Dharma Seed - dharmaseed.org: Sylvia Boorstein's most recent Dharma talks: Recent Episodes
dharmaseed.org
My greatest joy is giving the gift of love and hope through the dharma, knowing it is possible for humans to transform their hearts. These dharma gifts include paying attention, practicing clarity and kindness and addressing the suffering of the world--which, of course, includes ourselves.
Right now I'm most enthusiastic about the first gift, paying attention, because it makes every part of our lives better. Paying attention allows us to become more clear, and each moment of clarity is a gift to ourselves and those around us. Clarity keeps us from contributing to more suffering. The gift of clarity and kindness also supports a peaceful heart, which allows us to address the suffering in the world with love. When we practice clarity, we offer the possibility for humans to live in a different way. But a peaceful heart is only the beginning. We also have to take action, go out and directly address the suffering with peace in our hearts.
As a parent, grandparent and a psychotherapist, I teach out of the stories of my life and the lives of those around me. I am especially touched by personal narrative, accounts of spiritual journeys, and how these become vehicles for connecting with the dharma. I believe in revealing my own story so that others are more at ease to reveal theirs. Truth talking is a way out of suffering. Discovering how our hearts and minds work and creating a dialogue supports right speech practice. This is an on-going primary practice that we can do all the time. My hope is that I encourage people how to pay attention and to tell the truth by example.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) We gather for two hours together the morning after Election Day, 2024, in large part to ground what we are experiencing in our practice and in community. We begin with short reflections from Sylvia and Donald, followed by short periods of meditation and then sharing from many of those present at the gathering, with intermittent reflections from Sylvia and Donald. We finish with short talks from Sylvia and Donald and then a reading of the intentions of community members going forward in the next period of time.
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Includes guided meditation, dharmettes, & select moments of group discussion
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Includes meditation & dharma talk (Group Q/A has been removed)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) (Title is inspired by Joachim Prinz, President of the American Jewish Congress, who spoke at the March on Washington in 1963.)Includes meditation & dharma talk. (Group Q/A has been removed). Poem Reference: “Could Have” by Wislawa Szymborskas
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) Includes meditation, dharma talk & interwoven discussion. (Group Q/A has been removed)
(Spirit Rock Meditation Center) The talk references the New Yorker cover from September 6, 2021 and the Karaniya Metta Sutta.
Here are links to access them:
The New Yorker Cover and Karaniya Metta Sutta
(Insight Meditation Community of Berkeley) Sylvia and James will have a conversation about death and dying something they have both been recently practicing with in their personal lives.