Dharma Seed: dharma talks and meditation instruction

(Tisarana Buddhist Monastery) The theme of this Sunday talk: Right effort, cultivating the skillful, and abandoning the unskillful. Luang Por reflects on right effort, and effort as a skill, rather than wholesome and un-wholesome, as it is sometimes referred to. Everything that arises, is natural, even a "murderous impulse". But whether we follow and cultivate it, is what is important. When the skillful is cultivated, we experience benefit for ourselves, and others, when the unskillful is followed and cultivated, it leads to harm, for ourselves and others. The practice of right effort then, lies, in first recognising fully, and discerning what is arising, and secondly, knowing how to follow the skillful, and abandon the unskillful.

(Cittaviveka)

(Parayana Vihara) In a Sunday Dhamma talk at Parayana Vihara, Ayya Anandabodhi explains how taking refuge in the Three Jewels and practicing ethical conduct creates the causes for happiness.

(Parayana Vihara) In an online 4th Sunday Dhamma talk, Ayya Anandabodhi deconstructs how mental habits create the personality and sense of self.

(Parayana Vihara) In a Sunday Dhamma talk at Parayana Vihara, Ayya Anandabodhi encourages re-training the mind to abide in the present to experience the peace, joy, and freedom this brings.

(Aloka Earth Room) Short Reflection & Guided Meditation including a poem from the Sioux Nation | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene IV | Online Wednesday-Morning

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We review the importance of giving attention to ethical practice, and how it has often been marginalized in Western Buddhism, with meditation typically being at the center (as is evident in speaking of “meditation centers” and “meditation groups”). Wise Speech, as one of the three aspects of ethical practice named in the Noble Eightfold Path, is particularly important in contemporary Western practice; we can have an opportunity for many hours a day of spiritual practice if we bring Wise Speech practice into our lives! The Buddha’s four guidelines for Wise Speech were truthfulness, helpfulness, care and kindness, and appropriateness (especially good timing). We focus, in this second talk on the first guideline of truthfulness, on how we understand and practice being truthful in our relational and social lives, with reference also to how truthfulness is understood in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. We see how truthfulness is crucial in communities and societies, what the consequences are of a lack of truthfulness, and how one dimension of our Wise Speech practice is helping to develop more truthfulness in our communities and societies. The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) First, there are basic instructions in developing concentration offered, including the optional "three-part breath" technique which can help with avoiding controlling the breath and with developing more continuity. Then basic mindfulness instructions are given. The last minutes bring in reflection and inquiry questions related to our practice of wise speech, including the guideline of truthfulness, related to the talk that follows the guided practice. This is followed by discussion about different aspects of our practice.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) A talk on muditā, the joy that isn't ours alone. After days steadying the heart through warmth, tenderness, and spaciousness, we turn toward the brahma vihara most easily overlooked: the capacity to feel glad simply because someone else is. Through stories of borrowed delight, dancing tigers, and the quiet gladness of showing up to practice, we look at what gets in the way (envy, and its louder cousin, toxic cheer) and what it might mean to let another's happiness warm us too.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Reflections on compassion, 20 minute guided meditation exploring various methods of compassion, followed by Q&A

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Pain is unavoidable; suffering is what we add by resisting it. This talk traces that distinction through a rage-filled retreat, an ongoing war with invasive shrubs, and the near enemies — pity, overwhelm, "fierce compassion" — that masquerade as care while keeping suffering at arm's length.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Teachings and Guided Practice on practicing loving-kindness for oneself.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) For many, wishing well and extending metta to others can come relatively naturally. The hard part is not sending out love, but letting it in. This is one of the most supportive practices for counteracting self-judgment and developing kindness and metta for ourselves. This talk will explore this topic and practice together.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) An introduction to the Brahma Vihāras and to metta as the atmosphere of practice — exploring how kindness gathers us, heals the places where the heart has closed, and liberates.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) The Buddha taught four guidelines for Wise Speech (as a core aspect of ethical practice): truthfulness, helpfulness, care and kindness, and appropriateness (especially good timing). We explore the first guideline, partly in connection with the other three guidelines, in four dimensions of practice. First and most basically, we explore how we practice with truthfulness in our individual practice with others. Secondly, we look at how truthfulness is also a central ethical guideline in our communities, organizations, and societies, making possible trust and safety; yet often this guideline is not followed. Thirdly, we look at our contemporary society in terms of truthfulness and the lack of truthfulness. Fourthly, we ask how we might respond, as part of our ethical practice, to develop more truthfulness in the society: What can help? The talk is followed by discussion.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Teachings and guided practice on settling, integrating, arriving.

(Karuna Buddhist Vihara) This meditation, dhamma talk, comments, questions and responses was offered on September 12, 2026 for “Eastbay Dhamma” 00:00 - 5 PRECEPTS 07:12 - MEDITATION 27:50 - SUTTA STUDY AND DISCUSSION Sutta link: https://suttacentral.net/dhp179-196/en/buddharakkhita?lang=en&reference=none&highlight=false

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Teachings and Guided Meditation on Metta for a Friend

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) The Buddha said as much as possible the one reflection to keep in mind is impermanence which leads to letting go, equanimity and liberation. This talk explores the gift of opening and embracing impermanence.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) You are the richest person on earth while the version of you that plays in your mind is a story of lack. Learn to see the difference between your actual experience and you mind’s stories. Believe what’s actually happening.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Use the RAIN acronym for emotions (not just unpleasant ones) and thoughts as a way to be with their direct or somatic experience.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) An exploration of the five hindrances (desire, aversion, sloth & torpor, restlessness, and doubt). This talk draws on classical teachings, personal stories, and the Buddha's water similes to ask what happens when we get curious about these states instead of fighting them.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Instructions on working with the breath and body.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Wise Effort as an important issue in practice. This talk explores finding the balance between too much and too little as well as understanding the four classical Wise Efforts described in the teachings.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Bringing together awareness with body and breath so that contusions for calming and stilling can occur naturally, making it easier to notice all sense experience.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In this talk, Diana weaves together stories from her own spiritual journey with what she sees as universal aspects of the spiritual path. She talks about obstacles that arise on the path, what insight is, learning to love ourselves more deeply, and the journey to resting in Natural Awareness. She also covers how the spiritual life manifests off the cushion throughout a lifetime, including in the face of a turbulent world.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This guided session teaches the basics of self-compassion: mindfulness for judgmental thoughts, kindness towards self, and recognition of shared humanity. The guided meditation focuses on sending kindness to self.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This short talk and longer guided meditation offers a clear introduction to how to practice mindfulness with an emphasis on finding and anchor and gathering your wild mind.

(Karuna Buddhist Vihara) This guided meditation, dhamma talk, comments, questions and responses was offered on the 12th of September, 2026 for “How do I apply the Dhamma to THIS!?!” 00:00:19 - GUIDED MEDITATION 0:17:22 - DHAMMA TALK 0:59:24 - COMMENTS, QUESTIONS & RESPONSES

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Including Anatta and recognizing the self-lessness of the knowing dimension.

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Anicca and Its Implications

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Tuning in to Vedana. (Pleasant, unpleasant, neutral) and on habitual responses.

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Gaia House)

(London Insight Meditation)

(London Insight Meditation)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Cambridge Insight Meditation Center)

(Tisarana Buddhist Monastery) Q& A session given after Sunday talk on 06 Sep 26

(Tisarana Buddhist Monastery) The theme of this Sunday talk, the Four Noble truths. Buddhist traditions may vary in many ways, but the one common teaching in each one is this one. Is there a wellbeing that is not relative to situations? That remains unchanged. This was the Buddha's realisation. And the core of the teaching above. It allows one to take responsibility for ones discontent.To really understand how things work.

(Insight Meditation Community of Richmond) We often have the idea that thoughts are our enemy during meditation. If only we could get rid of all those thoughts, then we would be good meditators. But actually, this is a misconception, since thinking is part of being a human being. In this talk we learn how to befriend the thinking mind, so it can be a companion, instead of an enemy.

(London Insight Meditation)

(London Insight Meditation)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(London Insight Meditation)

(Flagstaff Insight Meditation Community)

(London Insight Meditation)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) The Buddha famously said, "I teach dukkha [suffering or reactivity or a sense of unsatisfactoriness] and the cessation of dukkha.” We explore this core teaching as it is expressed in the Four Noble Truths and the teachings of the Two Arrows and Dependent Origination, including ways that it can be confusing. We suggest ways to understand and implement this teaching both in formal meditation and in everyday life. (See document 328 below, on "Four Meanings of Dukkha, and Contact to Grasping in the Dependent Origination Model.")

(Gay Buddhist Fellowship)

(Gaia House)

(Gaia House)

(Cambridge Insight Meditation Center)

(Parayana Vihara) In a Sunday Dhamma talk at Parayana Vihara, Ayya Anandabodhi talks about the power of metta (loving-kindness) to transform difficulties and heal relationships.

(Parayana Vihara) In a Sunday Dhamma talk at Parayana Vihara, Ayya Anandabodhi answers questions about how to integrate the intellectual and emotional aspects of the heart-mind.

(Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center)

(Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center) This talk explores the paradoxical qualities of water; cohesion + change; the mystery of consciousness; and the power of turning toward impermanence

(Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center) This talk explores the Air element: breath and breeze and the unseen. It recounts stories of Prajna Paramita, the mother of all Buddhas, and my mother's life & death

(Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center)

(Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center) Stories about Mary Oliver, Grandma Helen, the Buddha, Ananda, Mahapajapati and Izumi Shikibu

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Aloka Earth Room) Short Reflection & Guided Meditation | Earthworm Practice for the Anthropocene IV | Online Wednesday-Morning

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) What is the mind like right now? Contracted? Distracted? Collected? Liberated?

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Instructions on the First Foundation of Mindfulness; Settling the Body, Accessing the Breath as an anchor, Practicing with the awareness of what is arising, including moment to moment sensations.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) An intro to the awakening factors and the exchange of support between each factor.

(Insight Meditation Society - Forest Refuge) This talk explores the freedom that becomes possible when the mind discovers what it no longer needs to carry, protect, or try to control.

(Common Ground Meditation Center)

(Common Ground Meditation Center)

(Tisarana Buddhist Monastery) Ajahn Viradhammo reflects on the use of the "Who is thinking" Koan/question. Used during meditation. When one's whole psychological makeup is all about thinking/problem solving only, then doubt will come up. As thinking begets doubt. The depth of spiritual life is about "silence". And one cannot arrive there through thinking. Then one tries to get rid of thinking, and we fall into the trap, of aversion. One has to be able to see thought as an object, in awareness.

(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) This talk explores an important topic that James has not spoken on before. We often think of practice as simply noticing our experience in the present moment. However, the Buddha explicitly pairs heedfulness (appamada) and wise attention (yoniso manasikara) as the two primary internal factors responsible for giving birth to the Noble Eightfold Path. This talk discusses how these two qualities are applied in our practice on and off the cushion.

(Tisarana Buddhist Monastery) The theme of this Sunday talk, is witnessing experience as it is. The awakened mind, does not demand anything be different to what it is, in the moment free of judgement. The theme that this builds upon, is "Santitikko"- Something that can be verified for oneself. If we can see suffering for what it is, as its is now, in the moment, we get out of it a little easier. So the practice becomes one of Witnessing the way it is now, first. Action can follow later if necessary.

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) A dharma talk exploring anattā through the five aggregates and the Anattālakkhaṇa Sutta, alongside Anāthapiṇḍika's deathbed teaching from Sāriputta. Weaves impermanence and death contemplation together with not-self - drawing on Thanissaro Bhikkhu's pragmatic (not metaphysical) framing of not-self - and closes with mettā as the natural fruit of a loosened, undefended heart.

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center) Reflections and guided practice on embodiment

(Insight Meditation Community of Richmond) Explore mindfulness of breathing as a foundation for vipassana, as well as a practical tool we can bring into daily life.

(Auckland Insight Meditation)