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IMCW Audio Dharma Archives:
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2008 - Wednesday Nights at River Road Unitarian Congregation, Bethesda, MD - 7:30pm:

Date Title Teacher Minutes File Size
2008-05-14 Meditation Tara Brach 27:49 4.8 MB
  Golfing with Monkeys
The Buddha taught that in any moment that we have an argument with life, we suffer. This talk explores the ways we are conditioned to think life should be different, and how the natural arising of unpleasant experience becomes locked into suffering. An experiential reflection guides us in how to respond, rather than react, to life's challenges...inhabiting a wise heart.
  43:10 7.4 MB
2008-04-30 Meditation Tara Brach 25:55 4.45 MB
  Realizing Our Natural Joy - Part 2   45:06 7.7 MB
2008-04-23 Meditation Tara Brach 24:55 4.3 MB
  Realizing Our Natural Joy - Part 1
In the buddhist teachings, joy is a natural expression of our awakened heart. In these two talks we will explore how we block off joy, and ways that we can cultivate and embody this intrinsic facet of our being.
  49:36 8.5 MB
2008-04-16 Meditation Tara Brach 23:35 4.0 MB
  Meeting Fear with a Wise Heart - Part 2   52:44 9.3 MB
2008-04-09 Meditation Tara Brach 23:35 4.3 MB
  Meeting Fear with a Wise Heart - Part 1
These talks investigate how fear, nature's protector, proliferates and becomes a trance of fear and the cause of deep suffering. We look at the "body of fear"- the thoughts, physicality, emotions and behaviors that express and fuel the trance of fear. Through stories and guided reflections we explore the ways that buddhist meditation can free us from the grip of unhealthy fear.
  46:17 8.0 MB
2008-04-02 Meditation Tara Brach 27:32 4.8 MB
  A Wise Understanding of Desire
We lose huge swaths of our life when caught in wanting experience to be more and different. Yet if we bring a mindful presence to the thoughts and feelings of wanting, we discover a portal into full aliveness and freedom. This talk explores how to recognize and investigate wanting mind; how by tracing longing back to it's very source we discover that what we long for is already here.
  46:19 8.1 MB
2008-03-26 Meditation Tara Brach 27:08 4.7 MB
  The Two Wolves
Empathy and aggression are both part of our evolutionary survival equipment. We awaken spiritually as we bring awareness to the vulnerability that drives aggression, and discover that we can directly cultivate our capacity to experience loving connection.
  45:45 7.9 MB
2008-03-19 Meditation Tara Brach 27:55 4.8 MB
  Our Heart's Aspiration
This talk weaves two teachings that are key to awakening. "The most important thing is remembering the most important thing" helps us be guided by the compass of our heart in living our lives. And discovering that "what we long for is already here" lets us trust that the love or peace we seek is found in the fullness of presence.
  46:18 7.9 MB
2008-03-12 Meditation Tara Brach 26:41 4.6 MB
  Befriending the Deities
The fruit of practice is releasing our identification with core beliefs and fear-based emotions, and realizing and inhabiting our Natural awareness. This is described as the N in RAIN - an acronym that can guide us in awakening loving presence.
  48:45 8.4 MB
2008-03-05 Meditation Tara Brach 26:50 4.6 MB
  The Art of Practice - R.A.I.N.
This second class in the Art of Practice reviews the basic components of meditation training and illustrates through several stories, the use of the acronym RAIN in awakening loving presence. The session includes a period of question/answer.
  53:21 9.2 MB
2008-02-27 Meditation Tara Brach 26:00 4.7 MB
  The Art of Practice - Mindfulness
In the Art of Practice, we explore key techniques in preparing the grounds for true meditation. These include relaxation, identifying a home base, awakening the senses and re-mindfulness. These "skillful means" allow us to arrive Here, and to rest in a natural mindfulness, awake and open awareness.
  47:19 8.1 MB
2008-02-20 Meditation Tara Brach 23:52 4.0 MB
  Listening Presence
A full and listening presence is the gateway to genuine intimacy with our self and others. This talk explores the challenges to deep listening and the teachings and practices that guide us in developing this healing and liberating capacity.
  45:42 7.8 MB
2008-02-13 Meditation - 5 Ways to Concentration Sylvia Boorstein 35:01 6.0 MB
  Happiness is an Inside Job   51:27 8.8 MB
2008-02-06 Meditation Tara Brach 24:55 4.3 MB
  Gateways to Happiness
While we all want to be happy, our habitual ways of pursuing happiness leave us dissatisfied. What prevents us from being happy? What is true happiness? How do we relax and open to the blessings of our life that are always and already here? Though these reflections we explore together our potential to live from a profound place of inner freedom, peace and happiness.
  48:08 8.3 MB
2008-01-30 Meditation Tara Brach 17:33 3 MB
  The Power of Inquiry
Inquiry, or mindful investigation, is a direct way to deepen our attention and reveal the nature of reality. This talk explores the attitude, types of questions and practice of non-conceptual presence that awakens our deepest wisdom.
  48:19 8.3 MB
2008-01-23 Meditation and talk on Mindfulness Anh-Huong Nguyen 1:12:59 12.5 MB
2008-01-16 Meditation Pat Coffey 30:43 5.3 MB
  Wisdom and Compassion   51:38 8.9 MB
2008-01-09 Meditation Tara Brach 28:00 4.8 MB
  Touching Enlightenment with the Body
We realize and inhabit the fullness of what we are through the gateway of our senses. This reflection includes how we dissociate from our bodies (hearts, each other, earth) and the pathways of belonging. The evening is dedicated to John O'Donahue, a teacher of the divine longing that carries us to belonging.
  44:55 7.7 MB
2008-01-02 Meditation Tara Brach 23:25 4 MB
  The Three Refuges
This talk reflects on the three gateways to liberating presence-- Buddha nature (our awakened heartmind); Dharma (the living moment, truth, nature of things) and Sangha (spiritual community.) The evening includes a ritual of "taking refuge" that invites our dedication to each domain of awakening and freedom.
  58:27 10 MB