Robert Cusick gave the first talk in a speaker series titled "Living Wisely in the World: Caring for Mind, Family, Society, and Planet". There are many benefits to training in sila or by living in integrity with the precepts. When we recognize and respect the importance of integrity as a foundational underpinning of Buddhism and choose to develop it as a personal daily practice, we access a powerful tool that can be used for both our immediate and complete liberation from suffering. By choosing to train in this way, we create the conditions in our own lives to understand and experience what's known as the "Bliss of Blamelessness." This talk by Robert Cusick is about some of the many different ways people are transformed by living in integrity with the precepts and ultimately changed by the bliss of blamelessness.

A famous verse in the Dhammapada states: “All experience is preceded by mind, led by mind, made by mind. Speak or act with a corrupted mind, and suffering follows, as the wagon wheel follows the hoof of the ox … Speak or act with a peaceful mind, and happiness follows, like a never-departing shadow.” This guest speaker series will explore the ways in which care for our minds leads to care for our families, societies and our planet.

Robert Cusick gave the third talk in a six-week series titled "Beautiful Mind - Five Faculties." He talked about mindfulness in the service of "getting unstuck." There are two ways to think about mindfulness: 1) as a means of noticing our mental patterns without judgment, and 2) remembering, or returning to, the object of meditation. Cultivating mindfulness helps us see things more clearly. Mindfulness is a means of developing concentration, and subsequently cultivating wisdom.

This is the second talk in a speaker series titled Fundamental Buddhist Principles 2015. The teaching of the Buddha is not about a belief system; rather, it is about deliverance from suffering. His teaching is verifiable by our own experience. Along with this message comes the method of practice that leads to the ending of suffering, and this method of practice is the Noble Eightfold Path. The eight factors of this Path include right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Liberation from suffering is the inevitable fruit of cultivating this Path.

Buddhist tradition offers a rich tradition of wisdom teachings. This series focuses on the philosophy, principles, practices, and instructions that are fundamental to developing a meditative or Buddhist practice. It is intended as an introduction to Buddhism series, with an emphasis on the primary teachings that guide meditators to a liberating understanding of the mind, world, and life.

This talk was given as a part of the series "Where Rubber Meets the Road: A Series on Mindful Living."

This series of talks provides insight and practical advice as to how to take the wonderful and serene mind that we develop during our meditation practice into our daily lives, into our relationships with others. Sometimes, the deepest grooves in our minds are only stimulated in our relationships to others. Defilements and habits of the mind, such as greed, anger and delusion, arise in ways that they don't in other situations. Fortunately, these daily life encounters offer us opportunities to practice, to see ourselves more clearly, and to become more free. This is the liberating power of awareness and mindfulness.

This collection of talks given at Insight Meditation South Bay discusses the nature of emotions. Topics include how to work with shame, dread, fear and anger.