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Dharma Talks
given at Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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2019-02-20
Seven Stages of the Spiritual Journey
1:16:50
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Donald Rothberg
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Partly in honor of the recently deceased poet, Mary Oliver, we use her poem, "the Journey", as a reference point for understanding the nature of the spiritual journey. Two other reference points are the life of the Buddha, and then the experiences of our own lives. After an exploration of the very nature of the journey, and how a journey may take years, or two weeks, or an hour, we explore seven stages of the spiritual journey, starting with taking life for granted, being caught up in habitual and conditioned mind and behavior, and ending with some degree of awakening and then re-entering the "ordinary" world, often bringing gifts from the journey. In between is the heart of the journey. [The talk ends at 1.06.23.]
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2019-02-04
A Venn Diagram of Practice(Retreat at Spirit Rock)
57:33
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Sally Armstrong
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As we begin the journey of a long retreat, it is helpful to consider different ways to frame our practice .I offered an overview with a diagram that depicted this, and how we might talk about our practice in meetings with teachers. This begins with the biggest frame - wise attitude or wise view, supported by our intentions and aspirations. the next frame is continuity of mindfulness that supports whatever practice or technique we might be cultivating.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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February Monthlong
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2019-01-30
Dharma Practice and the Life and Work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Part 3
65:47
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Donald Rothberg
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We first review the three themes identified as the "shared heart" of Buddhist practice and the life and work of Dr. King: (1) non-reactivity (the end of dukkha) and nonviolence; (2) love, metta, and compassion; and (3) the integrity and coherence of one's life, such that this "shared heart" appears increasingly in all parts of one's life. Then we imagine a kind of dialogue between Western Buddhists and Dr. King, identifying both the great jewels and some of the blind spots or underdeveloped areas of each. This points toward the aspiration to bring together the best of both approaches, to bring together deep inner and outer transformative practice; we make use of a number of resources, including the figure of the bodhisattva, in clarifying this aspiration.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2019-01-23
Dharma Practice and the Life and Work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Part 2
64:30
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Donald Rothberg
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We review and deepen the exploration of three core themes that are the shared heart of the approaches of the Buddha and Dr. King: (1) the wisdom and understanding of the nature of dukkha and the aim of ending of dukkha - understood in this context as reactivity and violence in their different forms; (2) the centrality of the wise heart- understood as love, metta, compassion, etc and the importance of acting from this wise heart; and (3) integrity - the coherence, consistency, and authenticity of one's life, especially in relationship to the first two themes. We then begin an imagined "dialogue" between the Buddha and Dr. King that might point to an integration of deep inner and outer practice based on these principles.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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Monday and Wednesday Talks
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2019-01-20
Dukkha and the End of Dukkha 1: An Overview of the Teachings and Practices
45:28
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Donald Rothberg
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The Buddha famously said, “I have taught one thing and one thing only, dukkha [suffering or reactivity or a sense of unsatisfactoriness] and the cessation of dukkha.” In this daylong, we explore this core teaching as it is expressed in the Four Noble Truths and the teaching of the Two Arrows. We suggest ways to study and implement this teaching both in formal meditation and in everyday life, through practices and reflections that bring together the wisdom of seeing the roots of dukkha, the compassion and kindness that can hold our difficulties, and skillful action to transform dukkha.This talk give an orientation for the daylong.
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Spirit Rock Meditation Center
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