The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
Dharma Talks given at Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC
2024-11-20 Meditation: Vipassana – The Practice of Seeing Clearly 18:01
Tara Brach
Vipassana, also known as insight meditation, is training in bringing a clear mindful attention to our moment-to-moment experience. We begin by relaxing through the body and then resting attention with the breath – or some other sensory anchor – and allowing the mind to settle. Then we open to whatever is predominant or calling our attention – sensations, emotions, sounds – meeting each arising experience with a clear, kind attention. The gift of this process is discovering balance in the midst of the changing flow, and gaining deep insight into the nature of reality.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

2024-11-20 The Honesty Challenge – Getting More Truthful with Ourselves and Our World 57:23
Tara Brach
Most of us value honesty yet are not aware of how regularly we avoid facing what’s difficult inside us, and how we are less than truthful with others. This talk explores the practice of radical self-honesty as the grounds of being more honest with others, and bringing more love and freedom to our lives. We close with a quote by Danna Faulds from her book:
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

2024-11-13 Meditation: Embodying Loving Awareness 19:38
Tara Brach
Love is often abstract, and not fully alive. In this practice, with the supportive image and felt sense of a smile, we are guided to awaken loving in our body, mind and whole being.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

2024-11-13 The Gift of Self-Compassion: A Conversation with Tara Brach & Kristin Neff, PhD 54:00
Tara Brach
This conversation includes what turned Tara toward a path of compassion in her early life, the evolution of the RAIN practice to include nurturing/compassion, the spiritual dimensions of self-compassion, and the role of compassion in these current times. This was initially recorded live for those in Kristin’s membership community and includes several question/responses. For more information about Kristin Neff’s Self-Compassion Community, click the link here.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

2024-11-06 Meditation: Remembering Your Spiritual Heart (16:52 min.) 16:51
Tara Brach
During times of great collective stress, it’s common to get gripped by waves of anxiety and fear. This guided meditation, an adaptation of the Tibetan tonglen practice, helps us reconnect with our spiritual heart, the sea of love and light that can hold even the most painful waves in our lives.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

2024-11-06 Becoming Bodhisattvas in a Troubled World 51:37
Tara Brach
Thich Nhat Hanh said “no mud, no lotus.” How might anger, hatred and delusion—the mud of these times– give rise to a growing compassion and wisdom in our world? In this talk, we look directly at the angst surrounding the US elections and explore several powerful teachings and practices that can serve as the catalyst for profound transformation and an evolving of wisdom and love in our collective consciousness.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

2024-10-30 Meditation: Living Loving Awareness 19:59
Tara Brach
By bringing our full attention to the aliveness in the body, we can open to the experience of interior space and the space that includes all sensations and sounds. This then allows us to perceive continuous space filled with the light of awareness. This meditation attunes us to these dimensions of awareness: continuous open space, heart space and full aliveness. We end with a Zen poem that invites us to rest in this living, loving awareness, and know it as home.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

2024-10-30 Cultivating a Courageous Heart – Part 2 59:53
Tara Brach
In the face of violence, hatred and loss, how do we handle the reactivity we feel? Our own anger, hatred and fear? These two talks offer guidance and practice in letting our own vulnerability be a portal to responding—to ourselves, each other and our world– with courageous, wise hearts.
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC

2024-10-23 Meditation: Relaxing Back into Awareness 20:11
Tara Brach
When we fully inhabit our body, we discover the space and wakefulness of awareness itself. In this meditation, we rest in this open awareness, and when the attention narrows into thoughts, we practice relaxing back into the openness that includes passing sounds, sensations and feelings. We close with a brief offering of lovingkindness to our own hearts and our world (with community OMs – no bell at end).
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC IMCW Fall Retreat: Coming to Rest in the Dharma

2024-10-23 Meditation: Relaxing Back into Awareness (20:12 min.) 20:11
Tara Brach
When we fully inhabit our body, we discover the space and wakefulness of awareness itself. In this meditation, we rest in this open awareness, and when the attention narrows into thoughts, we practice relaxing back into the openness that includes passing sounds, sensations and feelings. We close with a brief offering of lovingkindness to our own hearts and our world (with community OMs – no bell at end).
Insight Meditation Community of Washington DC IMCW Fall Retreat: Coming to Rest in the Dharma

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