"This is a talk given at James Baraz's Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley." James recently sat with Ven. Bhikkhu Analayo, an extraordinary Buddhist scholar and meditation teacher. He shares some of the teachings and practices that he learned on the Brahma Viharas and how they can help lead to deeper perceptions of emptiness including infinite space and infinite consciousness. The talk gives a glimpse of the value of experimenting and playing with the mind. With Ven. Analayo's permission, James' takes us on a quick journey through some rather profound terrain. So let whatever your experience or non-experience be okay. For a deeper dive into the material the listener is referred to Ven. Analayo's book: Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation: Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhist Meditation.

"A response to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's testimony to Congress which happened earlier in the day."

Adam recently returned from his second experience of a darkness retreat in Guatemala. Last time he spent a week. This time he went a bit longer. He’s calling his talk tomorrow night “Let Go, Let’s Go!: 21 Days in Darkness”. Facing the mind with no external distractions for that long can be a transformative experience. He looks forward to sharing what he learned with the community and inviting you to explore the edges of fear, courage and surrender.

One definition of the word Dharma is Natural law. Trees hold a very special place in the Buddha’s teaching.. The Buddha was born under a tree, enlightened under a tree and died under a tree. He told his disciples to find “roots of trees” to sit and meditate. Trees are the perfect environment to practice in the Thai Forest Tradition. Metta practice was taught by the Buddha in response to actions of “Tree spirits”. We’ll explore the special significance of trees and Nature in the Buddha’s teaching.

James returns from his recent teaching In Europe and Israel. Besides his trip to the West Bank for a glimpse of Palestinian life, he shares a fascinating project: Israelis’ actually changed their attitude about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a marketing experiment called “The Conflict Campaign” based on paradoxical thinking principles.
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The video clip of the campaign in the talk can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZadiztzLt0
To learn more about “The Fund for Reconciliation Tolerance and Peace” go to:
http://www.frtp-arik-peace.org/
Or, “Like” their Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/fund4rtp

Let others know.

This is a practice that brings in ease to the mind and body, offering relief from our dukkha while also supporting more mental clarity to see through some of our confusion and aversion. It can be used for stress, grief, and being overwhelmed. It can also be used to prepare for more concentration and steady mindfulness when the mind or body is a bit stirred up.