How can we become truly present and engage with each moment we experience?In both interpersonal relationships and self-reflection, Daigan Gaither advocates for an open, curious approach where we allow things to be as they are, rather than forcing them to fit preconceived notions. This approach, he suggests, fosters deeper connection and understanding with ourselves and others, as well as with the world around us.Daigan explains that we often misinterpret our emotions by labeling them (e.g., calling a physical sensation "anxiety") and then react to those labels instead of the actual experience. This creates layers of stories and emotions, leading us further from the original feeling.He encourages us to stay curious about our experience, letting go of certainty and rigid identities, and allowing the experience to tell us what it is. By doing so, we avoid creating fixed identities or stories about ourselves and our emotions, which can lead to suffering.______________ Rev. Daigan Gaither (he/him) began Buddhist practice in 1995 in the Vipassana (Insight) tradition, then began studying Zen in 2003. He received Lay Ordination in 2006 where he was given the name Daigan or “Great Vow,” and received Priest Ordination in July 2011.Daigan speaks internationally on a variety of topics particularly around gender, sexuality, social justice, and their intersections with the Dharma. He also sits or has sat on a number of boards and committees that serve community needs and further social justice causes.Daigan has a BA in Philosophy and Religion from San Francisco State University, and an MA in Buddhist Studies (with a chaplaincy certificate and a certificate in Soto Zen Buddhism) from the Graduate Theological Union and the Institute of Buddhist Studies.He lives in San Francisco, CA and identifies as a disabled, queer, white, cis male. Learn more at https://queerdharma.net ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Can turning away from pleasurable experiences actually limit our practice?In this talk René Rivera shares that there are wholesome states that signal we are on the path to awakening. However the pleasurable states often get a "bad rap" in Buddhism as something to be avoided so as not to trigger craving.  René summarizes the importance of pleasure by quoting Betty Martin:"Pleasure is a powerful change agent. Pleasure helps you make friends with your body and that changes the sense of who you are in the world, and your sense of self worth, value and compassion. Many fears and inner conflicts resolve. That is why it is often said that pleasure heals."He also leads the sangha in an exercise to explore an everyday object with one's hands. The intent is to find the ways in which we may find nourishment by introducing the act of noticing. Focusing on pleasurable sensations is a good way to begin because that's where our mind naturally gravitates anyway. ______________ René Rivera is a meditation teacher, restorative justice facilitator, and leader, working and learning in all the spaces in-between race, gender, and other perceived binaries, as a queer, mixed-race, trans man.René teaches heart-centered, trauma-informed meditation, at the East Bay Meditation Center and other meditation centers. He has co-led the first residential meditation retreats for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive people. René is a restorative justice facilitator for the Ahimsa Collective, working to heal sexual and gender-based violence. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

How can we reconcile our sexuality with Buddhist practice? (Recorded June 11, 1995)Following on the heels of the AIDS crisis, in 1995 societal shame about LGBTQ sexuality was quite prevalent. Eric Kolvig emphasized that Buddhism is an ethical system focused on reducing suffering, not a moral system with judgments of good and evil. Arguing that repressing sexuality doesn't work, he challenges us to engage with it skillfully whether choosing celibacy, monogamy, or multiple partners.Eric shares several insights from his own exploration of sexuality and spirituality:Meditation practice improves sex life by increasing presence and awareness.There's an important distinction between desire (which can be painful) and rapture (a delightful appreciation of beauty).It's crucial to distinguish between physical pleasure and emotional satisfaction in sex.Orgasm can provide a brief experience of non-self, similar to the goal of meditation.Ultimately, both sexuality and spiritual practice are about overcoming the pain of separation and experiencing union.______________Eric Kolvig, Ph.D. was a teacher in the Vipassana Buddhist tradition for 30 years, from 1985 through his retirement in 2015.A gay man, he was one of the first teachers to foster queer sanghas, leading meditation retreats offering public talks around the United States and abroad.Eric had a particular interest in “grassroots dharma,” building spiritual community in democratic, non-authoritarian ways, and he led retreats in the wilderness. He was one of the first teachers who was open about using Dharma to cope with severe mental illness.He worked with many teachers but primarily with Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg in the lineage of Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma, and also with Richard Clarke in the Zen lineage of Roshi Philip Kapleau.After retiring as a dharma teacher, he moved to rural New Hampshire to lead a contemplative lifestyle. After an illness, Eric died on July 2, 2024.______________If you are interested in more from this wise elder of the LGBTQ community, find links to additional resources available by Eric Kolvig, along with a complete transcript of this talk at: https://gaybuddhist.org/podcast/gay-sexuality-and-buddhist-dharma-eric-kolvig/ ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

What did the Buddha mean when he spoke of ignorance?In this talk, David Lewis discusses the essence of mindfulness and the core principles of Buddhism, emphasizing direct experience over intellectual understanding. He explains that the Buddha avoided metaphysics and focused on how things work, promoting meditation as a means of gaining wisdom. He underscores that ignorance in Buddhism is not about a lack of information but rather the failure to see things clearly in the present moment. Ignorance is linked to being caught up in thoughts rather than perceiving the present reality, leading to suffering.David discusses:Perception and Misperception: David highlights that our perception is conditioned by our experiences, often leading to erroneous interpretations of reality. He uses the metaphor of blind men perceiving an elephant differently to illustrate how we can have differing understandings of the same phenomenon.Insight and Ignorance: According to David, insight in Buddhism is not intellectual but a deeper, intuitive understanding that emerges from conscious awareness. It helps dissolve ignorance, which is the beginning of suffering.The Three Characteristics of Existence:Impermanence (Anicca): Everything is in a state of change, and recognizing this helps us let go of attachments and fear of death or loss.Suffering (Dukkha): Often misunderstood as mere suffering, Dukkha refers to the inherent unsatisfactoriness and unreliability of life.Not-Self (Anatta): David discusses the concept of no-self, which challenges the idea of a permanent, unchanging self, promoting a deeper understanding of interconnectedness and letting go of ego-based clinging.David emphasizes that these insights are tools for waking up to the nature of reality, leading to freedom from suffering. Meditation serves as a practice to cultivate awareness and wisdom, helping us to live in harmony with the true nature of things. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

When we feel stuck or overwhelmed by society, how can we find joy and courage?Steven Tierney asks us to challenge the notion that we are stuck with no way out. He emphasizes that rather than avoid the difficult, we can find a way through by embracing Buddhist teachings and practices.This can include:Living with Intention:Drawing from Victor Frankl and Thich Nhat Hanh, he underscores the importance of embodying the teachings and living with intention.Joy and Bliss in Buddhist Practice:He examines the concept of the "jhanas" or advanced meditative states that lead to joy and bliss, cautioning against quick fixes or commercialized paths to spiritual fulfillment.Investigation and Self-Understanding:Emphasizing the importance of self-investigation (Dharma Vaya), Steven discusses how understanding our true selves, beyond societal expectations or prohibitions, is crucial for personal growth and finding joy.The Role of Courage:He also highlights the role of courage in living authentically and taking action in the world. Steven connects courage to joy, suggesting that joy naturally arises from deep self-understanding, while courage is needed to express this joy in the face of external challenges.Moving Through Pain:He encourages us to face pain fully, without becoming a victim of it, and move through it as a path to deeper understanding.______________Steven Tierney (Kai Po Koshin) is a Dharma transmitted teacher in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi. Steven has a new Sangha: Oceans Compassion Sangha and also practices with Gay Buddhist Fellowship, Meditation in Recovery at SFZC, Great Spirit Sangha, SFLGBTQA Sangha, and the Hartford Street Zen Center.Steven believes that we can find wisdom, compassion and awakening wherever good people come together for practice, healing, service and joy. Dr. Tierney is a psychotherapist in private practice and Professor Emeritus in Counseling Psychology at CIIS.He is a Certified Addiction Specialist and has been named a Diplomate in Clinical Mental Health by the American Mental Health Counselors Association. He is also a certified suicide prevention and intervention trainer, providing workshops, classes, and consultations. Steven can be reached at 415-235-1061 or steventierneysf@gmail.com ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

What core Buddhist teachings are reflected in all other wisdom traditions? As stated in the Kālāma Sutta, known as the Buddha's "charter of free inquiry," Donald Rothberg encourages us not to believe anything simply because we are told to, but rather apply our own experience and discernment. He encourages us to embrace the very practical core teachings of Buddhism and consider how those resonate with other religious traditions. He explores the foundations of our teachings in familiar Buddhist language, framing them in terms of: EthicsThe heart practices (compassion, loving-kindness, joy, etc.)WisdomHe then looks at the essence of each and how they can be expressed very simply in ordinary, practical language that goes beyond Buddhism.WATCH the full talk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1ZLIg05F38 ______________Donald Rothberg, Ph.D., is a member of the Teachers Council at Spirit Rock Center, a guiding teacher for the Marin Sangha in San Rafael, California, and a regular teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, California, Southern Dharma Retreat Center, InsightLA, and New York Insight. He teaches retreats and groups on concentration and insight meditation practice, lovingkindness practice, transforming the judgmental mind, mindful communication, working skillfully with conflict, and socially engaged Buddhism. He has practiced insight meditation since 1976, and has also received training in Tibetan Dzogchen, body-based psychotherapy, and trauma work. He has helped guide many six-month to two-year training programs in socially engaged spirituality, both Buddhist-based and interfaith, and is the author of The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World, and the co-editor of Ken Wilber in Dialogue. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

As spiritual beings grounded in oneness, how do we overcome the tendency to feel separated while in human form?In this practical talk, Michaiel Patrick Bovenes shares reminders for finding connection.Connecting with others depends on how we are being:Be open and presentBe curious rather than criticalBe understandingBe vulnerable - "consciously uncomfortable"Own your value, realizing that you matter.Seek the good in othersBe discerning - discover early if it's not a good fitTips for practical application.Before Socializing - Set your intention and lift your energy if needed – listen to favorite music, call a friend, engage with humor. Feeling good before socializing makes you more attractive to others.Assume everyone is already your friend, then you don’t have to break the ice.Explore common interests with other people and join local groups______________Michaiel Patrick Bovenes - is a metaphysician, published author, spiritual healer, and the founder of Soul-utions -- a revolutionary personal empowerment teaching. His online courses and live events have helped thousands find greater inner strength and personal peace. Since 1991, he has helped people transform their stress into strength and their struggle into greater freedom, confidence, and positive change. Soul-utions is not a religion, it's a conscious relationship with your Soul. Soul-utions focuses on activating your inner power to create the changes you desire by aligning with your true purpose, inner wisdom, and empowered destiny. Find him at https://linktr.ee/michaiel.soul.utions  ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

If we are an expression of the whole, why does life feel so personal?  In a talk that examines duality, Dorothy Hunt asks us who and what we really are. Is our awareness something that belongs to us as a separate 'me', or is it instead something that arises from our experience of reality? She likens reality to an enormous unending tapestry on a loom, consisting of interwoven strands that give rise to the whole.   The vertical cords are the 'warp' - the stable structure that determines the shape of the tapestry, akin to our true nature -- that unchanging awareness for which each person is a vehicle.  The horizontal threads, known as the 'weft,' constantly change to provide color, texture and variety, much like the moment-to-moment experiences, thoughts and words in our lives.Just as a wave cannot be separated from the ocean, no single thread can be removed without affecting the whole.  ______________ Dorothy Hunt serves as spiritual director of Moon Mountain Sangha and was the founder of the San Francisco Center for Meditation and Psychotherapy. She is the author of Only This!, Leaves from Moon Mountain, and Ending the Search: From Spiritual Ambition to the Heart of Awareness, as well as articles published on nondual wisdom and psychotherapy. She teaches at the request and in the spiritual lineage of Adyashanti, who invited her to share the dharma in 2004. Dorothy has a long and deep connection to the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and the nondual teachings of Zen, Advaita, and the Christian mystics. She invites a deep welcoming of the human expressions of the mystery. A licensed psychotherapist since 1967, Dorothy has now retired from her private practice. She is a mother and a grandmother. For more information, please visit: https://dorothyhunt.org or Dorothy Hunt - Moon Mountain Sangha on YouTube.  ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

How can we use our practice to see us through troubled times and remain a light against the darkness? Laura Burges encourages us to see Buddhist practice as a laboratory, a place to experiment with our own experience. Drawing from the book, "Buddhism Without Beliefs" by Stephen Batchelor, she likens the Four Noble Truths to a diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment for the challenges facing us and the world. If they were contained in bottles, each would come with a simple instruction label:Life is marked by suffering or anguish - "Recognize Me"  The cause of suffering is desire - "Understand Me"There can be an end to suffering - "Realize Me"The Noble 8-Fold Path is the prescription - "Cultivate Me" To approach our practice as an experiment, she encourages us to develop an agnostic curiosity rather than hardening the teachings into firm beliefs. In this way, we can practice with an open mind and heart. ______________ Ryuko Laura Burges, a lay entrusted dharma teacher in the Soto Zen tradition, teaches classes, lectures, and leads retreats in Northern California. She received monastic training at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Laura co-founded the Sangha in Recovery Program at the San Francisco Zen Center and is the abiding teacher at Lenox House Meditation Group in Oakland. Shambhala Publications offers her Buddhist children’s books, Buddhist Stories for Kids and Zen for Kids. Her most recent book from Shambhala is The Zen Way of Recovery: An Illuminated Path Out of the Darkness of Addiction. Laura lives in San Francisco. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

The divine abodes, also known as the Brahma Vihāras in Sanskrit, are four supreme emotions or mental states that are emphasized because of the Buddha's teaching that "whatever one frequently ponders on, that will become the inclination of their mind." In this talk, Walt Opie examines these four and offers the "near and far enemy" of each one. The commentaries on the Brahma Viharas explain that each of the four qualities has two "enemies." The far enemy represents the opposite mental state, which can pose a challenge to our practice. However, the near enemy, while appearing similar enough to be mistaken for the desired quality, is an imposter that is ultimately detrimental. These are:1. Metta (Loving-kindness)Near Enemy: Sentimentality (a superficial or insincere affection).Far Enemy: Hatred or ill will.2. Karuna (Compassion)Near Enemy: Pity (a condescending form of compassion).Far Enemy: Cruelty or indifference.3. Mudita (Sympathetic joy)Near Enemy: Comparison (feeling joy only when others are less successful).Far Enemy: Jealousy or envy.4. Upekkha (Equanimity)Near Enemy: Indifference (a lack of care or engagement).Far Enemy: Attachment or aversion.Walt also recounts the impact of loving-kindness practice on inmates in his prison outreach program and describes Metta as a good antidote to ill will and anger.He concludes by offering stories of loving-kindness as examples. ______________Walt Opie was introduced to insight meditation in 1993 at Spirit Rock and attended his first residential retreat there in 2005. He is a graduate of both the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders' (CDL4) program and the Sati Center Buddhist Chaplaincy program. Walt is a participant in the current Insight Meditation Society (IMS) Teacher Training program. He leads a monthly sitting group for people in recovery in Berkeley and serves as a volunteer Buddhist facilitator at Solano State Prison in Vacaville. In addition, he is the Executive Director of the Buddhist Pathways Prison Project (BP3). ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

How have the Four Heavenly Messengers led you to the path of the dharma? In this talk, Bob Stahl shares his own experience with these messengers and how they changed the course of his life in the midst of being a very confused young man without direction. He encourages us to consider the conditions and events that have appeared in our own lives to shepherd us toward awakening. ______________ Bob Stahl, Ph.D., founded eight Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs in medical centers in the SF Bay Area before he retired from El Camino Hospital in Mt. View, California. He serves as an Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences in the School of Public Health at Brown University Mindfulness Center and formerly at the Oasis Institute for Mindfulness-Based Professional Education and Training at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Bob teaches MBSR Teacher Trainings and Insight Mindfulness Meditation retreats worldwide and is the former guiding teacher at Insight Santa Cruz and a visiting teacher at Spirit Rock and Insight Meditation Society. He is the co-author of five books: A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook (1st & 2nd editions), Living With Your Heart Wide Open, Calming the Rush of Panic, A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook for Anxiety, and MBSR Everyday. Find him at https://www.mindfulnessprograms.com/ ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Can we find meaning and pride in our ordinary lives? In this talk, Liên Shutt contrasts the extravagant events in our lives with the everyday moments and asks us to consider if we can drop our expectations of how things should be and instead allow them to exist just as they are. This is the definition of Buddhist wisdom or Prajña, which translates as "knowledge of things as they are."She quotes Sekkei Harada Roshi in "The Essence of Zen:""Things that we can see and hear do not exist because we believe they do; they exist apart from a person's thought. That which exists separately from the thoughts of the ego self... is the dharma." Liên helps us see that individuals and groups exist independent of whether or not we think they should.  ______________Liên Shutt (she/they) is a priest lineage holder in the Shunryu Suzuki tradition. Born to a Buddhist family in Vietnam, she received her meditation training in the Insight and Soto Zen traditions in the U.S., Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. She was a founding member of the Buddhists of Color in 1998 and currently is the guiding teacher of Access to Zen, an inclusive, anti-oppression sangha and non-profit in the SF Bay Area. She lives on Ohlone land, currently called San Francisco, with her partner, exploring waterways and forests as often as they can. Visit https://accesstozen.org/ for ways to connect and practice together. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

How can we cultivate an undefended heart that is open and caring? John Martin shares that the true nature of our heart is inherently pure and loving. However, we need to practice to cultivate this purity. Some of the practices he shares include:Being aware of our intentions.Using metta phrases.Radiating metta.______________ John Martin teaches Vipassana (Insight), Metta (Loving Kindness) and LGBTQIA+ meditation retreats. He leads an ongoing weekly Monday evening meditation group in San Francisco. He serves as Co-chair of the Guiding Teachers Council for Spirit Rock. His practice has been supported by twelve years as a hospice volunteer: including five years at Shanti Project during the AIDS crisis, and seven years with the Zen Hospice project.Find his upcoming events at: https://calendar.spiritrock.org/event-speaker/john-martin/ ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

In this talk, Melvin Escobar looks at the loneliness and separation prevalent in our world. Especially for LGBTQI individuals, this has roots in both the individual level as well as the structural level, such as the way families may ask us to hide parts of ourselves in order to find acceptance. The societal hierarchies we encounter also contribute to a sense of separation. However, Buddhist teachings on our interconnectedness help us see that separation is a fiction. Melvin looks at ways we can counter this sense of separation, especially focusing on loving kindness for oneself and towards others. ______________Melvin Escobar is a Core Teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center, licensed psychotherapist, and certified yoga instructor. Melvin has walked the path of service for much of his life, drawing on his experiences as a queer man of color born and raised in Los Angeles, CA.Having encountered the priceless wisdom embodied in Buddhism and Yoga, he continues daily to learn the revolutionary potential of body-centered contemplative practices for personal and social healing. You can read his latest articles in Lion’s Roar Magazine including “Loving-Kindness: May All Beings Be Happy,” and visit his website melvinescobar.com for more information. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

How can Buddhist philosophy help us address the everyday suffering we encounter in a human body - the accidents, falls, missteps, mistakes, broken bones and broken hearts? In this talk, Laura Burges recounts her own experience following a recent fall and injury.  She shares practices and reminders that can be helpful when we experience "The thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to" of which Hamlet spoke.  Among these are:Notice that you are safe in this moment.Love your inner child and past.Remember impermanence and that our troubles will change Respond rather than react - stop and take 3 deep breaths.Don't take things personally.Find the things you can say yes to.   ______________ Ryuko Laura Burges, a lay entrusted dharma teacher in the Soto Zen tradition, teaches classes, lectures, and leads retreats in Northern California. She received monastic training at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Laura co-founded the Sangha in Recovery Program at the San Francisco Zen Center and is the abiding teacher at Lenox House Meditation Group in Oakland. Shambhala Publications offers her Buddhist children’s books, Buddhist Stories for Kids and Zen for Kids. Her most recent book from Shambhala is The Zen Way of Recovery: An Illuminated Path Out of the Darkness of Addiction. Laura lives in San Francisco. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

How can our relationship with fear deepen our practice?In this rich talk, Dale Borglum explains that in fear, we are separated from our feeling of unity. Yet, all true contemplative traditions teach that the end of the spiritual path brings us to the realization that all is one. He speaks of the two main spiritual paths: Devotion and Self-Inquiry.Both share the practice of meditation to realize oneness and the fact that we are not the contents of our thoughts or experiences. To approach that sense of oneness, Dale shares several methods for dealing with fear, including:BECOME GROUNDED - inhabit the part of our body that is supported by the ground beneath us, even as we experience life events. The goal is to pay attention FROM being grounded, rather than paying attention TO being grounded.THE TANTRIC 3-STEPBe mindful of the feeling: feel the fear rather than just think about it. Feel compassion for the part of yourself that has become lost in fear; Tantra practice, experiencing being at one with an enlightened being.   DEEPEN YOUR FAITH - believing that we are whole already and can let go of the concept that everything needs to be fixed. ______________ Dale Borglum founded and directed the Hanuman Foundation Dying Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the first residential facility in the United States to support conscious dying. Working with Ram Dass and Stephen Levine, Dale helped found the conscious dying movement in the West. He has been the Executive Director of the Living/Dying Project in Santa Fe and since 1986 in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the co-author with Ram Dass, Daniel Goleman and Dwarka Bonner of "Journey of Awakening: A Meditator’s Guidebook," Bantam Books and has taught meditation since 1974. Dale lectures and gives workshops on the topics of meditation, healing, spiritual support for those with life-threatening illness, and on caregiving as spiritual practice. He has taught with Ram Dass, Stephen Levine, Joan Halifax, Robert Thurman, Joanna Macy, Jack Kornfield, Annie Lamott, Jai Uttal and many others. He has a doctorate degree from Stanford University.Learn more at www.livingdying.org ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

Why is wholesome speech one of the hardest precepts to navigate?In this talk, Tom Baker explores the many nuances of wise conversation, including:The ways our words cause sufferingThe intoxicating aspect of slander and gossipThe mindfulness component of watching our speechListening with our whole presenceOur responsibility to speak out against injusticeOvercoming our reluctance to speak up for ourselvesA Buddhist perspective on freedom of speech______________ Tetsugen Tom Baker is a Soto Zen priest in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi. He was ordained by Shinki Mark Lancaster at Dragon’s Leap Temple in 2017. He practices in the “Marketplace Priest” tradition. Long active in the Meditation in Recovery group, he was a founder of the off-shoot monthly Zen Men in 2015.Tom works in the Geriatrics Division at UCSF and specializes in Palliative Care and end-of-life issues. He married his husband Gary Dexter in November 2021. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

What is humanity's relationship to change?In this talk, Syra Smith shares her thoughts on impermanence, leading with this quote: "Change is the thread woven through the fabric of Human existence, a constant force shaping our journey. In transition, we navigate the spectrum of emotions, from the excitement of new beginnings to the discomfort of uncertainty. It is in these moments that growth unfurls, pushing us beyond familiar boundaries. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon we transform, shedding old layers to reveal the evolving tapestry of our identity.  The dance of change, though challenging, whispers the promise of resilience and the beauty of embracing the unknown."______________ Syra Smith is an artist, facilitator and Dharma Teacher interested in deep ecology and manifesting a culture where we can turn toward fearless abundance and generosity. Her grandmothers are Choctaw-Chickasaw and include those among the first freed black African women to own land in her country. Syra's studies and practices are deeply rooted in the heart and along the path toward awakening more fully to the truth of freedom in our lives.A lifelong meditator and SF Bay Area native, Syra began her personal meditation practice as a teen in 1988 and has been practicing in the Theravada Buddhist tradition since 2009. She graduated East Bay Meditation Center’s Commit to Dharma program in 2011 and became a Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader in 2017. Syra teaches Insight Meditation and mindfulness throughout the SF Bay Area and beyond and proudly serves as Core Teacher with the San Francisco LGBT Sangha. Syra is honored to serve as Board President as well as on the Guiding Teachers Council with San Francisco Insight.  More information and her teaching calendar are available at https://projectroot.org/ ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

What does it mean to "be Buddhist?"In his signature honest and humorous style, Kevin Griffin enriches this powerful and practical talk with numerous examples and approaches to making the dharma real in our everyday lives. He shares that living the dharma is not about doing activities that are Buddhist, but instead making every activity we engage with Buddhist in our own way. Kevin also shares his framework for living out the dharma:Following the preceptsBeing mindful and presentViewing life through the lens of the dharma He reminds us that as humans we will always fall short in some ways, so he shares many ways we can apply compassion and forgiveness to ourselves. ______________Kevin Griffin is a Buddhist teacher and author of 9 books known for his innovative work connecting dharma and recovery, especially through his 2004 book "One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps." He has been a Buddhist practitioner since the 1980s and a teacher for three decades. He reaches a broad range of audiences in dharma centers, wellness centers, and secular mindfulness settings. His latest book is "Living Kindness: Metta Practice for the Whole of Our Lives" published in 2022. To learn more and to see his teaching schedule, visit www.kevingriffin.net. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

What does it mean to go beyond separation as described in the Heart Sutra? Prasadachitta prefaces this rich talk by asking us to consider all the ways we are steeped in separation. This is evidenced by our language's practice of adding -ism to a tradition or condition to define ourselves or others -- a practice that can serve as a judgment that fosters separation. He goes on to state that the word dharma can have multiple meanings:Realizing the nature of reality as sentient beings experience it. The teachings of the Buddha The lifestyle that a practitioner follows after taking precepts. He describes 'taking on' precepts as accepting a challenge, an ethical code that is often uncomfortable, but changes how we move through the world. He then recites and expands upon the Heart Sutra. It describes attaining release from suffering and attachment by letting go of duality. He frames it as a conversation between a fully realized being, the Bodhisattva of Compassion (Avalokiteshvara with 1,000 arms), and Sariputra - a wise student who intellectually knows all the teachings yet is still not free. ______________Prasadachitta was ordained into the Triratna Buddhist Order in 2011 and he became the Chair of the San Francisco Buddhist Center in April 2022. He was born on a “back to the land” commune in rural Northern California and that background has inspired his engagement with others in building the SFBC’s rural meditation center called Dharmadhara. He also helped to establish a community of sangha members who support the retreats there. He supports himself as a documentary filmmaker and photographer but his real life’s work is training others who want to practice Buddhism within the Triratna Buddhist Community. ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter