The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
James Baraz's Dharma Talks at Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley
James Baraz
I try to convey that the wisdom and compassion we are looking for is already inside of us. I see practice as learning how to purify our mind and heart so we can hear the Buddha inside. In doing so, we naturally embody the dharma and help awaken that understanding and love in others we meet.
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2011-12-08 Seeing Beyond Appearances 47:44
Bay Area musician, composer and dharma student Ben Rivers speaks about what it’s like to live with severe disability from Parkinson's and Lyme diseases. He shares about his life as we explore seeing beyond appearances, relating to someone who seems different as not so different, with their own unique gifts and challenges.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-12-01 Balancing Contentment With Aliveness 48:39
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-11-17 The Buddha's Discourse on Blessings 49:53
Not missing all the goodness and blessings in our life as an aid to true well being and happiness. The talk is based on the Buddha's Mangalam Sutta, which is also known as the Discourse on Blessings
.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-11-10 From Cynicism to Love 42:08
When our hopes for a better world or better personal life are dashed, we can become cynical and begin to assume that forces of greed and hatred will win out over forces of consciousness and love. How can we keep our hearts open in the face of personal and societal disappointment?
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-10-27 The Race between Ignorance and Consciousness: Good or Bad News?” 53:31
James reviews a number of things that are right with the world.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-09-08 The Shorter Discourse on Ways of Undertaking Things 52:43
The Buddha says: There are 4 ways of undertaking things. There is a way undertaking things that is pleasant now and ripens in the future as pain. There is a way undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the future as pain. There is a way undertaking things that is painful now and ripens in the furter as pleasure. There is a way undertaking things that is pleansont now and ripens in the future as pleasure.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-08-25 The Advantages of Spiritual Friendship 37:27
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-07-14 Life Coming Together As You 51:55
The teaching of Anatta (not self) points to the fact that from the perspective of ultimate reality we are not separate entities to whom life happens. All the people in our life who’ve inspired and impacted us live through us even after they are gone. And we in turn impact the lives of many others and live through them. This talk includes a guided practice to understand anatta from this perspective—that the love we’ve received from others and pass on doesn’t belong to any of us.

James dedicated this talk to his father Arnold, who would have been 93 today; it begins with a moving reminiscence of their relationship.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-07-07 You Have a Choice 49:35
We each have our own unique journey. While there are as many different possibilities as there are people, we have a choice whether to go through life as a heavy assignment or as an extraordinary adventure of awakening. If we're fortunate enough to discover a spiritual path that supports the latter, we want to make the most of our opportunity.
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks
2011-06-16 Shifting the Focus: From In Here to Out There 57:55
It’s very easy to get trapped in the web of “selfing” which is the one step from self-consciousness. How can we shift the focus so that our interactions with others opens us to true connection?
Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley IMCB Regular Talks

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