Spirit Rock Meditation Center: dharma talks and meditation instruction

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We continue to explore the nature of awakening. In the first 2/3 of the talk, we examine the traditional notion of awakening, as going beyond the habitual constructions of experience in all the parts of our lives. These constructions are rooted in reactivity (grasping and pushing away aspects of our experience), and a sense of self along with a world of objects known conceptually (through "signs"). We look also at the more positive sense of awakening to the "signless, boundless, and all luminous," to what the Thai Forest teacher Ajahn Mun calls the "primal mind." Then we ask about whether there are other dimensions to awakening needed for contemporary awakening, and examine in particular what awakening means in a time of turmoil. We take Thich Nhat Hanh as an exemplar--a practitioner dedicated to awakening practicing and teaching amidst the turmoil of war and exile. We outline a number of suggestions and guidelines for those practicing and awakening amidst the current turmoil.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We start with basic instructions in developing (1) concentration and stability, and (2) mindfulness, and then practice developing these two qualities. With mindfulness practice, we notice the main patterns of thoughts, emotions, and bodily experience. In the second half of the session, we work with being aware of the feeling-tone (linked with the Second Foundation of Mindfulness), noticing moderate (or somewhat greater) pleasant or unpleasant feeling-tones, and what occurs after we notice them. We also attend for a short period of two minutes to the moment-to-moment feeling tones of pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral, and then go back to basic mindfulness practice for the last part of the session.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) A brief overview of noting practice as done using sounds, body, or breath as our primary anchor. Description of how to use perception (sañña) as the proximate cause for a moment of mindfulness to arise, followed by a silent 30 min meditation.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Wisdom of the heart transcends logic—it remembers, connects, and reveals truth. This talk explores the language of the heart (citta), interbeing, and the knowing beyond thought. Through moving stories we uncover the heart’s capacity to awaken. A rich, evocative dharma reflection on trust, belonging, and awakening.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Wisdom of the heart transcends logic—it remembers, connects, and reveals truth. This talk explores the language of the heart (citta), interbeing, and the knowing beyond thought. Through moving stories we uncover the heart’s capacity to awaken. A rich, evocative dharma reflection on trust, belonging, and awakening.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Teachings on entering the gradual training: Sila, Dana, Bhavana, Pañña. Stories, poems, the works.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) A cross-cultural introduction to the concept of the crossroads in relation to the convergence of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday celebration and the inauguration of the 47th U.S. President on January 20, 2025.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In this session, Donald gives about a 25-minute talk, followed by 15 minutes of discussion. How do we move from a week of metta practice into a time of turmoil and uncertainty in the U.S. and in the world? A number of guidelines and suggestions are given, including keeping the vision of practicing in all parts of one’s life, and keeping close the visions of awakening and of what Dr. King called the “beloved community.” In this time, staying connected with community is also crucial, as are, among many skillful intentions, practicing skillfully with difficult emotions, grounding in the body, cultivating cycles of engagement and withdrawal, and being careful about the amount of information one takes in. The talk ends by pointing to Joanna Macy’s model of three areas of transformation, and the invitation to respond to the call that each of us may hear. Discussion follows.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) On the birthday of Dr. King, we explore some of the remarkable and powerful parallels between Metta practice and Buddhist teachings, on the one hand, and the life, teachings, and work of Dr. King, on the other. We explore in particular three areas: (1) the connection between Metta and the Christian tradition of acting from love that is central for King; (2) the wisdom perspective of seeing greed, hatred, and delusion, and developing understanding and manifesting non-reactivity through ethical grounding and nonviolence; and (3) the other qualities of the awakened heart--the Brahmavihara for the Buddha, and Dr. King’s way of manifesting qualities in addition to love, such as compassion, empathy, joy, and equanimity.