James Baraz's most recent Dharma talks (Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Morning Sit with Instructions

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) With so many instructions and ways to practice, how do we know which is the "right one"? Similarly, with all decisions we need to make in our lives, how can we access the wisdom right inside?

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) An important support for metta practice is forgiveness that softens the contracted heart that is stuck in aversion or ill will. This guided meditation practice first focuses on forgiveness towards ourselves--our body, mind, and heart--and then opens to both asking and extending forgiveness with others.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This meditation is a support for exploring the subtleties of the breath as an aid to deepening concentration.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Our mind is habitually judging and comparing ourselves with others or against some unrealistic standard of perfection. Seeing this habit as part of the human experience and not taking it personally is an important part of our practice. We can learn to relate to it with wisdom and compassion that transforms it from being a personal problem to a wise understanding of the selfless nature of experience.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) Do you ever give yourself a hard time if you've made an embarrassing mistake or have done something you regret? This talk explores how we can truly forgive ourselves with a thorough understanding of the Buddha's teaching on the selfless nature of who we are, otherwise known as Anatta, the selfless nature of experience.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) These days have even more ups and downs than usual. For many it's both a time of sorrow and a time of joy. The mind can easily get caught in the difficulties when it's contracted by stress. But our Dharma practice shows us we have a choice how to wisely relate to our experience.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) Many lay Buddhists struggle to carry the benefits of their studies and meditation practice into their twenty-first-century lives. How might our daily experience of both life and the Buddha’s teachings shift if there were no separation between them? Gregory speaks about the realistic and comprehensive vision that arises when we ask this question: If every moment of my life is Path, then what does each path factor need to cover for this to be true in a grounded, practical way?

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) This is a continuation of the theme of the process of purification that leads to awakening. An exploration of what Joseph Goldstein calls "Three Pillars of Dharma." These are three spheres that we can cultivate which lead to supportive conditions for us to practice and then realize the fruits of practice. Includes Eve Decker offers a song on the theme.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) When we start the spiritual journey we see that our mind is filled with unskillful habits of thought, colored by attachment, aversion and confusion. The Buddha described the process of purification that enables us to purify and transform first our outward conduct, then our thoughts and finally our subtle spiritual aspirations. This purification process leads ultimately to full awakening. The talk includes the Buddha's teaching of how this process works through the simile of the "Refinement of Mind."