Episodes
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In this talk Mary discusses two seemingly different ideas of what a foundation can be in our practice. There is the stillness and grounding of meditation practice and the foundation offered by the Eightfold Path. They are not mutually exclusive and in fact, work together on the path to liberation.
Recorded Nov. 16, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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The results of the 2024 presidential election in the United States have brought up several levels of grief, fear, anger, despair and many more emotions for several of us. In this talk Mary reflects on where we are right now, how to hold our experience, and how to move forward. Connection, community, practice and finding hope in the words and experiences of those who have walked this path before are vital in these challenging days. Stay connected, and don't miss the joy.
Recorded Nov. 9, 2024 in the virtual world
Link to Bhikkhu Bodhi's article mentioned in the talkSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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Episodes manquant?
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The Buddha said that the beautiful qualities of loving kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity are a natural arising of our insight practice. It's important to know that these qualities are present for each of us, especially in these moments of great challenges to our world. Learning to access them, whether through the traditional heart practices, or in other ways, helps us to take care of ourselves. Mary talks about finding this inner wellspring to support our journey.
Recorded Nov. 1, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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There is a lot of stress in our lives today. As the Buddha said, there is always dukkha. How do we take care of ourselves in these moments? Of course practice is always a resource but how do we take care of ourselves in other ways. In this talk Mary discusses various ideas for resourcing ourselves in these challenging times.
Recorded Oct. 24, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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The Buddha was remarkable in offering the teachings in many different ways. In this talk, Mary reflects on the Five Spiritual Faculties, sometimes called the Path of Wisdom. Faith, Energy, Mindfulness, Concentration and Wisdom support us in our daily lives on our path from delusion to clarity and awakening. The beauty of the teachings are that they are accessible to each of us and we can put them to use throughout our daily lives.
Recorded October 19, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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In this talk Mary reflects on the story of Milarepa and the Demons and invites us to imagine a spiritual path that has us befriend all parts of us, even the challenging bits. Although not part of the original tale, we're asked to invite our demons in for tea and shift our relationship with the present - no matter what it is.
Recorded October 12, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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The Pali word Sati is generally translated as mindfulness, but it can mean so much more. In this talk Mary reflects on all the different, yet similar meanings of the word, emphasizing how close it is to the idea of equanimity - being with the present moment, without preference or needing it to be different. Drawing from Bhante Gunaratana's classic, Mindfulness in Plain English, Mary offers ways to make this core teaching meaningful for each of us. Mary also reflects on the power of Sati during her recent hospital stay.
Recorded Oct. 5, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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The Buddha taught us that all we have are our actions and our actions take place in this moment. But are we fully living in the moment? When we investigate the tentativeness of life - the recognition that nothing is certain - we can shift our relationship to the present and live in a way that is grounded in our core values. Mary discusses this idea and how to move towards a life that allows us to find our own way with the here and now.
Recorded Sept. 29, 2024 in the virtual world for Insight Community of the DesertSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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Oftentimes we try to get good at meditation when in reality meditation is a practice for how we move through the world. The invitation of practice is to be with each moment as it arises, without judgement or preference. When we develop this awareness during practice, we can carry it with us throughout our lives 'off the cushion'. In this talk, Mary discusses the idea of choiceless awareness, a way to simple be in the moment, grounded in equanimity and wisdom.
Recorded Sept. 22, 2024, in the virtual world for Insight Community of the DesertSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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A common reminder in meditation practice is that our experience can not be different from the way it is as much as we would like it to be. The same invitation to be present with the moment applies through all aspects of our life. The root of so much dukkha is our inability to be with reality. Acknowledging the moment as it is takes us closer towards liberation.
Recorded Sept. 5, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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The Eight Worldly Winds are a teaching on equanimity. Recognizing the winds of pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disgrace that blow for all of us is important in our journey towards liberation. The Buddha says each of us feel these winds and it's important to see them as part of the human condition and not personal. Letting go of the stories of attachment to some winds over others is a key to our liberation.
Recorded August 31, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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Mary reflects on 16 years of teaching the Saturday Afternoon Sit class. In looking at all the changes that can happen in 16 years. it became clear that so often we get hung up on finding a 'there'. We spend our time and energy working to achieve something that will get us where we want to be, only to find out there is always something else. As the Buddha teaches, there is only the present, and how we work with the present will lead us to or away from liberation.
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In this very personal talk Mary reflects on the Five Remembrances and how they invite us to embrace our humanity, open to vulnerability and live each day as if it were our last.
Recorded August 17, 2024 in the virtual world
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The Buddha taught that fixed views and self-view were some of the biggest obstacles to liberation. We are stuck in beliefs about others and ourselves that may or may not be true, but which have tremendous impact on how we relate and react to the world. In this talk, Mary discusses the different types of views, how they develop, and what we can do to extricate ourselves from their rigidity and move towards freedom.
Recorded August 10, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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The Eightfold Path is the Buddha's teaching on how to live in a way that ends suffering and moves us towards liberation. It is a guide for living in this world and our experiences of the human condition. Mary offers a broad overview of the path and how we can put them to use in our own lives.
Recorded August 4, 2024 for Insight Community of the Desert in the Virtual WorldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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When we can slow it down, it may be easier to navigate the complexities of life. In this reflection, Mary talks about being fully present for the uncomfortable and comfortable moments that we have throughout each day and how it may be that present time awareness is like slow-motion. It's also important that we do this with a kind and gentle gaze.
Recorded July 27, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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This is a moment where the reality of groundlessness - impermanence - is front and center in our lives. What we should realize is that the world is constantly shifting and our inability or unwillingness to be with uncertainty can cause so much stress and pain. Mary discusses how to be radically open to our lives and the world and how recognizing that the foundation is always moving is a foundation in and of itself and one we can stand with.
Recorded July 20, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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The invitation to relax, observe and allow is a wonderful meditation instruction, but it's also a way we can bring mindfulness to our everyday lives. It's a practice of equanimity, awareness and liberation - simple yet profound.
Recorded July 11, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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Continuing last week's theme of experiencing liberation in this moment, Mary looks at Stephen Batchelor's teachings on embracing our existence and opening to the everyday sublime which is available to each of us at any moment.
Recorded July 6, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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In this podcast, Mary reflects on the teachings of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu and his concept of "everyday nirvana". If we can follow the Buddha's direction to not cling to anything as I or mine, we will have the freedom and liberation offered by this path. That letting go can happen at anytime - our meditation practice creates the conditions for it - and it's important that we begin to notice our experience of everyday nirvana as we purify the mind and let go.
Recorded June 29, 2024 in the virtual worldSend me a text with any questions or comments!
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