Undefended Dharma with Mary Stancavage

In this talk Mary weaves together thoughts on the Buddha's awakening, volition and karma and the impact of meditation and mindfulness on the brain. The wisdom of the Buddha is still so clear 2600 yea…

Our conditioning is so deep and ingrained that we don't even know it exists. In this talk Mary discusses the importance of seeing reality vs our perception of reality and how that leads to wisdom and…

There is so much bearing down on this these days, from the violence and tragedy so rampant in the world today to the concerns in our own lives. We can experience grief, sadness and other difficult em…

The 7th Factor of the Eightfold Path is Wise Mindfulness and it is a foundational piece of the practice and the "direct path to realization". In this talk Mary breaks down what mindfulness is and tak…

FROM THE ARCHIVES: The invitation to start where we are reminds us that our practice starts right here right now. What gets in our way today? Where are we stuck right now? That is where the work is -…

In the Eightfold Path, Wise Action invites us not to kill or steal or cause harm with our sexuality, however it's much more than just abstaining from doing things. It's also about cultivating a compa…

The Buddha talked about greed, hatred and ignorance as the three poisons which we can often recognize in our own lives. In this talk, Mary discusses how pervasive they are in the world at large and w…

Many of us are familiar with the teaching of the five hindrances, but how do they manifest in our lives and keep us from liberation. Mary discusses the nuanced ways that craving, aversion, restlessne…

The Eightfold Path is the path away from being stuck in our conditioning which is often not very helpful and can even be harmful. It is a path towards liberation and awakening and Wise View is the fi…

It's vital to be reminded of the importance of kindness as a practice and as an intention. It's easy to be abrupt, to get on with things, be driven by so many deadlines that connecting with kindness …

Karma is often thought to be what happens to us if we do something bad. Instead karma in the Buddhist sense means action. In each moment we have the opportunity to move in a direction which takes us …

The Pali word dukkha is usually translated as suffering, but it can mean so many other things, including not being okay with the way things are. In this talk, Mary discusses the various understanding…

A guided meditation on being in the now.
Recorded Sept. 17, 2022 in the virtual world

Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not …

The Eightfold Path is what the Buddha offered as a path to liberation. In this talk Mary discusses the different factors with an invitation to find your way with them. Although the path is numbered 1…

In our world it seems that hate and anger are so prevalent it can feel overwhelming at times. As awful as that is, in our own lives, it's easy for us to slip into aversion and othering while finding …

Mary reflects on fourteen years of teaching a weekly dharma: where she and the world were in 2008, and the qualities of willingness, effort and determination which are necessary both for teaching a c…

Grief and loss are an inescapable part of the human condition but we're not always ready or able to deal with these emotions. In this talk Mary invites us to identify these feelings and, using mindfu…

FROM THE ARCHIVES:  Wise intention is necessary on a path to liberation and it is important to insure that our intentions are grounded in integrity and compassion. Intentions are not always wise and …

The Buddha talked about the nature of existence - how there is birth, death, illness - the human condition in other words. In this talk Mary takes a very personal look at how the teachings of the Bud…

The Buddha taught that impermanence is one of the three characteristics of existence yet so many of us struggle against it or live in denial of this fact. However, allowing the awareness of this impe…