One of the reasons the mind might spend so much time contemplating the past and the future is because doing so is a distraction from the awkward, difficult, and unpleasant realities of the present moment. There is certainly great peace to be found in the here and now, but the cost of that peace is getting honest with ourselves about all of the parts of this human experience that we habitually avoid. Even when no-one else is watching, it's not easy to be vulnerable. 

I suspect that the teachings of the Buddha have been distorted and mythologized over the years in ways that make them seem less accessible than they really are. I think humans have a deep desire to transcend the regular aches and pains of humanity and I think that this desire leads us to add an element of myth and magic to ordinary wisdom. The irony, it seems, is that this desire to transcend the ordinary may be one of the largest blocks to “spiritual” progress. The most profound experiences I've had arrived during or after ordinary practices, like watching the breath, making an effort to really listen to someone,  apologizing, or asking if I can forgive myself. In that spirit, I'd like to offer some teachings that are quite ordinary and liberating.

As best I can discern, the Buddha's intention when he taught was to help people's minds open to a loving, spacious, peace that is always here. It exists along with the creation and destruction of the physical world and along with the pleasures and pains of the human mind. The tricky part is learning how to open up to it. The intention behind this talk is to share perspectives and practices intended to help our minds also come to know peace. 

The Buddha did not teach that money was the root of evil. However, his teachings do raise the possibility that our relationship to money can cause great harm. In this talk we will explore how to relate to and work with money from the heart. 

How might we reconsider our relationship with alcohol, marijuana, pharmaceuticals and psychedelics from the perspective of the dhamma? What changes when we let go of habitual grasping? In what ways might these substances be given or taken with wisdom and compassion?

What if we started this conversation with a question: in what ways does sex move us toward peace and connection and in what ways does it cause harm to ourselves and others?

Most of us spend our lives trying to live up to a variety of identities that we hold for ourselves - a great child, a great parent, a great professional - and in the process we end up feeling exhausted, demoralized, and confused. The Buddha offers another way to live from a place of presence, peace, and love.