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Dharma Talks
given at Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2016-02-04
Balanced Practice
4:31:20
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Kim Allen,
Richard Shankman,
Shaila Catherine
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The art of Dhamma practice includes engaging skillfully with complementary aspects of practice. Sometimes we are called to actively cultivate qualities, while at other times, letting go is more appropriate. We use both our head and our heart; we engage both inwardly and in the outer world; we need both restraint and boldness. Sometimes qualities that at first appear to be in opposition, are actually inseparable -- like the front and back of a hand. This speaker series explores potential paradoxes and complimentary forces in meditation, as we learn to develop a balanced practice.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2016-02-02
Recollection of Generosity
32:29
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Dawn Neal
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This is the third talk is a speaker series titled "Recollective Meditations." Dawn Neal discussed the roles of compassion and intention in giving gifts. Recollecting generosity closely relates to the practice of recollecting the Buddha, because it is out of compassion that the Buddha shared his Path of awakening. There are various forms of generosity, including sharing the Dhamma, sharing material things, renunciation, generous attitude (i.e., giving oneself completely to the service of others), and charity (i.e., giving without expecting reciprocity).
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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In
collection:
Recollective Meditations
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2016-01-19
Recollective Meditations
3:35:53
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Dawn Neal,
Shaila Catherine,
Tony Bernhard
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The Buddha taught a broad range of meditation practice -- far more extensive than simply observing sensations and breath. Practitioners can use six classic meditation subjects to nurture calmness, focus attention, inspire patience persistence, gain confidence in the efficacy of the path, and contemplate the nature of kamma, action, and mind. The six recollections are: Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, Virtue, Generosity, and Heavens.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2016-01-19
Recollection of the Buddha
48:06
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Shaila Catherine
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This is the first talk in a speaker series titled "Recollective Meditations." Shaila Catherine speaks about the meditation practice known as recollection of the Buddha, Buddhanusati. The practice involves the contemplation of qualities associated with the awakened mind. Each quality highlights a feature that the Buddha brought to perfection — in conduct, virtue, mental development, wisdom, teaching abilities, social influence, and mental powers. The reflection on these virtuous qualities of the Buddha establishes faith, confidence and inspiration for the path, deepens concentration, inhibits hindrances, strengthens joy, and refreshes the mind. It also serves as a classic protection against doubt. By contemplating the accomplishments of the Buddha, we may sense the potential for awakening within our own lives.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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In
collection:
Recollective Meditations
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2016-01-14
Unsatisfactoriness
36:40
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Sharon Allen
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This talk by Sharon Allen is the second in the speaker series entitled "Doorways to Insight." Sharon talks about unsatisfactoriness, which is one of three characteristics of experience. The Pali term for unsatisfactoriness, or suffering, is dukkha. Some examples of dukkha are physical pain, mental stress, sorrow, and despair. It is caused by clinging to things that will change, and/or wanting things to be other than the way they are. It can be liberating to recognize dukkha for what it is.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2016-01-07
Impermanence: Beyond the Rise and Fall of Things that Change
51:14
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Shaila Catherine
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This talk by Shaila Catherine is the first in the speaker series "Doorways to Insight." Shaila Catherine describes the importance that is placed on recognizing and contemplating impermanence. This is one of the three main characteristics that we observe in insight meditation practices. We see and know that things change. Everything is changing—thoughts, emotions, feelings, perceptions, sensations, tastes, and emotions. But when we don't see the impermanence of things, we tend to grasp and cling to them. We tend to want to make them to last, and thereby we identify and become attached. As a result of attachment, we suffer, because they are changing anyway. Can we see beyond things that change, and realize what might be called changeless or deathless, to awaken with insight, to realize nibbana?
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2015-12-10
Right Concentration
57:25
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Shaila Catherine
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This talk by Shaila Catherine is the fifth in a speaker series titled "Eight-Fold Path of Awakening." The Buddha said that we should develop concentration, because one who is concentrated understands things as they really are. Concentration is the ground for wisdom to arise. When we concentrate the mind, we learn to steady and strengthen the mind. That concentrated mind has the capacity to see the nature of things more deeply and clearly, leading to liberating insight.
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Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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In
collection:
Eight-Fold Path of Awakening
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