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

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) James invited Barbara Gates, co-editor for 31 years of Inquiring Mind journal, to discuss how she brings her dharma practice to her voter registration work which is her service commitment for the Buddhist Chaplaincy Program. They discuss bridging the divide between you and those with a very different perspective including skillful listening, engaging with metta, curiosity, non-separation and commitment to making a difference in the world.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) In the Satipatthana Sutta (MN#10), the Buddha's discourse on mindfulness, the Buddha instruct's us to contemplate mindfully, ardent and clearly comprehending each of the four foundations. "Clear comprehension" also translated as "clearly knowing" includes four areas of context for our mindfulness practice. In this talk the first two aspects of Clear Comprehension are explored: "Clear Comprehension of Purpose" and "Clear Comprehension of Suitability of Action."

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) Often our meditation practice helps us understand or see for the first time something that’s never been clear before. That experience of insight where exclaim to ourselves “Aha!” It can have a profound impact that genuinely shifts our perspective. However, even after this powerful glimpse of seeing with new eyes, the old habits and thought patterns still have their influence and we can forget what we know to be true. This is particularly frustrating and can lead to great doubt. How can we both honor our familiar old friend, confusion, and remember to access the wisdom in our new understanding?

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) Joining James to discuss his work is Gautham Prabu, co-founder of FSHM an NGO for social transformation whose work has primarily supported Dalits (formerly India's "Untouchable" caste) many of whom have become become Buddhist practitioners and the Tamil Buddhist Society based in Tamil Nadu, India. He is a member of International Network of En

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) Karma, the unfolding situation of our individual lives, is often understood to be dependent on our actions. These are, in turn, based on the intention of our underlying mind state. But what about societal conditions—including prejudice and inequality—that affect people’s lives? Is there collective karma? If so, can we affect it?

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) Do you ever find yourself needing to communicate something that will be hard for someone else to receive?

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) The Buddha taught, "We are what we think with our thoughts we make the world." It important to understand how our thoughts create our reality. And it's also vital to realize that our reality is just the way we're seeing the world at a particular moment in time. Others may have different realities. And in time our own perspective might change. Seeing this is a key to genuine freedom and support for choosing wisely the thoughts we want to empower.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We’re not practicing for ourselves alone. The world needs more consciousness and our practice allows us to become an agent of consciousness that in a very profound way affects everyone around us and the planet itself.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) "How the Dharma urges us to take wise action to try to change the wrongs that we see in our world." ------------

Suzie Brown has recently moved with her family from Melbourne, Australia. She is co-founder of the Melbourne Insight Meditation Group and has taught Mindfulness to medical students at Monash University. Suzie has also been a facilitator, trainer and educator for over a decade in the areas of environmental sustainability and organizational strategy, running her own consulting business for the last 8 years.