Undefended Dharma with Mary Stancavage

We sometimes hear the statement that someone is being a good Buddhist or a bad Buddhist based on some action. But does the concept of good or bad Buddhist even exist? In this talk, Mary examines the …

The practice of meditation invites us to be available to every experience that shows up, but we have been conditioned all our lives to react in certain ways which means we're not available. We may no…

 Being happy for other's happiness is one of the hardest practices but one that is essential for our liberation. Mudita, or appreciative joy, is one of the Brahma Viharas and teaches us a true genero…

This talk is an invitation to turns towards reality and the truth of our existence in order to move toward liberation. Reality is always present but we are trapped in our perceptions and viewpoints w…

Setting an intention is a wise and skillful way to move in a direction that takes us away from dukkha and towards liberation.  The ten Paramis are qualities that Sylvia Boorstein calls the natural in…

Thought, word and deed: the Buddha talked about the importance of these three in how we communicate with the world. Teacher Larry Ward calls them the three powers. In this talk Mary discusses the nec…

Every once in a while the reality of the human condition - of sickness, old age, and death - comes at us with full force. The question is always about how we greet the moment. In this talk Mary discu…

Inspired by Women's Month, Mary talks about women in Buddhism going back to Mahapajapati, the first nun, and what women experience today. Buddhism is not immune from patriarchy and misogyny and a wil…

In this talk Mary discusses two ways the mind drags us away from being present for our experience, especially if it's something unpleasant or uncomfortable. Distractions and habit energies often work…

A brief reflection on how easily we're distracted from what our actual experience is by focusing on something out there. A blizzard during a retreat is a good way to recognize how this can show up.
Re…

The Buddha's teachings on giving and generosity were clear - there is no liberation without it. If we knew how important it was we would not cling to anything. But we live in a society that tells us …

The Buddha's teachings on the Five Remembrances invite us to deeply connect with our mortality and the mortality of all beings. It's a challenging reflection and what that is energetically denied by …

Mary shares some of the teachings from the recent retreat she attended: greeting everything with compassion, discerning skillful and unskillful thoughts and responses, and the Buddha's invitation to …

After a week on retreat and no class or dharma class to upload as a podcast, Mary sends a few words of greeting to everyone listening with a reminder of compassion and care.
Recorded Jan 30, 2023 in B…

Our modern world has seen the glorification of experts in all fields and Buddhism is no exception to this. In this talk Mary juxtaposes the idea of expert and their rarefied knowledge to the wisdom, …

After attending an interfaith event celebrating the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, Mary was inspired to look at how several faiths have so much in common in working towards ending suffering and supp…

How did each of us get started on this path of awakening, of meditation, of awareness? As Mary reflected on these questions she found that the Buddha's teaching on the Five Spiritual Faculties invite…

Sati is usually translated as mindfulness but can also mean 'be with'. In this talk Mary reflects on the practice of resting in being - to be with each moment as it comes. It means letting go of our …

At the Winter Solstice Mary reflects on the invitation to be with the darkness as well as the light. We may prefer one over the other, but we cannot do without either. How to be with each with friend…

We are conditioned beings and the experiences we have in our families of origin are some of the most impactful we have. Often we don't even realize how powerful they were or how much we are influence…