Dharma Seed - Dharma Talks given at Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

2007-11-21 Gratitude And Generosity 1:16:09

Tara Brach

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When we feel grateful, there is a sense of homecoming. We are connected with what we cherish, and in that abundance, our natural response is generosity. This talk explores two pathways that directly give rise to gratitude and generosity: full presence, and the intentional remembrance of what we love.

Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2007-11-14 Lovingkindness - Living With A Wise Heart 1:19:22

Tara Brach

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The Buddha taught that our fear is great, but greater yet is the truth of our connectedness. These two talks examine the often unconscious habits that generate the pain of separation, and the practices that allow us to realize and live from an awake heart.

Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2007-10-31 Stress, Wakeful Relaxation And Freedom 1:11:20

Tara Brach

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We are designed to respond to stress with flight/fight/freeze and this can proliferate and then harden into our ongoing response to life. The practice of presence, of recognizing and relaxing with what is arising, can cut through this conditioning and gift us with the realization of our true nature and the capacity to love fully.

Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2007-10-17 The Three Refuges 1:22:30

Tara Brach

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Dharma, Sangha and Buddha - In Buddhism there are three, interdependent gateways to freedom. Called refuges, they are the expressions of truth that carry us home to the essence of what we are. These two talks investigate the way we take "false refuge"--habitual ways of trying to control experience--and the profound happiness and peace in discovering true refuge.

Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2007-10-10 The Three Refuges 1:11:30

Tara Brach

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Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2007-10-03 Path Of Peace 1:12:35

Tara Brach

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Awakening from the Trance of Separation - We all have conditioning that can keep us at war with our inner life, and fuel violence in the world. These universal tendencies can block our natural attunement and capacity to respond with compassion to life. The practices of presence allow us to recognize this conditioning and awaken to the truth of our connectedness, to the wisdom and love that make peace possible.

Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2007-09-26 The Gift Of Silence 1:18:19

Tara Brach

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Through all spiritual traditions, there is a valuing of silence and stillness. When the mind has quieted, it becomes possible to see into the truth of what we are. Yet quieting can turn into a battle with the process of the thinking mind. This talk explores practices that allow us to settle in a natural way, the presence which is silence itself, and the wisdom and love that flows freely when we live from that silence.

Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2007-09-19 The Joy Of Conscious Relationships 1:23:42

Tara Brach

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We live in a relational field, and as we develop the capacity for presence with others, we discover the truth of our connectedness. This discovery is experienced as love, and gives rise to genuine happiness and inner freedom. This talk explores the teachings and practices that nourish conscious relationships.

Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2007-09-05 Two Kinds Of Happiness 1:18:01

Tara Brach

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The Dalai Lama often begins his talks "Everyone wants to be Happy... Nobody wants to suffer." It's true, and yet sadly, our ways of pursuing happiness are often the very cause of suffering. This talk describes the shadow side of seeking happiness, and the practices of presence that lead to spiritual freedom and genuine happiness.

Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks

2007-08-29 Wise Effort 1:15:58

Tara Brach

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Cultivating an Engaged Presence - A wholehearted commitment to awakening is intrinsic to the spiritual path. Yet often this becomes a striving kind of effort that is generated out of the sense of a "doing self." This talk reflects on the grounds of wise effort: connecting to our deepest intention, and cultivating a genuinely allowing, engaged, presence.

Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC : IMCW Wednesday Evening Talks