The Buddha named old age, sickness, and death as divine messengers—undeniable truths that call us to practice and open the path to awakening. In this Dharma talk, we will explore how embodied compassion can become a liberating practice as we face the realities of an impermanent and mortal body.

Drawing from the early teachings of the Buddha, guided reflections, and stories from Jeff’s work as a physician, we’ll investigate how cultivating kind and mindful awareness of the body can support insight, soften fear, open the heart, and deepen our capacity to meet life and death with wisdom and love.

Grief: Meditation practice with loss and change

Change is a constant in life but for many of us the last year has brought more intense and radical change, much of it unwelcomed and challenging. There is so much suffering these days due to loss and grief. Rates of depression, anxiety, addiction and suicide are at an all time high. Tonight we will explore using our meditation practice tools to find relief, understanding and acceptance of our losses and to use grief as a doorway into deeper insights. Jeff shares some personal stories of loss and sorrow and liberation from the healthcare frontlines of the pandemic. He discusses many useful practices to work with our individual and collective grief and suffering.