Tea with Mara

"Tools, Not Rules" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation exploring how we engage with social media and media in general in a balanced, intentional way. This talk asks more questions than it answers, and invites us to reflect on how we use our attention, set boundaries, and maintain ethical engagement. Do we walk away from social media completely? Do we indulge in it completely? Somewhere in...

“Not Less Through Loss” is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha exploring resilience, hope, and the potential for growth in the face of life’s challenges. This talk reminds us that loss doesn’t diminish our worth or potential—it’s an opportunity to rise, to thrive, and to see beyond what we think defines us. Enjoy! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“The Dharma of Dianogas” is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation (31:25) exploring how a simple shift in awareness can soften anger, reduce stress, and spark compassion—even when everyday annoyances dial our frustration up. We talk about how recognizing our heightened baseline of irritability can turn a biting response into a mindful one. Dependent origination and mindfulness related through...

"Nobody Said It Was Easy" is a Dharma talk exploring the challenges and rewards of living with integrity. We dive into why the Noble Path isn’t the "comfortable" path, but the "worthwhile" one—how aligning with our values can bring us peace, even when it’s not easy. I share personal reflections, practical examples, and encouragement for staying true when life gets tou...

“The Threefold Training” is a dharma talk and guided meditation (33:04) on how to cultivate ethics, concentration, and wisdom for a more stable and compassionate life. I share personal stories and practical tips on weaving Sīla, Samādhi, and Paññā into our daily routines—especially when life gets chaotic. I hope it offers some clarity and ease. Enjoy!

"Information, Knowledge, and Knowing" is a dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the difference between these things, and how to help stay safe and sane in the midst of the onslaught of information we are inundated with every day. I hope this will offer some relief, as it's been especially chaotic this week for many people. Enjoy!

"Where Once I Was Blind" is a Dharma talk and guided meditation inspired by my experience of getting eyeglasses I've needed for 20 years or more, which led me to reflect on The Buddha's thoughts on having "Dust in the eyes" and of clear seeing. I hope it will be a fun and funny way to hear these teachings, perhaps for your first time (at least in this way)! Enjoy! And Happy New Year!

"NYEEE 2024 Intention Setting Ceremony" is the Two Hands Sangha dharma talk portion of our 2024 New Years Eve Eve Eve Intention Setting Ceremony! It was a beautiful evening of sangha lighting candles and setting our intentions for 2025 and enjoying community! I hope you find something useful in this talk to help you live 2025 with Intentions that lead you to the wholesome. Enjoy!

"We Know The Way" is a dharma talk and brief guided meditation that draws on the wisdom of The Buddha, with a little help from Einstein and Moana, to help us understand how we don't have to suffer at the holidays because of past family trauma and storylines that we are stuck in. We can use the practice to write new storylines and give us our happiness and joy back. I hope this lands for someone wh...

"Reflections Of The Way Life Used To Be" is a dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of reflection. Looking back at our year using mindfulness and clear comprehension to see how we met moments in our past year, to inform how we wish to set intentions for the coming year (next week at our Intention Setting Ceremony). I hope you will enjoy and please feel free to message me if you have...

"What The Hell Am I" is a Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation on practicing with sickness. When we’re feeling unwell the Buddha reminds us that sickness is part of being human, and that our minds can stay clear and compassionate even when the body is struggling. By noticing discomfort without pushing it away, and by extending kindness, sickness becomes a teacher, guiding us toward deeper understandi...

"The Acorn And The Oak" is a dharma talk and brief guided meditation on the topic of Interconnectedness, or Interbeing, in a very broad accessible way. I've noticed lots of examples of this lately, and many community members discussing it, so I thought I would offer some thoughts on this wonderful topic. I hope it is of some use in your life. Enjoy!

"Unwrapping Vulnerability and Boundaries" is a dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on Bodhi Day exploring how to find balance between being open-hearted and protecting our personal well-being during the holidays. By understanding balance between these two, we can show up more authentically, deepen connections, and care for ourselves—even in the most hectic season. Enjoy!

"Pain And The Brain" is a dharma talk and brief guided meditation on various kinds of pain and how the dharma can help us work with them. We talk about meeting physical aches, emotional heartache, and mental strain with open-hearted presence instead of running away. We learn to pause and ask, “How can I meet this moment with wisdom and compassion?” I hope you'll enjoy this talk!

"The Grateful Heart (The Lost Episode)" is a Dharma talk and guided meditation (30:20) offered on 11/28/24 in Virtual Reality. This talk was lost during editing and recovered today. We explore gratitude as a way of deepening our connection to others, cultivating resilience, and opening the door to greater joy and freedom. I hope you'll enjoy!

“Survive And Thrive For The Holidays” is a dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha about how the holiday season can be a time of joy and connection—but also stress, conflict, and exhaustion. In this session, we explore how to recover from the challenges of Thanksgiving and prepare mindfully for the weeks ahead. Drawing on the Buddha’s teachings, we’ll discuss practical tools for reflecting on holi...

"Mindfulness Is A Hoe" is a dharma talk on a community question last week of how to work with worry and anxiety related to situations where we are so worried about something bad happening, that we actually end up creating the conditions for that bad thing to happen! It's a great question and I hope I it will be helpful. We all experience something covered in this talk and I trust it will be useful...

"Trust Begins When Actions Match Words" is a dharma talk and short meditation (35:30) on Trust. We explore the nature of trust—what it means, how it is built, how it is broken, and how it can be rebuilt based on the teachings of the Buddha with a little help from Pete Buttigieg. I hope you enjoy and find this helpful in your life.

"There in the Balanced “Engagedness” takes a deeper look at equanimity and clears up some common misunderstandings. Often thought of as passive or detached, we explored how equanimity is actually an engaged balance, staying present with life’s ups and downs without being shaken or pulled off-center. It’s not about standing still while the world moves—it’s about moving with it, from a place of stea...

"Love The Actor, Fight The Action" wraps up a series of a few talks about where we might find ourselves these days with the world in such upheaval. Last week we spoke about pausing, and sitting in that with no need to rush to action. This week, we turn toward that action and make sure it's informed by compassion. These last three talks will hopefully serve many of us through difficult social chall...

"Holding Space With Grace" is a dharma talk offered at the Two Hands Sangha based on a community member question. It also dovetails nicely off of the last talk. That talk was about pausing and being with your experience with no feelings of needing to rush into action. This talk is about how to hold space for others who might not be handling things as well as you are. At its heart, it's about the d...

"Times Like These" is a dharma talk and guided meditation (28:15) on giving yourself permission to sit with whatever you're feeling right now, knowing that it's perfectly ok to do that, and when you're ready, practicing in a way that meets your where you are. Allowing and acknowledging, followed by compassion you are capable of. These two simple practices meet you where you are. I hope they serve...

"Waiting To Exhale" is a Dharma Talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topics of coping with the stress we create around impending outcomes, and the way we deal with that outcome when it arrives, whether it's our preferred outcome or not. We draw from The Sallatha Sutta and the Lokavipatti Sutta for wisdom and we hope that this talk is helpful and beneficial for you this week. Enjoy!

"Harmless, Harmed, Harmful, Heedful" is a Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation on this 2024 Halloween about the infamous serial killer from the Buddha's time, Angulimala. I hope this is fun, and also helpful. There's a lot of powerful lessons in his story (not the least of which is a story of redemption). Enjoy!

"It Takes Two To Tango" is a dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of strong fixed views, particularly when they are mired in delusion, and how to work with that. With the election looming in the USA, and wars raging, and mis/dis information spreading our friends, family, and relationships are often suffering right now, and can seem impossible to heal. They aren't, but nobody said i...