Category: Dharma Talks
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Generosity
Generosity is an important part of our practice. When we offer what we have to others, we break down barriers. Generosity allows us to open up and feel a sense of abundance. Of course, all lovers of the dharma love categories, lists. It may help to think of 4 types of generosity: Giving material things. This is usually…
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Kindness and Dharma
A Dharma Talk was given by Elizabeth Cheslak on April 20, 2025. The poem read and referenced is “Kindness” by the contemporary American poet Naomi Shihab Nye.
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Standing in the Middle of the Worldly Winds
This talk was given March 9, 2025. Bibliography Lokavipatti Sutta. Anguttara Nikaya 8.6 Rick Hanson: Buddha’s Brain “Pleasure is a signal to approach an experience or object that may aid survival, but our brains can trick us into thinking that pleasure will somehow make our well-being permanent.” Lama Karma: The Wisdom of Equanimity in Global Crisis:…
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The Nature of Thoughts
This Dharma talk was given on February 9, 2025. The Nature of Thoughts in Buddhist Teachings (with Some Neuroscientific Perspective) Neuroscientific research shows that: Personal Example: Thoughts Are Not Reality While guiding a meditation, I noticed a building stress in my body. I became aware of an anxious thought: “Am I using the right words?…
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What is Right Samadhi? Comments on Concentration in the Suttas and in the Commentaries
Introduction Over the past year we have discussed the Four Noble Truths and seven branches of the Eightfold Noble Path. We come this morning to the eighth and final limb of the Eightfold Path. This final branch is called Right Samadhi–frequently translated as Right Concentration–and it is one of the set of three limbs that…
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Right Effort
These notes are from Curt Fish’s October 13, 2024, Dharma talk. Right Effort is effort directed at cultivating the skillful and abandoning the unskillful. Here’s a description of Right Effort from a post on Quora: Right effort—is such a great limb of the path—such a key spot, internally, in our practice. It’s this beautiful place…
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Comments on Generosity
Karen and Brian spoke briefly about generosity and dana on September 22, 2024.
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Right Speech
Notes The Buddha’s definition of Wise Speech is abstaining from these four manners of speech: Abstaining from False speech Bhikkhu Bodhi points out that false speech can be expressions of one of the three poisons: False speech includes both overrating and understating. Another form of false speech is being engaged in fantasizing which is a form…
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The Fourth Noble Truth—and Wondering if We Have to Believe in Rebirth to Find the End of Suffering
Introduction The topic of the Dharma talk for which I signed up this morning is the Fourth Noble Truth. My path from signing up to talk about the Fourth Noble Truth to being here this morning to do that has been long and twisty. The title of the talk to which I have finally found…
