Undefended Dharma with Mary Stancavage

The Five Remembrances (AN 5.57) allow us to become comfortable with our mortality and the human condition and serve as an antidote to clinging. The fifth remembrance is to reflect on the fact that al…

Reflecting on the Rajan Sutta, Mary talks about the twofold teaching it offers. Just as we hold ourselves dear, we realized that others feel the same and knowing this, we vow to cause no harm. Howeve…

We're often given the instruction to relax during meditation. It is not just so that we feel relaxed or calm, but it allows us to let go of what we're holding and to make space for what's right here.…

In this brief reflection, Mary discusses the Buddha's teaching on the Eight Worldly Winds and how appropriate it is for today's world. Equanimity invites us to an appropriate response to whatever exp…

Although the Buddha did not teach using the word hope, his teachings are, as Oren Jay Sofer says, fundamentally hopeful: It affirms that there is a reliable way to release ourselves from suffering, t…

The monkey mind is a phrase often used to describe a mind that is all over the place and seldom in the present. All of us experience monkey mind, overwhelm or the Pali word Papañca. In this reflectio…

A lovely definition of equanimity is to be intimate with our deepest experience, without preference. In this talk, Mary discusses what that means and doesn't mean and how no preference in this moment…

Oftentimes we think that studying or following Buddhist teachings requires us to fit a certain mold or behave in a particular way. But this is not about a rigid practice and one size fits all. In thi…

The Metta Sutta was the Buddha's offering to fearful monks and the practice of loving kindness and good will is still a path of liberation. As Ruth King says, metta is the antidote for aversion and t…

Inspired by a talk from Ayya Santacitta (We Are Not Without Medicine) Mary discusses how the world is in a time of darkness, and how our Buddhist practice helps us to move through it. We open to this…

Scrolling through the talk titles on Dharmaseed can offer insight in how to maneuver through the difficult challenges we're all facing in 2025. Connection, community, compassion, clarity and intentio…

Reflecting on a quote by Thich Nhat Hanh which says "There is not one action or one ritual that will bring you liberation" It require continual effort and commitment to practice. Mary discusses how t…

The Bodhisattva realm is an existence that is open to all of us and is as important today as it's ever been. It's one of the four realms in Mahayana tradition and Mary discusses how meaningful it can…

Sitting with the freshness of the destructive Los Angeles fires, Mary talks about how grief, anger and so many other emotions come and go and when they're challenging we push them away or ignore them…

We often make intentions at the beginning of a new year, but it's also important that our intentions have a solid foundation. In this talk Mary discusses what intentions are and how we support them w…

Left to its own devices our minds will latch on to something and create whole scenarios and worlds that we then think are real. Often we create rules for behavior, either ours or others. When these r…

How many times during the day or week do we experience situations that we find uncomfortable or unpleasant? We often react with annoyance or impatience which can tend to make it worse, even if only i…

Oftentimes when faced with issues or problems in our lives, we ask what would the Buddhist response be. In the teachings however, the Buddha asked us to find our own way - to see for ourselves which …

Plans go sideways all the time, things happen. How do we greet those moments? And how do we learn to recognize all the places we're stuck? Once we can begin to let go, then we can let things be witho…

The topic of gratitude is quite common at this time of year and Mary discusses the idea of gratitude as a heart practice which also encompasses love and connection. Using the writing bell hooks as a …