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DHARMA REFLECTIONS FROM THE PLACE OF PEACE
In these talks, which are available monthly or as individual issues, Reverend Master Myoho explores the intimate and detailed teaching that the heart of Buddhist practice reveals to us in the midst of ordinary daily life. She also talks about the unfolding of her own training and the life of faith within a small contemplative Buddhist temple, looking at some of the issues raised by those who come to practice here. These talks are the result of personal insight and of contemplative reflection.
INDIVIDUAL TALKS For those who may be interested in hearing Dharma talks, but do not wish to receive them on a monthly basis, the following, taken from the Dharma Reflections series, are available as individual CDs.
COSTS
In order to make these talks available to those on a low income they have no set charge. We invite you to give a donation of your choice and hope that it will cover our costs and include an offering for the begging bowl. When you send your donation please state how many CDs you wish to receive for that amount and please print your name address and
telephone
number clearly.
You can have a one year, six or three month subscription and / or you can select one or more CDs from the list below. The CDs are sent once a month by post .
When your subscription has ended a renewal form will be sent. If you no longer wish to receive them you do not have to do anything as no more CDs will be sent unless you return that form.
These talks are copyrighted to Reverend Master Myoho and her permission is required before any copies are made.
The Place of Peace Dharma House has no form of financial support other than lay donations and the offerings from these talks, made payable to our trust fund 'THE LIFE OF FAITH', Registered Charity No. 1091548 form part of our income. Thank you. |
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| No. 127 |
Sit Steadily
Introduction and talk 12 min
On listening with ones whole being.
Sit Steadily 23 min
The only problem we will ever have on our spiritual journey is an inability to sit still with what life brings to us. When we can remain grounded everything reveals the way forward and takes us deeper into the heart of our spiritual journey.
Cultivating Wisdom 38 min
We look at what Prajna ( wisdom) is and how to cultivate our ability to receive it's insights through meditative listening, seeking to understand what we have heard through patient contemplative reflection and then allowing ourselves to be changed by those insights. We take Refuge in wisdom by becoming the truth that has been revealed to us.
The Buddha offered The Four Necessary Principals. which help us to have the wisdom to distinguish between truth and falsity and we look at them in detail.
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| No. 103 |
Turning The Stream of Compassion Within
Introduction and Short Talk 13 min
With some comments on the main talk.
Turning The Stream of Compassion Within 43 min
This is an aspect of Bodhichitta, the will to Enlightenment, the longing to know what is real and free oneself from mental confusion. It is a turning within that seeks for the Truth of our existence and nourishes our longing to be all that we can be. True compassion arises when we cease trying to 'self create' our idea of compassion and allow it to come to us, as a gift of grace, from within the great unknown.
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No.
135 |
Contemplative Inquiry
The Process 30min
Contemplation is as a bridge between formal seated meditation and our daily life. This talk looks at how to approach and enter into contemplative reflection, which can be done sitting in a comfortable chair or whilst walking.
The Result 39 min
One reason we contemplate is so that we can be shown a deeper Truth, a clearer understanding than we may presently be aware of. The 'broader eye' of contemplation reveals insights that may surprise us. I offer some examples of how this has helped my own training.
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| No.
132 |
Our Wish to Unfold The Buddha's Teaching
Introduction and Two Short Talks 20 min
1. Do not look for short cuts or 'techniques', our practice is complete as it is and there is no substitute for daily training.
2. Let each of us train at our own pace, allowing every step to unfold naturally, as life calls us forth in the way that is right for us.
Seeds of Bodhi 37 min
Reflecting upon the detailed teaching offered in the Bodhisattva Vows, which describe a life time of training, the profound nature of the Buddhist way and the meaning of endless training.
The Morning Kesa Verse 23 min
'How great and wondrous are the clothes of Enlightenment, formless and embracing every treasure, I wish to unfold the Buddha's Teaching, that I may help all living things'. We look at the meaning of this verse, how it connects us with our true wish and takes us ever deeper into our reason for training.
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| No. 134 |
The Connection
The Connection 21 min
We need what only the meditation can bring. The practice shows us how to rely upon our ever flowing true essence so that we can receive the living Dharma in this moment and every moment. This connection is far more important that stored up knowledge from text books. We need to clearly understand the difference between thinking about something and reflecting within, which gives us a direct connection with the source of wisdom and the Precepts.
Boundless Flowing 6 min
The great monk poet Reverend Ryokan suggested we forget all that we have learnt and just sit in that vast open space of pure awareness that we call inner reflection
Fear of Connecting 35 min
We can be drawn to training yet afraid to look within, afraid of what that connection may reveal. How do we gently help the inclination to avoid looking at ourselves more deeply to fall away? |
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| No. 141 |
Stillness Is Not a Word
Introduction and Talk 11 min
The value of lay training
Stillness Is Not a Word 14 min
When familiar with the language of our Order it is easy to repeat the words that we have heard others say but if they have no real meaning for us they become dead words. The stillness, or life blood of meditation, is a living pulsing reality, not a concept that is learned and remembered. Patience and faith are needed, they are part of our offering. The Truth is worth waiting for.
Protection 13 min
It is said the only weapon a monk may carry is the Truth. Our direct, unbroken connection with clarifying insight protects us ( from making problems for ourselves) as do the Precepts. When we can see the Truth of a situation we know what it asks of us and that is enough. Seeing clearly relaxes body and mind, there is a sufficiency to it.
The Passing Storm 22 min
Our ability to meditate remains the same whether we feel strong or vulnerable, happy or sad. Accepting ordinary human reactions that arise, letting them come, letting them go, enables the feelings to pass. How we regard and respond to feelings is more important than the feelings themselves.
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| No. 129 |
The Unknown
Introduction and Talk 12 min
A short talk on taking care in how we use our minds.
The Unknown 40 min
Sometimes life puts us in a situation where all we can do is to sit within the unknown. I describe my own experiences in this area. Sitting in darkness we sit within the womb of the Tathagata, trusting the known within the unknown. My master would say that a sword is strengthened by being placed in the fire, these situations offer the opportunity for faith to deepen and our practice to mature.
The Unsullied Dharma 12 min
The Refuge, which can also be called our true nature, can never be defiled. The purity of the That Which Is remains untouched in all circumstances and conditions.
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| No. 137 |
Restful Responsibility
Accepting Responsibility 30 min
Training is about what we actually do. Meditation deepens our awareness and this alerts us to when we are acting in ways that hinder our spiritual progress. Grasping the will can be hard work but by guarding our outflows we can contain negative activity rather than expressing and being controlled by it. This allows the opportunity to understand and resolve the painful confusion that was behind it and gives birth to a new freedom and a confidence that we can turn the mighty tide of karma.
Restful Responsibility 29 min
An old poem says: Repose faith, Let go, Leaves fall, Just so. As resistance to being responsible falls away the practice carries us and trust in the sufficiency of meditation blossoms. We know that there is a pure living vastness that receives all that flows into it. We no longer want to turn away, there is just this moment and what it brings. That is enough.
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| No. 140 |
Reflections on The Buddha's Enlightenment
The Buddha's Enlightenment 28 min
When sitting beneath the Bodhi tree how did the Buddha remain untouched by the attack of Mara ( emotionalism, desire and distraction)? We look at what living by the Middle Way means (and offers) and at how the mind that seeks the Truth, when harnessed by pure faith, leads us to an inner stability that is the result of knowing our completeness.
Intuitive Listening 19 min
The Buddha trusted his intuition and, through that trust, was able to be guided and helped by the compassion of the universe. We explore how to listen with the ear of the heart. That ear can hear even when there is no sound. It will help us to find and fulfil the meaning of our existence. |
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| No. 138 |
On The Breath
Introduction and Short Talk 13 min
Looking at the importance of the breath when we meditate.
Fanning The Flames 31 min
Our hara, or internal sitting place, is sometimes referred to as 'the hearth of transformation'. By abiding within and living from meditation and the Precepts we fan the spark of Buddha Nature so that it can ignite and transform our life. When the human will is used to still the scattered mind, grounding it within the activity of the moment, the quality of our breathing changes. Without this change the spark cannot ignite and training cannot deepen.
It Comes On The Breath 35 min
We look at stillness within activity and activity within stillness. As we relax into training an inner calm settles and our practice matures in a steady, unselfconscious way. All that is needed flows in on the breath, which Reverend Master Jiyu-Kennett referred to as the water of the spirit and we see how effortlessly our will merges with Bodhicitta, the will to Enlightenment, until two become one. By giving fully and gladly of ourselves we become one who can receive the guidance that is generously flows in. |
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| No. 96 |
Yielding
Yielding 57 min
This talk is suitable for those who have been training longer and who have already established a steady grounded practice.
We look at releasing oneself into the flow of breath; making the leap of faith which takes us 'beyond this human mind'; accepting our humanity; letting go of subtle forms of hardness and holding on and the joy of yielding to the Refuge. |
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| No. 118 |
The Focus of Our Training As We Get Older
Focus 17 min
How we use our time and energy matters. Considering this carefully is a way of caring for ourselves.
Time 21 min
The ageing process is part of existence, time flow. All that arises is impermanent, all that arises has a common root. Buddhism shows us how by accepting the limited we can find the limitless.
Questions 25 min
It would be a shame to end ones life feeling that 'the important thing' had not been taken care of. Here we look at three questions to reflect upon that can help us to see where the work of our training lies. |
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| No. 133 |
What Happens When a Buddhist Dies?
The Buddhist Private Funeral for a Lay Person 51 min
We look in detail at the ceremony that our Order offers.
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| No. 104 |
Wise Advice
Wise Advice 40 min
From the Fully Perfected Enlightenment Scripture looking at The Four Bad Practices:
Of striving too hard, Of being too casual, Of trying to stop all thought, Of trying to eradicate all desires |
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| No. 84 |
The Seven Noble Riches
The Seven Noble Riches 40min
These are faith, discipline, learning, generosity, conscientiousness modesty and wisdom. They are called riches because they help us to live harmoniously with ourselves and others. They enable us, in a steady grounded way, to be true to our wish to train and they open up the heart of acceptance, ( and therefore fulfilment), within all the ups and downs of our ordinary daily life
The Mind Needs The Heart 18min
The heart of meditation is the place within us that connects us with all life and with our True Nature. The mind wants to serve the heart but lifetimes of confusion have caused us to lose sight of this deeper place. Buddhism is the path of awakening and reconnecting the mind with it's source. |
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