Donald Rothberg's Most Recent Dharma Talks (Dharma Seed) podcast

1:04:23

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) The talk begins to give the "big picture" about the nature of our practice, and how we come, in a way suitable to our times and places, to manifest wisdom, love and compassion, and skillful responses in our lives, increasingly more of the time. We reflect first on some of the challenges of our times, and how Buddhism, as it has moved to different cultures, has always taken new forms. A main part of the big picture, which is our main focus today, is a model of how meditation develops. We articulate a model involving three main forms of practice (that we can find in multiple Buddhist traditions): Developing samadhi (concentration), opening to liberating insight, and opening to awakened awareness. We explore each of the three and their relationship to each other. The talk is followed by discussion.…

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Donald Rothberg: Guided Meditation to Develop Samadhi (Concentration) and Insight 38:48

4 дні тому38:48

38:48

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin with guidance to develop samadhi (concentration). About mid-way through, we move to mindfulness practice, cultivating insight, and then to two important areas of liberating insight--insight into impermanence and insight into reactivity (the most fundamental meaning of dukkha).…

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Donald Rothberg: Understanding and Responding to the World on the Basis of Core Teachings and Practices 2 1:07:28

7 weeks тому1:07:28

1:07:28

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We first review of some of the themes explored last week. We look at the appropriateness of understanding and responding to social and political concerns, in the context of non-profit organizations and then in the context of the Buddha's teachings (which involved commentary on the caste system, on the origins of wars and poverty) and later Buddhist traditions (for example, King Ashoka, a practitioner in what is now India in 250 B.C.E. eliminated the death penalty, renounced war, and set up medical facilities for non-human animals). We then identify four foundations for bringing our attention to social and political concerns, including staying connected to the vision and practice of awakening and grounding ethically. This is followed by identifying, through the lens of teachings, six contemporary systems and ideologies (strengthened in the current U.S.) that manifest greed, aversion, and delusion and violate core ethical teachings. Then we look briefly at ways of practicing and responding individually, in connection with community. The talk is followed by discussion.…

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Donald Rothberg: Guided Meditation: Exploring Emotions and Thoughts Connected to Contemporary Social and Political Events 2 40:16

7 weeks тому40:16

40:16

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin with some guidance on developing samadhi (concentration) and stability, followed by practicing developing samadhi. After about 10 minutes developing samadhi, we move to mindfulness practice. After about another 10 minutes of practice, we then inquire into some of the emotions and thoughts that have been present recently, whether difficult or joyful, related to the current state of the society and world. We first relive a recent experience and then bring mindfulness to the somatic, emotional, and mental dimensions of experience. While staying silent, we also have a sense of being in community and sharing our experience. We then work with Kristen Neff's three-step self-compassion practice (shifting to a three-step joy or mudita practice if the experiences have been more positive).…

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Donald Rothberg: Understanding and Responding to the World on the Basis of Core Teachings and Practices 1 1:03:13

8 weeks тому1:03:13

1:03:13

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We first explore in general the relationship of core teachings and practices to the social and political dimensions of our lives. We see that Buddhist practice in the West has commonly emphasized meditation and inner practices, often neglecting or marginalizing the ethical training that traditionally is one of the three dimensions of training, even though the Buddha did often give social commentary (e.g., on the caste system) and at times social interpretations of the ethical precepts ("Let one not destroy life nor cause others to destroy life and, also, not approve of others’ killing. . . . Let one not cause to steal, nor approve of others’ stealing.'). We explore a vision of individual and collective awakening, inspired in part by more contemporary traditions of socially engaged Buddhism initially developed by pioneers like Thich Nhat Hanh, Sulak Sivaraksa, A.T. Ariyaratne, Dr. Ambedkar, Joanna Macy, and Robert Aitken. Then we give some attention to how to connect inner and outer practices, particularly focusing, as we did in the guided meditation, on practicing with challenging emotions and thoughts, and clarifying ways to act in the world. The talk is followed by discussion and ends with the setting of intentions.…

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Donald Rothberg: Guided Meditation: Exploring Emotions and Thoughts Connected to Contemporary Social and Political Events 42:51

8 weeks тому42:51

42:51

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) After about 25 minutes of lightly guided practice, to settle with concentration and/or mindfulness practice, we explore in several ways some of the emotions and thoughts that have been present related to the current state of the society and world. We first relive a recent experience and then bring mindfulness to the somatic, emotional, and mental dimensions of experience. We then work with Kristen Neff's three-step self-compassion practice, leading to developing intentions for how to practice with such experiences in the future.…

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Donald Rothberg: Talk: The Practice of Developing Samadhi (Concentration) 1:01:45

11 weeks тому1:01:45

1:01:45

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This talks focuses on one of the three areas of practice discussed a week before, on developing samadhi (or concentration), the theme of Donald's four weeks of practice in March. We begin by more generally discussing the nature of samadhi, including short account of the etymology in Pali, and the Tibetan sense of samadhi as "staying," as developing in the nine stages of the "Elephant Path." We look at the place and importance of developing samadhi in our practice and its relationship to insight practice; developing samadhi is one of the eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path and appears in many of the Buddha's core teachings. We discuss some ways to practice developing samadhi, and then focus especially on several challenges of such practice and how to work with such challenges. The talk is followed by discussion, including further exploration of the relationship of cultivating samadhi and insight practice, the nature of skillful effort, and the joy that can arise in the development of samadhi.…

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Donald Rothberg: Guided Meditation: Developing Samadhi (Concentration) 2 40:26

11 weeks тому40:26

40:26

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This guided meditation gives more detail on developing samadhi than the guided meditation from a week ago. First, after a brief overview of the nature of samadhi (usually translated as "concentration"), instructions are given for a practice session developing samadhi, including on posture, gaze, possible objects of focus, and skillful effort. Midway through the session, some further guidance is given on "intensifying," which helps both to deepen samadhi and to cut through background thinking as well as foreground thinking.…

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Donald Rothberg: Reflections on Three Themes from a Four-Week Retreat: Listening Deeply, Developing Samadhi (Concentration) through Practicing the Jhanas, and Integrating Retreat Practice with Daily… 1:05:04

12 weeks тому1:05:04

1:05:04

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In the talk, Donald reflects on having just completed, four days before the talk, four weeks of practice at Spirit Rock. He particularly focuses on three themes from the retreat, exploring each theme in terms of both its retreat context and its daily life context. The first is the theme of listening deeply to one's own "intuition" and what "calls." The second is the theme of developing samadhi (usually translated as "concentration"--the unified mind and heart and body) and in particular practicing the eight jhanas as taught by the Buddha. The third is the theme of bringing the retreat learning and explorations into daily life, and how in particular to cultivate the first two themes in the daily life context. The talk is followed by discussion.…

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Donald Rothberg: Guided Meditation: Developing Samadhi (Concentration) 41:31

12 weeks тому41:31

41:31

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We begin with a brief account of the nature of samadhi (usually translated as "concentration"), and then give instructions for developing samadhi in formal meditation. (We'll come back to discuss samadhi in more depth in the talk.) There are several reminders during the meditation to return to the focus on cultivating samadhi. In the last part of the meditation, we connect the greater stability that's developed in the practice of cultivating samadhi with cultivating mindfulness.…

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Donald Rothberg: Cultivating Wise Speech: Its Importance in the Path of Everyday Awakening 1:03:33

18 weeks тому1:03:33

1:03:33

(Insight San Diego) Wise speech is an integral part of the traditional Buddhist path of awakening and a powerful way to energize our daily life practice, but is often underdeveloped in Western Buddhist practice. We’ll look in a very practical way at three aspects of wise speech: (1) developing presence in the midst of communication; (2) working with the four guidelines for skillful speech developed by the Buddha; and (3) becoming more mindful of and skillful with thoughts and emotions occurring during communication. For each of the foundations, a number of ways of practicing are offered. The talk is followed by discussion.…

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Donald Rothberg: Awakening in a World in Turmoil 2: Seeing the World with Dharma Eyes 1:05:07

19 weeks тому1:05:07

1:05:07

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) How do we see the world, especially and social world, from the perspective of awakening--with, we might say, "dharma eyes"? We explore this question in a time of great turmoil and concern in the world, particularly in the U.S. We start with several passages coming from an awakened mind and heart, including a passage from the Metta Sutta--how would one then look at the larger world? We explore how the Buddha himself looked at the world and social structures, particularly in terms of caste and gender. From our practice seeing greed, hatred, and delusion in ourselves, we learn how to see these qualities in others, and in the world. From our ethical training, we learn how to see when we are not following the ethical guidelines and when others are not, including on a larger social level. We also see how we can understand some of the larger social issues, particularly related to the climate crisis, racism, and gender, in terms of greed (especially), hatred, and delusion. We close, in this context, first with a pointing to ways of responding, using Joanna Macy's model of three ways that the "Great Turning" occurs, and then with a poem.…

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Donald Rothberg: Awakening in a Time of Turmoil 1:07:08

20 weeks тому1:07:08

1:07:08

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We continue to explore the nature of awakening. In the first 2/3 of the talk, we examine the traditional notion of awakening, as going beyond the habitual constructions of experience in all the parts of our lives. These constructions are rooted in reactivity (grasping and pushing away aspects of our experience), and a sense of self along with a world of objects known conceptually (through "signs"). We look also at the more positive sense of awakening to the "signless, boundless, and all luminous," to what the Thai Forest teacher Ajahn Mun calls the "primal mind." Then we ask about whether there are other dimensions to awakening needed for contemporary awakening, and examine in particular what awakening means in a time of turmoil. We take Thich Nhat Hanh as an exemplar--a practitioner dedicated to awakening practicing and teaching amidst the turmoil of war and exile. We outline a number of suggestions and guidelines for those practicing and awakening amidst the current turmoil.…

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Donald Rothberg: Guided Meditation: Exploring Some Further Ways We Construct Experience 35:51

20 weeks тому35:51

35:51

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We start with basic instructions in developing (1) concentration and stability, and (2) mindfulness, and then practice developing these two qualities. With mindfulness practice, we notice the main patterns of thoughts, emotions, and bodily experience. In the second half of the session, we work with being aware of the feeling-tone (linked with the Second Foundation of Mindfulness), noticing moderate (or somewhat greater) pleasant or unpleasant feeling-tones, and what occurs after we notice them. We also attend for a short period of two minutes to the moment-to-moment feeling tones of pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral, and then go back to basic mindfulness practice for the last part of the session.…

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Donald Rothberg: Metta Practice and the Larger World (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 42:17

22 weeks тому42:17

42:17

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In this session, Donald gives about a 25-minute talk, followed by 15 minutes of discussion. How do we move from a week of metta practice into a time of turmoil and uncertainty in the U.S. and in the world? A number of guidelines and suggestions are given, including keeping the vision of practicing in all parts of one’s life, and keeping close the visions of awakening and of what Dr. King called the “beloved community.” In this time, staying connected with community is also crucial, as are, among many skillful intentions, practicing skillfully with difficult emotions, grounding in the body, cultivating cycles of engagement and withdrawal, and being careful about the amount of information one takes in. The talk ends by pointing to Joanna Macy’s model of three areas of transformation, and the invitation to respond to the call that each of us may hear. Discussion follows.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: Dukkha and the End of Dukkha: 10 Ways of Transforming Reactivity 1:01:30

36 weeks тому1:01:30

1:01:30

(Insight Meditation Tucson) In the first part of the talk, we explore the Buddha's core teaching, "I teach dukkha and the end of dukkha." This teaching can be confusing as the Buddha gave at least four different meanings of "dukkha." We examine each of the four and find that only the last sense of dukkha as reactivity, developed in the teachings of the Two Arrows and Dependent Origination, makes sense of "the end of dukkha." We then look at ten ways of practicing with and transforming reactivity (see the attached file), discussing briefly each of the ten. The talk is followed by sharing, questions, and discussion.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: Guided Meditation Exploring Reactivity 33:46

36 weeks тому33:46

33:46

(Insight Meditation Tucson) After guidance on the basics of our practice--developing stability and concentration, and cultivating mindfulness--and a period of silent practice, there is additional guidance, related to the later dharma talk, on noticing any experiences of reactivity and on exploring moderate or greater experiences of pleasant or unpleasant.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: Dukkha and the End of Dukkha: Transforming Suffering and Reactivity 58:58

41 weeks тому58:58

58:58

(Insight Meditation Tucson) The Buddha suggested the core of his teaching in one short sentence: "I teach dukkha [suffering or reactivity or a sense of unsatisfactoriness] and the cessation of dukkha.” We explore this teaching in several ways. We see how the Buddha had multiple ways of talking about dukkha, with only, I suggest, the understanding of dukkha as reactivity, making sense of what the end of dukkha means. Dukkha as reactivity is explicated especially in two teachings, the Two Arrows and Dependent Origination. We look at the meaning of reactivity and how it manifests in our experience. We also see how reactivity can often be enmeshed with insight, such it makes sense to speak of transforming reactivity rather than simply suppressing it. We then explore five ways of practicing with reactivity. The talk is followed by discussion.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: Guided Meditation: Exploring Reactivity and the Feeling-Tones of Pleasant or Unpleasant 34:51

41 weeks тому34:51

34:51

(Insight Meditation Tucson) After settling our attention through concentration and/or mindfulness, there are further instructions in noticing any reactivity (involving grasping or pushing away in a more automatic way at the levels of mind, body, or emotions), then in attending to the feeling-tone (especially a moderate or a little greater sense of pleasant or unpleasant), and lastly in recalling an experience of reactivity in the last few days and exploring it with mindfulness.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: Practicing with Mystery 2 1:04:53

42 weeks тому1:04:53

1:04:53

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) In this second talk on practicing with mystery, we begin by talking more generally about the nature of mystery. We then review seven ways of practicing with mystery explored last week, while bringing in further examples of these ways of practicing, and add an additional two further ways of practicing. Reading of poems and excerpts from poems support this sense of multiple ways of practicing with mystery. The talk is followed by discussion.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: Guided Meditation on Practicing with Mystery 34:13

42 weeks тому34:13

34:13

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) This is a fairly lightly guided meditation on ways to practice with a sense of mystery, linked with the talk on this theme. After grounding in posture and intentions, basic instructions in developing stability and concentration, and then in mindfulness, are given, with later periodic suggestions on ways to practice with a sense of mystery.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: Practicing with Mystery 1 59:56

43 weeks тому59:56

59:56

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Inviting a sense of mystery as we practice can bring further aliveness, presence, and openness, and help us go beyond our habitual patterns of thinking and practicing. In the talk, we explore seven ways of practicing with mystery, with the aid of a number of poems. The talk is followed by discussion.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg, Ronya Banks: A Community Program on Palestine/Israel: Session 3: A Buddhist Toolkit for Skillful Response 1:33:32

43 weeks тому1:33:32

1:33:32

(Southern Dharma Retreat Center) In the final session of this series, teachers Ronya Banks and Donald Rothberg offer a number of resources that can help one navigate these times and the conflict between Israel and Palestinians. After a brief period of meditation, we offer four teachings and practices, each first explored through teachings and then briefly guided experientially: (1) the teaching of the Two Arrows and Dependent Origination pointing to the nature of reactivity--habitual and often unconscious grasping after the pleasant and pushing away the unpleasant or painful; (2) the teachings about attachment to views; (3) the cultivation of wise speech and empathy, increasingly pointing toward universal empathy and what Dr. King called the "beloved community"; and (4) practicing with difficult emotions, body states (including traumatic reactions), and thoughts. These teachings and practices are followed by a period of discussion, closing intentions, and the dedication of merit.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: The Shared Heart of Spiritual Teachings and Practices 1:00:03

45 weeks тому1:00:03

1:00:03

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) The Dalai Lama has said, “My religion is kindness," suggesting that the core of spirituality is both beyond any particular religion and does not require religion. We explore, in a similar way, how the basics of Buddhist teachings and practices-- related to ethics, kindness and compassion, wisdom, and touching nibbana--can be understood and expressed in ordinary, everyday language and at its heart is both shared by other spiritual traditions and potentially beyond any particular tradition. The talk is followed by discussion.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: Guided Meditation Exploring Several Foundational Practices 35:31

45 weeks тому35:31

35:31

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Related to the talk given after the guided meditation on the foundational practices and how we can talk very simply about them, we begin remembering our grounding in ethics, and then develop concentration, then mindfulness and wisdom, and later the kind and compassionate heart.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg, Ronya Banks: A Community Program on Palestine/Israel: Session 2: A Dialogue between Teachers and Friends (with Ronya Banks and Donald Rothberg) 1:31:09

45 weeks тому1:31:09

1:31:09

(Southern Dharma Retreat Center) In session 2 of this series, Donald Rothberg and Ronya Banks will engage in dialogue around their Jewish and Palestinian identities, their family histories, and their own experiences of being Buddhist teachers navigating the complexities of the conflict in Palestine/Israel. During the course of the conversation, they will offer reflections on what has been most helpful to each of them in dealing with painful truths, strong emotions, and difficult conversations. In the last part of the session, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and offer reflections.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: Living from Our Depths 2 1:02:08

47 weeks тому1:02:08

1:02:08

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We continue with our exploration of how we contact what is "deep" in our lives and in life, and how we stay connected with our depths in our practice. We initially give a review of some of what we explored last week, recalling some of the many metaphors used for deepening in our lives in spiritual traditions, including awakening, being on a journey, liberation, seeing clearly whereas previously we didn't see clearly, coming to wholeness, among others. We recall the Buddhist emphasis on wisdom (especially the three ways of seeing that liberate--seeing into impermanence, dukkha or reactivity, and not-self; as well as touching nibbana); compassion; and skillful action. We hear also from several people sharing their experiences of their depths. We then explore a number of ways to stay connected in daily life with our depths, including several not mentioned last week. The talk is followed by discussion, including sharing of some ways that people in the group find helpful in terms of staying connected with their depths, including using phrases like "Begin again" and "Keep coming back."…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: A Guided Meditation Supporting "Living from Our Depths" (related to the Talk Today): Developing Concentration, Exploring Mindfulness (including of Impermanence and Reactivity), and… 35:55

47 weeks тому35:55

35:55

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: Living from Our Depths 1 1:02:53

48 weeks тому1:02:53

1:02:53

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) How do we live from the depths of our being? We explore this question in a number of different ways. We begin by looking at some of the metaphors for "spiritual practice" (itself involving metaphors), including the sense of touching and living from our depths, becoming a "big person" (a Mahaatta in the Buddha's phrasing), awakening, being on a journey, and seeing through our conditioning, delusions, and the 70,000 veils (as is said in Islamic tradition). In Buddhist tradition, we especially connect, as in the image of the bird with two wings, with wisdom and compassion, and with ways to bring these qualities into our actions and interactions. After inviting several people to share experiences of their depths, we then explore a number of different ways to stay connected in daily life with our depths. The talk is followed by discussion.…

Donald Rothberg's most recent Dharma talks (Dharma Seed)

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Donald Rothberg: Connecting Wisdom and the Awakened Heart 1:02:29

50 weeks тому1:02:29