Mary looks at three qualities in the Paramis, Generosity, Patience and Metta, that will enable us to love unconditionally, and with an undefended heart. These qualities are within reach of all of us and can be cultivated to move towards a freedom in how we move through the world. We learn to treat ourselves and others with deep kindness and open heartedness. Recorded for the Insight Community of the Desert on Oct. 8, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Includ...
Oct 09, 2023•34 min
Reflecting on the passage of time and also how life is contained in just this moment, Mary discusses how we can be present for both. Awareness allows us to see both the big picture of our lives and still be intimate with each moment and emotion as it arises. She also touches on the Nine Contemplations of Atisha which offer a wise way of reflecting on death and the human condition. Recorded Sept. 28, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and em...
Oct 03, 2023•20 min
A brief reflection on the way the practice informs how we move through the world. Even during times when we can formally sit, awareness allows to be fully present for the moments we experience. Let it all in. Recorded Sept. 25, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings....
Sep 26, 2023•11 min
The Vipallasa Sutta is the Buddha's Teachings on Wrong View, or the distortions of the mind. We are taught about Right View as part of the Eightfold Path, but how do we recognize when the mind is caught up in views or stories that may be far from reality and in fact, which may cause harm to ourselves and others. Recognizing both personal and larger scale wrong view is vital in move towards liberation for ourselves and for all beings. Recorded August 31, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text w...
Sep 04, 2023•27 min
Using this wisdom from Ruth King as a framework, Mary looks back at 15 years of teaching and her experience with impermanence, imperfection and things not being all about her. It's been a journey of integrating the teachings and finding a foundation in the dharma leading to freedom. Recorded August 26, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website fo...
Aug 28, 2023•24 min
Reflecting on a few hectic days of multiple emotions, Mary discusses how we can recognize and hold them with 'kindfulness'. How do you greet the moment since there really is nothing else. Recorded August 19, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings....
Aug 22, 2023•20 min
We all want to figure something out and be done; we want to live happily ever after. Unfortunately, the reality of existence is just the opposite: everything is impermanent and life is uncertain. This does not mean we are doomed to experience fear of loss and change, but instead the Buddha invites us to acknowledge the reality of this which in turn leads to freedom as we're no longer chasing the impossible. Recorded August 12, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or commen...
Aug 14, 2023•27 min
Inspired by a quote from Lama Rod Owens, Mary reflects on what legacy might mean in a Buddhist context. How do you live in this moment? How do you impact the world around you? Each action is our legacy and the invitation is to practice for the benefit of all. Recorded August 3, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes an...
Aug 07, 2023•20 min
It's seems that joy takes a backseat when things are difficult or messy. The critical voices take over and tell us that now is not the time. However, it absolutely is the time. In fact, joy is one of the Awakening Factors and vital for our liberation. In this talk Mary discusses how to have joy in difficult times and how not to confuse joy with outside pleasures. Deep gratitude to James Baraz and his Awakening Joy class. Recorded July 29, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questio...
Aug 01, 2023•30 min
Inspired by Sayadaw U Tejaniya's teachings on awareness and experience, Mary reflects on how to use these teachings in our practice and in everyday life to keep us from getting wrapped up in stories about tomorrow and yesterday. Instead, we are grounded right here which enables the growth of wisdom and clarity and the diminishing of craving and aversion. Recorded July 22, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a resp...
Jul 24, 2023•28 min
As much as we try to outrun old age, sickness, and death, each of us subject to these truths. We live in a culture of denial and telling us we're not doing it right if we "let" any of these things happen. Instead, as the Buddha teaches, we recognize the truth of our existence and make peace with the reality of the human condition. How do we deny and how do we become familiar with our reality in this moment? How do we greet it all with compassion? This is important work for our liberation. Record...
Jul 18, 2023•20 min
In this episode, Mary discusses a teaching from Sister Clear Grace Dayananda, the Traveling Nunk, who spoke about putting down the stick of self. This stick is when we see everything through a personal lens, through our own stories and craving or aversions. This stick is a stick of dukkha, or suffering, and when we learn to recognize it or put it down, we taste the freedom of just being. Recorded July 8, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name a...
Jul 11, 2023•24 min
The Buddha's teaching on lovingkindness, or metta, is not just about throwing magic pixie dust on others, but is about developing a way of being in the world which allows us to live without fear. We let go of self and other and move through the world with wisdom, clarity, ease and friendliness towards all. Mary explains how mindfulness practice is essential for this transformation and liberation. Recorded July 2, 2023 in the virtual world for the Insight Community of the Desert Send me a text wi...
Jul 04, 2023•29 min
The idea of Beginner's Mind, or Don't Know Mind is a useful practice in letting go of our preconceived ideas about the world and how things should be. When we get stuck in should, what if and if only, we get stuck in the dukkha of craving and aversion. The willingness to let go of those ideas and the humility to say, 'don't know' is the route to liberation. Recorded June 24, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a r...
Jun 27, 2023•22 min
Equanimity - it's a million dollar word, but what does it mean and how do we experience it? In this brief reflection, Mary talks about her favorite definition of equanimity - "a deep intimacy with our experience without preference" and what that means in our day to day lives. The Buddha's teachings offered equanimity a quality necessary for liberation and a way to peace in this moment. Recorded June 17, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name an...
Jun 19, 2023•17 min
In this talk, Mary reflects on the Buddha's instruction to his son Rahula about the importance of truthfulness. He says that once you're capable of lying, there is no evil you cannot commit. This is a strong statement but underlies the Buddha's teaching that being fully present with reality is the path to freedom. Lies and delusion are how we disconnect ourselves and others from the way things really are and should be avoided at all cost. Recorded June 11, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a tex...
Jun 12, 2023•23 min
Mindfulness meditation is so common these days that many of us take it for granted and miss the incredible importance of this practice on the path to liberation. Mary discusses each of the four foundations in the Buddha's wise teaching. It is a path that offers a way to be fully present in each moment and to live with clarity, wisdom and compassion. Spend some time with this simple, yet subtle practice. Recorded June 4, 2023 for Insight Community of the Desert Send me a text with any questions o...
Jun 05, 2023•35 min
On the third anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, Mary reflects on how powerful the dharma can be as we greet the world as it is, and work to end injustice and harm where we find it. The Buddha's enlightenment offers us a path to end suffering for all. As Reggie Hubbard says, "If your offerings don't speak to the cries of the people, what are you doing?" How does your practice help you show up and do the work that needs to be done? Recorded May 25, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text ...
May 29, 2023•21 min
Along with Greed and Hatred, Delusion is considered one of the Three Defilements or Three Poisons, in Buddhist teachings. These three underlie so much of the suffering in the world and need to be rooted out in order to be free. Delusion may be the most challenging to see because we're so unaware of it and it masquerades as many other things. In this talk, Mary shows us how delusion shows up in our lives and how to find clarity and wisdom. Recorded May 20, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text...
May 23, 2023•29 min
In this short talk, Mary reflects on words of wisdom from various teachers all inviting us to be, stay and return to the present because there is no other path to liberation. Simple phrases from Jack Kornfield, Rick Hanson, Sayadaw U Tejaniya and even a tea bag, remind us to be right where we are. Recorded May 11, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary'...
May 15, 2023•15 min
We sometimes hear the statement that someone is being a good Buddhist or a bad Buddhist based on some action. But does the concept of good or bad Buddhist even exist? In this talk, Mary examines the invitation to be a Buddha rather than a Buddhist. The Buddha offered a path to follow which takes us away from suffering and towards liberation and it's a personal journey based on our own experiences. It's easy to fall into rigid viewpoints even about the practice, but it's always about letting go a...
May 08, 2023•29 min
The practice of meditation invites us to be available to every experience that shows up, but we have been conditioned all our lives to react in certain ways which means we're not available. We may not even realize that we're turning away particular experiences. In this talk Mary discusses how we pick and choose what we will and won't be present with and how to break down these barriers. Even if it's scary, there is tremendous freedom in openness and availability. How do you hide? Recorded April ...
May 01, 2023•24 min
Being happy for other's happiness is one of the hardest practices but one that is essential for our liberation. Mudita, or appreciative joy, is one of the Brahma Viharas and teaches us a true generosity of the heart. Breaking free from the culture of competitiveness, judgement and othering, mudita allows us to experience the joy of others as our own. Recorded April 22, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a respons...
Apr 24, 2023•33 min
This talk is an invitation to turns towards reality and the truth of our existence in order to move toward liberation. Reality is always present but we are trapped in our perceptions and viewpoints which may not necessarily be the best for us and may even be harmful. As Ayya Anandabodhi says, "The more we're attuned to the truth of the way things are, the more clear things are, the more okay things are, even in the most difficult situations." This way lies freedom. Recorded April 15, 2023 in the...
Apr 18, 2023•24 min
Setting an intention is a wise and skillful way to move in a direction that takes us away from dukkha and towards liberation. The ten Paramis are qualities that Sylvia Boorstein calls the natural inclination of the heart. In this talk Mary discusses how the Paramis can serve as a beautiful container for our intention and a way to greet our day to day experiences with wisdom and compassion. Recorded April 2, 2023 in the virtual world for the Insight Community of the Desert Send me a text with any...
Apr 04, 2023•44 min
Thought, word and deed: the Buddha talked about the importance of these three in how we communicate with the world. Teacher Larry Ward calls them the three powers. In this talk Mary discusses the necessity of paying attention to our thoughts because the impact on our lives is so meaningful and touches just about everything. You really want to be aware of something so powerful. Recorded March 23, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email ...
Mar 28, 2023•29 min
Every once in a while the reality of the human condition - of sickness, old age, and death - comes at us with full force. The question is always about how we greet the moment. In this talk Mary discusses the importance of wisdom and clarity and also about the compassion necessary to open our hearts to each moment. Recorded March 18, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. ...
Mar 21, 2023•22 min
Inspired by Women's Month, Mary talks about women in Buddhism going back to Mahapajapati, the first nun, and what women experience today. Buddhism is not immune from patriarchy and misogyny and a willingness to see where delusion lies is vital for the liberation of all beings. Recorded March 11, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more ...
Mar 14, 2023•30 min
In this talk Mary discusses two ways the mind drags us away from being present for our experience, especially if it's something unpleasant or uncomfortable. Distractions and habit energies often work together to keep us on a path of craving and aversion and far away from freedom. Identifying our habits of mind and developing a willingness to let go is of paramount importance for our journey towards freedom. Recorded March 5, 2023 in the virtual world for Insight Community of the Desert Send me a...
Mar 07, 2023•31 min
A brief reflection on how easily we're distracted from what our actual experience is by focusing on something out there. A blizzard during a retreat is a good way to recognize how this can show up. Recorded Feb 28, 2023 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings....
Feb 28, 2023•6 min
