James Baraz's most recent Dharma talks (Abhayagiri Monastery)

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) This Thursday is Halloween night. It's definitely scary times so I thought we could explore working with fear. Join us online.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) Alan Watts wrote a classic book The Wisdom of Insecurity. With the election in the States a few weeks away, dealing with significant uncertainty is on the minds of most everybody. Join us as we explore the topic of dealing with major uncertainty as Dharma practice together.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) How might you let Life play you like an instrument? In this talk James shares the evening with Sarah-Marie Hopf, a good friend, dedicated practitioner, coach and meditation teacher who shares about her journey of progressively deepening trust in the dharma and our True Nature and opening to what wants to flow effortlessly from the mystery into form. Becom...

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) The title of the evening is "Love, Serve, Remember". On October 13th, Spirit Rock hosts a special event Celebrating Ram Dass: Love Serve, Remember with Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Krishna Das and others. Those three words were the instructions Neem Karoli Baba, Ram Dass' guru gave to him: "Love Everyone, Serve Everyone, and Remember...

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) The Buddha advised us to not only cultivate wholesome states but to maintain and increase them when they arise. How can we do that without attachment? This talk explains how to cultivate and strengthen wholesome states not only in retreat but in daily life. James explains the Buddhist principles and practices he shares in his Awakening Joy course.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Expanding the meditation field beyond the breath to include the whole physical realm of experience.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This opening night "Founders Retreat" talk includes Jack Kornfield, Sylvia Boorstein, Howie Cohn, Jane Baraz and Jane Baraz reminiscing about the early days of Spirit Rock.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) The Buddha taught that mindfulness is the most direct way to overcome suffering and realize the highest happiness. This talk explains power of mindfulness and why it is so liberating.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Awareness is not only spacious and wakeful, compassion is also an inherent component. Expressing care to address the suffering in the world is understood to be an essential part of practice. This talk explores the greater implications of this understanding especially at this critical time of global dukkha on so many levels.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This meditation shifts from focusing on objects in our experience to the awareness in which all objects appear and disappear.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) By opening to the perspective of everything arising and passing away in the space of awareness we see through the illusion of separation, directly experiencing anatta, the selfless nature of reality. We also let go of identifying with hindrances and and other ways we identify with the natural unfolding of experience. This talk includes an exploration of the Kashmir...

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) I look forward to being with our community and exploring the teaching on the "Four Mind Changing Reflections." These four reflections become a great motivation reminding us to use our time wisely to deepen our practice. I hope it gives a boost to your own practice.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) This Thursday, May 23rd is Wesak, the most special day in Theravada Buddhist countries (Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka). The full moon in May is said to be the day that the Buddha was born, became enlightened at the age of 35 and died at the age of 80. The three holiest of days all rolled into one! On this Wesak, we can reflect on who this person was, what he...

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) The Buddha spoke of like-minded friendship as "the whole of the spiritual life." He encouraged us to take refuge in the Sangha. What makes community so powerful? Have you ever been part of a group that felt quite magical, where it was more than merely a collection of individual members? What are the ingredients that make a group like that come together?

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) April 22 is Earth Day. How can we express our care and appreciation for life on this planet through meaningful action? I look forward to exploring this with you at our Thursday sangha. I hope you join us.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) Most of the Buddha's disciples whose names we are familiar with, such as Ananda and Sariputta, are men. The Buddha also had women disciples who were wise and profound practitioners like Mahapajapati, the Buddha's aunt/foster mother, responsible for the establishment of the order of nuns or Patacara, revered teacher, who tragically lost her family and even...

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) Pema Chödrön writes: "It's not impermanence per se, or even knowing we're going to die, that is the cause of our suffering, the Buddha taught. Rather, it's our resistance to the fundamental uncertainty of our situation. Our discomfort arises from all of our efforts to put ground under our feet, to realize our dream of constant okayness. When we resist cha...

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We can easily lose our mindfulness when we are experiencing a transition from a change of activity in our daily experience to major shifts in our life. In truth we are always in transition. This talk explores the power of bringing consciousness to transition as focal point of our practice.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Compassion practice including all categories.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Although devotion plays a significant role in Monastic Communities and Tibetan practices it is not something often discussed in lay communities. Yet devotion can be a major source of inspiration which can fuel our practice. How can we access it and have it moisten our sincerity of motivation?

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This guided meditation, originally created by Joseph Goldstein, shifts the subject of attention from objects to the awareness that knows.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) With so many strategies and messages about how to practice, how do we know the "right" way to practice? The Buddha said ultimately you should "be a lamp onto yourself." This comes down to trusting the wisdom inside. How can we discern the wisdom voice from the voices rooted in fear and confusion? This talk includes the 5 strategies offered by the Buddha to work skil...