Tea with Mara

"There in the Balanced “Engagedness” takes a deeper look at equanimity and clears up some common misunderstandings. Often thought of as passive or detached, we explored how equanimity is actually an engaged balance, staying present with life’s ups and downs without being shaken or pulled off-center. It’s not about standing still while the world moves—it’s about moving with it, from a place of steadiness and wisdom. Enjoy!

"Love The Actor, Fight The Action" wraps up a series of a few talks about where we might find ourselves these days with the world in such upheaval. Last week we spoke about pausing, and sitting in that with no need to rush to action. This week, we turn toward that action and make sure it's informed by compassion. These last three talks will hopefully serve many of us through difficult social challenges we may face in the coming years. I hope it is of a benefit to you. Enjoy!

"Holding Space With Grace" is a dharma talk offered at the Two Hands Sangha based on a community member question. It also dovetails nicely off of the last talk. That talk was about pausing and being with your experience with no feelings of needing to rush into action. This talk is about how to hold space for others who might not be handling things as well as you are. At its heart, it's about the difference between equality and equity, and how to sit with someone in their discomfort without the need to fix things for them. I hope this is somehow helpful for you and that you enjoy the listen!

"Times Like These" is a dharma talk and guided meditation (28:15) on giving yourself permission to sit with whatever you're feeling right now, knowing that it's perfectly ok to do that, and when you're ready, practicing in a way that meets your where you are. Allowing and acknowledging, followed by compassion you are capable of. These two simple practices meet you where you are. I hope they serve you in the times ahead, and that they are beneficial.

"Waiting To Exhale" is a Dharma Talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topics of coping with the stress we create around impending outcomes, and the way we deal with that outcome when it arrives, whether it's our preferred outcome or not. We draw from The Sallatha Sutta and the Lokavipatti Sutta for wisdom and we hope that this talk is helpful and beneficial for you this week. Enjoy!

"Harmless, Harmed, Harmful, Heedful" is a Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation on this 2024 Halloween about the infamous serial killer from the Buddha's time, Angulimala. I hope this is fun, and also helpful. There's a lot of powerful lessons in his story (not the least of which is a story of redemption). Enjoy!

"It Takes Two To Tango" is a dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of strong fixed views, particularly when they are mired in delusion, and how to work with that. With the election looming in the USA, and wars raging, and mis/dis information spreading our friends, family, and relationships are often suffering right now, and can seem impossible to heal. They aren't, but nobody said it was easy. I hope this talk will help all people find peace and healing. Enjoy!

"Now I Know What I Got" is a lyric from a Cinderella song...but more importantly it's a Dharma talk and guided meditation (31:49) on the topic of moving from generosity (last week's talk) into gratitude. Specifically, gratitude as the other side of the coin from generosity and how the two are part of a beneficial cycle we can use in our daily lives. Enjoy!

"Need A Little Patience" is a Dharma Talk offered at Two Hands Sangha, about patience. More specifically, about learning to rest in the moment, and let wisdom arise before rushing into judgment or action. I hope this is helpful, and I promise I only quote GnR briefly once. ;) Enjoy! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Sustaining Generosity" is a Dharma talk on the topic of generosity and all it's aspects, with a (rare for me) focus on the financial aspect as it has become a hot topic lately in our community (IYKYK). :) Though I offered this talk with a specific community purpose in mind, the message applies to all spiritual communities and might help soften the heart and mind around the often uncomfortable topic of financial donations and give you some ways to work with it, and some insight into its necessity. Enjoy!

"Come Together, Right Now" is a dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on conflict and difficulty in community and how to address it. We draw advice from the Vinaya and various sutras to help us learn ways of bringing harmony and accord to community challenges. I hope you don't need this talk, but if you do, I hope it's helpful. Enjoy!

"What's The Difference" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of "The Whole Mass of Suffering" sutta (MN13). We read the sutta and discuss it, with all it's gruesome sounding language as a way of seeing that the direct experience of letting go of clinging is the way to be free from the whole mass of suffering. I hope you find value in this talk. Enjoy!

"Be A Lantern" is a Dharma Talk and guided meditation (30:46) on the topics of our personal practice and the community. It seems as though the world is experiencing a bit more struggle than even the norm of struggle lately, and also this seems like a fitting end to a long series of related talks I've offered for many weeks now. So I hope this topic lands for you, and that you find it useful in some way to your life. Enjoy!

"Managing Overwhelm" is a Dharma talk and guided meditation on how to relate to overwhelming stress and discomfort when life seems to be too much. We see this everywhere today, and hopefully this talk helps you find a way to relate to this kind of stress more skillfully. Enjoy!

"Tying It All Together" is a Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation (GM starts at 33:48) on the Five Precepts and how a simple piece of rope can teach us the dharma. I hope that this talk will give you a different way of viewing the ethical guidelines the Buddha offered us to moor our spiritual lives. Enjoy!

"Reflecting On Room of Mirrors" is exactly that. A dharma talk and guided meditation (28:30) based on the lyrics of the Metallica song, from their 72 Seasons album, called "Room of Mirrors". It's all about vulnerability and overcoming fear and judgment within ourselves, in order to do so for others. I love this song, and hope you'll find some dharma in its lyrics as I did. Enjoy!

"Facing The Unknown" is a Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation (33:25) on the ways that we can meet fear and uncertainty with things like mindfulness, wisdom, and compassion to develop the only real control we have which is how we relate to the unknown. I hope you find any of this useful. Enjoy!

"The Sound of Compassion" is a Dharma talk and guided meditation (GM starts at 30:20) on the topic of how to listen compassionately and speak skillfully to help loosen fixed views. It's a practice that can be very helpful in our current climate and might just save the world. Let's find out! Enjoy!

"The Weight of Certainty" is a dharma talk from Two Hands Sangha about strong fixed views, and how we can ease our grip on them to live a better life particularly as it relates to our present day political climate. We don't get into politics in this, but focus instead on how to hold differing views with equanimity and allow for the possibility that we might not always be right. I hope this talk will help those who find themselves dealing with strong fixed views, whether from their friends and family, or themselves! Enjoy!

"If The Answer Is No, Let It Go" is a dharma talk and guided meditation (meditation starts at 32:15) on the topic of misinformation and how the Buddha might have addressed this challenge we face so exhaustingly in our world today. I hope it is helpful and that you enjoy it!