The development of Wisdom is a key component in Buddhist teachings and practice. It is not just knowledge of facts, but is a deep and embodied understanding of the nature of experience. Wisdom, Wise View and clear seeing are necessary for our awakening and liberation. Mary discusses wisdom and how we cultivate it in our daily lives.

Recorded September 25, 2025 in the virtual world

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Inspired by aquotes, Mary reflects on how we contain multiplicities and can hold them all at once. We can experience suffering, and also awe. We can experience grief, and also gratitude. It's when we get stuck on one experience and block out others, that we are not fully present. Buddha's teachings invite us to be present for the fullness of our humanity. With the chaos around us today, this is a good reminder to stay grounded and present to each moment. When we make space for suffering, we're also making space for awe.

Recorded Sept. 20, 2025 in the virtual world

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A few reflections on impermanence and fixed views. There is no formal dharma talk this week.

Recorded Sept. 15, 2025 in the virtual world (and near Zurich, Switzerland)

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Wise Intention is the second factor of the Eightfold Path and can help to guide our journey from dukkha to liberation. However good our intentions can be however, sometimes we get caught up in expectations about how those intentions are supposed to play out which simply increases our dukkha. In this talk Mary discusses wise intention and letting go of our agenda of shoulds and have to's.

Recorded Sept. 4, 2025 in the virtual world

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In reflecting on 17 years of teaching the Saturday Afternoon Sit, Mary also talks about the invitation to check in with our spiritual practice every decade or so. We often want to see immediate results to whatever we're doing, but deepening our spiritual practice and cultivating wisdom and compassion takes time. We may see some immediate results, but often liberation and freedom are a long game.

Recorded August 30, 2025 in the virtual world

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In this talk Mary takes a deep dive into what it means to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. These reflections all point to a path to liberation - trusting in our awakening, how to get there, and how we support each other on the journey. This is an invitation to practice in the Triple Gem.

Recorded August 24, 2025 at Insight Community of the Desert in Palm Springs

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The Buddha's famous teaching, often called The Fire Sermon, is about how easy it is to be caught up in the flames of greed, aversion and ignorance when we don't pay attention. Our senses are easily pulled into stories and reactions that keep us trapped in samsara. Nirvana/Nibbana means cessation as in putting out a flame and as we practice resisting the flames of greed, aversion and ignorance, the result is nibbana. Mary discusses how we are trapped and how we can get free.

Recorded August 16, 2025 in the virtual world

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It's said that if there is impatience, it's because there is resistance to what is and that is the definition of the second noble truth - our inability to be with things as they are. In this reflection, Mary discusses how powerful it can be to cultivate patience, how it is a key part of equanimity and how we can see it's importance in our everyday lives.

Recorded August 9, 2025 in the virtual world

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Often when we think of our legacy, we think about what people will remember about us when we die. Instead, we can think of our legacy as what we leave in our wake as we move through the world. How do we show up? Are we kind? Are we wise? Are we generous? This is our legacy. Shout out to Lama Rod Owens for planting the seeds of this talk.

Recorded August 2, 2025 in the virtual world

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With so much going on these days it can be challenging to stay balanced and present for whatever shows up in our world - pleasant or unpleasant. In this talk Mary discusses the idea of joy and sorrow and the eight worldly winds as a teaching to ground us right here and be open to whatever shows up. Denying the present moment is a hallmark of dukkha and our path is to move away from that dukkha. 

Recorded July 26, 2025 in the virtual world

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