Oftentimes when things are especially awful, we think that joy may be inappropriate and that we must stay focused on the difficulties. But this is not the case. Bhikkhu Bodhi says that cultivation of joy is important to regulate despair. In this talk Mary discusses what gets in the way of joy and how to allow it into our lives. Equanimity means being present for everything that shows up, even the good.

Recorded April 25, 2026 in the virtual world

Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.

Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Our practice is really about developing a different relationship with our mind - one that is wise and kind. In this talk Mary reflects on how the Buddha talks about the mind using the Dhammapada, and how Rick Hanson explains the mind from a scientific perspective. These two offer insights in how we can tend to our thoughts and reactions in a wise way that leads towards more freedom and less suffering.

Recorded April 16, 2026 in the virtual world

Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.

Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

The Buddha's wise teaching on the Eight Worldly Winds reminds us that the ups and downs of life (pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute) are common to all humanity. It is a teaching on equanimity - the capacity to be present with our experience, whatever it may be. We're invited to let go of chasing specific experiences and open to what is here.

Recorded April 11, 2026 in the virtual world

Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.

Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

We spend so much time in the future and the past entangled in experiences that do not actually exist. In this talk, Mary discusses what we get stuck on and how to let go. There is no other place to be but right here, so working towards being there is important and part of the journey towards liberation.

Recorded April 2, 2026 in the virtual world

Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.

Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

The Shambala Warrior is a 1200 year old Tibetan prophecy that is relevant to our world today. The weapons of this warrior are wisdom and compassion. Mary talks about each of these as tools to liberation for ourselves, others and to aid in healing the world.

Recorded March 30, 2026 in the virtual world

Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.

Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Grief is an emotion that all humans experience although many of us have a difficult time turning towards and being with it. Right now so many folk are grieving a multitude of losses and in this talk Mary reflects on the invitation to meet our grief and take care of ourselves as we open to wholeness - not hiding from any part of our experience.

Recorded March 19, 2026 in the virtual world

Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.

Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Effort and persistence are an important part of the path to liberation and awakening, but sometimes we get caught in thinking we should be there by now and ask when it's enough. This is when the practice of patience is necessary. Patience is necessary when there is resistance to what is. In this talk Mary reflects on the effort of equanimity and letting go of expectations. There is only right here and right now.

Recorded March 15, 2026 for Insight Community of the Desert in Palm Springs

Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.

Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

In this talk Mary reflects on the Mahayana idea of bodhicitta. At it's heart, it is the idea of an awakened mind and an aspiration to awaken and experience an end of suffering both for ourselves and for all. And why not?

Recorded March 7, 2026 in the virtual world

Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.

Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

So much of what we think, say and do is habitual - we react without thinking. The Buddha taught that our reactivity is also impacted by whether we experience something as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. In this talk Mary discusses how this colors our experiences in the world and how to create new habits that are not reactive, but instead, are truly in the moment and grounded in wisdom and compassion.

Recorded Feb. 28, 2026 in the virtual world

Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.

Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

The word Samadhi is usually translated as concentration, but it's also thought of as collectedness of mind and steadiness. This important teaching - the 8th factor on the Eightfold Path is necessary for awakening and liberation. Mary discusses what Samadhi is and isn't and how we cultivate this important quality.

Recorded Feb. 21, 2022 in the virtual world

Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks.

Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.