Undefended Dharma with Mary Stancavage

 The Buddha often ended a teaching with the sentence, "This is how you should train yourself," and training the mind is a common phrase. How does one actually do that and what does it look like on an…

In Buddhist teachings impermanence is one of the three characteristics of existence. We're often aware of this especially when things end that we're attached to. However, change sometimes does not co…

This talk was part of the Wise Action Series offered by the San Francisco Dharma Collective.

In the Eightfold Path Wise Action and Sila are the Buddha’s prescription for moving through the world witho…

The practice of insight allows us to become more intimate with ourselves and our emotions. However it's difficult to cultivate this intimacy if we don't also cultivate kindness and gentleness. Mary t…

Oftentimes the Buddha's teaching is misunderstood as 'Life is Suffering' which is very far from the truth. Wanting things to be pleasant all the time can lead to dissatisfaction, but we have to reali…

Using the book, The First Free Women: Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns by Matty Weingast, Mary talks about how relevant their words are for our practice today. There is also conversation about the st…

The practice is all about staying present and aware so we can see clearly what our experience is at any time. With our emotions so close to the surface much of the time it's important to know where w…

Equanimity, or equipoise, is that place where we can hold all the world has to offer without being overwhelmed or lost in craving. The teachings on mindfulness offer a path to equanimity and we can r…

Lama Rod Owens speaks about the need to find something to hold you so you feel safe enough to let your heart crack open. In this podcast Mary talks about being held by the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha -…

Joy is a natural occurrence when our hearts are awake, but much of the time we need to take the time to look for it or even allow ourselves to feel it, especially when going through difficult and cha…

The Buddha's teaching on Ehipassiko or see for yourself what leads to calm and what leads to suffering is as important today as it was 2600 years ago. There is so much chatter and so many talking hea…

The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought the inequities of our culture into stark relief. How do we hold the powerful emotions that show up when we're face to face with the greed, hatred and ignorance that …

Guarding the Sense Doors is a teaching that is so important right now. Taking care of what we consume, not just the food we eat, but through our reading, watching, listening and even noticing how we …

Mary revisits Rick Hanson's teaching on Wise Effort. How do we abandon unskillful thoughts and cultivate those that are more beneficial?  It's so easy to get lost in thoughts about tomorrow or yester…

Deep practice in Insight Meditation brings us to to a kind and compassionate heart. Sometimes, however, we need to develop these practices more intentionally in order to find kindness, compassion, jo…

It's so easy to shut down during this time as we navigate some big unknowns. Our old habits can come back and we let the armor build up. However, there is a way to keep our hearts open and willing to…

In this time of groundlessness it's important to see how sometimes being stuck in fixed views and the way things SHOULD be intensifies our stress or discomfort. Mary discusses how we get stuck in the…

The Buddha's teaching on the Eight Worldly Winds describes situations we experience regularly as human beings. This teaching is especially helpful today as we navigate a constantly shifting ground be…

This meditation is an invitation to find a solid base and to rest in the present moment regardless of what arises and passes.
Recorded March 28, 2020 in the virtual world.

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In the midst of a global pandemic, our minds could be working overtime on things that are not very beneficial. This propensity for the mind to run off in a million directions, or focus on one not so …