Dhamma Talks
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...
Right Action in the 21st Century
Continuing the exploration of how to increase the relevance of Buddhist wisdom in our era, this discussion explored the relationship between the concept of kamma (karma) and action. Emphasis was placed on using mindfulness to restrain impulsive action in order to...
Right Speech In The 21st Century
This discussion reviewed classic Buddhist Suttas to describe the qualities of Right Speech and some insights from modern psychology that support the development of virtue. This talk should be integrated with the previously recorded discussions on the value of virtue...
Right Listening
In reviewing the Virtue aggregate of the Eightfold Path, this week's focus is on effective listening. We live in a culture that doesn't support a long attention span, which leads to poor interpersonal communication. Using Right Speech as a guideline, ways of...
The Power Of Narrative
This dialogue further explores how modern cultural influences affect our sense of the Buddhist Dhamma in the 21st century. The fact that humans experience selfhood through the ability to string together various moments of awareness into a narrative creates the need...
