Dharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: dharma talks and meditation instruction

(Common Ground Meditation Center)

(Aloka Earth Room) Short Reflection & Guided Meditation | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene III | Online Wednesday-Mornings

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin by remembering the three core methods of training given by the Buddha (wisdom, meditation, and "ethics"), and their interrelationship. We reflect on how ethics has often been marginalized in Western Buddhism (and at times in Asian Buddhism). We then look in depth at the first lay ethical precept, non-harming, first in terms of the core teachings of the Buddha, and its centrality in the earlier Indian traditions of the Vedas. We examine some of the more "outer" dimensions of practicing non-harming, seeing how, with mindfulness and strong intentions, we can bring non-harming into our daily lives, including in our speech and communication. We then look at the more "inner" dimensions of practicing non-harming, looking in particular at how harming ourselves or others typically comes out of our own pain, so that practicing with pain (and the teaching of the Two Arrows) is central. The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In this guided meditation, connected to the later talk on "Non-Harming," we begin with about 8 minutes of settling and becoming more present, developing more samadhi (concentration). Then there is a period of lovingkindness (metta) practice, including starting where the lovingkindness flows the easiest and then extending the lovingkindness to many other beings. This is followed by mindfulness practice, with guidance on exploring when there are negative or blaming views of self or another. Finally, we close with several reflection questions related to how there is harming of self and/or others at times in our lives.

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The difference between the "concentration" of serenity and the concentration of insight. Developed in the frame of the four spheres of existence.

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Various ways to connect with the experience of body sitting and body breathing.

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Exploring mindfulness of the body in the Satipatthana Sutta. Including how mindfulness of the body interfaces and supports other aspects of the practice.

(Karuna Buddhist Vihara) This dhamma talk, guided meditation, and Q&A was offered on July 26, 2025 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!” 00:28: Meditation 13:42: Dhamma talk 49:05: Q&A

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The various aspects upekkha can take in regard to our practice.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Once we have a base of simple connection to breath, body, and our immediate senses, we can explore our driven habits of adding a sense of self to these very simple experiences. As stated in the Bahiya Sutta, in the seeing just let there being the seen, with out adding a sense of "you" to what is being seen. We can compare moments of the day where the the mind isn't entangled in concocting a sense of self versus the mind which is adding a very thick sense of self.

(Auckland Insight Meditation)

(Auckland Insight Meditation)

(Aloka Earth Room) Short Reflection & Guided Meditation | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene III | Online Wednesday-Mornings

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) For those new to directing there mindfulness practice towards the experience of self production, there are a few relatively simple practices to expose and let go of the over concoction of a thicker sense of self to life's present time experiences.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This talk occurs five days after Joanna's death at age 96, and two days after Donald attended a wake for Joanna at her home, saying good-bye to her. Donald first met Joanna Macy in 1977, while still a student. When he moved to Berkeley, California in 1988, he helped start a neighborhood daily meditation group of ten households, including that of Joanna and her husband Fran. So he got to know Joanna and Fran as friends and neighbors. In 1991, he first trained in her approach, later called "The Work That Reconnects" and offered this work in different venues. Over the years, they have stayed friends and colleagues, and sometimes taught together. In this talk, Donald gives a sense of the trajectory of Joanna's life and work, showing photos of Joanna spanning her life-time and interspersing stories of training with Joanna and using her practices and perspectives in his own teaching. He focuses in the second part of the talk on the four aspects of the "spiral" of her teaching: (1) starting with gratitude, (2) honoring our pain for the world, (3) seeing with new eyes, and (4) going forth into the world. We close with a brief account of Joanna's wake from two days before the talk, and a video recording from the wake of group singing about the "Great Turning." The talk is followed by discussion and closing intentions. For the slides shown during the talk, see document 318, below.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin with a period of settling, developing greater samadhi or concentration, and then move to mindfulness practice, including giving some attention to noticing moderate or a little greater levels of pleasant or unpleasant feeling-tone. When we notice pleasant or unpleasant feeling-tones, is there any tendency toward grasping or pushing away, in habitual or automatic ways? We then explore gratitude as a practice, simply reflecting on ways that we are grateful, first for aspects of our own lives, and then for aspects of the wider world. This is followed by opening with mindfulness to some difficult or painful aspects of our world, whether close to home or farther away, inspired to see and be with what is painful through wisdom and care. We end with a return to mindfulness practice for a short time. (This guided meditation is related to the talk that follows, honoring the life and work of Joanna Macy.)

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The 5 Faculties (Indriya) represented as diligence, its coachman, and its 4 horses.

(Gaia House) A meditation, reflection, and (just the) responses to questions on the theme of bringing intentions to life. Feeling what brings more meaningfulness, checking in with how we are right now, and cultivating the release we aspire for.

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Investigation into the process of cognition based on the six sense doors and questioning the reality of the self-identity.

(Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center) Fire as a living being that is capable of creating wholesome transformation or devastating destruction both internally and externally

(Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center) During these disorienting and unstable times, awareness of the Earth Element in the body offers both a refuge and a responsibility to be present for what has arisen and what is arising in our world today.

(Cambridge Insight Meditation Center) In the Honeyball Sutta (MN 18), it says, "What one perceives, that one thinks about. What one thinks about, that one mentally proliferates (or complicates)." And this mental proliferation often leads to "evil unwholesome states" which can cause harm and suffering. When we bring mindfulness to the subtle realm of perception, we start to see more clearly without adding anything extra. This is where equanimity comes in, allowing us to meet life with fewer preferences and with greater mental balance.

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) Climb a tree and use the perspective you get when on top. The street here is also compared with the body.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) From a base of loving kindness and compassion we can consciously aim our heart's attention into a practice of Forgiveness.

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) The first of the Satipatthana practices for establishing mindfulness is the body.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Cittaviveka)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Uncontrived)

(Uncontrived)

(Gaia House)

(Uncontrived)

(Uncontrived)

(Cittaviveka)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Various) Reflections and Guided Meditation on Metta for the Body moving into boundless loving awareness.

(Various) Brief reflections on three levels of Impermanence.

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) An exploration of Samadhi and its role on the overall path of Liberation

(Auckland Insight Meditation)

(Auckland Insight Meditation)

(Cambridge Insight Meditation Center)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) A description of the Wise Effort step of the 8 Fold Path, how it fits into the Buddha's teachings, and examples of how to specifically apply it.

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) How to skillfully work with the 5 Hindrances in concentration practice. Threee Strategies are discussed: Ignoring, anti-dotes, mindfulness/inquiry

(Flagstaff Insight Meditation Community)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) For the Buddha, practice was understood as involving three trainings, in wisdom, meditation, and ethics (sila). Ethics, typically under-emphasized in later Buddhism, including Western Buddhism, with sometimes clear negative consequences, had as its horizon helping others. The Buddha said: “Wander forth . . . for the welfare of the multitude, for the happiness of the multitude, out of compassion for the world.” The later emphasis on the bodhisattva develops this emphasis further. In this talk, we suggest a contemporary “Eightfold Path” for understanding and responding to the current difficult times in the society and world. It's outlined in terms of three wisdom guidelines, two meditation guidelines, and three ethics guidelines. The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin with brief instructions for developing samadhi (“placing together” or “concentration”), followed by basic mindfulness instructions and then guidance for working with the feeling-tone of pleasant or unpleasant, when it appears in the moderate range. We are mindful of pleasant or unpleasant and look for grasping or pushing away in some form, guided by core wisdom teachings.