Dhamma Talks
Cultivating Community Leadership
As the OIMG community matures in the understanding and application of Buddhist wisdom, developmental transitions naturally arise. The founding teacher, Peter, is leaving for a 3 month retreat at the Forest Refuge at the Insight Meditation Society in late August,...
Precepts To Commitments
Continuing the exploration of what the Dhamma means in the 21st century, the basic precepts of Buddhism were discussed. Peter explained that the precepts are organized around the cultivation of wisdom, which is the combination of clear awareness and benevolent...
Peter’s Retreat Report
With the hope that verbally describing his retreat experience will help integrate the experience and perhaps inform and inspire others to go on retreat, Peter describes his recent 2 week self-retreat, during which he got a staph infection and had to get medical...
Mindful Service
This discussion explores the development of service in Buddhism from the time of Anathapindika, who organized the first Buddhist monastery, through the Bodhisattva Ideal, to present opportunities for service. Three points were discussed: the importance of regular...
Robert’s Retreat Report
Once again, a member of our Sangha has completed a significant retreat--Robert just returned from a Korean Zen retreat organized by the Kwan Um School in Providence, Rhode Island. During this evening's discussion he compared aspects of Zen practice and vipassana...
Mindfulness For The Body
The phrase we typically use is "mindfulness of the body"; this week's talk is "mindfulness for the body" to emphasize the importance of taking good care of the body, which is the foundational vehicle for spiritual development. We talked of how important it is to not...
Tommy’s Retreat Report
In order for the teachings of the Buddha to remain vital, it is necessary for each succeeding generation and culture to validate the Dhamma with a dedicated meditation practice, epitomized by attending retreats. It is the custom of the Orlando Insight Meditation...
Right Money Management
Continuing the discussions on how to bring the ancient wisdom of Buddhism to contemporary life, Peter read some excerpts from the suttas to describe what the Buddha taught regarding the acquiring of wealth and how to wisely make use of it. The example of the wealthy...
Right Relationship in the 21st Century
Continuing the discussion of Right Livelihood as manifesting in a culture much more complex than what the Buddha knew, this dialogue focuses on how relationship dynamics relate to the three characteristics the Buddha emphasized, that is, impermanence, dissatisfaction...
Cultivating Spirituality in the 21st Century
In this dialogue, we explored the distractions that interfere with regular meditation practice, contrasted with the opportunities that are also present in our time to deeply practice and understand the liberating teachings of the Buddha. The practice of Right...
