Undefended Dharma with Mary Stancavage

Gil Fronsdal has said that the perfection of wisdom is when the mind and heart neither cling to nor resist anything. Mary discusses this idea and the importance of both mindfulness and the heart practices to cultivate this wisdom. We need both to be in balance and equanimity. We greet the world with clarity and kindness. Recorded Jan. 22, 2022 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions...

Connection with others and with ourselves is such an important part of our lives, as vital as food and shelter. Yet, we are so often blocked from true connection without understanding why. In this talk, recorded at the Annual Women's Retreat, Mary invites us to reflect on what disconnects us and how to reconnect. Recorded Jan. 17, 2022 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or...

As we start the new year, we're often lost in thoughts of what's to come, plans and resolutions, or we're stuck in memories of things past. However, there is only right now and much of what ensnares us is simply stories of the mind. In this talk Mary discusses how to bring ourselves back to where we are and to find a place of ease and being openhearted in this moment. Recorded 1/9/2...

To cling is to suffer and when we can fully let go, there is freedom. That freedom is the clarity to truly see reality without being hindered by our conditioning - whatever that is. In this talk Mary discusses the effort and patience needed to let go and also how to recognize the clarity we already have. Recorded Dec 30, 2021 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Incl...

At the 2021 New Year's Eve Intention Setting we took the Refuges and Precepts. In this podcast, Mary discusses what this means and offers the invitation to participate. Recorded Dec. 31, 2021 in the virtual world. Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for...

Mary discusses what it means to set an intention for the year and leads a guided meditation which invites us to uncover our own meaningful intention. Recorded Dec. 31, 2021 in the virtual world. Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and...

bell hooks passed away on December 15, 2021 and will be missed sorely. Well known for her activist writings, she was also a Buddhist practitioner and wrote often about practice being her foundation and the importance of love in all we do. In this podcast, Mary shares some of hooks' Buddhist writings and the importance of her legacy. Episode 152 recorded Dec. 23, 2021 in the virtual world Send...

This is the time of year people make resolutions or decide to change things in their lives. The idea of setting an intention lets us move forward in a wise and compassionate way.  Using the ten Paramis or perfections is a way to shape our intentions to be the most beneficial to us and to others. Mary discusses the Paramis and how we can utilize them to move away from suffering and towards liberati...

The story of Kisa Gotami is one of the most famous in the Pali Canon. It's the story of a mother who loses her only child and is so overcome with grief she cannot accept reality. Mary discusses the lessons this story can teach us about touching our pain and the importance of recognizing that none of us are doing this by ourselves and that grief and loss are universal. Recorded Dec. 11, 2021 i...

 Based on the three defilements of greed, aversion and delusion, Buddhist Personality Types, or temperaments, are a convenient and fun way to view our habitual patterns of thinking and acting. Additionally, as we recognize these traits in ourselves, we can transform them into the wholesome qualities of wisdom and equanimity.  Recorded Dec. 4, 2021 in the virtual world Send me a text with any quest...

In this short talk Mary discusses the importance of staying with a practice even when the going gets tough. There is a tendency today to jump from one practice to another, cobbling together a piecemeal spiritual program. This happens especially when the practice becomes challenging or difficult. Instead, make a commitment to get the full benefit, whichever practice you choose and don't miss o...

How do we keep an open heart with the craziness of the world today? In this talk Mary invites us to consider gratitude and generosity as the heart's antidote to becoming enmeshed in the greed, anger and ignorance that seem to be everywhere we look. This is not about a spiritual bypass, but instead a way to be with the world more deeply and intimately. Recorded Nov. 13, 2021 in the virtual wor...

One of the most accessible teachings on equanimity is the Eight Worldly Winds. These are experiences that are common to all humans: pleasure & pain, gain & loss, praise & blame, fame & disgrace. If we're not paying attention we can get caught in this whirlwind of chasing the pleasant and rebelling against the unpleasant. The Buddha's insight is that these experiences aris...

 We practice Vipassana or Insight Meditation, and we speak about insight regularly, but what is is really? Vipassana is often translated as seeing the true nature of reality and Mary discusses how the teachings offer a way to dissolve delusion and break through the ignorance that we are often trapped by. The path offers us a way to insight, discernment, wisdom, and ultimately, liberation.  Recorde...

As used here, the Mahasanga (Great Community) refers to the breadth and width of Buddhist practitioners throughout the world. In this talk, Mary discusses the value of looking beyond the tradition you practice in to see the wisdom contained in the larger dharma community. and shares some of the ideas offered at this year's Dharma Teachers Conference - wisdom from around the world and through...

 Whether we like it or not, impermanence is a way of life. In fact the Buddha taught that it was one of the three characteristics of existence yet we still try to hold on to things, ideas, and experiences even after they've ended. In this talk Mary discusses the subtle ways we struggle with this truth and how to recognize it and to learn to let go.  Recorded Oct. 16, 2021 in the virtual world...

 In Buddhist teachings Mara is seen as the personification of greed, anger and delusion and stands in the way of our liberation. In this talk Mary offers ways to identify Mara in our own lives which gives us the opportunity to say, "I see you Mara" and choose the path of freedom.  Recorded Oct. 7, 2021 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name...

 The term Human Condition can sum up our experiences on this planet, whether we admit to it our not. The Human Condition is also what the Buddha teaches in the First and Second Noble Truth especially. In this talk, Mary takes a look at what the Human Condition means for each of us and how we can move to a place of greeting and ultimately embracing it.  Recorded Oct. 2, 2021 in the virtual world Se...

Appreciative Joy, or Mudita, is one of the heart practices and often considered the most difficult. This is an altruistic expression of joy for the good fortune and happiness of others and is an important practice to cultivate generosity of the heart and mind. It's difficult because we are caught up in craving and a sense of lack.  Mary discusses how to recognize what gets in the way and move...

 Often we latch on to the search for meaning, happiness or bliss and think they are "out there" waiting to be found or achieved. Drawing heavily on the work of Viktor Frankl, Mary reminds us that there is only this moment and we are asked to respond appropriately to each experience we encounter. Building a foundation of love, kindness and integrity allows us to respond wisely and for the...

The Dhammapada, part of the Pali Canon, is one of the most popular collections of Buddha's teachings. Mary looks at some of the verses and how the entire collection is an easy way to remind ourselves of the most important parts of the dharma. There is much richness to be explored. Recorded Sept. 11, 2021 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and...

Dharma practice teaches us how to disentangle ourselves from habitual thoughts and habits of mind. It can also support us as we disengage from the larger, systemic patterns baked into our culture. Mary discusses the qualities of the colonial mind and how to identify the greed, hatred and ignorance and move toward a world that works for everyone. Recorded Sept. 4, 2021 in the virtual world Send me...

The last factor in the Eightfold Path is often called Right Concentration, but it more about a steadiness or collectedness of the mind. Mary discusses this final piece and how the clarity and wisdom it provides allows us to be fully with reality as it is and move towards liberation. Recorded August 26, 2021 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and e...

Continuing with the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, Mary discusses how these practices, when aligned with the Eightfold Path, lead to the end of suffering and facilitate awakening.  Recorded August 21, 2021 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's we...

Right Mindfulness underpins just about everything we do in our practice and is necessary for liberation. Without the clarity of present time awareness and the integrity to guide our mindfulness skillfully, it's easy to stay trapped in delusion and suffering. Mary discusses what mindfulness is and isn't, and touches on the first foundations of mindfulness (the Satiphatthana Sutta). Next w...