During this talk, Allie begins a series of reviews she will provide focusing on the Paramis, the skills and virtues to be perfected on the path to Awakening.  The topic for this talk is generosity, both material and non-material, as a way to cultivate kindness and renunciation of greed and miserliness.  She responds to questions and comments from those participating.

During this talk, April provides a review of Right Speech as a basic element of the Noble Eightfold Path, cultivating a clear conscience as the platform from which the process of Awakening develops.  An element of Right Speech, truthfulness, is associated with the challenges presented by media disinformation and Artificial Intelligence in contemporary life.  This recording includes comments coming from those participating in the meeting.

Here are quotes from the talk; of particular interest is a response ChatGPT created to a question April presented inquiring if ChatGPT has a personality like a human: Quotes for Right Speech Dharma talk

We often provide an opportunity for those among us who have just completed a significant retreat to “think out loud” about the experience.  This can be beneficial for that person and perhaps inspiring for those listening.  This was the first retreat for Lezlie that involved the intense training provided by the teaching of S. N. Goenka, who has had a significant impact on many contemporary mindfulness meditators.  She describes the structure of the retreat and some significant insights she realized about herself.  Her presentation is followed by several comments and questions from participants in the meeting.

During this talk, Peter responds to questions from those attending, focusing on the importance of establishing mindfulness of breathing as a stabilizing reference point, because the intention to remain aware of the sensations experienced while breathing as other mental phenomena occur provides a “distancing” effect, enabling us to be less affected as craving and clinging occur and thereby enabling us to understand the impermanent and impersonal nature of subjective experience.  He also describes how he uses his body scanning practice to open to experiencing the absence of an enduring/autonomous self.

During this talk, Peter focuses on the relationship between the Buddhist concept of Voidness (Sunnata) and neuroplasticity, the inherent complex and impersonal way the function of the brain creates a person’s self experience.  Using an excerpt from “Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree–the Buddha’s Teaching on Voidness”, by Buddhadasa, he reviews how important the cultivation of a virtuous life is for supporting the process of Awakening.

Here are the notes prepared for this talk:  Because Of Voidness Awakening Can Occur

During this Dharma talk, Peter describes the intersection between empathy and compassion.  Empathy is hardwired into our bodies and can be misunderstood and produce regrettable self-states and behaviors when not monitored by mindfulness.  He describes how we are all subjected to marketing tactics based on studies of empathy to negatively affect ourselves and others.  Skillful investigation and Right Effort can effectively transform empathy to compassion, foremost for oneself, as well as others.

Here are the notes associated with this topic:  Empathy and Compassion

A meditation entitled “Guided Empathy Contemplation” preceded this talk, and it is posted in the Guided Meditation page.  It is intended to provide training to promote the ability to effectively monitor empathetic responses we experience.

This guided meditation provides suggestions for recognizing the subjective characteristics of empathy with support from mindfulness of breathing for a non-reactive perspective of the experience.  It is intended to provide practice support for the Dharma talk that followed: “Empathy And Compassion”, posted on this website.

During this second of a series of reviews of women who are influential among contemporary meditators, Allie Vaknin begins by inquiring among participants who might have familiarity with Pema Chodron’s books, and then goes on to briefly recounting Chodron’s life: she was born in New York City as Deidre Blomfeld-Brown and was inspired to become a Tibetan Buddhist Nun after a significant loss in her life.  Allie then reviewed the gist of Chodron’s work, which focuses primarily through a willingness to cultivate compassion for oneself, then expressed towards others. This posting includes comments by others in response to Allie’s questions.

During this first of several Dharma talks about important female teachers, April reviews the life and teachings of Upasika Lee Nanayon, a lay teacher in Thailand.  First she describes the determination of a person whose teaching comes from a simple lifestyle and deep meditation practice dedicated to providing women with unbiased access to the Dharma.  The presentation includes several quotes from Nanayon’s teaching.  Here description is followed by comments from a very large attendance, in person and online.

Here are the notes prepared for this talk, including the URL that accesses a free .pdf translation download of Nanayon’s teaching:  Final Upāsikā Kee Nanayon notes

During this talk, Peter responds to questions about the concepts described in “Seeing That Frees”, by Rob Burbea.  The concepts of “the fading of perception”, “awareness”, and “emptiness” were discussed, derived from these questions.