Eve is a long time student of the dharma. She began practicing Vipassana in the early 1990s, trained in mindfulness-based social action through the two-year Path of Engagement program at Spirit Rock. and is a certified meditation teacher through the Community Dharma Leader Program. Eve is also a performing artist and co-founded the feminist folk trio Rebecca Riots(1993-2009). They were dubbed “Best Band with a Conscience” by the SF Bay Guardian, toured nationally, and released five CDs. In 2006 Eve released a solo CD, “Commentary on the Perfections of the Heart”, ten original songs based on a Buddhist list of qualities that promote a contented heart. A review of the CD in Tricycle magazine said, “Decker’s melodies, and her luscious, inventive phrasing, give her songs the power of a transmission”. Here's what James Baraz has to say, "Listening to Eve’s songs are often just what I need to remind myself of the truth inside. They’ve been a big part of my daily life practice to inspire and open my heart. I love Eve Decker’s music!"
Eve has been offering reflections on the Buddha's teaching - MN 20 - on dis-identifying from non-useful thoughts. After a quick review of the Buddha's five suggestions, we'll take a deep dive into #4 - 'Focusing on stilling the formation of non-useful thoughts', which means bringing awareness directly, with curiosity and respect, to the physical tension or emotional reactivity that is typically there with negative judgment of self or other. To do this, we will look at work local Buddhist teacher Donald Rothberg has developed which can help us to transform the judgmental mind.
Eve has been offering reflections on the Buddha's teaching - MN 20 - on dis-identifying from non-useful thoughts. Some of these practices are straightforward, like simply ignoring difficult thoughts. And, we all know that some challenging thoughts will not just be ignored. One of the more complex but deeply rewarding practices, particularly for overcoming habituated thoughts of resentment or self-criticism, is the practice of (what we call in English) forgiveness. This can be understood as choosing compassion over aversion, for our own sakes. This talk reflects on this concept and practice.
Thoughts driven by greed, hatred, or delusion lead us farther and farther from both inner and outer peace, and yet they are rampant. How do we work with them when they arise? One way the Buddha taught was to deliberately substitute spinning painful thoughts with thoughts that incline toward peace. These sorts of thoughts are often connected to the Brahma Viharas, "divine abodes" of lovingkindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity. This talk looks at cultivating these energies and using them pragmatically as substitutes when we are lost in negative thinking.
Thoughts driven by greed, hatred, or delusion lead us farther and farther from peace, and yet they are rampant. How do we work with them when they arise? In this talk we'll look at some Buddhist teachings that offer a framework for dis-identifying from and working skillfully with thoughts that don't serve us or others.
Compassion - turning toward suffering with care and wise responsiveness - is a familiar tenet of Buddhism. Renunciation is also a central teaching. What does that mean for lay practitioners and how does it relate to compassion?
The Awakened heart dwells in the present moment and chooses wise response to the unfolding, ever changing, less-predictable-than-we-think experience of now. The Buddha taught four basic qualities of the awakened heart: friendliness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. These qualities frequently overlap, are innate (though sometimes/often not in charge) and can be practiced, strengthened, and uncovered. When we do uncover them we gain access to an ease and wisdom we didn't know we had. We can become our own warmest friend and a refuge for others. Listen to Eve in an exploration of these four qualities of the awakened heart.
The Buddha taught transcending (and not identifying with) the thinking mind through present moment awareness. He also taught about using the thinking mind skillfully to incline toward wholesome, well-being inducing states. These two bodies of practice are different but each crucial in their own way, and support each other. This talk looks at working with both mindfulness of the present moment and using imagery (a form of the thinking mind) to skillfully invoke peaceful states.
The Buddha taught that the two wings of awakening are wisdom and compassion. Compassion is much more than a concept, and it's more than a feeling. It's an understanding, a motivation, and an ever-growing collection of pragmatic responses to distress that we have available internally for ourselves and others.
The Buddha taught that the two wings of awakening are wisdom and compassion. Compassion is much more than a concept, and it's more than a feeling. It's an understanding, a motivation, and an ever-growing collection of pragmatic responses to distress that we have available internally for ourselves and others.
