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Dharma Talks
given at Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
Publicly available talks can be browsed here in the order indicated by
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Get the latest Dharma talks from Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley by Podcast
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2025-01-30
The Antidote to Fear: Practicing in Uncertain Times
51:41
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James Baraz
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It seems like many are feeling either a low-level anxiety or fear these days. Fear about their safety, about disasters like fire or floods, about what the future holds. While this is natural and understandable, when our minds get hijacked by fearful thoughts, it is almost impossible to have a wise or appropriate response.
In this talk we explore practicing and skillfully working with fear so that it can transform into courage, compassion and wisdom.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2025-01-09
We Are What We Think
47:51
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James Baraz
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The subject of this talk is the opening verse of the Dhammapada, the famous collection of the Buddha’s teachings. The verse starts out with these words: “We are what we think. With our thoughts we make the world.” This teaching can be truly transformative in one’s meditation practice as well as in one’s life.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2025-01-02
Dharma from the Heart
59:28
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Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith
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Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith, MBA, brings over 25 years of cumulative meditation practice and spiritual studies to her livelihood as a Spiritual Teacher and Leader. Silent Vipassana (insight) meditation retreats, Theravada Buddhist studies and earth-based indigenous spirituality and healing arts are at the heart of her practice. Ramona Lisa is passionate about long silent retreat practice, spiritual studies and sharing wisdom teachings.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2024-12-26
Intention And songs in remembrance of Alan Senauke
60:00
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Eve Decker
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Join Eve for an evening of exploring the Buddha’s teaching on Intention - a powerful and potentially transformative mental energy that precedes action. Live at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, 2304 McKinley Ave., Berkeley, and online (Zoom link below). We will also share some songs in remembrance of Alan Senauke, the Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center who passed away on Sunday December 22. Alan was a great Buddhist teacher, social activist, and singer/songwriter.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2024-12-23
Befriending Eternity: 49 Days in Darkness by Adam Baraz
59:06
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James Baraz
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Talk originally given on December 12, 2024
I’m happy to share the evening with my son, Adam Baraz, who will reflect on the recent completion of his fifth Darkness Retreat, a 49-day “Bardo Retreat” in Tuscany, Italy.
Adam will discuss the psychological, physical, emotional, and spiritual journey of “being alone in the dark” for 7 weeks. He will describe the practical aspects of preparation, meditation practice, challenges, and benefits of extended darkness retreat practice.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2024-12-19
Cultivating Kindness for Inner Experience
55:27
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Eve Decker
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Join Eve for an exploration of holding all aspects of inner experience with curiosity and kindness. The practice of mindfulness invites us to ‘see things as they really are’ - not as we imagine them to be or wish them to be. This is usually a big challenge, especially in painful areas or the ones we try to avoid. The Buddhist teachings of lovingkindness invite a crucial deepening in our capacity to not only turn toward the difficult, but to begin to embrace whatever is arising in a spirit of benevolence that supports peace and often insight.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2024-12-12
Befriending Eternity: 49 Days in Darkness
59:06
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Adam Baraz,
James Baraz
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I’m happy to share the evening with my son, Adam Baraz, who will reflect on the recent completion of his fifth Darkness Retreat, a 49-day “Bardo Retreat” in Tuscany, Italy.
Adam will discuss the psychological, physical, emotional, and spiritual journey of “being alone in the dark” for 7 weeks. He will describe the practical aspects of preparation, meditation practice, challenges, and benefits of extended darkness retreat practice.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2024-12-05
Mindfulness of Feeling Tone
55:44
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Eve Decker
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Vedana (वेदना) is an ancient term from Sanskrit and Pāli that refers to the automatic experience of pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral that arises when the senses come into contact with objects (including thoughts).
Vedana can be translated as "feeling tone".
Using mindfulness to become aware of vedana can be a powerful way to support ease. Identifying or fusing with vedana (“this is me”) aggravates reactivity. Observing it with curiosity and kindness is conducive to compassion, appreciation, and wise response.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2024-11-21
What Do I Need Right Now?
51:42
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James Baraz
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At this time, US citizens are going through a major adjustment to a new reality after the election. A large part of the population is happy at the outcome. And another large part is confused by that fact. A whole host of feelings are likely to arise--disorientation, confusion, fear, numbing out to name a few. In order to respond wisely to the moment, we first need to be present for and honor our experience. A key question to ask oneself is "What do I need right now?" We will explore this in the context of our Dharma practice.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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