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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November 3, 2016/by Barbara Briscoe

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

Audio Dharma

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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October 13, 2016/by Sabitre

SIM 2016 Residential Retreat

Audio Dharma

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

** 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

September 13, 2016/by Sabitre

07/21/16: “Four Personality Types,” with Diane Wilde

Audio Dharma

Have you ever wondered why there are people who, though born in poverty and deprivation, yet managed to evolve as wise and compassionate people, seemingly content with very little, while others, born with privilege and wealth, seem to require more and more “stuff” and often succumb to cruel behavior towards themselves and others. The Buddha had something to say about these “four types of people” in the Tamonata Sutta:

“There are these four types of people to be found existing in the world. Which four? One in darkness who is headed for darkness, one in darkness who is headed for light, one in light who is headed for darkness, and one in light who is headed for light.” The Buddha did not speak in riddles. His teaching is clear and well-explained. Whenever he said something that people might not understand properly, he explained it immediately. What is darkness? What is brightness? How does one keep on running from one to the other?

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July 21, 2016/by Barbara Briscoe

06/30/16: “Death, Dying and…What?” with Diane Wilde

Audio Dharma

Death and dying are topics we are simultaneously fascinated with and repelled by. The fascination with death has made it a contemporary entertainment topic. Just witness the number of deaths and murders we see on TV, in the movies and in video games. On the other hand, bring up the subject of your own death to friends and loved ones and you most likely will receive a chorus of pleas to “Please change the subject!” On the other hand we are fascinated with past lives, near death experiences and the endless theories on what comes after death. Things were not so different in the Buddha’s time, and he had a lot to say about death and dying and “what comes next.” We will also look at contemporary research into the dying process and reflections on its aftermath.