Episodes

5d ago

Using an article by Sayadaw U Tejaniya as a jumping off point, Mary discusses what being mindful all the time might look like in our lives, and how do we practice being present for whatever shows up. Being present is the key to liberation and is necessary even in the most mundane of situations. It takes effort, but the freedom is worth it. Recorded Dec. 11, 2025 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.

Dec 9

The saying that life teaches you how to live it is so aligned with Buddhism's invitation to be present in each moment for whatever is at hand. Mary reflects on this topic and the wisdom of being present for our lives. Recorded Dec. 6, 2025 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.

Dec 2

Reflecting on the invitation to "live as though the truth were true," Mary examines this through the Buddhist lens of being fully present with reality. So often we're in opposition to the 'truth' or reality because it differs from our wants or desires. The Buddha's teachings offer a way to align ourselves with reality and indeed, live as though the truth were true. A path of liberation. Recorded Nov. 29, 2025 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.

Nov 25

November is often thought of as a month to give thanks, but the cultivation of gratitude is a practice that benefits us throughout the year. Gratitude is a heart practice that expands our awareness and connection to ourselves and others. Through it we learn to release negative conditioning and cultivate a wise heart. Making gratitude integral to our lives lets us be present for all things, and see the beneficial where we have missed it before. Recorded Nov. 22, 2025 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.

Nov 18

In this talk Mary emphasized the importance of being connected to our body and the wisdom it contains. When we live in our heads, we can get stuck in views and perceptions and we miss out on the experience of the moment. The Buddha said that the world is in this fathom-long body, not just in our heads. Being connected allows us to live with a wise heart. Recorded Nov. 15, 2025 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.

Nov 11

We are all experiencing an onslaught of information and it can be challenging to keep up. The fact is, we cannot keep up and the invitation to pause in practice is important. Mary discusses what gets in our way and how to find a path to equanimity among all the chatter. Recorded Nov. 8, 2025 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.

Nov 4

Our reactivity to situations often takes over and determines how we feel and act. However, if we can pause before reacting, we may have a very different experience. In this talk Mary discusses how we need to recognize how nothing in our reaction will change the situation, but how our reactions will impact our level of dukkha . Recorded Nov. 1, 2025 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.

Oct 21

Reflecting on the Parami of Truthfulness, Mary investigates what gets in the way and keeps us removed from reality and not seeing the world clearly. We are invited to reflect on being honest with the world and, what is sometimes even more difficult, being honest with ourselves. There is freedom in truth. Recorded Oct. 19, 2025 at Insight Community of the Desert 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.

Oct 13

In this talk Mary reflects on the idea of emptiness which can be thought of as an absence of attachment to self or I, Me and Mine. This freedom can seem elusive, but we can recognize it in our daily lives as we work on letting go. Recorded Oct. 9, 2025 in the virtual world After Buddhism by Stephen Batchelor Pay Attention, for Goodness' Sake by Sylvia Boorstein 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.

Oct 7

Reflecting on a piece of writing from Kittasaro, Mary talk about the 'gap between thoughts' which is so important but also something that we miss most of the time. It's when we make the effort to release the habitual thinking mind that we make space for deep knowing and wisdom to arise. This is the path to liberation and awakening. Recorded Oct. 4, 2025 in the virtual world America's Racial Karma by Larry Ward 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 30

The development of Wisdom is a key component in Buddhist teachings and practice. It is not just knowledge of facts, but is a deep and embodied understanding of the nature of experience. Wisdom, Wise View and clear seeing are necessary for our awakening and liberation. Mary discusses wisdom and how we cultivate it in our daily lives. Recorded September 25, 2025 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 23

Inspired by aquotes, Mary reflects on how we contain multiplicities and can hold them all at once. We can experience suffering, and also awe. We can experience grief, and also gratitude. It's when we get stuck on one experience and block out others, that we are not fully present. Buddha's teachings invite us to be present for the fullness of our humanity. With the chaos around us today, this is a good reminder to stay grounded and present to each moment. When we make space for suffering, we're also making space for awe. Recorded Sept. 20, 2025 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 16

A few reflections on impermanence and fixed views. There is no formal dharma talk this week. Recorded Sept. 15, 2025 in the virtual world (and near Zurich, Switzerland) 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 9

Wise Intention is the second factor of the Eightfold Path and can help to guide our journey from dukkha to liberation. However good our intentions can be however, sometimes we get caught up in expectations about how those intentions are supposed to play out which simply increases our dukkha . In this talk Mary discusses wise intention and letting go of our agenda of shoulds and have to's. Recorded Sept. 4, 2025 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 2

In reflecting on 17 years of teaching the Saturday Afternoon Sit, Mary also talks about the invitation to check in with our spiritual practice every decade or so. We often want to see immediate results to whatever we're doing, but deepening our spiritual practice and cultivating wisdom and compassion takes time. We may see some immediate results, but often liberation and freedom are a long game. Recorded August 30, 2025 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 26

In this talk Mary takes a deep dive into what it means to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. These reflections all point to a path to liberation - trusting in our awakening, how to get there, and how we support each other on the journey. This is an invitation to practice in the Triple Gem. Recorded August 24, 2025 at Insight Community of the Desert in Palm Springs 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 18

The Buddha's famous teaching, often called The Fire Sermon, is about how easy it is to be caught up in the flames of greed, aversion and ignorance when we don't pay attention. Our senses are easily pulled into stories and reactions that keep us trapped in samsara. Nirvana/Nibbana means cessation as in putting out a flame and as we practice resisting the flames of greed, aversion and ignorance, the result is nibbana. Mary discusses how we are trapped and how we can get free. Recorded August 16, 2025 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 12

It's said that if there is impatience, it's because there is resistance to what is and that is the definition of the second noble truth - our inability to be with things as they are. In this reflection, Mary discusses how powerful it can be to cultivate patience, how it is a key part of equanimity and how we can see it's importance in our everyday lives. Recorded August 9, 2025 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 5

Often when we think of our legacy, we think about what people will remember about us when we die. Instead, we can think of our legacy as what we leave in our wake as we move through the world. How do we show up? Are we kind? Are we wise? Are we generous? This is our legacy. Shout out to Lama Rod Owens for planting the seeds of this talk. Recorded August 2, 2025 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.

Jul 29

With so much going on these days it can be challenging to stay balanced and present for whatever shows up in our world - pleasant or unpleasant. In this talk Mary discusses the idea of joy and sorrow and the eight worldly winds as a teaching to ground us right here and be open to whatever shows up. Denying the present moment is a hallmark of dukkha and our path is to move away from that dukkha . Recorded July 26, 2025 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.

Jul 22

In our world today we can chase after certificates and degrees to prove who we are and what we know. In this talk Mary reflects on the words of Ajahn Chah who says that these are only "appendages". "We think they are real and we carry them around with us" to prove who we are. Instead, we are invited to turn inwards and allow our inner wisdom to arise. This takes effort, a dedication to the practice, and seeking the advice of those who have walked the path, but, as the Buddha said, we can find our own way with these teachings. Recorded July 19, 2025 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.

Jul 15

This week Mary offers a few reflections on suffering and patience and invites your comments and thoughts. Recorded July 15, 2025 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.

Jul 8

Reflecting on Ruth King's framing of the Three Characteristics, Mary discusses this wonderful perspective on meeting the world. We can make everything so personal and chase perfection or permanence, but to do so only leads to dissatisfaction. Learning to let go of our shoulds and have to's leads to freedom in each moment. Recorded July 5, 2025 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.

Jul 1

To live with an undefended heart is a cornerstone of Mary's practice and teaching. However with all the challenges in today's world, does it still make sense. In this talk Mary discusses what it means to live this way and how it is more important than ever right now. Keeping our hearts open is the path to freedom and allows us to be fully present for each moment - whatever it brings. Recorded June 28, 2025 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.

Jun 24

We talk often about the practice being a path to liberation, but what do we actually mean when we say that? In this dharma reflection, Mary investigates what liberation, freedom, awakening all mean in the various schools and lineages of Buddhism. Although the ideas may vary across the teachings, they are all grounded in compassion, wisdom and clear seeing. Recorded June 21, 2025 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.

Jun 17

The Buddha created the sangha, or community, of monastics, but his teaching spread to every level of society and we can each be part of a sangha. In this talk Mary discusses the ethical foundations of such a community and how we can create a wise and supportive community where we are. Recalling the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's idea that we "are tied together in a single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable net of mutuality" and Thich Nhat Hanh's idea of Interbeing, Mary invites us to reflect on community or sangha in our own lives. Recorded June 14, 2025 in the virtual world Bhikkhu Bodhi: The Buddha's Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony Larry Yang: Awakening Together 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.

Jun 10

Mary reflects on how often we look for reality or truth somewhere else, when there really is nowhere else. We're invited to recognize how our mind struggles to create different stories to suit what we want but freedom lies in being able to stay right where we are. Recorded June 7, 2025 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.

Jun 3

When we don't pay attention to our thoughts, we’re often acting from habits that have been strengthened over the years, and which can be difficult to break. The Buddha’s teaching on liberation and awakening, the Eightfold Path, also offers us a path to freedom from these habits. When we intentionally use this path as a roadmap for how we move through the world, we are building a foundation that is strong and serves us in all aspects of our lives. It’s a foundation that offers freedom greed, aversion and ignorance. Recorded May 31, 2025 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.

May 27

This is a short reflection on the arising of insight from knowing and sensing and the calmness that allows us to meet each moment as it is. The world is on fire and developing the capacity to be present for ourselves and others is vital. Insight meditation practice offers us a way to meet the moment. Recorded May 24, 2025 in the virtual world Bhikkhu Bodhi's Commentary in Lion's Roar 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.

May 20

With every ending there is a time to reflect before the beginning, but we often neglect this time in our haste to be on to the next new thing. The Buddha's teaching of impermanence or anicca , reminds us that all things come to an end whether we're ready or not. Citing William Bridges' work in The Way of Transition , Mary reminds to be present with the time between endings and beginnings, and to tend to the experience in the time of not-knowing. Recorded May 17, 2025 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.

May 13

Mary discusses the idea of Skillful Means which Joseph Goldstein says is " for liberating the clinging mind from suffering." Using the wisdom, discernment and compassion that has arisen from our practice, we can navigate life skillfully while being fully grounded in the Buddha's teachings. Being fully present in the moment allows us to respond to everything wisely and skillfully. We let go of what doesn't serve us anymore as we develop new and wholesome, or skillful, ways of being in the world. Recorded May 10, 2025 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.

May 6

During these days when greed, hatred and delusion are running rampant, the Buddha's teachings on nonviolence and compassion are extremely relevant. Mary offers some examples from the suttas and points out the similarities to other world traditions who are deeply grounded in love. Recorded May 1, 2025 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.

Apr 29

Additional reflections on insight practice and how our insights are experienced at the somatic and instinctive level rather than our trying to figure things out. Inspired by the teachings on a recent retreat, Mary offers thoughts on seeing clearly, intuitive awareness and paying attention wherever we are. Recorded April 26, 2024 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.

Apr 22

Mary attended a retreat this week and offers some reflections on kindness to ourselves, awareness, insight and interconnections. The name of the retreat was Retreat as Ceremony: Mindfulness and Indigenous Presence for Wellness and Healing . Check it out! Recorded April 21, 2025 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.

Apr 15

The Five Remembrances ( AN 5.57 ) allow us to become comfortable with our mortality and the human condition and serve as an antidote to clinging. The fifth remembrance is to reflect on the fact that all we have are our actions since we will be separated from everything because of impermanence. Mary discusses the importance of understanding this idea so we can move through the world acting wisely and skillfully, for our own liberation and for the liberation of all beings. Recorded April 12, 2025 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.

Apr 8

Reflecting on the Rajan Sutta , Mary talks about the twofold teaching it offers. Just as we hold ourselves dear, we realized that others feel the same and knowing this, we vow to cause no harm. However, this can be a challenging practice and Mary offers thoughts on what might get in the way and how we can begin to hold both ourselves and others with kindness and compassion. Recorded April 5, 2025 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.

Apr 1

We're often given the instruction to relax during meditation. It is not just so that we feel relaxed or calm, but it allows us to let go of what we're holding and to make space for what's right here. We're creating the environment to be present for reality and move towards equanimity in each moment. Recorded 3/29/2025 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.

Mar 24

In this brief reflection, Mary discusses the Buddha's teaching on the Eight Worldly Winds and how appropriate it is for today's world. Equanimity invites us to an appropriate response to whatever experience we have and when we understand the teaching of the winds and how we're driven by them if we don't pay attention, there is a chance for liberation. The roller coaster calms when we see things as they are and don't take it all so personally. Recorded March 22, 2025 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.

Mar 18

Although the Buddha did not teach using the word hope, his teachings are, as Oren Jay Sofer says, fundamentally hopeful: It affirms that there is a reliable way to release ourselves from suffering, to protect other beings, mitigate harm, and build a better world. In this talk Mary reflects on the importance of hope in this world today and how it is an action not tied to expectations or outcomes. As Austin Channing Brown says, "hope is a duty". 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.

Mar 11

The monkey mind is a phrase often used to describe a mind that is all over the place and seldom in the present. All of us experience monkey mind, overwhelm or the Pali word Papañca . In this reflection Mary invites us to recognize when we get lost in this proliferation of thought and how to stay present. In these difficult days, we can be overwhelmed quite easily and recognition and returning to this moment enable us to stay where we are and experience equanimity. What is Papañca? by Andrew Olendzki Buddha's Brain by Rick Hanson 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.

Mar 4

A lovely definition of equanimity is to be intimate with our deepest experience, without preference. In this talk, Mary discusses what that means and doesn't mean and how no preference in this moment is a practice of liberation. Recorded at the Insight Community of the Desert in Palm Springs on March 2, 2025 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 25

Oftentimes we think that studying or following Buddhist teachings requires us to fit a certain mold or behave in a particular way. But this is not about a rigid practice and one size fits all. In this talk Mary reflects on how we're invited to live with righteous intention, grounded in love and wisdom. As Larry Ward says, we have "an evenness of heart and mind". Let the path be messy, love yourself and others, as you move toward liberation and the liberation of all beings. Recorded Feb. 20, 2025 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 18

The Metta Sutta was the Buddha's offering to fearful monks and the practice of loving kindness and good will is still a path of liberation. As Ruth King says, metta is the antidote for aversion and those ways we hold ourselves captive. We live in fearful times and in this talk Mary discusses the practice of metta and how we can utilize it to free ourselves in these challenging days. Recorded Feb. 15, 2025 in the virtual world All About Love by bell hooks See No Stranger by Valarie Kaur Lovingkindness by Sharon Salzberg 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 11

Inspired by a talk from Ayya Santacitta ( We Are Not Without Medicine ) Mary discusses how the world is in a time of darkness, and how our Buddhist practice helps us to move through it. We open to this moment and allow our wisdom and compassion move us towards the appropriate response. It is scary right now but we have our practice, and can move through this as we open to the moment. Recorded Feb. 8, 2025 in the virtual world Article: Association with the Wise by Bhikkhu Bodhi 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 4

Scrolling through the talk titles on Dharmaseed can offer insight in how to maneuver through the difficult challenges we're all facing in 2025. Connection, community, compassion, clarity and intention, all important principles of practice support our capacity to hold the moment. In this talk, Mary reflects on how we build a solid foundation. Recorded Feb. 1, 2025 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.

Jan 28

Reflecting on a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh which says "There is not one action or one ritual that will bring you liberation" It require continual effort and commitment to practice. Mary discusses how this flies in the face of our culture's belief that it is up to us to find the fix that will bring us success or happiness or instant gratification. As we deal with the problems of the world and of our lives, we need to remember to be present, to open to the moment and to allow things to be as they are. Recorded January 25, 2025 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.

Jan 21

The Bodhisattva realm is an existence that is open to all of us and is as important today as it's ever been. It's one of the four realms in Mahayana tradition and Mary discusses how meaningful it can be for us to live in a way that is wise and of benefit to all. As Diana Winston says, it is a "...wonderful and useful archetype for our work as socially engaged Buddhists." We "choose to act with as much wisdom and compassion as we possible can." Today's world demands that we show up as a Bodhisattva where we can, when we can, and in a way that makes sense for us. Recorded Jan. 18, 2025 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.

Jan 14

Sitting with the freshness of the destructive Los Angeles fires, Mary talks about how grief, anger and so many other emotions come and go and when they're challenging we push them away or ignore them, but that is perhaps the worst thing we can do. Our practice invites us to open to everything. To be with the grief and sadness can be frightening but we turn with gentleness and compassion towards these emotions and make space for what is already here. Find your way to holding the difficulties and let everything belong. Recorded Jan. 11, 2025 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.

Jan 7

We often make intentions at the beginning of a new year, but it's also important that our intentions have a solid foundation. In this talk Mary discusses what intentions are and how we support them with the precepts, the paramis or other core values that allow us to see clearly and move with wisdom and compassion. There is a short meditation at the end to reflect on your intentions. Recorded Jan 5, 2025 at Insight Community of the Desert in Palm Springs The Noble Eightfold Path by Bhikkhu Bodhi Pay Attention for Goodness Sake by Sylvia Boorstein 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.

Dec 31, 2024

Left to its own devices our minds will latch on to something and create whole scenarios and worlds that we then think are real. Often we create rules for behavior, either ours or others. When these rules clash with reality, we experience dukkha. When we practice mindfulness we develop the clarity needed to see these stories and rules for what they are and let them go, moving us toward liberation from craving and aversion. Recorded Dec. 28, 2024 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.

Dec 24, 2024

How many times during the day or week do we experience situations that we find uncomfortable or unpleasant? We often react with annoyance or impatience which can tend to make it worse, even if only in our mind. In this talk Mary invites us to greet each moment with peace which is a way to be with whatever is going on with ease. We're not denying the unpleasant, but we're relating to it in an entirely different way which is where our freedom lies. Recorded Dec. 21, 2024 in the virtual world Peace Is Every Breath by Thich Nhat Hanh 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.

Dec 17, 2024

Oftentimes when faced with issues or problems in our lives, we ask what would the Buddhist response be. In the teachings however, the Buddha asked us to find our own way - to see for ourselves which actions are wise or unwise. The Buddha gave us a framework and foundation and invites us to cultivate our own wisdom in walking the path to liberation. In this talk Mary discusses how we do this and what it might look like for each of us. Recorded Dec. 12, 2024 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.

Dec 10, 2024

Plans go sideways all the time, things happen. How do we greet those moments? And how do we learn to recognize all the places we're stuck? Once we can begin to let go, then we can let things be without getting caught up in the first place. This is the freedom the Buddha promised, "liberation through not clinging." Recorded Dec. 7, 2024 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.

Dec 2, 2024

The topic of gratitude is quite common at this time of year and Mary discusses the idea of gratitude as a heart practice which also encompasses love and connection. Using the writing bell hooks as a starting point she invites us to let gratitude allow us to love and let our hearts be opened. The Buddha points out that "gratitude and contentment are the highest blessings" - definitely worth pursuing. Recorded Nov. 30, 2024 in the virtual world. Books mentioned: All About Love by bell hooks, See No Stranger by Valarie Kaur, The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi 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.

Nov 26, 2024

Suffering and Joy seem incompatible, but in this talk Mary shows how they are not mutually exclusive. Joy is not dependent on outside circumstances. As teacher Larry Ward has said, "Joy is possible in the midst of suffering and without ignoring the suffering." Using the wisdom of several authors, Mary talks about how we can access joy without waiting for everything to be okay. With our practice we create the conditions for joy to arise at any time. Recorded Nov. 23, 2024 in the virtual world Books mentioned in this talk: Joy is My Justice by Taneet Sethi, MD Joyfully Just by Kamilia Majie, PhD Awakening Joy by James Baraz and Shoshanna Alexander The Book of Joy by Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama 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.

Nov 19, 2024

In this talk Mary discusses two seemingly different ideas of what a foundation can be in our practice. There is the stillness and grounding of meditation practice and the foundation offered by the Eightfold Path. They are not mutually exclusive and in fact, work together on the path to liberation. Recorded Nov. 16, 2024 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.

Nov 12, 2024

The results of the 2024 presidential election in the United States have brought up several levels of grief, fear, anger, despair and many more emotions for several of us. In this talk Mary reflects on where we are right now, how to hold our experience, and how to move forward. Connection, community, practice and finding hope in the words and experiences of those who have walked this path before are vital in these challenging days. Stay connected, and don't miss the joy. Recorded Nov. 9, 2024 in the virtual world Link to Bhikkhu Bodhi's article mentioned in the talk 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.

Nov 5, 2024

The Buddha said that the beautiful qualities of loving kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity are a natural arising of our insight practice. It's important to know that these qualities are present for each of us, especially in these moments of great challenges to our world. Learning to access them, whether through the traditional heart practices, or in other ways, helps us to take care of ourselves. Mary talks about finding this inner wellspring to support our journey. Recorded Nov. 1, 2024 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.

Oct 29, 2024

There is a lot of stress in our lives today. As the Buddha said, there is always dukkha . How do we take care of ourselves in these moments? Of course practice is always a resource but how do we take care of ourselves in other ways. In this talk Mary discusses various ideas for resourcing ourselves in these challenging times. Recorded Oct. 24, 2024 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.

Oct 22, 2024

The Buddha was remarkable in offering the teachings in many different ways. In this talk, Mary reflects on the Five Spiritual Faculties, sometimes called the Path of Wisdom. Faith, Energy, Mindfulness, Concentration and Wisdom support us in our daily lives on our path from delusion to clarity and awakening. The beauty of the teachings are that they are accessible to each of us and we can put them to use throughout our daily lives. Recorded October 19, 2024 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.

Oct 15, 2024

In this talk Mary reflects on the story of Milarepa and the Demons and invites us to imagine a spiritual path that has us befriend all parts of us, even the challenging bits. Although not part of the original tale, we're asked to invite our demons in for tea and shift our relationship with the present - no matter what it is. Recorded October 12, 2024 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.

Oct 8, 2024

The Pali word Sati is generally translated as mindfulness, but it can mean so much more. In this talk Mary reflects on all the different, yet similar meanings of the word, emphasizing how close it is to the idea of equanimity - being with the present moment, without preference or needing it to be different. Drawing from Bhante Gunaratana's classic, Mindfulness in Plain English , Mary offers ways to make this core teaching meaningful for each of us. Mary also reflects on the power of Sati during her recent hospital stay. Recorded Oct. 5, 2024 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.

Oct 1, 2024

The Buddha taught us that all we have are our actions and our actions take place in this moment. But are we fully living in the moment? When we investigate the tentativeness of life - the recognition that nothing is certain - we can shift our relationship to the present and live in a way that is grounded in our core values. Mary discusses this idea and how to move towards a life that allows us to find our own way with the here and now. Recorded Sept. 29, 2024 in the virtual world for Insight Community of the Desert 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 24, 2024

Oftentimes we try to get good at meditation when in reality meditation is a practice for how we move through the world. The invitation of practice is to be with each moment as it arises, without judgement or preference. When we develop this awareness during practice, we can carry it with us throughout our lives 'off the cushion'. In this talk, Mary discusses the idea of choiceless awareness, a way to simple be in the moment, grounded in equanimity and wisdom. Recorded Sept. 22, 2024, in the virtual world for Insight Community of the Desert 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 10, 2024

A common reminder in meditation practice is that our experience can not be different from the way it is as much as we would like it to be. The same invitation to be present with the moment applies through all aspects of our life. The root of so much dukkha is our inability to be with reality. Acknowledging the moment as it is takes us closer towards liberation. Recorded Sept. 5, 2024 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 3, 2024

The Eight Worldly Winds are a teaching on equanimity. Recognizing the winds of pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disgrace that blow for all of us is important in our journey towards liberation. The Buddha says each of us feel these winds and it's important to see them as part of the human condition and not personal. Letting go of the stories of attachment to some winds over others is a key to our liberation. Recorded August 31, 2024 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 28, 2024

Mary reflects on 16 years of teaching the Saturday Afternoon Sit class. In looking at all the changes that can happen in 16 years. it became clear that so often we get hung up on finding a 'there'. We spend our time and energy working to achieve something that will get us where we want to be, only to find out there is always something else. As the Buddha teaches, there is only the present, and how we work with the present will lead us to or away from liberation. 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 20, 2024

In this very personal talk Mary reflects on the Five Remembrances and how they invite us to embrace our humanity, open to vulnerability and live each day as if it were our last. Recorded August 17, 2024 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 12, 2024

The Buddha taught that fixed views and self-view were some of the biggest obstacles to liberation. We are stuck in beliefs about others and ourselves that may or may not be true, but which have tremendous impact on how we relate and react to the world. In this talk, Mary discusses the different types of views, how they develop, and what we can do to extricate ourselves from their rigidity and move towards freedom. Recorded August 10, 2024 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 6, 2024

The Eightfold Path is the Buddha's teaching on how to live in a way that ends suffering and moves us towards liberation. It is a guide for living in this world and our experiences of the human condition. Mary offers a broad overview of the path and how we can put them to use in our own lives. Recorded August 4, 2024 for Insight Community of the Desert 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.

Jul 30, 2024

When we can slow it down, it may be easier to navigate the complexities of life. In this reflection, Mary talks about being fully present for the uncomfortable and comfortable moments that we have throughout each day and how it may be that present time awareness is like slow-motion. It's also important that we do this with a kind and gentle gaze. Recorded July 27, 2024 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.

Jul 23, 2024

This is a moment where the reality of groundlessness - impermanence - is front and center in our lives. What we should realize is that the world is constantly shifting and our inability or unwillingness to be with uncertainty can cause so much stress and pain. Mary discusses how to be radically open to our lives and the world and how recognizing that the foundation is always moving is a foundation in and of itself and one we can stand with. Recorded July 20, 2024 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.

Jul 16, 2024

The invitation to relax, observe and allow is a wonderful meditation instruction, but it's also a way we can bring mindfulness to our everyday lives. It's a practice of equanimity, awareness and liberation - simple yet profound. Recorded July 11, 2024 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.

Jul 9, 2024

Continuing last week's theme of experiencing liberation in this moment, Mary looks at Stephen Batchelor's teachings on embracing our existence and opening to the everyday sublime which is available to each of us at any moment. Recorded July 6, 2024 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.

Jul 2, 2024

In this podcast, Mary reflects on the teachings of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu and his concept of "everyday nirvana". If we can follow the Buddha's direction to not cling to anything as I or mine, we will have the freedom and liberation offered by this path. That letting go can happen at anytime - our meditation practice creates the conditions for it - and it's important that we begin to notice our experience of everyday nirvana as we purify the mind and let go. Recorded June 29, 2024 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.

Jun 25, 2024

The Paramis are 10 qualities of the heart that it is said we need to develop for awakening. Sylvia Boorstein says they are the natural inclination of the heart and are gifts that we give to each other - they are a path of kindness. These qualities, which include generosity, willingness, and patience, are something we can work with in our daily lives. In this talk Mary gives an overview of these qualities of the heart that allow us to be free. Recorded June 22, 2024 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.

Jun 17, 2024

One of the heart practices - or brahma viharas - is Mudita, or appreciative joy. This challenging practice invites us to be happy for the wholesome good fortune of others, even those people we may not like. This is a challenging practice because we live in a competitive society that teaches us either we are a winner or a loser and if someone else is winning then we're in trouble. Mudita breaks down this false idea and reminds us of our shared humanity and our shared joy. Recorded June 15, 2024 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.

Jun 11, 2024

Samsara is the cycle of birth and death that we experience before enlightenment and it is also considered the suffering in this world. In this brief talk, Mary reflects on the reality of our lives and how fighting against difficulties only intensifies them. Recognizing that things are messy and finding a way to make peace with that is the beginning of our path to liberation. Recorded June 8, 2024 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.

Jun 4, 2024

In Buddhist teachings there are the ideas of conventional and ultimate reality. In Mahayana tradition they're known as the two truths of relative and absolute. These two ideas enable us to move through the world dealing with the ins and outs of our everyday lives (convention/relative) reality, while using the teachings of impermanence, no-self, and dukkha as a foundation as we move towards liberation (ultimate/absolute). Understanding the difference between the two is vital to avoid falling into spiritual bypass. Recorded June 1, 2024 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.

May 27, 2024

We have all been hurt in our lives, to a greater or lesser extent. This hurt often brings up challenging emotions which we can run from or make space for. Healing happens when we become willing to turn towards the difficulty. This healing involves taking care of ourselves and Lama Rod Owens suggests that this healing is necessary before we can begin to forgive others. Jumping right to forgiveness can be a spiritual bypass if we're simply going through the motions. In this talk Mary discusses how to take care of our selves and care for others. Recorded May 25, 2024 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.

May 21, 2024

The idea of an undefended heart seems counterintuitive right now especially with all the suffering in the world. We think that putting up walls will keep us safe but instead the armor just isolates us. The Buddha invited us turn towards the reality of our lives and the world and open to all. In this talk Mary discusses the need for an undefended heart, what gets in the way and how to move towards the freedom we receive by opening our hearts to each moment. Recorded May 19, 2024 for Insight Community of the Desert 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.

May 13, 2024

In the Buddha's wisdom he invited us to reflect regularly on our mortality which flies in the face of a society which tells us we can be immortal if we just do it all right. The denial of reality and craving for the impossible causes so much suffering and disconnection. When we turn to face the reality of our lives and our shared humanity, we experience a freedom and a connection with others grounded in wisdom and compassion. Recorded May 11, 2024 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.

May 6, 2024

The Buddha's teaching on Wise Speech serves us well in these days of great polarization. We have our sides and spew our rhetoric, often without thinking about how we communicate can make a bad situation worse. The invitation, as always, is pause and think about the truth, necessity and kindness of how we connect with others. It does not mean we shy away from difficult conversations or keep quiet in the face of injustice. Instead, it asks us to really be present in how we show up. Recorded May 4, 2024 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.

Apr 29, 2024

Bhikkhu Analayo suggests that the Buddha's teachings can be summed up in two words, "Let go." Ah, but if it were only so easy. Mary reflects on how the act of letting go gets more and more subtle and challenging the deeper we go and the longer we practice, but the freedom is worth the effort. Recorded April 29, 2024 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.

Apr 23, 2024

Grief seems to be a constant companion these days and making space for it is an important part of our practice. Grief can be scary and we're tempted to push it away instead of inviting it in. When we do acknowledge our grief, we reconnect with all of humanity and recognize we're not alone. Connecting with grief is empowering - allow yourself to feel and be open to this moment. Recorded April 20, 2024 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.

Apr 15, 2024

The teaching of impermanence is a core tenet of Buddhism and our ability to recognize the impermanence we meet each day is so important for us in order to be free. How we relate to shifting and changing experiences while staying in the present is the key. Mary discusses the places we get stuck and how we can let go. Recorded April 13, 2024 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.

Apr 8, 2024

Mary discusses this famous teaching of the Buddha. When we experience pain or something uncomfortable the tendency is to react it a way that mitigates the discomfort. The reactivity often just intensifies the initial pain rather than helping us be present with the discomfort. This reactivity is often subtle and deep and takes willingness and practice to uncover and let go of. Mindfulness allows us to see what's happening and to stay present. Recorded April 6, 2024 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.

Apr 1, 2024

Building on last week's talk about overwhelm, Mary discusses how vital it is to make the effort to come back from those places and stories that are not helpful an to make the effort to stay where we are. How do we let go and how do we stay present with whatever is showing up? And once we find place of equanimity, we realize that effort remains part of the practice. Effort is vital on our path to liberation. Recorded March 30, 2024 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.

Mar 26, 2024

When life gets busy, we can become overwhelmed by everything. Both our lives and the world can be too much. However, the invitation of practice is to be right where we are -- overwhelm occurs when we spend our time in the future or the past and being present is how we cope. It's overwhelming if we don't pay attention. Recorded March 23, 2024 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.

Mar 19, 2024

In this talk Mary discusses how important being grounded is in the present moment is to be open to gratitude. When we're stuck in thoughts about I, me and mine, it's a challenge to recognize how connected we are to the world and how gratitude arises naturally when we are. Recorded March 16, 2024 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.

Mar 12, 2024

When we practice for extended periods of time we find that our hearts become tender. But often we don't have the time to practice so intensely. The question becomes how can we cultivate a loving and compassionate heart right now, and in a world that can be challenging. Mary discusses the Buddha's invitation to move through the world with good will towards all and reads a poem by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel called For All Beings. We are asked to see what gets in the way of kindness and compassion. Recorded March 9, 2024 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.

Mar 5, 2024

There is no dharma talk this week so Mary offers a few reflections on the benefits of residential retreat and the invitation to make peace with the way things are. Recorded March 4, 2024 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 27, 2024

Taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, The Triple Gem, is usually done on retreat or other occasions. In this talk, Mary delves into what taking refuge means and how reflecting on each of these supports our journey to liberation. "Taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha is like putting on an overcoat on a cold night. There is great comfort to be found there." Recorded February 24, 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 19, 2024

The world seems to be screaming right now - there is so much going on with violence, climate change, oppression and injustice at every turn. We also have our day-to-day issues to deal with. At times it like these it is more important than ever to realize that love is the path to liberation rather than hatred, greed or delusion and apathy. The Buddha taught over and over again how vital it is to cultivate a mind and heart imbued with goodwill and compassion. Mary discusses how to show up for the reality of this moment and to keep our hearts open and loving. Recorded Feb. 18, 2024 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 13, 2024

In this talk Mary discusses the concept of samvega which means the experience we feel when we finally see through the delusion and stories that we have believed and used to guide our lives. It can be a shocking experience and an example is when the Buddha saw a sick person, an old person and a corpse. He experienced samvega . This feeling can help us move along a spiritual path and Mary talks about the benefit of seeing clearly and the faith and trust, or pasada , which enables us to move along this spiritual path towards liberation. Recorded Feb. 11, 2024 for Insight Community of the Desert 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 6, 2024

Mary offers the invitation to start where you are quite often but what does it mean? It's the name of a wonderful book by Pema Chödrön, but additionally it is a reminder that we cannot be anywhere other than right here. We often think we have to get to a certain place before we're ready to tackle our problems, or that something has to go our way. Instead, we're asked to start right here, because this is where the dukkha is. How do we show up for this moment? How do we ground ourselves in the present which is what will allow us to do the next indicated thing? Recorded Feb. 3, 2024 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.

Jan 29, 2024

Buddha taught that the six realms of Saṃsāra are where we are caught in the continuing cycle of birth, death and rebirth. We only become free when we are free of craving or clinging, and see clearly into the characteristics of existence. These realms can also be viewed as psychological states that we experience from day to day - the heaven realms of pleasure and the hell realms of suffering. In this talk Mary discusses how we can use this lens as a way to view where we get stuck in Saṃsāra and how to move along the path to liberation. Recorded Jan. 28, 2024 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.

Jan 23, 2024

In this talk Mary dives into how craving and clinging show up in our lives and how much suffering, discomfort and discontent is caused because of it. We chase after pleasure all the time and hold tight to ideas and beliefs we think will give us what we want. The suttas are full of examples and wise advice to let go and let it be. Recorded Jan. 20, 2024 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.

Jan 16, 2024

Reflecting on the themes of humility, equanimity and resilience, Mary talks about how the practice can help us find the strength to meet each moment and each day. Mindfulness and an intention to be an advocate for ourselves are powerful ways we stay grounded in an upside down world. This talk owes much to the teaching of Rick Hanson. Recorded Jan. 14, 2024 for the Insight Community of the Desert 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.

Jan 9, 2024

Kindness, friendliness, goodwill. The Buddha invited us to greet the world with a kind heart and without causing harm, but how do we do that in a world full of greed, hatred and ignorance. Mary discusses what gets in the way and how to move towards a heart of goodwill with integrity and wisdom. Recorded Jan. 4, 2024 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.

Jan 1, 2024

This simple quote from St. Francis Assisi contains a wise teaching on equanimity. What does it mean? How do we do it? Mary unpacks this invitation to move through the world with spaciousness, compassion and wisdom. Recorded Dec. 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.

Dec 26, 2023

Loneliness and isolation are feelings that are so pervasive these days. In this talk, Mary discusses how damaging this sense of disconnection can be and how the Buddha taught the importance of friendship and community. Finding true friends on the path supports our movement toward liberation. Recorded Dec. 24, 2023 for Insight Community of the Desert 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.

Dec 19, 2023

This talk was recorded at the Compassionate Heart Retreat in Los Angeles on Nov. 11, 2023. The title speaks for itself. Thanks to Recovery Dharma for the invitation and the recording. Much love! 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.

Dec 12, 2023

The Buddha's famous Fire Sermon describes how our senses are aflame when we're caught in craving and aversion. Mary discusses how often these flames are more like embers that we become used to. They smolder and continue unchecked while we're lost in our delusions. Paying attention helps to put them out and lead us towards liberation - nirvana is the cessation of the flame. Recorded Dec. 9, 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.

Dec 4, 2023

Sometimes it feels as we're living in a binary world where there is either grief or gratitude and the mind creates stories as to why one experience is appropriate and the other is not. In this talk, Mary discusses being open to both - they do not cancel each other our, but with awareness, we can hold and be present for all. Recorded Dec. 2, 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.

Nov 28, 2023

A brief reflection on how we are so deeply stuck in our conditioning that we are often unwilling to turn towards the reality of the moment. "Yeah, but" is what shows up when we hold on tightly. Let go of the 'yeah, buts' and greet the moment. Recorded Nov. 27, 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.

Nov 21, 2023

Mary talks about how the practice of mindfulness and compassion has allowed her to walk through the few days after hearing about her brother's death. Willing to feel the grief, recognizing how we keep ourselves from feeling, and simply being present for the experiences of life is the simplicity and the power of this Insight practice. Recorded Nov. 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. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Nov 14, 2023

The story of Milarepa and the Demons is so emblematic of how we live our lives and how we can cultivate a spiritual path. We can choose to fight the reality of this moment or allow ourselves to be open to whatever arises. Mary talks about how this teaching can help us stay present for our lives and the world. Recorded Nov. 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 info on classes and teachings.

Nov 6, 2023

Mary reflects on the old story which tells us that there are two wolves at war in our minds - the good wolf and the bad wolf. The one who wins is the one we feed. Many times we get stuck in incredibly mundane ideas that cause so much discomfort. How do we recognize when we're caught up in those unwise stories and how do we let go and feed what is most beneficial? Recorded Nov. 4, 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.

Oct 30, 2023

The world is spinning so quickly and it's easy to become unbalanced when things shift so rapidly. There is fear and anger, grief and sadness. It's important to be grounded and know our priorities in order to navigate each moment. In this talk Mary discusses developing a foundation that will support us which is based on the Buddha's most basic teachings. and which allows us to take care of ourselves, and take care of each other. Recorded Oct. 29, 2023 for Insight Community of the Desert 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.

Oct 23, 2023

Continuing the conversation from last week, Mary discusses ways to stay present in the face of tragedy and the challenging moments we're walking through. Continuity of mindfulness, guarding the sense doors, skillful means, continuity of compassion and seeking connection with others are ways we can be present for this moment with wisdom and kindness. Recorded Oct. 21, 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.

Oct 16, 2023

A deep intimacy with our experience without preference is the essence of equanimity, however it's difficult to accomplish especially in the current moment when, once again, there is so much violence, suffering, greed, hatred and ignorance. There is so much grief and anger to hold. How do we sit with what is? How do we make space and become intimate with our feelings? Mary offers the Buddha's teachings on mindfulness as a path to equanimity. Recorded Oct. 14, 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.

Oct 9, 2023

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! 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.

Oct 3, 2023

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 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

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 4, 2023

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 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 28, 2023

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 for more info on classes and teachings.

Aug 22, 2023

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 14, 2023

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 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 7, 2023

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 and teachings.

Aug 1, 2023

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 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.

Jul 24, 2023

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 response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Jul 18, 2023

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. Recorded July 15, 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.

Jul 11, 2023

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 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.

Jul 4, 2023

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 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.

Jun 27, 2023

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 response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Jun 19, 2023

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 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.

Jun 12, 2023

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 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.

Jun 5, 2023

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 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.

May 29, 2023

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 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.

May 23, 2023

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 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.

May 15, 2023

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's website for more info on classes and teachings.

May 8, 2023

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 and being present. Recorded May 7, 2023 in the virtual world for the Insight Community of the Desert 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.

May 1, 2023

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 27, 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.

Apr 24, 2023

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 response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Apr 18, 2023

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 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.

Apr 4, 2023

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 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.

Mar 28, 2023

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 if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Mar 21, 2023

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. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Mar 14, 2023

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 info on classes and teachings.

Mar 7, 2023

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 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

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 21, 2023

The Buddha's teachings on giving and generosity were clear - there is no liberation without it. If we knew how important it was we would not cling to anything. But we live in a society that tells us there is never enough which breeds craving and selfishness, whether conscious or not. This talk invites us to recognize what giving and generosity look like, and how to cultivate it as we walk through our lives. Recorded Feb 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. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

Feb 14, 2023

The Buddha's teachings on the Five Remembrances invite us to deeply connect with our mortality and the mortality of all beings. It's a challenging reflection and what that is energetically denied by our society. How do we make peace with impermanence and fully embrace the human condition? Recorded Feb. 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 info on classes and teachings.

Feb 7, 2023

Mary shares some of the teachings from the recent retreat she attended: greeting everything with compassion, discerning skillful and unskillful thoughts and responses, and the Buddha's invitation to go forth and care for the world. And then she shared how she tried to makes sense of these teachings when getting home and hearing about the violence, mass shootings and murder of Tyre Nichols. Recorded for ICD on Feb. 5, 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.

Jan 31, 2023

After a week on retreat and no class or dharma class to upload as a podcast, Mary sends a few words of greeting to everyone listening with a reminder of compassion and care. Recorded Jan 30, 2023 in Burbank, CA 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.

Jan 23, 2023

Our modern world has seen the glorification of experts in all fields and Buddhism is no exception to this. In this talk Mary juxtaposes the idea of expert and their rarefied knowledge to the wisdom, clarity and simplicity of Thai Forest Master Ajahn Chah's teachings. Ajahn Chah made the dharma accessible to anyone, maybe not easy, but simple. Recorded on Jan 21, 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.

Jan 16, 2023

After attending an interfaith event celebrating the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Mary was inspired to look at how several faiths have so much in common in working towards ending suffering and supporting justice. Using Dr. King's talk on the Three Dimensions of a Spiritual Life, she reflects on how similar it is to the Buddha's teachings in the Eightfold Path especially sila . Recorded Jan 14, 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.

Jan 9, 2023

How did each of us get started on this path of awakening, of meditation, of awareness? As Mary reflected on these questions she found that the Buddha's teaching on the Five Spiritual Faculties invites us into practice and offers us the tools to stay on our continuing journey towards wisdom. Recorded Jan. 7, 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.

Jan 3, 2023

Sati is usually translated as mindfulness but can also mean 'be with'. In this talk Mary reflects on the practice of resting in being - to be with each moment as it comes. It means letting go of our preconceived ideas and notions on how things should be, or should have been. Willingness and guarding the sense doors are how we move towards the equanimity we get when we rest in being. Recorded Dec. 29, 2022 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.

Dec 26, 2022

At the Winter Solstice Mary reflects on the invitation to be with the darkness as well as the light. We may prefer one over the other, but we cannot do without either. How to be with each with friendliness and compassion is the practice. Recorded Dec. 22, 2022 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.

Dec 20, 2022

We are conditioned beings and the experiences we have in our families of origin are some of the most impactful we have. Often we don't even realize how powerful they were or how much we are influenced by what happened years ago. Additionally, our current relationships with family can be fraught with challenges that go back decades. How does the practice help us to navigate these relationships and how does it help us to disentangle from the conditioning that may not be very beneficial. In this talk Mary discusses how we can move towards healing and move towards freedom from old stories. Recorded Dec. 17, 2022 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.

Dec 13, 2022

In this talk Mary weaves together thoughts on the Buddha's awakening, volition and karma and the impact of meditation and mindfulness on the brain. The wisdom of the Buddha is still so clear 2600 years after he lived and presents us with a path to liberation that is accessible to all. Recorded Dec. 10, 2022 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.

Dec 6, 2022

Our conditioning is so deep and ingrained that we don't even know it exists. In this talk Mary discusses the importance of seeing reality vs our perception of reality and how that leads to wisdom and liberation. Recorded Dec. 3, 2022 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.

Nov 28, 2022

There is so much bearing down on this these days, from the violence and tragedy so rampant in the world today to the concerns in our own lives. We can experience grief, sadness and other difficult emotions yet it is important not to let them overwhelm us. Gratitude is an important practice to keep balance in our world. With gratitude we don't lose connection with what is good and kind and also remain open to the present moment. Recorded Nov. 26, 2022 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.

Nov 21, 2022

The 7th Factor of the Eightfold Path is Wise Mindfulness and it is a foundational piece of the practice and the "direct path to realization". In this talk Mary breaks down what mindfulness is and takes us through the four foundations leading to liberation and freedom from suffering and discontent. Recorded on Nov. 20, 2022 at Rancho Mirage, CA with Insight Community of the Desert 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.

Nov 15, 2022

FROM THE ARCHIVES: The invitation to start where we are reminds us that our practice starts right here right now. What gets in our way today? Where are we stuck right now? That is where the work is - in the present moment because what else is there anyway? Recorded Jan. 31, 2015 in Los Angeles 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.

Nov 1, 2022

In the Eightfold Path, Wise Action invites us not to kill or steal or cause harm with our sexuality, however it's much more than just abstaining from doing things. It's also about cultivating a compassionate way of being which remembers that we are working for the benefit of all beings, not just ourselves. In this talk, offered at the Insight Community of the Desert, Mary discusses this teaching and what it means in today's world. Recorded Oct 30, 2022 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.

Oct 24, 2022

The Buddha talked about greed, hatred and ignorance as the three poisons which we can often recognize in our own lives. In this talk, Mary discusses how pervasive they are in the world at large and what we can do to work against them and uproot them where we see them. Recorded Oct. 20, 2022 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.

Oct 18, 2022

Many of us are familiar with the teaching of the five hindrances, but how do they manifest in our lives and keep us from liberation. Mary discusses the nuanced ways that craving, aversion, restlessness, dullness and doubt can show up, how to recognize them, and how to let them go as we move towards awakening. Recorded Oct. 15, 2022 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.

Oct 11, 2022

The Eightfold Path is the path away from being stuck in our conditioning which is often not very helpful and can even be harmful. It is a path towards liberation and awakening and Wise View is the first factor of the path and points the way. It invites us to recognize where we get stuck and to begin to move in a different direction - one of wisdom rather than ignorance. Mary discusses Wise View and how we can begin to see more clearly as we live our lives. Recorded Oct 8, 2022 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.

Oct 3, 2022

It's vital to be reminded of the importance of kindness as a practice and as an intention. It's easy to be abrupt, to get on with things, be driven by so many deadlines that connecting with kindness falls to the background. In this talk Mary discusses how our mindfulness practice allows us to connect with kindness for ourselves and for others, and how it is an antidote to the greed and ill-will so prevalent in the world today. The Buddha reminded us to be kind and it's something we should practice every day. Recorded Oct. 1, 2022 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 27, 2022

Karma is often thought to be what happens to us if we do something bad. Instead karma in the Buddhist sense means action. In each moment we have the opportunity to move in a direction which takes us away from suffering and shift karma. In this talk Mary discusses the choice we have to break out of conditioning and move mindfully, and with intention, towards liberation. Recorded Sept. 24, 2022 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 20, 2022

The Pali word dukkha is usually translated as suffering, but it can mean so many other things, including not being okay with the way things are. In this talk, Mary discusses the various understandings of the word and invites us to see how dukkha shows up in our life. We have to recognize it and be with it in order to let it go. Recorded Sept. 17, 2022 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 20, 2022

A guided meditation on being in the now. Recorded Sept. 17, 2022 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 13, 2022

The Eightfold Path is what the Buddha offered as a path to liberation. In this talk Mary discusses the different factors with an invitation to find your way with them. Although the path is numbered 1-8, it's not linear. You can work with any or all of the factors at any time especially since they support each other. They grow in meaning and subtlety the more you practice. Recorded Sept. 10, 2022 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 5, 2022

In our world it seems that hate and anger are so prevalent it can feel overwhelming at times. As awful as that is, in our own lives, it's easy for us to slip into aversion and othering while finding it fully justified. In this talk Mary discusses the need to name love as a foundation of our practice. This foundation of love will allow us to fully open to the world and to ourselves, letting go of the need to other, and the need to create barriers. Turning towards love is the answer. Recorded Sept 3, 2022 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 30, 2022

Mary reflects on fourteen years of teaching a weekly dharma: where she and the world were in 2008, and the qualities of willingness, effort and determination which are necessary both for teaching a class and for growth and freedom in the practice. It's beneficial to check in with our spiritual practice every decade or so. Recorded Aug 27, 2022 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, 2022

Grief and loss are an inescapable part of the human condition but we're not always ready or able to deal with these emotions. In this talk Mary invites us to identify these feelings and, using mindfulness practices, turn toward them with compassion. She shares her journey in learning how to move toward this intimacy with these difficult emotions. Recorded with Insight Community of the Desert on Aug 21, 2022 in the virtual word 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 16, 2022

FROM THE ARCHIVES : Wise intention is necessary on a path to liberation and it is important to insure that our intentions are grounded in integrity and compassion. Intentions are not always wise and can often be driven by greed and aversion. In this talk from 2018 Mary discusses how to insure we're moving forward with truly wise intentions. Recorded Jan 3, 2018 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 9, 2022

The Buddha talked about the nature of existence - how there is birth, death, illness - the human condition in other words. In this talk Mary takes a very personal look at how the teachings of the Buddha as well as examples from neuroscience and even baseball, allow her to experience the human condition with equanimity and joy. Recorded August 4, 2022 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 1, 2022

The Buddha taught that impermanence is one of the three characteristics of existence yet so many of us struggle against it or live in denial of this fact. However, allowing the awareness of this impermanence to be part of our day to day lives is quite liberating and lets us live each moment fully. Mary discusses how this shows up and how we can embody this important teaching. Recorded July 30, 2022 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.

Jul 25, 2022

In a recent talk, dharma teacher Larry Ward mentioned living rather than believing. Mary spends time unpacking what this might mean and how one could go about just being present without ties to fixed views and beliefs. Recorded July 21, 2022 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.

Jul 19, 2022

When the Buddha gave his first teaching after his Awakening it is thought of as when the wheel of the dharma was set in motion. The Buddha taught the middle way between the two extremes of sensual indulgence and asceticism. Mary talks about the middle way and the first core teachings of the Buddha. Recorded July 16, 2022 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.

Jul 11, 2022

The importance of connection cannot be overstated and we are currently in a time of deep division on so many levels. In this talk Mary discusses the ways we are disconnected and how we use the practice to cultivate empathy, compassion and connection. The Buddha's teaching offer practical insights in how to move through this world in deep recognition of our interconnectedness. Recorded July 9, 2022 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.

Jul 5, 2022

The Buddha taught the nature of suffering and the end of suffering. Then end of suffering is liberation. In this talk Mary discusses what liberation can mean in our lives right now and how to see what is getting in our way. What do we have to let go of to get free and how do we go about it? Recorded July 3, 2022 in Palm Springs 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.

Jun 21, 2022

The Buddha taught about the five hindrances as what gets in the way of our liberation. Although we may have memorized the list, recognizing the subtle ways they show up in our lives is another matter. Mary talks about recognizing them and seeing how they work to keep us trapped in delusion. Recorded June 18, 2022 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.

Jun 13, 2022

In this short talk, Mary reflects on the the statement that thoughts are not the enemy, although often we think they are. It's not the thoughts as much as our relationship to them that are what we need to look at. How do we recognize thoughts? How do we tell the difference between thoughts and thinking? How do we relate to all our experiences and sensations? The invitation in this practice is to let go of any adversarial relationship we have to experience. Recorded June 11, 2022 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.

Jun 7, 2022

Because the challenges we face these days are so daunting and seemingly endless, it is even more important to have love and connection as a foundation of both our practice and how we move through the world. In this talk Mary shows how the Buddha teaches that love must be a part of our practice and how we can bring it into our lives more fully. Recorded June 4, 2022 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.

May 30, 2022

The onslaught of violence, hatred, greed, and ignorance has been relentless and it's in these moments we ask how is it even possible to live with an undefended heart, and would we even want to. Mary discusses the challenges of today and how to use these teachings to be fully present and intimate with each moment, and to take care of ourselves. Recorded May 28, 2022 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.

May 24, 2022

From the Archives : This talk is the second in the Undefended Heart series. Mary discusses how we can use the heart practices to chip away at the armor that has built up around our hearts and which keeps us from being fully present in our lives. Recorded May 17, 2013 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.

May 17, 2022

Taking refuge in the Buddha is part of what's known at the Triple Gem - Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. In this talk Mary talks about how when we take refuge in the Buddha, we're taking refuge in awakening. The Buddha / Siddartha Gotama was a human being who was able to fully let go and become the Enlightened One. His teachings offer a way for each of us to move towards liberation. Taking refuge in the Buddha is an act of trust that this will work for us as well. Recorded May 14, 2022 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.

May 10, 2022

In this short talk Mary discusses the ongoing challenges of the world today and how we can utilize our practice to take care of ourselves. We need to watch our reactivity, be willing to step back, and take refuge in the sangha. How are you taking care of you? Recorded May 7, 2022 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.

May 3, 2022

If we can't let go of our preconceived notions or ideas, we're bound to stay stuck. The Buddha taught us to let go of our views and the teachings on 'don't know mind' or 'beginner's mind' address this help to address this and offers ways to get unstuck. Recorded April 30, 2022 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.

Apr 25, 2022

What does this even mean? What is the dharma? How do you do it? How does it do you? Mary reflects on this idea and how the practice, dedication to the teachings and the development of insight allow the dharma to work you. Recorded April 23, 2022 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.

Apr 18, 2022

With the chaos in the world today it's really important that we don't lose sight of the joy that is available regardless of circumstances. In this talk Mary discusses the Buddha's teachings on joy and how to move towards it's awakening. Recorded April 16, 2022 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.

Apr 11, 2022

Most of us are familiar with the traditional way the Brahma Viharas, or heart practices, are taught. However the usual phrases and categories of people we offer loving kindness, compassion, and joy to are first seen in the commentaries, not in the earlier suttas , or discourses. There, the Buddha offers a different way to embody these beautiful qualities and in this talk Mary discusses these teachings and how they can enrich our lives. Recorded on April 9, 2022 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.

Apr 4, 2022

The fifth and final of the lay precepts is about avoiding alcohol and drugs that lead to heedlessness. Mary discusses the differing viewpoints on this precept as well as how we can expand it out to include all the things we might ingest that lead to being mindless which can lead to causing harm to ourselves or others. Recorded April 2, 2022 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.

Mar 29, 2022

The 4th Precept is about being wise and careful not only with our speech, but with all our communications. In this day and age of instant connection it's especially imperative that we bring awareness and kindness to our interactions with others. Mary discusses the Buddha's teachings on this and applies them to our modern experience. Recorded March 27, 2022 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.

Mar 22, 2022

The 2nd Precept is not to take what is not freely offered and the 3rd is to avoid sexual misconduct. In these teachings and admonitions, the Buddha was able to touch into behaviors that cause so much harm and suffering in our world. Mary discusses the broad invitation of these precepts and how to use them to move into a practice of generosity, honesty and equanimity. Recorded March 19, 2022 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.

Mar 14, 2022

FROM THE ARCHIVES: This talk, recorded almost five years ago, is still timely today. How do we deal the the excruciating moments that can happen in our lives? How do we deal with grief, loss, fear and so on with compassion and equanimity? Recorded Sept. 2, 2017 in Los Angeles, CA 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.

Mar 8, 2022

Starting with this talk Mary will look at the Five Training Precepts. The Precepts are the Buddha's advice to lay people on how to live in harmony with the world. The first one asks us to not take a life intentionally, or cause harm. Implicit in this is an invitation to live a kind and compassionate life. Recorded March 6, 2022 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.

Mar 1, 2022

One more time the moments we're living through are extremely turbulent and it can be easy to be overcome with emotions. The practice the Buddha offered us is a way to be with the world it its ugliness and its beauty without being taken over. Mary discusses how to tend to the emotions that are present and to meet he world with kindness and compassion. Recorded Feb 26, 2022 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 21, 2022

With a nod to Jack Kornfield's book of the same name, Mary discusses the luminous quality of the mind before it is dulled by all of our attachments. Wisdom is training the mind to wake up to be fully present to reality. This clarity allows for the blossoming of a kind and compassionate heart. Recorded Feb 19, 2022 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 15, 2022

The concept of samvega in Buddhism means that we come face to face with the realization that often we're stuck in attachment and aversion and ignorant of the true nature of existence. It can be a shocking wake-up call, but if we are willing to embrace the truth of impermanence and cultivate a kind and loving heart it will lead to clarity and confidence as we move through our lives. Recorded Feb 12, 2022 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 7, 2022

When we get overwhelmed or caught up in all the things going on in our lives, the Buddhist teaching of papañca, or proliferation of thought, is a wonderful way to bring ourselves back to the present. It's extraordinary how we carry so much around, yet most of it is simply in our minds and if we make the effort to let go, there will be a spaciousness that allows us to work with each moment as it comes - not everything all at once. Recorded Feb. 5, 2022 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 1, 2022

The great Vietnamese Zen teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh died on Jan 22. In this talk, Mary reflects on some of his teachings which had the most impact on her: Engaged Buddhism, Seeds of Consciousness, and Death. Deep bows of gratitude to Thay. Recorded Jan. 29, 2022 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.

Jan 24, 2022

Gil Fronsdal has said that the perfection of wisdom is when the mind and heart neither cling to nor resist anything. Mary discusses this idea and the importance of both mindfulness and the heart practices to cultivate this wisdom. We need both to be in balance and equanimity. We greet the world with clarity and kindness. Recorded Jan. 22, 2022 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.

Jan 17, 2022

Connection with others and with ourselves is such an important part of our lives, as vital as food and shelter. Yet, we are so often blocked from true connection without understanding why. In this talk, recorded at the Annual Women's Retreat, Mary invites us to reflect on what disconnects us and how to reconnect. Recorded Jan. 17, 2022 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.

Jan 11, 2022

As we start the new year, we're often lost in thoughts of what's to come, plans and resolutions, or we're stuck in memories of things past. However, there is only right now and much of what ensnares us is simply stories of the mind. In this talk Mary discusses how to bring ourselves back to where we are and to find a place of ease and being openhearted in this moment. Recorded 1/9/2022 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.

Jan 3, 2022

Mary discusses what it means to set an intention for the year and leads a guided meditation which invites us to uncover our own meaningful intention. Recorded Dec. 31, 2021 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.

Jan 3, 2022

At the 2021 New Year's Eve Intention Setting we took the Refuges and Precepts. In this podcast, Mary discusses what this means and offers the invitation to participate. Recorded Dec. 31, 2021 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.

Jan 3, 2022

To cling is to suffer and when we can fully let go, there is freedom. That freedom is the clarity to truly see reality without being hindered by our conditioning - whatever that is. In this talk Mary discusses the effort and patience needed to let go and also how to recognize the clarity we already have. Recorded Dec 30, 2021 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.

Dec 27, 2021

bell hooks passed away on December 15, 2021 and will be missed sorely. Well known for her activist writings, she was also a Buddhist practitioner and wrote often about practice being her foundation and the importance of love in all we do. In this podcast, Mary shares some of hooks' Buddhist writings and the importance of her legacy. Episode 152 recorded Dec. 23, 2021 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.

Dec 20, 2021

This is the time of year people make resolutions or decide to change things in their lives. The idea of setting an intention lets us move forward in a wise and compassionate way. Using the ten Paramis or perfections is a way to shape our intentions to be the most beneficial to us and to others. Mary discusses the Paramis and how we can utilize them to move away from suffering and towards liberation. Episode 151 Recorded Dec 18, 2021 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.

Dec 14, 2021

The story of Kisa Gotami is one of the most famous in the Pali Canon. It's the story of a mother who loses her only child and is so overcome with grief she cannot accept reality. Mary discusses the lessons this story can teach us about touching our pain and the importance of recognizing that none of us are doing this by ourselves and that grief and loss are universal. Recorded Dec. 11, 2021 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.

Dec 6, 2021

Based on the three defilements of greed, aversion and delusion, Buddhist Personality Types, or temperaments, are a convenient and fun way to view our habitual patterns of thinking and acting. Additionally, as we recognize these traits in ourselves, we can transform them into the wholesome qualities of wisdom and equanimity. Recorded Dec. 4, 2021 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.

Nov 30, 2021

In this short talk Mary discusses the importance of staying with a practice even when the going gets tough. There is a tendency today to jump from one practice to another, cobbling together a piecemeal spiritual program. This happens especially when the practice becomes challenging or difficult. Instead, make a commitment to get the full benefit, whichever practice you choose and don't miss out on the subtleties - the places that lead transformation and liberation. Recorded Nov. 27, 2021 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.

Nov 16, 2021

How do we keep an open heart with the craziness of the world today? In this talk Mary invites us to consider gratitude and generosity as the heart's antidote to becoming enmeshed in the greed, anger and ignorance that seem to be everywhere we look. This is not about a spiritual bypass, but instead a way to be with the world more deeply and intimately. Recorded Nov. 13, 2021 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.

Nov 8, 2021

One of the most accessible teachings on equanimity is the Eight Worldly Winds. These are experiences that are common to all humans: pleasure & pain, gain & loss, praise & blame, fame & disgrace. If we're not paying attention we can get caught in this whirlwind of chasing the pleasant and rebelling against the unpleasant. The Buddha's insight is that these experiences arise for each of us and the invitation is to neither grasp nor repel. How do we sit with ease with these eight winds as they come and they go? Recorded Nov. 6, 2021 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.

Nov 1, 2021

We practice Vipassana or Insight Meditation, and we speak about insight regularly, but what is is really? Vipassana is often translated as seeing the true nature of reality and Mary discusses how the teachings offer a way to dissolve delusion and break through the ignorance that we are often trapped by. The path offers us a way to insight, discernment, wisdom, and ultimately, liberation. Recorded Oct. 30, 2021 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.

Oct 26, 2021

As used here, the Mahasanga (Great Community) refers to the breadth and width of Buddhist practitioners throughout the world. In this talk, Mary discusses the value of looking beyond the tradition you practice in to see the wisdom contained in the larger dharma community. and shares some of the ideas offered at this year's Dharma Teachers Conference - wisdom from around the world and through the ages. Recorded Oct. 23, 2021 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.

Oct 18, 2021

Whether we like it or not, impermanence is a way of life. In fact the Buddha taught that it was one of the three characteristics of existence yet we still try to hold on to things, ideas, and experiences even after they've ended. In this talk Mary discusses the subtle ways we struggle with this truth and how to recognize it and to learn to let go. Recorded Oct. 16, 2021 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.

Oct 11, 2021

In Buddhist teachings Mara is seen as the personification of greed, anger and delusion and stands in the way of our liberation. In this talk Mary offers ways to identify Mara in our own lives which gives us the opportunity to say, "I see you Mara" and choose the path of freedom. Recorded Oct. 7, 2021 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.

Oct 4, 2021

The term Human Condition can sum up our experiences on this planet, whether we admit to it our not. The Human Condition is also what the Buddha teaches in the First and Second Noble Truth especially. In this talk, Mary takes a look at what the Human Condition means for each of us and how we can move to a place of greeting and ultimately embracing it. Recorded Oct. 2, 2021 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 28, 2021

Appreciative Joy, or Mudita, is one of the heart practices and often considered the most difficult. This is an altruistic expression of joy for the good fortune and happiness of others and is an important practice to cultivate generosity of the heart and mind. It's difficult because we are caught up in craving and a sense of lack. Mary discusses how to recognize what gets in the way and move into a place of sharing the joy. Recorded Sept. 23, 2021 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 21, 2021

Often we latch on to the search for meaning, happiness or bliss and think they are "out there" waiting to be found or achieved. Drawing heavily on the work of Viktor Frankl, Mary reminds us that there is only this moment and we are asked to respond appropriately to each experience we encounter. Building a foundation of love, kindness and integrity allows us to respond wisely and for the benefit of all. Recorded Sept. 18, 2021 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 13, 2021

The Dhammapada, part of the Pali Canon, is one of the most popular collections of Buddha's teachings. Mary looks at some of the verses and how the entire collection is an easy way to remind ourselves of the most important parts of the dharma. There is much richness to be explored. Recorded Sept. 11, 2021 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 6, 2021

Dharma practice teaches us how to disentangle ourselves from habitual thoughts and habits of mind. It can also support us as we disengage from the larger, systemic patterns baked into our culture. Mary discusses the qualities of the colonial mind and how to identify the greed, hatred and ignorance and move toward a world that works for everyone. Recorded Sept. 4, 2021 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 31, 2021

The last factor in the Eightfold Path is often called Right Concentration, but it more about a steadiness or collectedness of the mind. Mary discusses this final piece and how the clarity and wisdom it provides allows us to be fully with reality as it is and move towards liberation. Recorded August 26, 2021 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 23, 2021

Continuing with the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, Mary discusses how these practices, when aligned with the Eightfold Path, lead to the end of suffering and facilitate awakening. Recorded August 21, 2021 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 16, 2021

Right Mindfulness underpins just about everything we do in our practice and is necessary for liberation. Without the clarity of present time awareness and the integrity to guide our mindfulness skillfully, it's easy to stay trapped in delusion and suffering. Mary discusses what mindfulness is and isn't, and touches on the first foundations of mindfulness (the Satiphatthana Sutta). Next week will continue this factor. Recorded August 14, 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 9, 2021

It takes effort to move from suffering to the end of suffering and the Buddha dedicated an entire factor of the Eightfold Path to this. Mary talks about the Four Efforts necessary to disentangle ourselves from our deeply rooted stories, causes and conditions to a place of freedom and ease. Recorded August 5, 2021 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 3, 2021

The final factor in Sila or ethical behavior, Right Livelihood is more than just about how we make our living. It's how we interact with the world: where we spend our money, how we meet our needs and how we behave as global citizens. Supported by Right Speech and Right Action, Right Livelihood allows us to live ethically and compassionately as we move towards liberation. Recorded July 29, 2021 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.

Jul 26, 2021

Right Action is the second part of Sila, or the ethics portion of the Eightfold Path, and includes some of the most powerful practices for living in the world in harmony with other beings. Together wish Right Speech, Right Action forms the foundation of the Five Precepts. As with most of the Buddha's teachings however, it's not just about not causing harm or not stealing, but rather living in a way that is compassionate, kind, is for the benefit of all beings, and works to end suffering wherever we find it. This is a powerful foundation we can all access through effort and mindfulness. Recorded July 22, 2021 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.

Jul 19, 2021

Right Speech can also be considered Right Communication. How we show up in the world and communicate with others is so important and critical in moving on this path toward liberation for ourselves, and all beings. Mary discusses the Buddha's teaching on this factor as well as offering an invitation to look at all the ways we communicate. Shout out to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Recorded July 17, 2021 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.

Jul 12, 2021

Continuing the series on The Eightfold Path, Mary discusses Right Intention and the three components: Renunciation, Good Will and Harmlessness. This factor works to break up the defilements of greed and aversion and helps us move into harmony with the world. Recorded July 10, 2021 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.

Jul 6, 2021

The Eightfold Path is the Buddha's the path to end suffering. In this video Mary discusses Right View, the first factor in the path. Right View allows us to move away from ignorance - seeing where we've been snagged by delusion - and into clarity and wisdom. First talk in the series. Recorded July 3, 2021 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.

Jun 28, 2021

In this Lovingkindness, or Metta, meditation, Mary guides us in finding the phrases that are meaningful to us. Metta is a powerful practice to soften our hearts both to ourselves and to all beings. Recorded May 29, 2021 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.

Jun 22, 2021

Along with the Impermanence (Anicca) and Suffering (Dukkha), the teaching of Anatta or non-self is one of the Three Characteristics of Existence taught by the Buddha. In this talk Mary discusses what this actually means and how to work with it in daily life. Recorded June 17, 2021 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.

Jun 14, 2021

Ancient teachers in the Theravada tradition collected four meditation subjects which the Buddha taught that they considered to be protective and worthy of dedicated practice. Drawing on work by Bhikkhu Bodhi, Mary discusses these four subjects (Mindfulness of the Buddha, Lovingkindness, 32 Parts of the Body and Death Meditation) and talks about how the protection they offer is a deep grounding in practice which offers a firm foundation from which to greet the world. Recorded June 12, 2021 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.

Jun 7, 2021

This short talk is a reflection on how we can see the dharma everywhere if we keep our eyes and ears open. It is so easy to keep ourselves and others separated into different containers when in reality we share more than we think. The invitation is, as always, to pay attention. Recorded June 3, 2021 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.

May 31, 2021

As the pandemic restrictions ease we are either looking for a return to normalcy or expecting a new way of life. Each of these ideas indicates an arrival and an attachment to the way it's supposed to be. Instead, we are asked to recognize that we are always in transition - beginnings and endings are happening all the time and the only place to be is right here, fully present. Recorded May 29, 2021 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.

May 24, 2021

Delusion, not seeing clearly, is something we find everywhere, both in our personal lives and at the collective and national level. Sometimes it is recognizable, but often it's subtle and we don't even notice how pervasive it is. Along with greed and aversion, delusion can cause so much harm and suffering that we must investigate what we see, hear and believe with mindfulness and the intention to be present with the way things actually are. The road to freedom lies this way. Recorded May 20, 2021 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.

May 17, 2021

The ease with which humans create identities around self and other makes it challenging to recognize our shared humanity and live in harmony. Listening to the news on any day will prove this point. The Buddha, however, gave us teachings and practices which enable us to be in wise and kind relationship with each other if we make the effort. Mary talks about the ethical practices of wise speech and wise action which have impact both for ourselves and for the world. This is truly the path to liberation for all beings. With gratitude to Gregory Kramer and Rhonda Magee for their work in this area. Recorded May 13, 2021 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.

May 11, 2021

The Buddha was very clear in talking about how we allow small misperceptions to blossom into full blown delusions which cause harm to ourselves and others and continue the cycle of suffering. In this talk Mary discusses the extremely relevant Vipallasa Sutta which talks about how ignorance grows and how it is eliminated, both for ourselves and for the world. Recorded May 8, 2021 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.

May 3, 2021

Sometimes our humanity just smacks us right in the face and there is no getting around the fact that life can be messy and there are no secret ways out of feeling. The world continues to rage and dance around us as we make our way the best we can, finding joy where it lays. Making friends with mortality is a good way to find peace in this moment. Recorded May 1, 2021 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.

Apr 27, 2021

Energy or effort is an important part of the path to awakening. Our practice is not simply sitting back and waiting for something to happen; instead we bring a wise energy and effort to guide the heart-mind to wise and compassionate action. In this talk Mary discusses energy (viriya) as a paramita, part of the Eightfold Path and one of the Awakening Factors. This talk was offered at the Insight Community of the Desert . Recorded April 25, 2021 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.

Apr 20, 2021

The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta is called the direct path to realization, or in other words, the path to awakening. These important instructions are all about developing our mindfulness practice and cultivating wisdom and insight. In this talk, Mary discusses the teachings from a Satipaṭṭhāna retreat she did with Bhikkhu Anālayo, one of the foremost experts on the text and the practice. This is a practical way to establish mindfulness and move towards freedom. Recorded April 17, 2021 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.

Apr 8, 2021

Mindfulness is not about striving or getting things done. Instead, the practice is about a relaxed receptivity which allows a more spacious and embodied awareness. In this talk Mary discusses how to open into awareness and clear knowing. Props to Bhikkhu Anālayo and his book, Satipatthāna Meditation: A Practice Guide , for some wisdom on this practice. Recorded April 1, 2021 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.

Mar 30, 2021

The idea of a Bodhisattva runs throughout Buddhist scriptures and tradition. It means "destined for Buddhahood" and also means one who is dedicated to the spiritual path. It is especially powerful when it denotes someone who works to end suffering for all beings. The invitation to be a Bodhisattva is open to everyone and is especially important in our world today where there is so much harm. In this talk Mary discusses the idea of a Bodhisattva and invites each of us to examine how we can bring the idea into our daily lives. Recorded March 27, 2021 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.

Mar 22, 2021

To pause is such a little thing, a breath, a count to ten, yet it can mean a world of difference. We're so wound up in our habits, reactions and even being productive, that pausing is a challenging practice. Mindfulness offers us a way to pause and to find a path to freedom. A path away from reaction and towards wisdom. Recorded March 20, 2021 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.

Mar 15, 2021

In several suttas the Buddha mentions the 37 qualities needed to move toward freedom and enlightenment. In this talk Mary discusses these qualities and important ethical living and mindfulness are to finding liberation. Recorded March 11, 2021 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.

Mar 1, 2021

Blame and shame are two items we're all pretty familiar with these days - they seem to be everywhere. What did the Buddha have to say about them, if anything, and how do we let go? Mary discusses the Buddha's teachings on blame and shame and answers a question on where resentment falls into this conversation. Recorded Feb 27, 2021 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 22, 2021

When your eyes and ears are open, the lessons of the dharma can be found everywhere. In this talk, Mary offers several examples, ranging from Bob Marley to Aristotle to James Baldwin, of how our practice can be supported simply by paying attention. Recorded Feb 20 2021 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 15, 2021

The Buddha talks about the fetters which are what bind us to Samsara and a cycle of suffering and discontent. There are three fetters, self-illusion, doubt, and attachment to rites and rituals that are the first three we should examine to move towards liberation. Mary discusses these fetters and how they can show up in our lives and how to let go and move towards 'stream-entry'. Recorded Feb 11, 2021 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 8, 2021

We're living through a time of continuing change and challenge. It's easy to become overwhelmed by it all which makes it doubly important to pause and be present for the joy that exists in all of our lives. Mary talks about taking to time to find that joy that occurs when we allow the mind to quiet. She also discusses the steps we can take to cultivate joy in our lives. Recorded Feb 6, 2021 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 1, 2021

The wonderful story of Milarepa and his cave full of demons is emblematic of how we can move through the world and of our spiritual path. It's also a story of cultivating wisdom and learning how to be at peace with even the most difficult and scary experiences. In this talk Mary offers an invitation to discover and make peace with your demons. Recorded January 30, 2021 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.

Jan 25, 2021

In the Rajan Sutta (Ud 5.1), the Buddha invites us to acknowledge that just as we find no one dearer than ourselves, we should recognize that others feel the same and so we should not hurt others if we love ourselves. It's a wonderful sentiment, but often difficult find a way to hold ourselves with love and esteem. Mary discusses how we can we can get bogged down with ideas that we're not worthy, and how to find a way to self love and love of others. Recorded Jan 21, 2021 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.

Jan 19, 2021

For our entire lives we have been told who to be, how to behave and what to believe. This conditioning sets us up for suffering and being disconnected from our hearts and the sacred. Reconnection begins with mindfulness and the willingness to turn toward our experience and this is the path to liberation. This was a dharma talk offered at the 6th Annual Womxn's Retreat. Recorded Jan. 15, 2021 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.

Jan 12, 2021

We spend a lot of time attaching importance to particular dates or moments believing that our lives or circumstances will change when something finally happens. This leads to a sense of striving both in our practice and how we move through the world. In this talk, Mary discusses how let go and arrive in the present. It's easy to get distracted and caught up in the habits of the mind, but we can begin again with each breath and in each moment. There is nowhere else, but right here. Recorded Jan. 9, 2021 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.

Jan 4, 2021

In order to be fully present and open we have to learn to be receptive rather than reactive. Because of our conditioning we're not aware of how reactive and stuck in habits we can be. Mary talks about how shifting to a more receptive and open way of being with our experience fosters our ability to stay present which allows us to see more clearly and let go of those things that keep us stuck in samsara. Recorded on Dec. 26, 2020 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.

Dec 29, 2020

The idea of experiencing darkness in our spiritual practice is an old one and often means facing difficulties or challenges. Although we're tempted to avoid this discomfort, the invitation is to stay with the richness that the darkness offers. There is dark and there is light and we can't have one without the other. Recorded Dec 17, 2020 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.

Dec 21, 2020

In this teaching the Buddha invites us to investigate what it is like when suffering is not present. It doesn't mean there are no challenges or difficulties, but these seven factors offer a way to let go of clinging and release into joy, calm, steadiness of mind and equanimity. This is a very important and relevant teaching for our world today. Recorded Dec. 12, 2020 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.

Dec 14, 2020

One of the biggest barriers to our practice is ill-will or anger and resentment and the antidote is loving kindness. It is vital to our practice and also necessary as we cultivate care and concern for all beings. Without loving kindness, or metta, it is very easy to dehumanize others and get entangled in the web of greed, hatred and ignorance. The Buddha placed a great emphasis on this and Mary talks about why it is so important and how we can bring more of it into our lives, for the benefit of all beings. Recorded Dec. 5, 2020 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.

Dec 7, 2020

There is so much in our world to be heartbroken about today. Heartbreak can sometimes lead to anger however this practice invites us to be with the heartbreak and instead move into Wisdom and Compassion. Using the legend of the Shambhala warrior, Mary talks about using these two tools as a foundation for equanimity and realizing that they offer a powerful path for liberation. 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.

Nov 30, 2020

This moment in 2020 can feel very chaotic and full of fear, and we can become trapped in the search for certainty. However, that chase for assurances that things will turn out the way we want is empty and unfulfilling. This practice offers us a way to sit with the uncertainty that exists and even to find joy and beauty in the moment. Included is a recording of US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo performing her poem, How to Get Rid of Fear Recorded Nov 21, 2020, 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.

Nov 23, 2020

We often hear about how the practice allows us to experience a sense of spaciousness, but what does that mean and how do we get there? It's actually helpful to examine how we tend to be constricted and fearful. Mary discusses how we can bring mindfulness and cultivate awareness in a way to let go of our small, fixed and constricted habits and ideas, and move into a more spacious, calm and peaceful experience. Recorded Nov 14, 2020 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.

Nov 16, 2020

Oftentimes when we think we're being strong we're actually defending ourselves or shutting down. The pseudo-strength comes from our armor which is really a type of aversion. In this teaching, originally offered by Roshi Joan Halifax, we're invited to soften to our experiences with compassion yet keep a strong back of equanimity. Mary invites us to be vulnerable, yet move through the world with integrity and strength. Recorded Nov. 7, 2020 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.

Nov 9, 2020

Equanimity is the culmination of many Buddhist lists and is a place of wisdom, clarity and and deep intimacy with our own experience. In this talk Mary discusses what equanimity is and isn't and how to cultivate it in your life. Equanimity is something we all could use as we navigate the world today. Recorded Oct. 29, 2020 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.

Nov 2, 2020

So many of our thoughts and emotions are habitual and not necessarily tied to what is happening in the present moment. The Buddha talked about this conditioning and the need to let go of the habits and cultivate an awareness of right now. But how do we let go of something that is so familiar and comfortable? Mary discusses how to spot these habitual patterns and ways to let them go. Recorded Oct. 24, 2020 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.

Oct 26, 2020

The Buddha said that admirable friendship is the whole of the holy life. Friendship, connection and community are always important, but seemingly even more so as we move through this world of pandemic, uprisings, zoom and social media. Mary discusses how we can cultivate friendship and community in order to maintain the all-important sense of connection. Recorded Oct 15, 2020 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.

Oct 19, 2020

The Four Passing Sights, also known as the Four Messengers is a famous story about Siddhartha Guatama and when he first encounters the reality of life and suffering. These were catalysts for him to leave his comfortable home and go forth to search for the end of suffering. In this talk Mary discusses how this story can jolt us into an awareness of our own denial of suffering and serve as a "call to an ethical life" (Bhikkhu Analayo). It's especially important right now as we deal with the suffering of the pandemic and our world today. Recorded Oct. 10, 2020 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.

Oct 11, 2020

Even during a global pandemic there seems to be so much that needs to be done. It's easy to be caught up in the need to fix or take care of or just do something. Many times we feel uneasy about taking time to nourish ourselves, but it's imperative that we do so. Mary talks about how we get caught up in doing, and how to go let go and take care of ourselves in a wise way. Recorded Oct. 1, 2020 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.

Oct 5, 2020

In the Satipatthana Sutta, the Budda's teaching on mindfulness, he offers a way to develop insight and awareness. The practice is not just about when we're sitting on the 'cushion' but about being aware all the time. The monk Sayadaw U Tejaniya invites us to practice "from the moment we wake up until the moment we fall asleep." In this talk, Mary discusses the foundations of mindfulness which allow us to develop a way to be aware as much as possible and to tend to whatever arises, whether pleasant or not. This practice allows us to feel all the feels without checking out. Recorded Sept. 26, 2020 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 28, 2020

Life is challenging for all of us especially right now, and our natural go-to is not always kindness and compassion. However, responding to rage, fear and other emotions with kindness and compassion is important and should frame how we move through each moment. Mary discusses what this looks like, why it's important and what gets in our way. Recorded Sept. 19, 2020 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 20, 2020

The Paramis (paramitas) are ten qualities said to be necessary for awakening. However, they can also serve as a framework as we maneuver the highs and lows of our daily lives. Sylvia Boorstein describes these as the "natural inclination of the heart" and a path of kindness. The Paramis: generosity, integrity, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, determination, lovingkindness, equanimity. Recorded Sept 12, 2020 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 13, 2020

It's so easy to be caught up in our thoughts, emotions and everything that's going on in the world today. We can become reactive and operate from our fixed views and preconceived ideas rather than seeing clearly what is actually going on. This practice of Beginner's MInd and asking "What is this?" gives us an opportunity to slow down the thinking mind and come into direct experience with what is actually happening. It's a beneficial practice we can use today and which offers a path to equanimity. Recorded Sept 6, 2020 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 30, 2020

Another challenging week in our world with loss, violence and moments of joy. How do these teachings help us to hold all the emotions yet also move forward with what Roshi Joan Halifax calls 'wise hope' which enables us to transform suffering? Recorded August 29, 2020 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 26, 2020

The term 'skillful means' ( upaya ) is used a lot in Buddhist circles, but what does it mean and how do we utilize the teachings to move through out lives? Mary discusses upaya as a way to move away from suffering or dukkha in this moment and how we find these skillful means in our own lives. Recorded August 22, 2020 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 16, 2020

It's nice to think that we follow the precepts because we want to be in harmony with the world, but often times it takes remorse and fear of repercussions to dig us out of our old conditioning. The Buddha's teaching on Hiri and Otappa offers us a way to utilize these feelings and emotions to move towards a more easygoing and embodied relationship with the precepts. Recorded August 15, 2020 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 16, 2020

The Buddha said, "Impermanent are conditioned things," but that has not stopped humans from thinking things are solid and permanent. Using the book The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor as a jumping off point, Mary discusses the great suffering we have all experienced ourselves and caused others by holding on to concepts about size, race, gender, sexual orientation, ability and mental health. We've been deluded into thinking there is a default that is best and we other people based on these ideas. Breaking out of the conditioning is the path to liberation. "Their subsiding is bliss." Recorded August 8, 2020 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 4, 2020

The Buddha often ended a teaching with the sentence, "This is how you should train yourself," and training the mind is a common phrase. How does one actually do that and what does it look like on and off the cushion? Mary discusses training the mind to let go of its conditioning and its importance in the journey towards liberation. Recorded Aug 1, 2020 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 3, 2020

In Buddhist teachings impermanence is one of the three characteristics of existence. We're often aware of this especially when things end that we're attached to. However, change sometimes does not come soon enough and we suffer because of that. Mary discusses how to see the process of impermanence at the micro and macro levels and let go of attachment or aversion to change. Recorded July 25, 2020 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.

Jul 20, 2020

This talk was part of the Wise Action Series offered by the San Francisco Dharma Collective . In the Eightfold Path Wise Action and Sila are the Buddha’s prescription for moving through the world without causing harm and for ending suffering where we find it. This practice of integrity is as important today as it was 2,600 years ago and can serve as a solid foundation as we face a world where greed, hatred and delusion are running rampant. Mary speaks about her experience standing firm in the Dharma while addressing social and economic injustice. The Wise Action series asked the questions: How do we, as practitioners, meet this unprecedented moment in time? What does the dharma tell us? What is the balance between our inner work and outer work? Between speech and action? Between individual and communal response? 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.

Jul 20, 2020

The practice of insight allows us to become more intimate with ourselves and our emotions. However it's difficult to cultivate this intimacy if we don't also cultivate kindness and gentleness. Mary talks about what that might look like and how to do it. It's important at any time, but so much more important during these challenging times. Recorded June 16, 2020 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.

Jul 14, 2020

Oftentimes the Buddha's teaching is misunderstood as 'Life is Suffering' which is very far from the truth. Wanting things to be pleasant all the time can lead to dissatisfaction, but we have to realize that there are pleasant experiences in life. It's when we cling to these we suffer. This talk investigates to Buddha's admonition to recognize there is gratification in sensual pleasure, and also realize the danger in getting attached and how to escape. Recorded July 11, 2020 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.

Jul 4, 2020

Using the book, The First Free Women: Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns by Matty Weingast, Mary talks about how relevant their words are for our practice today. There is also conversation about the state of full Bhikkhuni ordination today. Recorded June 27, 2020 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.

Jun 29, 2020

The practice is all about staying present and aware so we can see clearly what our experience is at any time. With our emotions so close to the surface much of the time it's important to know where we are. This dharma talk, part of a half day retreat, is about how we develop our our mindfulness and ability to be with what is, with kindness and without judgement. Recorded June 27, 2020 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.

Jun 14, 2020

Equanimity, or equipoise, is that place where we can hold all the world has to offer without being overwhelmed or lost in craving. The teachings on mindfulness offer a path to equanimity and we can respond to the challenges we face each day without a need for it to be different. There is so much grief and heartbreak right now and this practice helps us be open to both the deepest pain and the greatest joy with a wise and compassionate heart. Recorded June 13, 2020 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.

Jun 5, 2020

Lama Rod Owens speaks about the need to find something to hold you so you feel safe enough to let your heart crack open. In this podcast Mary talks about being held by the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha - taking refuge - as a way to hold our pain, grief and joy and to find connection. Recorded June 6, 2020 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.

May 25, 2020

Joy is a natural occurrence when our hearts are awake, but much of the time we need to take the time to look for it or even allow ourselves to feel it, especially when going through difficult and challenging times. In this talk Mary discusses the importance of joy in our lives and how to find it even during a global pandemic. Recorded May 23, 2020 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.

May 18, 2020

The Buddha's teaching on Ehipassiko or see for yourself what leads to calm and what leads to suffering is as important today as it was 2600 years ago. There is so much chatter and so many talking heads spewing so-called facts that we need a path through the mess. The Buddha's teaching offers a way of discernment and wisdom. Recorded May 16, 2020 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.

May 10, 2020

The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought the inequities of our culture into stark relief. How do we hold the powerful emotions that show up when we're face to face with the greed, hatred and ignorance that seem to be everywhere? Mary also discusses the idea of Engaged Buddhism and how our practice invites us to take action to end the greed, hatred and ignorance where we see it and to end suffering for all beings. Recorded May 7, 2020 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.

May 4, 2020

Guarding the Sense Doors is a teaching that is so important right now. Taking care of what we consume, not just the food we eat, but through our reading, watching, listening and even noticing how we speak to ourselves. Paying attention and tending to this consumption with care is important to get to a place of balance in this day-to-day world - pandemic or not. Recorded May 2, 2020 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.

Apr 27, 2020

Mary revisits Rick Hanson's teaching on Wise Effort. How do we abandon unskillful thoughts and cultivate those that are more beneficial? It's so easy to get lost in thoughts about tomorrow or yesterday without even being aware of it. This talk offers pragmatic ways to impact our thoughts and let go of what does not serve which is especially helpful as we continue to move through extremely challenging times. Recorded April 25, 2020 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.

Apr 20, 2020

Deep practice in Insight Meditation brings us to to a kind and compassionate heart. Sometimes, however, we need to develop these practices more intentionally in order to find kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity in our daily lives. Paying special attention to the heart will cultivate the tenderness we need, especially in dealing with our experiences during these challenging times. Recorded April 18, 2020 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.

Apr 13, 2020

It's so easy to shut down during this time as we navigate some big unknowns. Our old habits can come back and we let the armor build up. However, there is a way to keep our hearts open and willing to be intimate with our experience no matter how difficult or unpleasant. Mary talks about normal reactions to a pandemic and how to move through them with compassion and kindness. Recorded April 11, 2020 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.

Apr 7, 2020

In this time of groundlessness it's important to see how sometimes being stuck in fixed views and the way things SHOULD be intensifies our stress or discomfort. Mary discusses how we get stuck in these views, how to identify them, and how we can let go. This podcast includes group sharing at the end. Recorded April 4, 2020 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.

Mar 30, 2020

This meditation is an invitation to find a solid base and to rest in the present moment regardless of what arises and passes. Recorded March 28, 2020 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.

Mar 30, 2020

The Buddha's teaching on the Eight Worldly Winds describes situations we experience regularly as human beings. This teaching is especially helpful today as we navigate a constantly shifting ground beneath our feet. Recorded March 28, 2020 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.

Mar 25, 2020

In the midst of a global pandemic, our minds could be working overtime on things that are not very beneficial. This propensity for the mind to run off in a million directions, or focus on one not so useful thought is nothing new and the Buddha offered a path of practice to address this proliferation of thought. Mary discusses ways to take care of ourselves and tend to the mind during this difficult time. Recorded March 21, 2020 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.

Mar 17, 2020

Everything is changing practically minute by minute and we're dealing with all the emotions that dealing with the unknown and uncertainty brings up. Why wouldn't fear show up right now? Acknowledging it with love is a way not to become overwhelmed. Mary discusses this and offers Tonglen practice as a way to take care of yourself in the moment. Recorded March 14, 2020 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.

Mar 9, 2020

Ajahn Chah was a monk in the Thai Forest Tradition and a wise teacher to many. His wisdom resonates as much today and is as relevant as it was in the last century. In this talk Mary cites many of his teachings as a guide to navigating today's challenging environment. Recorded March 7, 2020 in Los Angeles 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 25, 2020

With gratitude to Tina Turner, Larry Yang, and the Metta Sutta, Mary discusses the importance of love as the foundation for our relationship to ourselves and to all others. Cultivation of kindness and vulnerability is a path to liberation and a base of great power for how we show up in the world. Recorded Feb 22, 2020 in Los Angeles 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 17, 2020

Life can be so fragile but we can easily lose sight of that. The Five Remembrances give us a way to attune to this fragility yet not be overwhelmed by it. These reflections on aging, sickness and death as offered by the Buddha offer a freedom from the suffering attached to the human condition. Recorded Feb 6, 2020 in Los Angeles 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 4, 2020

All of us feel discomfort at some point and to greater and lesser degrees. We may call it fear, anxiety, something else or simply dukkha . How we deal with it is what is important and the practice of RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) is an excellent tool to practice being with our most difficult experiences without being overwhelmed. Mary discusses this practice as part of our journey towards being present with what is. Recorded on Feb. 2, 2020 in Los Angeles 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.

Jan 27, 2020

One of the basic teachings of Buddhism, the Eightfold Path is not only the path to awakening and the end of suffering, but it also provides a foundation in this world of constant change and impermanence. In this talk, Mary discusses how the Path is a place of refuge and of power enabling us to live in harmony with the world. Recorded Jan 25, 2020 in Los Angeles 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.

Jan 16, 2020

In this first class of 2020 Mary revisits the Buddha's teaching on intention and how powerful it is in shaping our lives on a path towards freedom. Additionally she speaks about the book My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem, an investigation of racialized trauma and body-centered psychology. Although not Buddhist, it is aligned with the need to connect and be with our deepest experience. Recorded Jan 4, 2020 in Los Angeles 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.

Dec 26, 2019

Taking time away from our daily activities is an important way to take care of ourselves. When we couple this with meditation practice, it can support the cultivation of wisdom and seeing clearly our relation to the world. Whether we can attend a residential retreat, or simply keep up with a consistent meditation practice, this time we take is extremely important and extremely beneficial. Recorded in Los Angeles on Dec 21, 2019 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.

Dec 19, 2019

The Satipatthana Sutta is the Buddha's teaching on mindfulness and is called the direct path of realization. In this brief overview, Mary discusses each of the foundations and how they flow so beautifully into each other and yet are each so important on their own. 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.

Dec 7, 2019

Along with wisdom, compassion is considered to be one of the Wings of Awakening. Although offering compassion for ourselves and others can be an extremely difficult undertaking, it is so necessary for living a balanced life. Cultivating compassion is the work of connection to all beings. Recorded on Nov 30, 2019 in Los Angeles. 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.

Nov 30, 2019

Gratitude can be considered a heart practice and worthy of cultivation. We often let the judging, comparing mind take over and we leave gratitude behind, but it is one of the most powerful ways to stay connected to the present and to our humanity. Recorded on Nov. 23, 2019 in Los Angeles 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.

Nov 24, 2019

Renunciation is a fancy way to say 'let go'. In this talk Mary uses Phillip Moffitt's teaching on self-restraint to show how it's a different way to practice renunciation and letting go. Stop being the star of your own movie is one of these ways. Recorded Nov 16, 2019 in Los Angeles 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.

Nov 16, 2019

Taking care of ourselves means paying attention to where we ignore ourselves or gloss over our discomfort and dissatisfaction. Lovingkindness, compassion and being willing to change our perspective on our lives is important and the Buddha's teachings support us all the way. Loving ourselves is a radical act. Recorded Nov 9, 2019 in Los Angeles. 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.

Nov 8, 2019

It's often said that we experience 10,000 joys and sorrows throughout our lifetime. How do we stay balanced as our lives unfold and not be taken over by the sorrows or miss the joys? Recorded Oct 26, 2019 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.

Nov 2, 2019

FROM THE ARCHIVES : Based on Stephen Batchelor's writings in After Buddhism , Mary investigates and discusses what emptiness means and how we can relate to the concept in our lives. Recorded in Los Angeles on Nov 7, 2015 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.

Oct 29, 2019

The Buddha taught not to chase after the past or place expectations on the future but that's often where we end up when we're trapped in an unexamined mind. He says to nourish the present in order to break the trance of tomorrow and yesterday. This talk discusses how we might become trapped and how to break out of the cycle of past and future and stay attuned to the present. Recorded October 12, 2019 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.

Oct 18, 2019

Mary discusses Rick Hanson's chapter in Buddha's Brain on Letting in the Good. This is how we can discover and cultivate beneficial qualities while letting go of the non-beneficial qualities that do not serve at all. This is held in the context of the Four Efforts and also brings ideas from neuroscience that support this cultivation. Recorded at Against the Stream March 27, 2017, in Los Angeles. 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.

Oct 12, 2019

Greed, hatred, delusion, the hindrances and so many other unskillful and harmful behaviors can be grouped under ignorance. Inspired by Arinna Weisman, Mary talks about the beautiful qualities the Buddha offered us as an antidote to these and their timeliness in today's world. Recorded Oct. 5, 2019 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.

Oct 5, 2019

This is a set of phrases we commonly use, especially when doing walking meditation or to build our concentration. In this talk, Mary takes a closer look at these phrases and what they mean in our daily lives. Recorded Sept 28, 2019 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 27, 2019

"Hatred never ceases through hatred, only through love. This is the eternal law." The Buddha offered us this teaching thousands of years ago and it is as timely now as it ever was. Leading with the heart is a way we make sure we keep the focus on love and avoid slipping off into hatred. Recorded Sept. 21, 2019 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 20, 2019

Cultivating wisdom allows us to see more clearly what is beneficial or not in our actions. Setting an intention or aspiration helps us act more skillfully and wisely and in alignment with our values. Mary discusses how we do this in our daily lives. Recorded Sept 5, 2019 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 13, 2019

The Paramis are a lovely teaching on ten qualities that are suggested we develop in order to become enlightened. They are accessible to everyone and can be practiced in our daily lives. Sylvia Boorstein calls these perfections of the heart, "the Buddhist path of kindness". Recorded Aug. 31, 2019 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 6, 2019

Pema Chodron says that much of our discomfort stems from our need to be okay all the time and our 'resistance to the fundamental uncertainty of our situation." How do we come to terms with our shifting experience and let go of the need to have everything figured out? Mary talks about working with this fluidity and holding it with ease. Recorded Aug. 24, 2019 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 30, 2019

Celebrating the 11th anniversary of teaching this class, Mary talks about her life and her dharma journey. She also weaves in Joanna Macy's teaching on the Shambhala Prophecy which says we must cultivate wisdom and compassion as we move through the world. Recorded on Aug 10, 2019 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 25, 2019

Spiritual Bypass is a term which means using our practice to avoid actually doing the work. It's a common defense mechanism or distraction that is important to recognize and let go of. Are you spiritually bypassing? Recorded 8/1/2019 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 13, 2019

We yearn to get to a place where everything is good and we have it all figured out. Unfortunately if that place exists, it will surely change. In this talk, Mary discusses William Bridges' book, "The Way of Transition" and how it offers another view of the core Buddhist teaching of impermanence (without being a Buddhist book) and how understanding this truth will lead to equanimity. Recorded July 27, 2019 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 2, 2019

The Hindrances are described as five obstacles that overwhelm awareness and cloud the mind. Most of us are familiar with craving, aversion, restlessness, dullness and doubt during meditation, but they show up everywhere. How do we recognize them in our daily lives and how do we let them go? Recorded July 20, 2019 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.

Jul 26, 2019

The Buddha invited us to find our own way with the teachings and not believe it just because we hear it or read it. However, this is not just an invitation to do as we please but ask us to ground our investigation in practice, integrity and effort in order to know deeply whether our experience and action will lead towards or away from suffering. Recorded July 13, 2019 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.

Jul 11, 2019

When we finally let go, we have the chance to just be. What does that mean and how do we get there? "There's nowhere to go; there's nothing to do; there's no one to be." Recorded July 6, 2019 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.

Jun 27, 2019

Not many of us are interested in facing our demons. In fact, we've developed all kinds of ways to distract ourselves from what is really going on. Unfortunately, the longer we ignore them, the longer they hang around. The Buddha offers us a way to turn towards what makes us uncomfortable and make peace with what scares us. Recorded June 13, 2019 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.

Jun 22, 2019

The Buddha described how a deep foundation of integrity can serve us on our path to liberation. Hiri and Otappa are the guardians of this integrity and Mary discusses what they are and how we cultivate them. Hiri safeguards our personal integrity and Otappa guides us as we interact with the world. Recorded June 1, 2019 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.

Jun 14, 2019

The eight worldly winds come and go and impact everyone. Pleasure, pain, gain, loss, praise, blame, fame and disgrace are things we're all familiar with, but our tendency is to hold on to the pleasant ones and work very hard not to experience the unpleasant.The Buddha says that the wise know how to hold each of these without getting bowled over and Mary discusses how to be with whatever arises. Recorded June 6, 2019 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.

Jun 2, 2019

Our lives move from one thing to the next so quickly sometimes and slowly at others. Being with our experience is what the Buddha's teachings are all about. In this talk, Mary talks about all the things arising in the week: Brené Brown, Nonviolence, Intuitive Awareness and the Four Noble Truths among other things. Right now, it's like this. Recorded May 23, 2019 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.

May 23, 2019

People often think that desire is a dirty word in Buddhism, but the teachings point to two distinct types of desire. Tanha is the desire that leads to craving. Chanda is the wholesome desire that leads to contentment and well-being. Mary discusses the difference between the two in this dharma talk. Recorded May 11, 2019 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.

May 7, 2019

Letting go is an important teaching because the Buddha said that clinging is suffering. Sounds simple but how do we do it? How do we identify where we cling, and what are the steps to let go? Mary discusses what that might look like in this podcast. Recorded May 2, 2019 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.

May 7, 2019

How do we see clearly and stay present with our direct experience? How do we know what is real and what is fabrication? How do we live as though the truth were true? Mary examines these questions and what the Buddha taught about being present for reality. Recorded April 20, 2019 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.

May 3, 2019

Our entire experience is lived through our senses and often we don't pay attention to what we're taking in. The Buddha advises us to guard the sense doors in order to be clear in how we interact with the world. This mindfulness leads to greater equanimity and a wise relationship to our surroundings. It's especially important in this day of influencers and subtle propaganda. Recorded April 27, 2019 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.

Apr 26, 2019

Recorded in February 2013, this is the first dharma talk in the Undefended Heart series. 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.

Apr 26, 2019

The idea of what it means to be a Buddhist can be very rigid and not actually related to what the Buddha taught. Mary discusses letting go of this rigidity and using the Buddha's teachings to connect with our direct experience to move through the world in a wise and compassionate way. Recorded March 28, 2019 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.

Apr 18, 2019

Each of the heart practices, lovingkindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity, have a what is called a near enemy. These are emotions or experiences that seem like they are the heart practices, but are neither beneficial or skillful. Mary discusses these and how to let these near, and far, enemies go. Recorded April 11, 2019 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.

Apr 11, 2019

The Buddha said that hatred never ceases through hatred, but only through love. But this is so much easier said than done. This talk examines what keeps us from experiencing this love for ourselves and others and how we cultivate it in a challenging world. Recorded on April 4, 2019. 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.

Apr 5, 2019

The defilements are anything the clouds our mind and keeps us from being present with what actually is. Mary discusses how to work with these negative mind states. Recorded on March 16, 2019 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.

Mar 26, 2019

Our world can seem upside down at times. In this talk Mary discusses how to hold the reality of what's going on. We can come to it both from a place of love, and a place of engagement. Recorded March 23, 2019 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.

Mar 15, 2019

Mary discusses gratitude, what the Buddha has to say about it and how, perhaps, gratitude and grumbling cannot exist at the same time. Gratitude is an anchor to the present time. Recorded Nov 24, 2018 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.

Mar 7, 2019

How do we taste the freedom of letting go of craving and aversion in this moment? Recorded at Against the Stream on Dec. 23, 2015. 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.

Mar 2, 2019

Reconnecting with our bodies is an important part of our practice.The Buddha said, “Within this fathom-long body and mind is found all of the teachings" yet we are so disconnected from our physical experience that we miss out on so much. How do we reconnect? Recorded Jan. 19, 2019. 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 25, 2019

A discussion of the concept of Faith in Buddhist teachings and how it forms part of the the Five Spiritual Faculties. Recorded Feb 23, 2019 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 19, 2019

We are conditioned by our families, friends, culture and society from the moment we are born and this conditioning is the cause of much suffering. Based on the Buddha's teachings of conditioning, Mary discusses how we can see our conditioning and begin to let it go. Recorded Feb 16, 2019. 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 14, 2019

Mary discusses the 8th and final factor of the Eightfold Path. Recorded Dec 22, 2018. 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.

Jan 30, 2019

A discussion focusing on the Buddha's teaching on mindfulness: the Satipatthana Sutta. Recorded in Los Angeles on Dec 10, 2018. 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.

Jan 30, 2019

Mary discusses the Buddha's instructions that we should be kind to all beings, omitting none. Recorded at Against the Stream on Dec 27, 2017. 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.

Jan 16, 2019

Based on the James Baraz book of the same name, Mary talks about how we can cultivate joy into our lives, regardless of our circumstances. Joy is one of the seven factors of awakening and and important part of our freedom from suffering. Recorded Jan 10, 2019 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.

Jan 10, 2019

Letting go of thoughts that don't serve us and cultivating beneficial ones are key pieces of finding freedom from our conditioning. Recorded Dec 8, 2018. 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.

Jan 3, 2019

Intentions are not resolutions which often have a harsh edge and are tied to achievement. When we set intentions we need to make sure we see clearly how they will be of benefit to ourselves and others, and to hold them with kindness and compassion. Recorded Jan 3, 2018, at Against the Stream in Los Angeles. 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.

Dec 29, 2018

This factor is foundational for how we relate to others without causing harm. Also includes a short piece on Wise Livelihood. Recorded Dec 1, 2018 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.

Dec 18, 2018

Hope and Love investigated through the lens of Buddha's teachings. Inspired by a conversation between John Legend and Bryan Stevenson. Originally recorded at Against the Stream in Los Angeles on Jan 17, 2018 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.

Dec 18, 2018

Wise speech is all about how we communicate with others in a wise and skillful manner. It's also about saying the things that need to be said, not just making nice. The beginning is cut off, but Mary is talking about the centenary of the end of the First World War which was being commemorated in the United Kingdom. Recorded Nov 17, 2018. 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.

Dec 6, 2018

Wise intention is the bridge from seeing clearly to direct action. We incline the mind towards renunciation, good will and non-harming. Recorded in Los Angeles, Oct. 27, 2018. 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.

Nov 25, 2018

We experience difficulties simply as a result of being a human being, and then there is the extra level of difficulty we create for ourselves when we get caught up in craving and aversion. The Buddha described this as shooting ourselves with a second arrow. This talk investigates how we avoid that extra level of suffering or discomfort. Originally recorded at Against the Stream in Los Angeles on Nov. 11, 2017 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.

Nov 25, 2018

Beginning the investigation of the Eightfold Path with the first factor, Wise View or Wise Understanding. The Eightfold Path is the Buddha's teaching on freedom from craving and the road to liberation. These talks will touch on the pragmatic aspects of the path: how do they work in our lives today? 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.

Nov 1, 2018

Waking up to how we have created fixed ideas around how our lives should be. These fixed views are what create so much discomfort, stress and suffering in our lives. The Buddha's teachings offer us a way out. Originally recorded at Against the Stream on July 28, 2018 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.

Nov 1, 2018

Looking at the Four Noble Truths and also Stephen Batchelor's view on seeing them as a call to action in the Fourfold Tasks. Based on his work in After Buddhism. Recorded 10/13/18. 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.

Oct 21, 2018

Cultivating the pause between reactivity and responding wisely to our experiences. Originally recorded at Against the Stream in Los Angeles in February 2018. 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.