Kate Munding is co-guiding teacher of IMCB. She has been practicing since 2002 and has done numerous 1-2 month intensive practice periods. Kate is currently in Spirit Rock's Teacher Training program. Kate has also trained approximately 2,000 educators, therapists, and parents in mindful awareness techniques and philosophy in the U.S. and abroad.
She is founder of The Heart-Mind Education Project, a consulting business focused on mindfulness in education.
Tonight, at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, I'll be continuing the series on the Noble Eightfold Path. Last week I spoke about the first two path factors, wise view and wise intention. We'll continue this Dharma by exploring the 3rd through 5th factors, wise speech, wise action and wise lively hood. This section of the path is the cultivation of virtuous harmony and is seen as a purification of our body, speech and mind. I'll be relating this to how we interact and communicate with others. We'll do a lot of experiential practice this evening to strengthen our ability to act from a place of wisdom, connection, and harmony. I hope you'll join us!
Tonight I will start a short series on the Eight Fold Path (listed below). This quintessential list from the Buddha is a guide to ending our stress, suffering and unsatisfactory overlay on life. It is the path towards true happiness and freedom.
The suggested reading is:
"The Noble Eight Fold Path,
The Way to the End of Suffering"
by Bhikkhu Bodhi
See: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/noble8path6.pdf
This will be discussed during the next Dharma talk.
Tonight I will be giving a talk on the subject of faith. The Buddha talked about the different types of faith and how, as our practice evolves and our heart-mind becomes more clear, it is our verified faith that becomes a source of strength and refuge in the face of difficulty and life challenge. Unlike blind faith when one relays on what others tell them, the Buddha taught that we should “see for ourselves”, through practice and inquiry, what is truth and worth having faith in. We’ll explore all of this tonight.
The Nature of Aversion; Why we have it, when it’s helpful, and when it’s not. I’ll focus on the nourishing and healing aspects of turning towards the stuff that agitate, irritate, and even repulse us. We’ll explore how important this is to the awakening of our happiness and greater understanding.
