Tag Archive for: Laura Rosenthal

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The Buddhist Ethical Precepts – Are They Really Not Commandments?

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Wise speech – refraining from false speech, malicious or divisive speech, harsh speech and idle speech – is one of the “folds” of the eightfold path toward awakening. For may of us, talking on the phone with consumer service folks – an internet provider or bank, a government agency, or a host of others – can challenge our intention to speak kindly and wisely. What is this all about? And how can we use these frequent, ordinary interactions to hone our awareness and our ethical practice? Join Laura Rosenthal for a talk and group conversation on the topic “Talking on the Toll-free Line“.

What does this phrase mean and what does it offer us as Buddhist practitioners? We habitually associate the concept of the new year with a “clean slate.” Perhaps we make resolutions, head back to the gym, or make amends for actions we regret. Yet our practice also teaches us that every moment of awareness and wholesome intention is a moment of renewal – at the same time that awareness brings us closer to an understanding of the ways past mental, verbal and physical actions condition present experience. For our first evening together after New Years Day, join long-time SIM participant Laura Rosenthal for a dharma talk and group discussion of this rich topic.

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Contemporary Buddhist practitioners and teachers sometimes talk about “spiritual bypass.” This term is not found in classical Buddhist texts. What does it mean? How does it affect our practice, both in formal meditation and in every day life? Can we be too good for our own good? Join Laura Rosenthal for a dharma talk and group conversation about this very practical topic. 

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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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In Buddhist teaching, ethical conduct constitutes an essential training: sila, one of the three trainings that form the ennobling eightfold path. While contemporary teachers frequently discuss the ethical precepts in positive terms, emphasizing the wholesome qualities we are cultivating, traditional Buddhist teaching frames them in the negative, as core unwholesome behaviors with respect to which we practice renunciation. In this dharma talk and group discussion, we will explore why the precepts may have been framed in this way as well as the freedom and richness found in exploring this path of “not doing.”

This talk references a handout: click here

Laura Rosenthal, a long-time participant in the SIM community, is a graduate of Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Dedicated Practitioners Program (DPP 4) and is currently participating in Spirit Rock’s Advanced Practitioners Program (APP).

If you would like to download this talk, please right click and select “save as” here

If you would like to download this talk, please right click and select “save as”here.