negative mind state, learn about ourselves and our suffering. On a meditation retreat, John Travis has recommended looking closely at boredom. What might we find? This talk will explore boredom and related mind states. 

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7/11/2024 “The Benefits of Cultivating Mindfulness of Feeling Tone (Vedanā)” with Rick Maddock

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Vedanā is often defined as the feeling quality of any experience, which is felt along a spectrum from pleasant, through neutral, to unpleasant. The Buddha attributed great importance to cultivating mindfulness of Vedanā. Tonight’s discussion will examine some of the beneficial effects of this practice, with reference to insights from both early Buddhism and modern neuroscience.

We suggest you listen to talk and reference the slideshow available in .PDF format.

Select above image to view slideshow (PDF 51 pages)
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6/27/2024 “Dissatisfaction, Suffering and Precept Practice” with Tony Bernhard

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6/20/2024 “Disappointment: An Important Practice Leading to Insight” with Dennis Warren

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Buddhism encourages us to realize that things are frequently not as they first appear. In many cases, the true nature of something is the reverse of what we initially think: what we want and believe is helpful, harms us in the long run; what we don’t want is what we most need; what seems to be a risk is an opportunity.
Disappointment falls into this category. Although we would prefer not to experience it, disappointment is a pre-condition to real development in practice and a more open, inclusive, kind life.
This evening will explore the nature of disappointment and the important role it plays in spiritual practice. What is it? How can we welcome it into our lives? How can we relate to it as a practice, rather than as something unwanted? And why is it indispensable to deep, fundamental insight?
The subject matter of this evening will be appropriate for all stages of practice

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