Wild Heart Meditation Center

In this talk, Andrew discusses the theme of awakening & the forms of the Dharma that support awakening. How does our ethical commitment to non-harming combined with the mental trainings of mindfulness and heart practice both protect the heart & cultivate its release from distress?

The Buddha said that the nature of this world lies within our perceptions and thoughts. In this talk, Andrew discusses how our often unexamined patterns of thinking generate distress (magnification, fixation, rumination, and proliferation) and how the Buddha proposed we begin to examine and liberate the mind from unconscious and habitual patterns of suffering.

How can active awareness help us better manage the pleasure & pain of our lives? What does it look like to bring mindfulness to the primary sense impressions of the body & mind? How do we deal with pain, and how do we take active delight in the pleasure of our lives? Andrew discusses mindfulness of feeling tone & how mindfulness can help us to minimize the habitual & unconscious reactions that often build up around the pleasure & pain in our lives.

Andrew builds on his discussion from last week, outlining the 3 skills of mindfulness practice (concentration, observation, & equanimity), to discuss the ways that mindfulness meditation promotes insight into the 3 marks of existence (impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, & impersonality).

Andrew offers a wide overview of meditation and its general affect on the brain. He discusses how mindfulness provides clarity into the nature of the stress manufactured by the brain, and how the skills of concentration, observation, & equanimity are cultivated and fine-tuned through practice.

Andrew provides a brief overview of satipatthana (The foundations of mindfulness) and then offers a discussion on 4 applications of mindfulness that are offered throughout the Buddhist discourses in the Pali Cannon.

Do you consider your relationship to Money to be a part of your spiritual practice? What about work? The Buddha encouraged contemplative practice as a means of uncovering causes of stress & suffering in our lives. For lay practitioners (non-monastics), it is essential to begin to reflect on our relationship to money and our livelihood, as these are often areas of great excitement, dis-ease and anxiety.

Andrew discusses the role of Buddhist ethics on the path of awakening. He overviews the nuances of ethical practice as it relates to sexuality. He discusses some of the difficulties of working with sexuality, as well as the potential of working with sexual energy on the path.

The eightfold path factor of Wise Action is not meant to be another set of commandments or rules that will help us become a better Buddhist, but instead a set of trainings that help us to engage with our day-to-day lives with more ease and wellbeing. In order to 'act' with more ease, we must learn to SLOW DOWN, gauge the impact of our emotions, and develop supports that encourage changes in behavior. Before we jump into discussing Wise Action, it's important to discuss Stabilization & Support.

Dave speaks on the topic of "the wound that seeks the arrow", discussing 'woundedness' as it relates to the Buddhist path of practice.

Dave Smith speaks to the 'heart of the Dharma'. He talks about our tendencies towards defense and avoidance of the heart & how the cultivation of the brahmaviharas ('heart practices') help us to uncover and liberate the heart's release.

Andrew discusses the eightfold path factor of "Wise Communication". He discusses the importance of founding communication on attainment and active listening, and then he discusses guidelines that support the use of wise and effective speech.

Andrew discusses the ethical foundation of the Buddhist path of practice. He discusses the importance of developing and engaging in action through non-harming, and how this ethical base sets the stage for the development of wisdom.

Dave Smith offers a brief context of insight meditation practice, followed by a discussion of Metta-Vipassana. Metta-vipassana combines the development of present time awareness & goodwill. Enjoy!

Andrew discusses the eightfold path factor of 'intention', detailing the intentional cultivation of goodwill. He discusses the practice of 'metta', from its etymology to its practical application. Enjoy!

Dave Smith offers an overview of working with hindrances and awakening factors on the path.

Andrew continues his discussion of the Buddha's core teachings, detailing the connection between the first and second factors of the eightfold path: view and intention.

Andrew continues a discussion on the core teachings of the Buddha: the Four Truths & the Eightfold Path. He discusses common misconceptions about 'karma' and how developing an understanding of karma encourages wise movement on the path of awakening.

Andrew continues his discussion of the core teachings as outlined by the Buddha, discussing an overview of the eightfold path of practice.

Dave Smith discusses the Four Foundations of Mindfulness as they relate to the Buddhist path of practice. Enjoy!