Dhamma Talks
Empathy And Compassion
During this Dharma talk, Peter describes the intersection between empathy and compassion. Empathy is hardwired into our bodies and can be misunderstood and produce regrettable self-states and behaviors when not monitored by mindfulness. He describes how we are all...
Guided Empathy Contemplation
This guided meditation provides suggestions for recognizing the subjective characteristics of empathy with support from mindfulness of breathing for a non-reactive perspective of the experience. It is intended to provide practice support for the Dharma talk that...
Women And The Dharma–Pema Chodron
During this second of a series of reviews of women who are influential among contemporary meditators, Allie Vaknin begins by inquiring among participants who might have familiarity with Pema Chodron's books, and then goes on to briefly recounting Chodron's life: she...
Dharma Women–Upasika Lee Nanayon
During this first of several Dharma talks about important female teachers, April reviews the life and teachings of Upasika Lee Nanayon, a lay teacher in Thailand. First she describes the determination of a person whose teaching comes from a simple lifestyle and deep...
July 2025 Dharma Questions
During this talk, Peter responds to questions about the concepts described in "Seeing That Frees", by Rob Burbea. The concepts of "the fading of perception", "awareness", and "emptiness" were discussed, derived from these questions.
Developing The Parami Of Generosity
The Paramis are categories of intentionally cultivated virtuous mind-states that promote the process of Awakening. With this talk, Lezlie describes the Parami of Generosity, both materially and interpersonally being unselfish regarding others. She intends to...
June 2025 Open Dharma Questions
Once a month, Peter provides an opportunity during the meeting for those participating to ask questions regarding Buddhist concepts and practices. The questions posed during this meeting focus on the "Four Foundations of Mindfulness Discourse", for example the...
Mike Maldonado Retreat Report
Our community finds value in providing opportunities for those among us who have recently experienced a significant retreat to "think out loud" about the experience. The benefits of these reviews are associated with the support of informed listeners, along with...
What We Resist Persists
During this talk, April describes how our inability to investigate and effectively manage our resistance to using mindfulness to beneficially apply the principles and practices from a Buddhist creates suffering, using various quotes from Buddhist teachings. Her...
Birth Death and Rebirth
During this talk, Allie Vaknin reviews Buddhist concepts regarding mortality, referring frequently to the Bardo, a descriptive term for the states of birth, death and rebirth from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective. Her report is followed by comments from participants...
