In the Rajan Sutta (Ud 5.1), the Buddha invites us to acknowledge that just as we find no one dearer than ourselves, we should recognize that others feel the same and so we should not hurt others if we love ourselves. It's a wonderful sentiment, but often difficult find a way to hold ourselves with love and esteem. Mary discusses how we can we can get bogged down with ideas that we're not worthy, and how to find a way to self love and love of others.
Recorded Jan 21, 2021 in the virtual world

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For our entire lives we have been told who to be, how to behave and what to believe. This conditioning sets us up for suffering and being disconnected from our hearts and the sacred. Reconnection begins with mindfulness and the willingness to turn toward our experience and this is the path to liberation.
This was a dharma talk offered at the 6th Annual Womxn's Retreat.
Recorded Jan. 15, 2021 in the virtual world.

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We spend a lot of time attaching importance to particular dates or moments believing that our lives or circumstances will change when something finally happens. This leads to a sense of striving both in our practice and how we move through the world. In this talk, Mary discusses how let go and arrive in the present. It's easy to get distracted and caught up in the habits of the mind, but we can begin again with each breath and in each moment. There is nowhere else, but right here.
Recorded Jan. 9, 2021 in the virtual world

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In order to be fully present and open we have to learn to be receptive rather than reactive. Because of our conditioning we're not aware of how reactive and stuck in habits we can be. Mary talks about how shifting to a more receptive and open way of being with our experience fosters our ability to stay present which allows us to see more clearly and let go of those things that keep us stuck in samsara. 
Recorded on Dec. 26, 2020 in the virtual world.  

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The idea of experiencing darkness in our spiritual practice is an old one and often means facing difficulties or challenges. Although we're tempted to avoid this discomfort, the invitation is to stay with the richness that the darkness offers. There is dark and there is light and we can't have one without the other. 
Recorded Dec 17, 2020 in the virtual world

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In this teaching the Buddha invites us to investigate what it is like when suffering is not present. It doesn't mean there are no challenges or difficulties, but these seven factors offer a way to let go of clinging and release into joy, calm, steadiness of mind and equanimity. This is a very important and relevant teaching for our world today.
Recorded Dec. 12, 2020 in the virtual world

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One of the biggest barriers to our practice is ill-will or anger and resentment and the antidote is loving kindness. It is vital to our practice and also necessary as we cultivate care and concern for all beings. Without loving kindness, or metta, it is very easy to dehumanize others and get entangled in the web of greed, hatred and ignorance. The Buddha placed a great emphasis on this and Mary talks about why it is so important and how we can bring more of it into our lives, for the benefit of all beings.
Recorded Dec. 5, 2020 in the virtual world.

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There is so much in our world to be heartbroken about today. Heartbreak can sometimes lead to anger however this practice invites us to be with the heartbreak and instead move into Wisdom and Compassion. Using the legend of the Shambhala warrior, Mary talks about using these two tools as a foundation for equanimity and realizing that they offer a powerful path for liberation. 

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This moment in 2020 can feel very chaotic and full of fear, and we can become trapped in the search for certainty. However, that chase for assurances that things will turn out the way we want is empty and unfulfilling. This practice offers us a way to sit with the uncertainty that exists and even to find joy and beauty in the moment. Included is a recording of US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo performing her poem, How to Get Rid of Fear
Recorded Nov 21, 2020, in the virtual world

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We often hear about how the practice allows us to experience a sense of spaciousness, but what does that mean and how do we get there? It's actually helpful to examine how we tend to be constricted and fearful. Mary discusses how we can bring mindfulness and cultivate awareness in a way to let go of our small, fixed and constricted habits and ideas, and move into a more spacious, calm and peaceful experience.
Recorded Nov 14, 2020 in the virtual world.

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