Tea with Mara

"Freedom Fighters" is a Dharma talk and super brief meditation on the five hindrances ("freedom fighters" because they fight our efforts to free ourselves!). It's hopefully a helpful look at the things that get in our way, and it was inspired by discussion following last week's talk. I hope you find it helpful. Enjoy! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Use Your Time Wisely" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of doing non-doing. We talk about boredom and the benefits of sitting and doing absolutely nothing, instead of filling our time with habit driven busywork. I hope this will be useful in your practice. Enjoy! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Agitation of Joy" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation on the topic of how even joy can sometimes feel painful, and an exploration of how that actually works. This topic was suggested by a community member who received great news, but then couldn't sleep all night which was the pain they endured. We discuss why and how to work with that. I hope you find it useful! Enjoy!...

"The Greatest Gift" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha inspired by Father's Day and the many different ways the day can be held and felt for people. And also about how the Buddha might have addressed these many ways. I hope you find some value or comfort in this talk and that it can serve you in some way. Enjoy! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Guarding The Garden" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation based on the wisdom imparted by author Z.S. Diamanti in his wonderful cozy fantasy book "Guard In The Garden" . From the first quote I highlighted, where one character tells another " Everyone has loads to be thankful for if they have the eyes to see it. And, when we’re filled up with gratitude, it often ov...

"Freedom Without, Freedom Within" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha reflecting on the celebration of Independence Day by exploring a different kind of freedom. Two hundred and fifty years ago, a nation declared its independence from a distant ruler. But what about the rulers we still carry within? The voice of self-criticism. The pull of craving. The grip of fear. The stories...

"The Stories We Live Inside" is a Dharma talk exploring the stories we tell ourselves, the identities we cling to, and how we can begin to see that our stories are not the same thing as reality. We may find that freedom can come from loosening our grip on the stories we've been carrying too long. I hope you will find something useful in this talk. Enjoy! https://bio.reverendgeorgebee...

"I Thought I Was Right, But I Was Certain" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha about how, when we're young, we often feel remarkably certain about things we have barely experienced. We know what love is. We know what happiness means. We know how life works. Then life happens. Marriage. Children. Loss. Success. Failure. Friendship. Aging. And slowly we discover that reality i...

"Buddhism Still Ruins Everything" is a Dharma talk about misconceptions, curiosity, and personal responsibility. A starting place perhaps for someone considering a Dharma practice. Raised Catholic, disillusioned by religion, and spending years searching for something that felt true, I eventually discovered the Dharma in a book about mindful eating. What I found wasn't a new belief sy...

"Within You, Without You" is a great Beatles song...and also the name of the Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha tonight on the topic of the differences between fear based beliefs and experience based spiritual practice. We start out by clearing up some common misconceptions about Buddhism, and then talk about how fear based beliefs cause harm, while wisdom and experiential practices...

"Not Picking Up What I'm Putting Down" Is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation on the difference between carrying something and controlling it, why the mind clings to burdens that no longer serve us, and how the Buddha's teachings point toward a deep form of relief found through through wisdom, discernment, and learning what can finally be set down. I hope you find it useful...

“Radar Rider” was a short Dharma talk offered for Heavy Metta Chicago on the topic of escapism, entertainment, mindfulness, and the stories we disappear into. When Jay invited me to lead the session, I was excited because obviously I love the Dharma, but as a kid I also loved to escape into the fantasy art worlds of the magazine that inspired the HMC logo, Heave Metal. Peppered with my love of the...

"The Living's Easy" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of nourishment, presence, and making the most of the fleeting moments of our lives. As summer begins, vacations loom, children grow up, and life shifts around us, we often find ourselves holding both joy and a sadness at the same time. Tonight we’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings on nutriment and ask not on...

“Jealous Again” is a Dharma talk offered at Mindfulness VR on the topics of jealousy, envy, comparison, chronic illness, and the tenderness that often lives beneath those experiences. We discuss the difference between jealousy and envy, why the mind compares itself to others so naturally, and how suffering deepens when we build identity around those comparisons. We’ll look at the Buddha’s teaching...

“When We Stand On Unsteady Ground” is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on how we can actually practice when things feel heavy, uncertain, painful, or overwhelming. Without focusing on any one specific kind of suffering, this talk explores practical Dharma-based ways to steady ourselves during difficult times. We’ll look at the Buddha’s teachings on grief, fear, overwhelm, patience, compas...

"Something Has Changed" is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation offered at MindfulnessVR on the subtle and often surprising nature of genuine happiness. Sometimes transformation appears in a simple moment where we suddenly realize, “I think I’m actually okay.” This talk explores contentment, healing, friendship, gratitude, emotional resilience, and the gradual rewiring of the heart...

“Mother Matters” is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha exploring the many dimensions of motherhood, care, grief, gratitude, and the maternal heart. Mother’s Day is not always simple. For some, it is joyful. For others, it carries loss, longing, regret, complicated relationships, or deep tenderness. In this talk we’ll explore the Buddha’s own experience with maternal loss, the story of Mahāp...

"Another Chapter" is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation on the topics of change, impermanence, and letting go. This talk was inspired by my favorite social book tracker app shutting down. It's been my favorite place for over a year, and it's closing up shop. This made me think of the MindfulnessVR community (where this talk was given) and all the changes we have encountere...

"Mid-Life Crisis or Spiritual Awakening?" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of saṁvega ...the spiritual urgency that arises when we begin to clearly see aging, impermanence, mortality, and the unsatisfying nature of trying to build lasting happiness from changing conditions. What we often call a “mid-life crisis” may sometimes actually be the moment the story we’v...

"The Four Kinds of Friends" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation on a topic inspired by another recent talk, after which the discussion arose about how to handle difficult friends. The Buddha actually had some very specific kinds of advice he offered around this, so we dove into it in this talk. I hope it helps you gain some clarity around these kinds of relationships and how to...

"The Most Sublime Bookshelf" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of the Four Brahma Viharas. In this talk, we explore loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity; the practical ways the Buddha taught that the heart can meet the world. Framed here by gratitude at the beginning and forgiveness at the end, this talk looks at how we open the heart, tra...

"The Suffering of Expectation" is a Dharma talk offered at the Two Hands Sangha about how we suffer because of the expectations we place on things. Particularly when we ask someone for help, and we expect a certain answer, that is a recipe for suffering. It means we aren't really asking for something, we are expecting it, and if the answer doesn't meet our expectations, suffering...

"The Direction of Perfection" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of doing the best we can with what we have where we are. It's about the Paramis (or The Ten Perfections), but really it is ultimately about how our imperfection is actually just perfectly perfect as it is. I hope this will be a fun and useful talk for you. Enjoy! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher....

"Questions about Anxiety and Anger" is a mix between a Dharma talk and a guided meditation. I showed up without a talk prepared, or even a topic in mind, and the community asked how to "prevent the anxiety of an impending event" (paraphrasing) and "How to deal with a coworker who spoils the mood of the entire workplace with their attitude"? I hope I gave some useful t...

"Reduce and Renew"  is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha exploring the idea that transformation doesn’t necessarily come from adding something new, but from letting something go. On Easter, many people are reflecting on renewal and new life, we’ll take a Buddhist look at what it actually means to begin again. Over and over again, as something available to us moment to moment. Wha...