The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
Donald Rothberg's Dharma Talks at Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Donald Rothberg
Donald Rothberg, PhD, has practiced Insight Meditation since 1976, and has also received training in Tibetan Dzogchen and Mahamudra practice and the Hakomi approach to body-based psychotherapy. Formerly on the faculties of the University of Kentucky, Kenyon College, and Saybrook Graduate School, he currently writes and teaches classes, groups and retreats on meditation, daily life practice, spirituality and psychology, and socially engaged Buddhism. An organizer, teacher, and former board member for the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Donald has helped to guide three six-month to two-year training programs in socially engaged spirituality through Buddhist Peace Fellowship (the BASE Program), Saybrook (the Socially Engaged Spirituality Program), and Spirit Rock (the Path of Engagement Program). He is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World and the co-editor of Ken Wilber in Dialogue: Conversations with Leading Transpersonal Thinkers.
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2014-07-23 Practicing with Challenges 3 - Practicing with Difficult Thoughts and Emotions 2 62:01
We review the basic approach of cultivating responsiveness and working with reactivity, looking more at (1) ways of coming back to balance, (2) cultivating mindfulness, and (3) developing other skillful means with challenging thoughts and emotions. Then we explore in more depth how to practice with fear and anxiety.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2014-07-16 Practicing with Challenges 2 - Practicing with Difficult Thoughts and Emotions. 64:19
After a review of understanding our practice most generally and deeply as developing responsiveness, we examine how to practice with thoughts and emotions, including difficult ones such as those connected with the judgmental mind and anger.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2014-07-09 Practicing with Challenges I - Cultivating Responsiveness 61:06
We focus on becoming response-able (rather than reactive) as the heart of our practice, examining what responsiveness means and how we cultivate it in relationship to thought and emotions.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2014-06-24 Embodied Practice in Daily Life 45:33
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Embodied Awakening
2014-06-24 Four Steps to Embodied Awakening 36:07
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Embodied Awakening
2014-06-23 Introduction to Mindfulness of the Body 20:30
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Embodied Awakening
2014-06-19 Deep Listening and Speech Practice in Difficult Circumstances 53:05
How can we be skillful with our speech practice in difficult or challenging situations? We examine a number of principles and capacities, particularly deep listening, that can guide us.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Mindful Communication: A Wise Speech Retreat
2014-06-18 Practicing Skillfully with thought and emotions as a foundation for speech practice. 57:25
We explore the possibility of taking radical responsibility for our thoughts and emotions at the ability to respond skilfully, rather than react. We look at three ways of practicing with thoughts and emotions. 1. coming back to balance when out of balance. 2. cultivating mindfulness of thoughts and emotions. 3. working more actively with thoughts and emotions, including habitual patterns.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Mindful Communication: A Wise Speech Retreat
2014-06-16 Mindful Communication in the Path of Awakening 53:11
We explore the importance of speech practice, its place ijn the path of awakening, the four ethical and behavioral guidelines for "right": or "wise" speech, and ways of developing mindfulness in spech practice
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Mindful Communication: A Wise Speech Retreat
2014-06-11 The Roots of Our Practice 4 - The Thai Forest Tradition 2 65:23
We get to know in part through images, the teachers and practices of the Thai Forest Tradition and then focus on four aspects of their teaching.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
Attached Files:
  • The Thai Forest Tradition 2 by Donald Rothberg (PDF)
2014-06-04 The Roots of Our Practice 3 - The Thai Forest Tradition, I 67:09
We explore briefly the history of Thai Buddhism, and thus focus especially on the lives, practice, and core teachings of Ajahn Mun and Ajahn Chah and the Thai "forest Tradition" more generally.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
Attached Files:
  • Thai Roots by Donald Rothberg (PDF)
2014-05-07 The Roots of Our Practice 1:The Burmese Teachers, Ledi Sayadaw and Mahasi Sayadaw and our Mindfulness Practice. 67:10
Our core practice of mindfulness is based on Mahasi Sayadaw's technique of noting, starting with the breath and moving to all aspects of experiences. How did we receive this practice? We explore the fascinating history from the Buddha through the 19th and 20th Burma, to the West, where these techniques of mindfulness are influential in many settings.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
Attached Files:
  • The Roots of Our Practice 1 by Donald Rothberg (PDF)
  • Mahasi Sayadaw, Satipatthana Vipassana Excerpt by Mahasi Sayadaw (PDF)
2014-05-03 Transforming the Judgmental Mind: An Overview 54:44
An introduction to working with judgments; identifying particular perspectives and practices that help us in this transformative work, including examining the nature of judgments.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
2014-04-28 Introduction to Metta Practice and Initial Instructions - with Heather Sundberg 46:37
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Metta 2 day Retreat with Donald Rothberg and Heather Sundberg
2014-04-21 Practicing With Difficult Emotions 61:10
We explore, through stories, poems and teachings, four inter-related ways to practice with difficult emotions, 1- using antidotes, 2- cultivating the "heart practices" of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, forgiveness, etc, 3- cultivating mindfulness and 4- bringing wisdom to the experience
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Awakening in Service & Action: A Study Retreat on Socially Engaged Buddhism
2014-04-19 Practicing With Views and the Judgmental Mind 62:13
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Awakening in Service & Action: A Study Retreat on Socially Engaged Buddhism
2014-04-18 Connecting Inner and Outer Transformation 62:15
We explore the tendencies to polarize inner and outer practices, the vision of connecting them, some socially engaged Buddhist exemplars, and how the principles of transformation are the same whether in individual, relational or collective domains.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Awakening in Service & Action: A Study Retreat on Socially Engaged Buddhism
2014-04-16 Path of Service, Volunteer Dharma Talk 61:56
This is a dharma talk that Donald gave for our volunteer sangha on the theme of "The Path of Service," which is also the theme that Spirit Rock staff are working with this year.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2014-04-16 Three Levels of Daily Life Practice 57:43
After a review of foundational, intermediate and advanced daily life practices, we focus on several central practices, working with intention, using the imagination, grounding in the body and taking difficulties as practice.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2014-04-09 Three Levels of Daily Life Practice 1 54:37
After reflecting on some of the challenges of contemporary daily life practice, we look at three levels of such practice, and many types of practices within each level.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2014-04-02 Reflections On A Month Retreat 59:39
Just returned from a month of retreat practice, i offer various reflections on retreat theme, including impermanence and death, working with inner guidance, and taking all experiences in a learning context, and on core practices, (concentration, insight, metta, and open spacious awareness), ending with a brief song.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2014-02-22 Wise Speech, part 2 44:35
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
2014-02-22 Wise Speech, part 1 22:06
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
2014-02-19 Heart Practices in Difficult Times 4 - Compassion 2 57:46
We look at the importance of the different parts of our practice - intentions, ethics, mindfulness, wisdom and grounding in the body - for responding to difficult situations- individual, interpersonal and related to the wider world. We then look at how to develop and practice compassion in difficult situations.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2014-02-12 Heart Practices in Difficult Times 3: Compassion 62:10
We explore compassion and practice to help us respond to difficulties particularly pain and suffering. We examine the distinction between pain and suffering, the nature of compassion, receptive and active compassion, the shadow of compassion and some types of compassion practice.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2014-02-05 Heart Practices in Difficult Times 2: Forgiveness Practice 2 & Taking Difficulties as Practice 62:00
We begin by identifying several supports for practices with difficulties and then explore forgiveness practice in further depth - with Q & A at the end.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2014-01-29 Heart Practices in Difficult Times 1: Forgiveness Practice 1 63:34
An introduction to forgiveness as an inner practice to work with reactivity toward self or others. Includes a guided practice and questions and response.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2014-01-19 Metta Practice in Our Everyday Lives - "Let Your Life and Practice Be One" 53:06
We explore (1) our individual metta practice - formal and informal 0 in our daily lives, (2) metta practice in the context of our many types of relationships, and (3) metta practice as service and action in our wider world.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center January Metta Retreat
2014-01-16 Metta and Forgiveness 57:19
Forgiveness practice is one of the family of "heart practices" and particularly valuable in relationship to difficult experiences, both interpersonal (or social) and in relationship to oneself. We look at forgiveness in the context of metta practice, exploring the dynamics of forgiveness through stories and core guidelines of forgiveness practice.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center January Metta Retreat
2014-01-15 Equanimity 40:33
Spirit Rock Meditation Center January Metta Retreat
2013-12-18 The Winter Solstice, the Dark and the Light and our Practice 62:13
At the Winter Solstice, we can learn better to embrace the dark-in multiple ways, and to invite the light. Using poetry, stories and teachings, we explore how practicing with darkness and light can deepen and illuminate what Mary Oliver calls our one "wild, precious life."
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Insight Meditation Solstice Retreat
2013-12-11 The Anatomy of Ignorance 6 - Spiritual Ignorance and Insight into the Three Characteristics 62:26
After a review of the theme of ignorance, we explore how we don't often see the deep nature of things - as impermanent, leading to suffering if grasped and empty of an independent self and how to practice to see deeply.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2013-11-13 The Anatomy of Ignorance 5 - Practicing with Views 60:50
In the context of the transformation of ignorance, we look at views, beliefs and opinions - traditional teachings, how to use them skillfully, ways that we use them unskillfully and how to practice with views.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2013-10-23 The Anatomy of Ignorance - Transforming our Personal Ignorance 60:51
After reviewing why and how we focus on transforming the different inter-related forms of ignorance - personal, social and spiritual - we focus on ten steps in transforming personal ignorance.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2013-10-20 The Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness 4 - Practicing with the Awakening Factors and the Four Noble Truths 1:16:33
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
2013-10-20 The Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness 3: Practicing with the Six Senses and the Aggregates 1:49:48
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
2013-10-20 The Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness 2 - Practicing with the Five Hindrances 52:50
Talk, guided meditation, and discussion, with some attention to the model of the six internal and external sense bases.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
2013-10-20 The Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness 1 - Introduction 59:36
Review of the first three foundations of mindfulness and an introduction to the Fourth Foundation
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
2013-10-09 The Anatomy of Ignorance 3 - Personal Ignorance I 63:59
We review and explore how crucial and challenging the root human problem as that of ignorance. We then examine in more depth the roots of personal ignorance, particularly as represented as limiting beliefs and how to access and transform such ignorance.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2013-10-02 The Anatomy of Ignorance 2 - The Social Roots of Ignorance and climate Disruption 64:06
For Earth Care Week we review the three aspects of ignorance examined last week - personal (or psychological), social, and universal. We focus on the social roots of ignorance with attention mostly to understanding and responding to the climate crisis.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
In collection: One Earth Sangha
2013-09-25 The Anatomy of Ignorance 1 - An Overview 57:45
We examine the centrality of ignorance as a root of suffering and three main inter-related forms of ignorance - (1) Personal and psychological (2) Social and (3) Universal
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday and Wednesday Talks
2013-09-19 Connecting Inner and Relational Practice with Judgments 65:00
After a further investigation of how to practice when core limiting beliefs linked to judgments are activated, we examine four ways to bring our judgments practices into relational contexts, ending with a song.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Transforming the Judgmental Mind
2013-09-17 The Deep Roots of the Judgmental Mind and Two Ways of Transformation 62:44
Starting from the context of the teachings of dependent origination, we examine three interrelated forms of ignorance -- personal, social and universal -- and how they condition the judgmental mind. We then can see how two ways of transformation can transform, over time, these forms of core ignorance: (1) The way of mindfulness, investigation and accessing transforms ignorance, and (2) the way of cultivation [ ] qualities, especially through "heart practices."
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Transforming the Judgmental Mind
2013-09-15 Transforming the Judgmental Mind 59:48
We inquire into the nature of the "judgmental mind", how it is different from non-reactive discernment, why it is important to work with the judgmental mind, and how we transform it.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Transforming the Judgmental Mind
2013-08-20 Morning Instructions Day 8 49:21
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Concentration Retreat
2013-08-18 Concentration Practice and Insight Practice 63:24
We first look at the nature and limits of concentration, in part through the story of the Buddha. We then see how stillness developed in concentration, in relationship to the (relatively) still object, is brought to changing objects for the purpose of clear seeing of impermanence, suffering, and not self, leading to freedom.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Concentration Retreat
2013-08-17 Morning Instructions Day 5 53:15
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Concentration Retreat
2013-08-16 Wise Effort in Concentration Practice 63:36
An exploration of the challenges of skillful or wise effort in the context of concentration practice, covering (1) the process of purification, (2) a series of suggestions for skillful effort, and (3) how skillful effort deepens into effortless effort.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Concentration Retreat
2013-08-14 Metta Practice in the Context of a Concentration Retreat 48:41
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Concentration Retreat
2013-08-13 Afternoon Instructions - Day 1 60:07
Spirit Rock Meditation Center Concentration Retreat

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