This meditation starts with a short introduction to practicing with Vedana (or feeling tone) and then continues with a guided meditation that invites you to bring your awareness to different parts of the body and different senses to recognize Vedana as it arises.

Being in the present requires us to open to all experience, the beautiful moments and the challenging ones. This talk explores essential qualities that help us not only accept the moment, but embrace and even love it as our true refuge.

In order to open the heart and extend kindness and compassion to others we need to soften the places of contraction through practicing forgiveness. This guided meditation invites us to practice forgiving ourselves– our body, our mind, and our heart – and then extending it towards others as well.

The first foundation of the body is explored with a guided body scan for each of the four elements: earth, water, fire, and air.

An exploration of how the three refuges can be used during retreat to support practice. Recognizing the lineage and Buddha nature, the Dharma of our bodies, and the Sangha as a network as support systems that undergird our practice. Includes working with perceptions and using the natural world as part of practice.

At some point we can fully let go of all our concerns to give our full attention to the breath and body. As we build faith and devotion to this simple fullness of attention we can feel the mind healing from its habits of being scattered and exhausted. This practice develops into full absorption and becomes the basis for liberating wisdom.

The Buddha stated we are often lost in craving and aversion when we are not mindful of our bodies. In a discourse named the Six Animals (SN 35.247) the Buddha strongly encouraged developing the concentration of body mindfulness as a pillar to collect and calm oneself, and learn to have a conscious relationship to the six sense. From developing calm and collectedness mindfulness of the body continues to liberate us from our confusions towards having a body. As both a refuge of samadhi and a place for deepening wisdom, mindfulness of the body is considered the central foundation to the buddha's path to freedom here and now, and ultimate liberation.

Introduction to the Brahma Viharas including orientation to the benefactor category.

There is weaving together in the talk of several areas, including (1) Donald's stories of his encounters with and learning from Thich Nhat Hanh, starting in 1987; (2) the life story of Thich Nhat (1926-2022); and (3) exploring Thich Nhat Hanh's core teachings, including his teachings about "interbeing," engaged Buddhism, mindfulness, and "being peace." There is a slide show of Thich Nhat Hanh's life shown during the talk available as a pdf file. The talk is followed by the first 3 minutes and 19 seconds of a video of Thich Nhah Hanh talking about "War and Peace Within" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk1jpeo3w6U) and a period of discussion.