When will we realize that peace isn’t something we create, but something already here—quietly waiting for us?

That’s the thread David Lewis follows in this winter‑solstice talk, weaving together poetry, Buddhist teachings, and reflections on the natural world. He begins by exploring how solstice traditions mirror dharmic values: stillness, silence, and the movement from darkness toward light.

Drawing on images from Patricia Fargnoli’s poem Winter Grace, David invites listeners to recognize how truth often emerges in quiet, slowed‑down seasons. He then connects this to foundational Buddhist ideas—especially dukkha as “unreliability”—and explains how acknowledging life’s darkness is a necessary prelude to awakening. Along the way, he highlights traditional practices such as vassa (the monsoon retreat), uposatha observance days, and the universal human need for a Sabbath‑like pause.

David looks at cultivating peace of mind as both a personal refuge and a contribution to the wider world. He emphasizes that peace isn’t the absence of difficulty but the ability to remain steady within it:

• Letting go as the path to peace, illustrated through Ajahn Chah’s famous lines about releasing a little, a lot, or completely.
• Peace as the mind’s natural state, supported by the Buddha’s teaching on the luminous mind.
• Attachment and distraction as the opposites of peace, and the practice of gently releasing both.
• Gratitude as a happiness practice, echoing Aesop and modern monastics.
• Joy as the unfolding result of practice, expressed through Bhikkhu Analayo’s “progressive refinement of joy.”

David closes with a reminder from Dōgen that life is fleeting and awakening is always available now. His solstice wish for the community is simple and heartfelt: may they rest in the natural ease of body and mind, and may all beings be free from needless suffering.

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David Lewis has been following the dharma path for 50 years. He has a degree in comparative religious studies and is a graduate of Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Advanced Practitioners Program. David shares the dharma at several sanghas, including Mission Dharma, Insight Upper Market, and the Gay Buddhist Fellowship in San Francisco.

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CREDITS
Audio Production: George Hubbard
Producer: Tom Bruein
Music/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter