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Retreat Dharma Talks
at Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC
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IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks
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Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC
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2017-06-14
Meditation: Homecoming to Our Life Breath
15:59
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Tara Brach
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Perhaps the most universal place to collect and deepen attention is the breath. This meditation begins with an intentional breath that calms the nervous system, and then opens to a clear, intimate presence with our natural breathing. With breath as our home base, we practice returning again and again when the mind becomes distracted. As presence grows, we can let the breath be in the foreground, and include whatever waves of life come and go. This brings a quiet mind, and a peaceful, happy heart.
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2017-06-14
Stories That Imprison Our Heart – Part 1
53:00
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Tara Brach
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Our suffering arises from fear-based stories that are often outside our awareness. These include stories of our deficiency or importance, of being a victim, of being unseen or unloved, of facing failure or rejection. This is true collectively too. We have shared stories of bad “others” that fuel wars, shared stories of the value of continued growth in consumption and production that destroy our earth, shared stories of our human right to enslave and violate other animals. We have the capacity to bring the stories that separate and imprison us into the light of awareness, and with great compassion, loosen their grip. These two talks look at the ways fear-based stories create suffering, and how awakening from them reveals the freedom of our true, and universal, belonging.
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2017-06-21
Stories That Imprison Our Heart – Part 2
50:50
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Tara Brach
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Our suffering arises from fear-based stories that are often outside our awareness. These include stories of our deficiency or importance, of being a victim, of being unseen or unloved, of facing failure or rejection. This is true collectively too. We have shared stories of bad “others” that fuel wars, shared stories of the value of continued growth in consumption and production that destroy our earth, shared stories of our human right to enslave and violate other animals. We have the capacity to bring the stories that separate and imprison us into the light of awareness, and with great compassion, loosen their grip. These two talks look at the ways fear-based stories create suffering, and how awakening from them reveals the freedom of our true, and universal, belonging.
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2017-06-21
Meditation: Arriving in Embodied Presence
23:59
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Tara Brach
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This guided meditation instruction includes:
1 – Arriving in embodied presence with senses awake,
2 – Further collecting the attention using a primary anchor or base, and
3 – Continuing to collect around an anchor or widening to rest in open, natural awareness – in presence with what is.
Given as part of the morning guided meditation Instruction on the Spring 2017 IMCW Retreat.
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2017-06-28
Meditation: Opening to Full Aliveness
17:43
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Tara Brach
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This meditation includes relaxing and awakening through the body, widening the lens to include sound and then letting life live through us, receiving all that arises in open awareness.
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2017-06-28
Part 1: Refuge in the Wilderness – Coming Home to Embodied Presence
52:20
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Tara Brach
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When we live from our mental control towers, we are in a trance that confines our life. These two talks look at the primary ways we are conditioned to leave embodied presence, and the consequence of unlived life—being cut off from our vitality, intelligence and compassion. We then explore the teachings and practices that guide us to reconnect to our senses, and the sacred presence that underlies all lived experience.
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2017-07-05
Part 2: Refuge in the Wilderness – Coming Home to Embodied Presence
52:40
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Tara Brach
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When we live from our mental control towers, we are in a trance that confines our life. These two talks look at the primary ways we are conditioned to leave embodied presence, and the consequence of unlived life—being cut off from our vitality, intelligence and compassion. We then explore the teachings and practices that guide us to reconnect to our senses, and the sacred presence that underlies all lived experience.
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2017-07-05
Brief Meditation: Entering the Wilderness
5:59
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Tara Brach
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We open to our full naturalness as we awaken the senses. This brief meditation guides us to open all the sense gates, and in that openness, experience the pure aliveness and awareness that is our essence.
NOTE: listen to the full talk: Part 2: Refuge in the Wilderness – Coming Home to Embodied Presence.
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2017-07-12
Meditation: Relaxing with a Smile into Living Presence
14:59
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Tara Brach
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This meditation guides us to awaken to sensation using the image of a smile and scanning through the body. We then open to sound and to the entire changing flow of experience. When we connect with the changing flow of sensations, feelings and sounds, we also discover the formless awareness that is our Source… and home. We end with a prayer that includes our own being and all beings.
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2017-07-12
Radical Self-Honesty: The Joy of Getting Real
48:40
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Tara Brach
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Our suffering arises from the unseen, unfelt, resisted parts of our psyche. This talk explores ways we can deepen self-honesty and reconnect to a wholeness of being that enables us to live with spontaneity, confidence, wisdom and love.
A quote by Elizabeth Lessor from the talk: “My prayer to god every day: Remove the veils so I might see what is really happening here and not be intoxicated by my stories and my fears.”
NOTE: Tara was away this week and asked for this favorite talk from 2014-11-05 be posted.
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