Dedication of Merit is a ritual found throughout the Buddhist community. This talk explores the deeper meaning and purpose of this practice. Merit is generated every time we sit down and the ritual of dedication reminds to connect outward to the world at large, to humans and the more than human world, in an act of generosity. Instructions for how to dedicate the merit is included, as well as a Q&A at the end.

Impermanence: a cornerstone of dharma teachings and a place to live from and come back to no matter where we are in our practice. Impermanence can bring us into contraction or expansiveness. It ultimately points to our own impermanence, and what we need to wake up to before we die.

Impermanence is a cornerstone of Dharma teachings and a place to live from and come back to no matter where we are in our practice. Impermanence can bring us into contraction or expansiveness. It ultimately points to our own impermanence, and what we need to wake up to before we die.

Stories of the first Buddhist women: Their stories, teachings, and awakening poems are inspirational. They also offer us a tether from what we are doing as a women's Dharma community to an ancient lineage that has been going strong since the time of the Buddha.

Concentration: This dharma talk is the last in a series on the Eight Fold Path. It includes techniques for quieting the mind (shamata), the nature of concentration, and the necessary elements to reach concentrated states in a sustainable way. Also included is a description of the Jhanas (high states of concentration) and the value of experiencing these states to help strengthen faith. Brief Q & A at the end included.

Mindfulness (Sati): Part 7 of a series on the Eightfold Path, this talk discusses Sati, or mindfulness, as a state of mind and a way of being. The complexity of mindfulness is explored (vedanas, wholesome desire) as well as the ultimate simplicity of remembering our truest self through practice of paying attention, alertness and contact with experience. Q & A at the end is included.

Wise Effort: Part 6 of a series on the Eightfold Path. Wise effort is explained as attuning to what is happening in the present moment, making adjustments based on conditions and balancing our energy so that it expresses the Middle Path - between striving and burnout - to create a sustainable practice. Reference is made to the teachings of Ajahn Chah and ways to develop a continuity of mindfulness in everyday living. Emphasis on softening and trust in the heart practices that balance the habits of the mind.

Wise action and livelihood: Part 5 of a series on the Eightfold Path. This part of the path is based in the concept of Sila (virtue) and is best understood as being in harmony with the truth and the nature of things through the practice of non-harming. Virtue can be seen as an act of generosity (Dana) and when we live a life of non-harming, we produce peace and ease and trust for others.

As a foundation for all Buddhist communities, these teachings focus on the nature of and relief from suffering. Practice is aimed at recognizing suffering. Clinging is complex and related to how we experience pleasant, unpleasant and neutral sensations. Effort and curiosity are needed to untangle this clinging process. Practitioner story and Q&A included.

Navigating the concept of a "new normal" at this point in the pandemic brings us into contact with impermanence. There isn't suffering with change itself, there is suffering in resistance to change and there is friction between our clinging to a rigid sense of self and our world of "should". We can't hide from change. In our practice and in the triple gem of Buddha, dharma and sangha helps us create refuge when it's not easily found.