Gratitude: Entering Sacred Relationship
Tara Brach
Gratitude arises when we are in sacred relationship with life—present, open and receptive. This talk explores how central gratitude is to our physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing, and then looks at the ways we can directly gladden our minds with gratitude. We end with a guided meditation that includes sharings from the group. The audio includes a poem of blessing by John O’Donohue with a brief cut from Robert Gass – Om Namaha Shivaya (from the archives).
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Heart Meditation: Taking in the Goodness (24:08 min.)
Tara Brach
Taking in the Goodness: Rumi said, “Whenever some kindness comes to you, turn that way – toward the source of kindness.” This meditation guides us to look for the source of loving and to turn in that direction. It begins with a lovingkindness practice that spreads the image of a smile into the body, then continues with a practice of seeing the goodness of ourselves and others.
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The Honesty Challenge - Getting More Truthful with Ourselves and Our World
Tara Brach
Most of us value honesty yet are not aware of how regularly we avoid facing what’s difficult inside us, and how we are less than truthful with others. This talk explores the practice of radical self-honesty as the grounds of being more honest with others, and bringing more love and freedom to our lives.
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Meditation: Vipassana - The Practice of Seeing Clearly (18:02 min.)
Tara Brach
Vipassana, also known as insight meditation, is training in bringing a clear, mindful attention to our moment-to-moment experience. We begin by relaxing through the body and then resting attention with the breath – or some other sensory anchor – and allowing the mind to settle. Then we open to whatever is predominant or calling our attention – sensations, emotions, sounds – meeting each arising experience with a clear, kind attention. The gift of this process is discovering balance in the midst of the changing flow, and gaining deep insight into the nature of reality.
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The Gift of Self-Compassion: A Conversation with Tara Brach & Kristin Neff, PhD
Tara Brach
This conversation includes what turned Tara toward a path of compassion in her early life, the evolution of the RAIN practice to include nurturing/compassion, the spiritual dimensions of self-compassion, and the role of compassion in these current times. This was initially recorded live for those in Kristin’s membership community and includes several question/responses. For more information about Kristin’s community, visit:
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Meditation: Embodying Loving Awareness (19:39 min.)
Tara Brach
Love is often abstract, and not fully alive. In this practice, with the supportive image and felt sense of a smile, we are guided to awaken loving in our body, mind and whole being.
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Becoming Bodhisattvas in a Troubled World
Tara Brach
Thich Nhat Hanh said “no mud, no lotus.” How might anger, hatred and delusion—the mud of these times-- give rise to a growing compassion and wisdom in our world? In this talk we look directly at the angst surrounding the US elections, and explore several powerful teachings and practices that can serve as the catalyst for profound transformation, an evolving of wisdom and love, in our collective consciousness.
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Guided Meditation: Remembering Your Spiritual Heart
Tara Brach
During times of great collective stress, it’s common to get gripped by waves of anxiety and fear. This guided meditation, an adaptation of the Tibetan tonglen practice, helps us reconnect with our spiritual heart, the sea of love and light that can hold even the most painful waves in our lives.
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Cultivating a Courageous Heart - Part 2
Tara Brach
In the face of violence, hatred and loss, how do we handle the reactivity we feel? Our own anger, hatred and fear? These two talks offer guidance and practice in letting our own vulnerability be a portal to responding—to ourselves, each other and our world-- with courageous, wise hearts.
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Meditation: Living Loving Awareness (20 min.)
Tara Brach
By bringing our full attention to the aliveness in the body, we can open to the experience of interior space and the space that includes all sensations and sounds. This then allows us to perceive continuous space filled with the light of awareness. This meditation attunes us to these dimensions of awareness: continuous open space, heart space and full aliveness. We end with a Zen poem that invites us to rest in this living, loving awareness, and know it as home.
info_outlineThis guided meditation offers a pathway to quieting our mind and calming anxiety. We begin with long deep breathing, and with the breath, engage the image of a smile and relax through the body. Then we practice resting in relaxed awareness, allowing waves of thoughts, feelings and sensations to come and go.
The meditation ends with a beautiful verse from poet Philip Booth:
As you float now, where I held you
and let go, remember when fear
cramps your heart what I told you:
lie gently and wide to the light-year
stars, lie back, and the sea will hold you.
Poem: First Lesson,” by Philip Booth from Lifelines: Selected Poems 1950-1999 (Viking).