Undefended Dharma with Mary Stancavage

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 resul…

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 t…

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 p…

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 reflecti…

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…

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…

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". "…

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! Incl…

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, …

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 mean…

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 i…

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 o…

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 w…

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 aw…

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 pres…

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…

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 prac…

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 point…

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…

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 Indig…