This talk offers reflections on how to burst the mind bubbles that confine ourselves and others.

This talk offers reflections on the Kalama sutta that make this discourse relevant to our lives.

This talk offers reflections on how to navigate the judging mind.

This talk is in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

This talk starts with a recording of a chant of the Satipatthana Sutta, or "Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness," followed by a discussion of the meaning of the sutta.

This talk offers reflections on navigating the anger and hatred that can arise in our lives.

This talk offers reflections on the heart quality of generosity.

This talk offers reflections on bringing in the practice of mindfulness of breathing, even into our daily activities.

This talk offers reflections on the Buddha's advice to Rahula in which he encourages him to reflect before, during and after the actions that he engages in. The talk explores how we can act in the world in a different and transformative way.

This talk offers reflections on the importance and practice of gratitude.

This talk offers reflections on going beyond the limits of language.

This talk offers reflections on ambivalence in our lives and how to navigate it.

This talk offers reflections on how we come to terms with imperfections.

This talk offers reflections on how experience is not perfect. This is the first part of a three part series on the three characteristics or three ways of seeing our experience.

This talk offers reflections on how experience is not personal. This is the second part of a three part series on the three characteristics or three ways of seeing our experience.

This talk offers reflections on impermanence. This is the third part of a three part series on the three characteristics or three ways of seeing our experience.

This talk offers reflections on the 1st Noble Truth in light of our human predicament.

This talk offers reflections on the 2nd Noble Truth.

This talk offers reflections on the 3rd Noble Truth.

This talk offers reflections on the wise intention path factor of the eightfold path and how it relates to our lives.

This talk explores the wise action dimension of the eightfold path. Abstinence is really only the beginning practice of wise action. The full intention is much vaster than that.

This talk offers reflections on the wise livelihood path factor of the eightfold path and how it relates to our lives.

This talk offers reflections on the wise effort path factor of the eightfold path and how it relates to our lives.

This talk offers reflections on the importance of Mystery in our lives and on our spiritual path.

This talk offers reflections on the importance of spiritual friendship on the path.

This talk offers reflections on the dynamic of conceit, namely feeling better than, or less than, or equal to others. The talk explores both the individual and systemic forms of conceit.

This talk offers reflections on this quality of heart, Loving Kindness and the practice of it.

This talk offers reflections on how this one word can be a powerful tool that can lead us into Presence.

This talk explores the process of beginning to know what we don't know especially in the relational field we live in.

This talk offers three helpful pieces of advice for when you are stuck in the everyday suffering of the "little me" and your "problematic life."

Exploring Happiness, Ethics, and Practice

This talk explores the dynamics of Racism and bringing our practice of the Dharma to these dynamics.

An exploration of how we can elevate and demonstrate the potential of humankind to relate to one another peacefully.

This talk is a reminder that each moment in our lives offers us an opportunity to learn more about ourselves, to engage in our practice and to seek inspiration and guidance from our teachers.

This talk explores worry and anxiety during these challenging times. Some themes include: How the Buddha’s instructions on thoughts gone wild differ from modern mindfulness approaches to worry and anxiety. Questions raised include: What do our experiences with worry and anxiety have in common? What appeals to you about the Buddha’s teachings on anxiety? What appeals to you about modern mindfulness approaches? Do you have any practices that you use that you find helpful with anxiety? Is there a new practice you might try to incorporate as you work with your own anxiety?

Reflections and guidance offered on how to slow down and engage in S.L.O.W. as a meditation practice.

When we align our lives to seek pleasantness and avoid unpleasantness, we often miss the path to real happiness. In this talk, we explore why this is so, and the spiritual adjustments we can make in our lives to find a higher joy than getting our preferences.

This talk shares dharma perspectives that support practicing with the complexity of social distancing.

True belonging — a sense of connection, freedom, and joy — is possible in any moment, in any circumstance, for anyone. However, true belonging is not a destination; it is the process of continually reconnecting to the present moment, including everything happening in our lives and in our world. In this current moment, we may be feeling the belonging of interconnection: Everyone in the world is in the same rough waters of a global pandemic. Every American is tied to the history of slavery and anti-Black racism. But we also may feel the separateness of varying circumstances: We have differing "boats" to traverse these waters. We may have benefited or been oppressed by systems of institutionalized white supremacy. We belong to it all. Our practice teaches us to recognize our differences while never letting go of our inherent interconnection.

This talk offers reflections on the practice of Appreciative Joy.

This talk shares how the teaching on karma can be empowering to our lives. It also clarifies some misconceptions about karma.

This talk offers one way of beginning to understand the dynamic of becoming through a few examples and an initial way of practicing with it.

The changing of the seasons offers an opportunity for reflection and letting go. An exploration of how we can consciously choose to let go of what no longer serves us to make space for our intentions moving forward.

Reflections on the power of silence to serve as guide and teacher as we navigate and move our way through a changing world. Includes a series of guided mini-meditations to help us dive into the silent spaces within where deep peace and wisdom abide.

As we awaken, our complete enchantment with the “stuff of life” (both external events and internal narratives) becomes less prominent and compelling. and the knowing becomes more predominant. This talk explores this topic of dis-disenchantment--breaking the spell of what we think is our lives.

Discussed working with thought and the difference between noticing thinking and getting lost in thinking. Some techniques were discussed and tried. First was just counting thoughts. Second was labeling categories of thoughts. Some readings were presented and some discussion of ways to notice and label thoughts.

The turbulence of our times is asking us to discover for ourselves how to love. The word love has many associations. However, the love of compassion and equanimity is vigorous and peaceful, open to pain yet free of suffering, urgent with a vision of freedom yet patient. It reveals a vast and immense heart that can look on and immediately be in touch with beauty and horror and stay steady, loving no matter what. During our time together--respecting our reactivity, overwhelm, and other afflictive states--we'll explore the heart's wide and deep capacity for compassion and equanimity.

What can Buddhism offer us in these difficult and divided political times about how to relate to others? The talk explores the intricacies of the “Acrobat” sutta which advises how mindfulness can protect others and how loving kindness can protect ourselves, applying the teaching to issues including COVID and 2020 election politics.

Facing Uncertainty: Allowing Love to to Return in a Different Way

We explore various mind states that arose pre-election, post-election, and after the presidential race was called. We explore how holding compassionate space for our experiences allow us to recognize the divisiveness within, providing an opportunity to heal our internal divisions.

This talk explores the spiritual act of beholding another being in a way that goes beyond harmful divisiveness.

In this talk I share poems carved into the walls of the Angel Island Detention Center, the Ellis Island of the West. These poems speak to the historical suffering and experience of Chinese immigrants in the early 20th Century. I introduce the RAIN practice as a tool to address suffering in the moment.

2020 has been an eventful year. This talk invites us to bring equanimity to the ups and downs that we are experiencing individually and collectively as we transition into the new year.

A Dharma talk followed by a 30 min. meditation

Attachment to our illusions lead to suffering. However, when we bring our mindful attention to the delusions, recognizing our habitual patterns of thinking, allowing the mud to settle, and responding with metta and compassion, we can begin to free ourselves from their corrosive effects. This talk includes a guided meditation on dispelling delusions.

Dharma talk followed by a guided meditation

An exploration of the benefits of committing to practice through the metaphor of diving into the ocean on a daily basis in the movie, My Octopus Teacher.