Dharma Seed - Dharma Talks given at Insight Meditation South Bay

2018-04-24 Goals in Meditation 3:05:54

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We invited several local teachers to share both the personal aims that guide their practice and their understanding of the goals of the Buddhist Path. We asked them the following questions: What is the goal of Buddhist practice? What do you personally hope to achieve through your practice? What is a reasonable way to assess our progress – how can we tell if we are on track? How can we work skillfully with goals in the context of mindfulness-based practices that emphasize present moment awareness? This series will explore both the ultimate and relative goals of Buddhist practice. It will address the benefits and limitations of having goals, and explore some related practice issues: comparing, expectations, craving for attainments, inspiration, and the potential for discouragement. Join us for an illuminating look into some aspects of your practice you may never have considered!

2018-04-24 Commitment to Enlightenment 30:23
Shaila Catherine	Download Listen
In this talk, Shaila Catherine explores the purpose of meditation practice. By knowing the goal of the Buddhist path, we can avoid becoming satisfied with deceptive attainments such as mere joy, calmness, and concentration. These pleasant states are not the aim of the liberating path. If we become attached to these temporary states and initial attainments, they become impediments on the path and can prevent the realization of the ultimate goal of awakening.
Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2018-05-01 Nurturing the Process 35:23
Kim Allen	Download Listen
Kim Allen gave the second talk in a speaker series titled "Goals in Meditation." Kim advised that instead of spending time wishing for attending some future goals, we can just do the practice. When we develop and nurture the process of the liberating path, it will naturally lead us to the goal of the path.
Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2018-05-08 Cooling the Fire 43:32
Andrea Fella	Download Listen
Andrea Fella gave the third talk in a speaker series titled "Goals in Meditation." Andrea pointed out that the Pali word that the Buddha used to describe his awakening is "nibbana." This word literally means "cooling." In other words, awakening is not about gaining something; rather it's about cooling the fire of greed, hatred, and delusion in our minds. indeed, we can experience nibbana in this life time, when we let go of greed, hatred, and delusion.
Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2018-05-15 Not Make Things Worse 34:21
Tony Bernhard	Download Listen
Tony Bernhard gave the fourth talk in a speaker series titled "Goals in Meditation." Tony explained that the Buddha's insights is captured in the Four Noble Truth. The First Noble Truth points out suffering or dissatisfaction we experience in life. Unfortunately, we make things worse by complaining when we experience things as unpleasant, or wanting more of things that are pleasant. This is the Second Noble Truth, which explains the origin of suffering, namely our clinging and aversion. The Third Noble Truth tells us that we don't have to make things worse for ourselves. And the Fourth Noble Truth tells us how not to make things worse by follwoing the Noble Eightfold Path.
Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2018-05-22 Milestones on the Path to Freedom: Assessing Progress in Practice Wisely 42:14
Dawn Neal	Download Listen
Dawn Neal gave the last talk in a speaker series titled "Goals in Meditation." Dawn offered a perspective on how to relate to assessments of practice in day-to-day practice, as well as over the arc of a practioner's journey. Beautiful experiences in practice, including great sits, concentration states, and even insight, can be celebrated, and assessed in ways that can nourish confidence in the Dharma and increase spiritual maturity. The same milestones can also become impediments -- dead-weight on the spiritual journey -- if clung to or identified with in an unhelpful way.
Insight Meditation South Bay - Silicon Valley
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2018-04-10 A Life Affirming Path 46:30
Janetti Marotta	Download Listen
In this talk, Janetti Marotta presented the publication of her new book, "A Fertile Path: Guiding the Journey with Mindfulness and Compassion." Janetti described how mindfulness teaches us to be in harmony with whatever life presents. With the wisdom of awareness and the warmth of compassion, obstacles become challenges and crises become opportunities.

2018-04-03 A Loving Kindness Tune-Up — Inspiration, Intention, Expression 28:39
Sharon Allen	Download Listen
Sharon Allen discusses loving kindness as an antidote for any mind state that is trapped in ill-will or hatred. She tells us that it is important to remember the importance of loving kindness by noticing the small things done in kindness to others, as well as noticing the the effects metta has on our own heart.

2018-03-13 Equanimity 44:51
Oren Jay Sofer	Download Listen
The series on the Seven Awakening factors concludes with Oren J. Sofer’s talk on the quality of equanimity. Sofer tells us that this quality develops slowly among the other factors and is considered one of the highest attainments in Buddhist practice. The fore-taste of evenness and balance can be considered a glimpse into the mind of an awakened being.

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2018-03-06 Samadhi 44:20
Sean Feit Oakes	Download Listen
Sean Feit Oakes speaks about the quality of samadhi as an awakening factor. This talk, the 8th in the series, examines samadhi as the framework of what must be cultivated in practice in order to ultimately aim for liberation. Because concentration arises when conditions ripen, this talk explores ways to develop these conditions so that samadhi and its benefits can manifest.

In collection Seven Factors of Awakening

2018-02-27 Tranquility 49:36
Daniel Bowling	Download Listen
Daniel Bowling discusses the Seven Factors of Awakening, with an emphasis on the tranquility factor. The talk, the 7th in the series on the awakening factors, encourages us to mindfully, and with curiosity and joy, develop tranquility so that we can employ its benefits both on the cushion and in everyday situations.

In collection Seven Factors of Awakening

2018-02-20 Awakening Joy 43:55
Misha Merrill	Download Listen
Misha Merrill gave the fourth talk in a speaker series titled "Preparing the Mind for Awakening: Cultivating the Seven Factors of Awakening." She explained that joy and happiness are not the same thing, because we can find joy even in the midst of difficulties. We can't put off practicing and experiencing joy until everything is just exactly the way we want it to be. In fact, to be able to experience joy at this moment, right here, right now, even when things are difficult, is the core of our practice. Misha then offered practices that can increase the possibility of joy in our lives.

In collection Seven Factors of Awakening

2018-01-23 Mindfulness 38:59
Chris Clifford	Download Listen
Chris Clifford gave the first talk in a speaker series titled "Preparing the Mind for Awakening: Cultivating the Seven Factors of Awakening." In this talk, Chris explored the Buddha's teachings on Mindfulness in order to understand how this mental factor differs from ordinary untrained consciousness, and how it supports the unfolding of the Seven Factors of Awakening.

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2017-12-19 Feeling Emotions on the Meditative Path of Awakening 41:31
Shaila Catherine	Download Listen
Shaila Catherine discusses the importance of developing mindfulness of emotions and mental states. Human beings have the capacity to experience a wide range of emotions—they may be subtle or intense, unwholesome or wholesome. Working with emotions requires energy and courage to be willing to face the raw fact that this mental state is present. We can become aware of, and work skillfully with, any emotional state including anger, hate, gratitude, fear, sadness, calmness, insecurity, contentment, grief, tranquility, lust, compassion, loneliness, jealousy, envy, restlessness, peacefulness, faith, love. Emotions are changing mental states that arise in conjunction with every perception. When we are mindful of emotions we drop the conceptual narrative of the story line and investigate how the mind operates. What conditions nourish each mental state, and what conditions cause them to end? How do these mental states affect the clarity of our perception? We can observe the dynamic interaction of emotions and the body, and learn to work with emotions in conjunction with their somatic manifestations. We might gather ideas for investigation by reviewing the detailed Abhidhamma categories of mental states and the factors that constitute each state, or we might simply observe the arising and ceasing of mental states in activity and our meditation.

2017-12-09 The Peace of Not-Clinging: A Guided Meditation 20:23
Shaila Catherine	Download Listen
Shaila Catherine offers this 20-minute teaching on impermanence and not-clinging in the mode of guided meditation instructions. We practice being unattached to pleasant and unpleasant feelings and releasing all clinging connected with sensual desire or aversion. To cultivate non-clinging, first notice the experience of clinging, perhaps by observing physical tightness, mental contraction, or a sense of separation. As you become mindful of the changing nature of experiences, allow yourself to deeply accept this fact of impermanence. Allow experiences to arise and be known, and also let them end.