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!"
The Buddha's teachings point to the need for clear understanding of our own minds and hearts, along with intention, compassion, and practice. As the adage goes, we must become the ones we seek while we work to change (or even consistently comfort) the world. To do that, we need to know what's going on for us internally and know how to wisely self-soothe when we are experiencing distress. The Buddha taught this, and this teaching is pretty precisely echoed in neuroscience and current psychology, including (but not limited to) Compassion Focused Therapy; Polyvagal Theory; and Internal Family Systems. The Buddha observed reality and neuroscientists are doing the same.
The Buddha said that "Hatred will never end by hatred, by love alone will it end". He also taught that we can exacerbate our suffering with the stories and beliefs we have going on in our minds. The remedies he shared to cope with suffering fall under the umbrella terms 'wisdom' and 'compassion'. Join Eve for a look at some specific teachings and practices to help us work with painful mental/emotional states.
The Buddha's third foundation of mindfulness - mindfulness of mind states - give us directions that allow us to see mental-emotional patterns clearly without negative judgment or identification. This approach to habits we often identify as "self" gives us a very helpful way to work difficult emotions. The motivation that the Buddha stated repeatedly for his teachings and practices was to find direct ways to end suffering. This intention applies as much today as it did in his time almost 2,600 years ago.
The Buddha's second foundation of mindfulness - vedana in Pali or 'feeling tone' - is a powerful and often under-utilized teaching and practice that can help us work skillfully with difficult emotions. The motivation that the Buddha stated repeatedly for his teachings and practices was to find direct ways to end suffering. This intention applies as much today as it did in his time almost 2,600 years ago.
An exploration of emotions, and the Buddha's teaching on mindfulness as an antidote for working with them. The motivation that the Buddha stated repeatedly for his teachings and practices was to find direct ways to end suffering. This intention applies as much today as it did in his time almost 2,600 years ago.
The Four Noble Truths were called "Dependent Origination, telegram-style" by Buddhist teacher Venerable Ayya Khema. Dependent Origination has also been called a 'mysterious rune'! We will take a look at this foundational teaching/insight and see if it has useful application for us in our pursuit of experiencing and offering well-being. The motivation that the Buddha stated repeatedly for his teachings and practices was to find direct ways to end suffering. This intention applies as much today as it did in his time almost 2,600 years ago.
We will look at the general teaching and then apply it to the distress of anxiety. The foundational motivation that the Buddha stated repeatedly for his teachings and practices was to find direct ways to end suffering. This intention applies as much today as it did in his time almost 2,600 years ago.
Wise Speech.
The foundational motivation that the Buddha stated repeatedly for his teachings and practices was to find direct ways to end suffering. This intention applies as much today as it did in his time almost 2,600 years ago.
The foundational motivation that the Buddha stated repeatedly for his teachings and practices was to find direct ways to end suffering. This intention applies as much today as it did in his time almost 2,600 years ago.
This talk looks at the first factor in the Buddha's Eightfold Noble Path: Wise Understanding.
The foundational motivation that the Buddha stated repeatedly for his teachings and practices was to find direct ways to end suffering. This intention applies as much today as it did in his time almost 2,600 years ago.
Noble Truths 3 and 4
We will continue our exploration of the Four Noble Truths.
The foundational motivation that the Buddha stated repeatedly for his teachings and practices was to find direct ways to end suffering. This intention applies as much today as it did in his time almost 2,600 years ago.
This talk discusses the Four Noble Truths. The foundational motivation that the Buddha stated repeatedly for his teachings and practices was to find direct ways to end suffering. This intention applies as much today as it did in his time almost 2,600 years ago.
This talk includes reflections, practice, and a song pointing to the essential practices that support integrity. Known as "sila" in Pali, wise speech, action, and livelihood and the Five Things (precepts) both lead to and express awakening. Let's look at why and how.
Reflections and practices pointing to the important insight into interconnection. The realization of "anatta" - no separate self - is foundational to the Buddhist teachings. It becomes available with mindfulness practice and is a part of both our own awakening and our ability to courageously act on behalf of Earth and her inhabitants.
Called to engage with, and do what we can to alleviate, suffering in the world, it's essential that we include ourselves and our own suffering in our circle of care. If we don't, our own suffering will be added to the larger suffering. Habituating practices and tools for grounding and coming back to presence is wise action born from wise understanding. Thich Nhat Hanh said, "Everyone knows that peace has to begin with oneself, but not many people know how to do it." Our calm is a gift we give. Join Eve in exploring some teachings and practices that help us return to calm, so we can engage as skillfully as possible with life's suffering.
Thich Nhat Hanh, beloved Vietnamese monk and peace activist, coined the term "Engaged Buddhism" when, during the great suffering of the Vietnam war, it no longer felt appropriate to many monastics to stay inside the monastery. There was a need to take action. However, as practitioners directly addressed the suffering, they stayed grounded in and guided from practice. We will be exploring staying connected to and moving from wisdom and compassion as we engage with daily life and the suffering we encounter.
This talk examines some frameworks and practices that can help us return to equanimity (a sense of balance in the midst of things as they are, from which wise response can more easily arise).
This talk examines some frameworks and practices that can help us return to equanimity (a sense of balance in the midst of things as they are, from which wise response can more easily arise).
This talk examines some frameworks and practices that can help us return to equanimity (a sense of balance in the midst of things as they are, from which wise response can more easily arise).
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.
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.
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.
An investigation into the teaching and practice of Wise Action. Born of Wise Understanding and Wise Intention, Wise Action is motivated by clarity and compassion, and is an essential part of the path to freedom.
Join Eve for a look at the Buddha's foundational teaching. The Buddha said that he wished to teach only two things - suffering and the end of suffering. And the 4 Noble Truths, concluding with the fourth truth which is the Eightfold Noble Path, are his birds-eye view of how to do that.
Join Eve for explorations of the Buddha's teachings on 'The Three Characteristics of Existence' - impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and interdependence or not-self. The Buddha shared these insights because he saw that as we turn toward and embrace them, we suffer less and experience more peace.
The Buddha taught that there are three kinds of 'dukkha', or 'unsatisfactoriness'. Join Eve Decker to to explore these three and the power of deliberate presence and compassion to cool the flames of stress around life's challenges.
The Pali word 'dukkha', most often translated as 'suffering', in fact has multiple meanings depending on context. Join Eve Decker to take a look at this concept and some of the teachings on working skillfully with it.
The truth of impermanence means, among other things, that gain and loss are part of the territory of life for us all. When we face unwanted loss, grief is natural. Join Eve Decker for an exploration of Buddhist inspired teachings on wisely engaging with impermanence, loss, and grief.
Many of us have learned to motivate ourselves with self-criticism. At what price? Negative criticism is a form of aversion - one of the three "poisons" to well-being taught by the Buddha. We can practice and get better at motivating ourselves with self-compassion instead. Join me for an evening of exploration and practice with self-compassionate motivation.
Many of us learned, for multiple reasons, to ignore our own needs. While this may support being of service to others in the short term, in the long term we can burn out and become resentful if we don't know what our authentic needs are and endeavor to meet them. We are each our own primary caregiver, and how we meet and respond to our own version of Universal Human Needs makes a big difference in how consistently available we can be to others. Using the skills of mindfulness, interconnection, compassion, and more, we can bring awareness and warmth into how we take care of our own needs. Hope to see you! Warmly, Eve
Compassion for self, others, and the world is essential for well-being and freedom. This form of love often needs to manifest tenderly - and - just as often, needs to be fierce. Join Eve for a look at bringing together 'a sword and a lotus'.
Self-Compassion requires us to cultivate capacities of presence with difficulty, kindness, and awareness of common humanity. But this doesn't mean that it always must be tender and internal. Often, our self-compassion requires us to be action-oriented and courageous. Join Eve for a look at these two forms of self-compassion and some ways to practice.
During mindfulness practice, we might anchor our awareness through a focus on breath or body. We can also become mindfully aware of vedena, or feeling tone: whether we experience something as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral. Becoming mindful of this mental function helps us interrupt our own reactivity, in order to both experience and offer greater levels of equanimity and peace.
Mindfulness helps us see our minds. Neuroscience and our own observations make clear that the natural negativity bias is there, and can be overridden in favor of intentional practices that increase contentment. Join Eve to explore two of these practices - appreciating others ('mudita' in Pali) and appreciating ourselves (noticing and savoring our innate and expressed goodness).
The Dalai Lama said “The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” And the Buddha taught that the wholesome energies that support goodness are the stepping stones to freedom. Join Eve for a deeper look at appreciation for goodness, the ensuing increase of inner ease, and ways we can practice.
With metta, Eve
There are often things about ourselves that can be hard to forgive: the ways we have caused harm to others, the way we have caused or chronically cause harm to ourselves, and the ways we perceive ourselves as imperfect. Join us for an exploration of two possible paths that can lead to a greater sense of self-forgiveness.
Join Eve Decker for an exploration of the why and how of increasing our capacity to experience and offer peace through mindfulness of thoughts.
"As contemplation deepens, the seemingly solid, stable mind reveals itself to be a stream of mental acts flashing in and out of being, coming from nowhere and going nowhere, continuing in sequence without pause."- Bihhhu Bodhi
"Watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings…
As the shadow follows the body,
As we think, so we become." - Buddha
Learning or deepening a capacity to meet our own difficult emotions with compassion rather than reactivity helps us move toward wise action or letting go, depending on what may be needed.
Part 1 in a three part series on Mindful Self Compassion (MSC). Each session stands alone and/or you can participate in all three - each will have different, related information and practices.
Eve Decker explores approaches to difficult emotions, using mindfulness and compassion. This work comes from the Mindful Self Compassion curriculum developed by Dr. Kristen Neff and Dr. Christopher Germer.
What inspires your kindness? How can your practice support you? As the mid-term election approaches, if you are feeling distressed with so much at stake we reflect on this moment and beyond. Amid the noise and overwhelm, we will gather to touch some quietness, connect, and re-imagine the moment.
Peace can be available when we learn not to take our own thoughts personally. The Buddha taught "non-attachment to views"; which can include momentary views about ourselves, others and life that upset us. A look at some concrete ways to practice non-identification from non-helpful thoughts.
The Brahma Viharas ("Divine Abodes") are practices we can use to wisely meet the moment. In the context of negative judgments, each of these practices (lovingkindness, compassion, appreciation and equanimity) has a particular gift to give. This talk explores these beautiful qualities and how we can practice them when negative judgments arise.
The Buddha said – "...and how does one abide with one's heart imbued with loving kindness? Just as one would feel friendliness on encountering a dearly beloved friend, so does one extend loving kindness to oneself and all creatures." Do you feel friendliness toward yourself in a consistent way? If not, why not? And what are some effective practices to deepen self-friendliness and the positive effect that has on all areas of life, including happiness, health, and relationships?
Things are constantly changing. Using mindfulness to bring attention to this reality is a reliable way to teach the mind to bring endurance and compassion to difficult times, and to savor and be nourished by pleasant moments. When the mind can see for itself that everything is changing all the time, it can become less reactive, more responsive, and better at letting go.
There is great value in memorizing wisdom teachings. It gives the mind access to support when a teacher, spiritual friend, or book isn't readily available. One easy and fun way to log wise teachings into long term memory is through songs and poems with messages of mindfulness, lovingkindness, compassion and more. Eve shares several that came up supportively on her recent two week retreat; and you are warmly welcome to bring a practice-supporting poem or song as well.
An exploration and practice of the Brahma Viharas. Loosely inspired by Mother's Day, this topic points to how these heart practices allow us to hold ourselves, our experience, and others with wisdom and care.
An exploration and practice of forgiveness. Often misunderstood, our misgivings and concerns regarding forgiveness can prevent us from practicing it and experiencing the peace it can provide.
Compassion is a central Buddhist teaching and practice. It is meant to be applied to all aspects of life, including our inner life. Many of us learned to motivate ourselves with critical inner language and tone. This creates an inner atmosphere where difficult emotions arise more easily. We can utilize compassion instead - and lift the well-being our whole inner life, while still motivating ourselves. The talk explores the difference between criticism and compassion in self-motivation, and how to use compassion as our guide rather than criticism.
Lovingkindness meditation, or 'metta' (ancient Pali word for loving-kindness or friendliness), is a way of training the mind to be more loving and compassionate. The value of this is immense - a warmer, friendlier inner life and more skillful choices in the world. Technically, lovingkindness meditation uses phrases - language - as the vehicle of meditation. Buddhism provides traditional phrases that many people love, and we don't have to be limited by those phrases if they don't speak to us or if we want to try adding more personalized words.
This is the second of a two part series on why and how to practice Self-Compassion. The talk includes practice, working with resistance, and some of the research findings on this important topic.
Eve Decker offers the first of a two part series on why and how to practice Self-Compassion. The talk includes practice, working with resistance, and some of the research findings on this important topic.
There is much in life we do not have power over. But practice helps us work skillfully with our own minds and hearts, and how we understand and navigate the world can make a huge difference in our well-being. This talk considers and practices the power of intention, one of the eight practices the Buddha taught as the path to freedom.
Many of the practices taught by the Buddha support and overlap each other. Some are causative factors for others to arise. This evening we will reflect on some of the ways mindfulness practice can lead to greater levels of appreciation and awe, and how appreciation impacts our felt sense of ease in life.
"Determination" is one of ten "Perfections of the Heart" taught by the Buddha. How do we employ it in our journey toward wisdom, compassion, and freedom? In this time of New Year's resolutions, Eve reflects on practices that can keep us on our path or get us back more quickly when we fall to the side.
Eve Decker takes a deep look (including songs) at the practice of lovingkindness: What it is (and isn't), what supports it, how to make it your own, and why you might want to do that!
There is an unintentional but unfortunate blend in mainstream culture of patriarchy (“a social system in which men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege and control of property”) and consumerism (“the preoccupation of society with the acquisition of consumer goods. The need to sell things.”) This combination has led to decades of massive cultural messaging around “ideal” female bodies that are both childlike and sexualized. Eve Decker takes a look at how this messaging affects our thinking minds and how Buddhist practices can help us heal.
What are the Buddhist responses to aging - our own aging and that of those around us? What teachings and practices are there that can help us
feel more peace with aging. This talk offers perspectives and practices that can help support ease around the issue.
Eve Decker shares three practices that support the quality of equanimity - balance in the midst of life as it is. Eve offers a reflection, instruction, practice, and song to support our deepening in this wonderful energy of well-being.
Eve Decker and her mom, Eleanor Decker offer songs that convey dharma themes. Eve's mom, Eleanor, has been singing all her life, brought her kids up singing, and co-leads the Valley of the Moon Threshold Choir.Threshold Choirs are predominantly women and sing at the bedsides of the dying. Eve has been writing songs on dharma themes and collecting dharma-themed songs, for many years. Come sing your dharma!
Eve Decker offers teaching on the practice of R.A.I.N. - Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture This acronym, coined by teacher Michelle McDonald and further developed by Tara Brach can be a very useful tool to help us meet difficult situations, both on and off the cushion, with skillfulness.
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/
"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.
The Buddha said you could look the whole world over and not find anyone more deserving of lovingkindness than oneself. And yet this does not come easily to many of us. Eve will lead us in exploring this essential practice.
When we develop a basic kindness towards ourselves we not only learn to accept the difficult parts, but in the process embrace our humanity and see more clearly the beauty that's inside. As we do that we allow our goodness and True Nature to shine through. This becomes a gift to everyone we meet, a healing energy that awakens the goodness in others as well.
Devon and Craig Hase join James in sharing about their new book How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Survival Guide for Modern Life. The book offers a playful exploration of living a life of Integrity based on the teachings of the Buddha.
Devon and Craig lead meditation retreats throughout North America and Europe. Devon teaches at the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock. Craig spent six years in a Zen monastery and teaches mindfulness meditation, and dharma full time.
