Dharma Talks
given at Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
2021-07-29
Different Lenses, Different Realities
46:36
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James Baraz
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When people ask, "How are you?" it depends on what lens we're looking at life through. The personal lens evokes a very different response than the societal one. This talk explores how we can hold different realities in our minds and hearts at the same time. Also the compassion that comes from understanding that each person has their own reality that makes sense to them.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2021-07-15
Accessing Your Triggers for Insight
51:41
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James Baraz
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Have you ever had a profound meditation experience and tried with frustration to recreate it?This is a common experience for many practitioners. Just as trauma can be triggered in our body and mind, the same is possible with positive experiences that we've gone through. This talk explores how this works and how we can access those profound moments and the wisdom that they've awakened in us.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2021-07-08
Fierce Self-Compassion: When Compassion Meets Action: Protect, Provide, Motivate
55:35
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Eve Decker
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Eve gives a talk based on a book just released by Kristen Neff titled Fierce Self Compassion. Though the book is written for women, all genders can benefit from the teachings and practices on bringing the energy of care into strong action, both solo and collective. If we hope to transform our suffering and suffering in the world, we must act. Eve explores some of the concepts and practices, born in Buddhist teachings and articulated in this excellent new book.
Eve refers to a link to test how self-compassionate you are:
https://self-compassion.org/test-how-self-compassionate-you-are/
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2021-06-10
Mindful Self Compassion: A powerful Tool for Positive Transformation
56:10
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Eve Decker
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"Mindful Self Compassion" was developed from Buddhist teachings by Christopher K. Germer, PhD, and Kristin Neff, PhD. MSC combines the skills of mindfulness and self-compassion, providing a powerful tool for emotional resilience. Mindfulness is the first step in emotional healing—being able to turn toward and acknowledge our difficult thoughts and feelings (such as inadequacy, sadness, anger, confusion) with a spirit of openness and curiosity. Self-compassion involves responding to these difficult thoughts and feelings with kindness, sympathy and understanding so that we soothe and comfort ourselves when we’re hurting.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2021-06-03
Divisiveness in the Buddha's Community: The Quarrel at Kosambi
52:18
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James Baraz
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One of the greatest challenges today in the US is divisiveness within the country. However, the Buddha faced the same problem right within his community! The Quarrel at Kosambi tells the story of his sangha dealing with a bitter argument that almost created a schism in the sangha. And the Buddha had a very difficult time trying to bring peace between the two factions. We will discuss this story and the lessons we can learn that can be applied in today's time.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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2021-05-27
Not Seeing Dukkha is Dukkha
51:30
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James Baraz
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This talk is based on a teaching from Joseph Goldstein: "Not seeing dukkha is dukkha." It's humbling to realize that we are creating much of our suffering. But it's through clearly seeing this that we also create the possibility of truly waking up. We can change our whole relationship to seeing how we get caught by old habits and thought patterns from self-judgment to compassion and liberation.
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Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
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