Dhamma Talks
Evidence Based Precepts
Beginning with a long excerpt from the Kalama Sutta, Peter emphasized the Buddha's teaching on personal validation of the concepts within Buddhism. The Kalamas were a tribe of critical thinkers who enjoyed challenging priests and philosophers regarding their...
Judy’s Jataka Tale number 72
The Jataka Tales are Buddhist teachings on ethics in the form of a story. They're quite numerous, and have been retold over the centuries in different cultures. Judy told the story of the Elephant King (except she renamed the main character "The Elephant Queen"). ...
Cultivating Generosity
During this dialogue, Tommy described the development of dana, which is the Pali word translated as generosity. He talked of the value the Buddha placed on generosity as a fundamental way to cultivate renunciation, the ongoing process of letting go of attachments. ...
Buddhist independence day
Since this meeting occurred on July 4, Peter talked about the Buddhist approach to "...life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". We explored the concept of the Middle Path, between agitation and sedation, too much faith/rigidity and too much...
Franciscan 2012 Retreat Report
As is our custom, after a retreat, the participants have the opportunity to "think out loud" about their retreat experiences, and how being at home has been affected by the intensive meditation practices. It's also hoped that the folks who weren't at the retreat...
Benefit Of Dependent Origination
During this dialogue, Tim explored the importance of paticca sammupada, typically translated as dependent origination. This core concept of the Buddha's teachings describes how karma (past experience) shapes our perceptions and responses in current events, followed...
Cultivating Mindfulness In Daily Life
In this dialogue, Peter shares various ways to incorporate the training cultivated with mindfulness of breathing meditation into daily life routines. After his comments, others in the group share what works for them. Peter's notes listing the various strategies he...
The Benefits of Taking Refuge
During this meeting, Rose talked of what taking refuge in "The Three Jewels", Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, has meant to her in managing the stresses of life. This led to a lively discussion of the value of spiritual community and many people added their names to a...
The Benefits of Consistent Meditation Practice
This week begins the participation of various members of the Teacher's Mentoring Group who were mentioned and introduced over the last few meetings. Kitty described the significant benefits she noted as she became more involved with Buddhist teachings and began a...
Introducing The Teacher’s Mentoring Group
Following on last week's dialogue, the Teacher's Mentoring Group, which has been meeting weekly for several months, introduced themselves and provided comments about their current studies of Buddhist principles and practices. These individuals' commitments to their...
