The greatest gift is the
gift of the teachings
 
Dharma Talks given at Gaia House
2011-05-06 Freedom From Obsessinig and Rejecting 52:31
Martin Aylward
This talk uses the Buddha's model of the Middle Way to explore our tendencies to get caught either in obsessing about self, others and world, or in trying to reject and deny the same. Martin points to a creative, dynamic engagement with experience which reflects the title of the talk.
Gaia House Whole Life, Whole Practice, Nothing Left Out

2011-05-05 Beyond the Shaping of the Mind 53:07
Martin Aylward
This talk links the concerns of our life, the tendencies of our minds, and the practice of meditation. Martin explores the way our conditioning and mental attitudes colour all our perceptions, and explores how dharma practice invites us to see through our acquired mental shaping, beyond our ideas, to meet life as directly, as deeply, as freely as possible.
Gaia House Whole Life, Whole Practice, Nothing Left Out

2011-05-04 Whole Life, Whole Practice, Nothing Left Out - Opening Talk 68:05
Martin Aylward
This talk introduces a way of participating in a silent retreat that leaves room for all aspects of our life. Martin discusses some orientating reflections that run throughout the retreat, beginning with the ongoing questioning of our experience as we settle more deeply into it; 'what is happening now?'
Gaia House Whole Life, Whole Practice, Nothing Left Out

2011-04-26 Determination 45:58
Caroline Jones
This talk explores the nature and value of a wise, compassionate determination in our life and our practice.
Gaia House Work Retreat

2011-04-24 Opening Talk for the Work Retreat 29:21
Caroline Jones
Gaia House Work Retreat

2011-04-22 Ethics and Compassion 67:45
Martine Batchelor
Looking at the three trainings of ethics, meditation and wisdom and their application in daily life with the help of ethics and compassion.
Gaia House The Zen Retreat

2011-04-21 An Ordinary Person's Life 60:49
Stephen Batchelor
The story of Ch'an Master Teshan; through Ch'an (Zen) the Chinese make Buddhism their own - a similar challenge faces us in the West today; the practice of 'What is this?' is the practice of the First Noble Truth: dukkha; how Zen fits into the context of the Four Truths; the Four Truths and the Four Great Vows; the self who practices the path is neither existent nor non-existent; Layman P'ang: chopping wood and carrying water.
Gaia House The Zen Retreat

2011-04-20 Experiential Wisdom 58:49
Martine Batchelor
What should we rely on when practising? An exploration of the four reliances found in Zen texts. Also looking at the actualisation of experiential wisdom in daily life.
Gaia House The Zen Retreat

2011-04-19 Where the Mind has Nowhere to Rest 65:42
Stephen Batchelor
Hui-neng's definition of sitting meditation; the middle way as the avoiding of the 'deadends' of existence and non-existence; the Greek philosopher Pyrrho as an example of a similar attitude; Hui-ko asks Bodhidharma to 'set his mind at rest'; the infinity of things; emptiness as the unfindability of things; to question 'what is this' is the practice of such emptiness that neither affirms nor denies anything.
Gaia House The Zen Retreat

2011-04-17 Coming to Terms with Birth and Death 49:09
Stephen Batchelor
Reflections on the nature of 'religion'; the Buddha's awakening as a resolution of the questions posed by life itself; Zen as a 'direct pointing to the heart, independent of scripture'; the aim of Buddhist practice is the achievement of autonomy; towards the possibility of a 'secular religion'.
Gaia House The Zen Retreat

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