Dharma Talks and Sangha Shares

Most of us meditate to find some peace — so why does stepping off the cushion still feel so hard?In this Sangha Share, board member Nick Burlin reflects on that gap between stillness on the cushion and the persistent friction of modern life, and finds some unexpected help in the work of philosopher Alain de Botton.Nick walks through five themes from de Botton’s writing — self-knowledge and anxiety, status and meritocracy, love as a learnable skill, attention in a noisy digital world, and the value of shared ritual — and traces how each one connects directly to what we’re doing in meditation practice. The through-line is radical self-forgiveness: the idea that sitting in silence isn’t about building a perfected mind, but about learning to witness our very human vulnerabilities with a little more kindness. Along the way he makes the case that showing up here together each week is itself a form of secular ritual — one that turns philosophical understanding into something the body actually knows.About Nick BurlinNick is a Houston area educator who has taught history, government, economics, and philosophy for over a decade. Nick has a deep curiosity about human nature and the human mind and loves being part of the IMH Sangha.

Joy isn't something we have to manufacture — it's something we can learn to recognize and receive.In this talk, Ginger Clarkson guides the group through mudita, or sympathetic joy, drawing on teachings from Sylvia Boorstein, the late Cambodian Buddhist patriarch Maha Gosananda, and a newly trained Spirit Rock teacher named devon hase.Ginger explores why sympathetic joy may be the hardest of the four heart practices — envy and the fear that there isn't enough happiness to go around are its natural obstacles — and why the antidote is simply remembering that joy and sorrow visit everyone, and that it's sometimes just someone else's turn. The talk includes a guided mudita practice directing phrases of appreciative joy toward a loved one and a benefactor, with Sylvia Boorstein's gentle reminder woven throughout: the whole of the Dharma can be summed up as paying attention and being kind.About GingerGinger Clarkson is a Community Dharma Leader certified by Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California, where she studied under the mentorship of Jack Kornfield and completed the Dedicated Dharma Practitioner program with Eugene Cash and other senior teachers.

People come to meditation for many different reasons, but the destination is often left unclear. What does this practice actually lead to?In this talk, Travis Hicks traces the arc of a deepening practice — from the small early benefits of slowing down and feeling a little more at ease, through the gradual clearing of the mind's clutter, to the flashes of insight that begin to change how we see reality.Using a few simple images — a dim light slowly brightening in a dark room, lightning flashes revealing a mountain on a dark trail — Travis describes how practice unfolds not in one great leap but drop by drop, with moments of tranquility, joy, and heart-opening becoming more frequent over time. He draws on the opening verses of the Dhammapada and a quote from Bhikkhu Analayo to close with the same point the practice keeps returning to: the measure of progress isn't peak experiences, but the gradual, quiet opening of the heart.About TravisTravis Hicks has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1995 and teaching since 2005. He completed a two-year teacher training program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center under the guidance of senior teachers in the Theravada tradition. Travis brings a warm, accessible style to the dharma, drawing on both classical Buddhist teachings and contemporary psychology. He leads weekly sittings, daylong retreats, and occasional residential retreats for the IMH community.

A 30 minute guided meditation on Metta by Travis Hicks

Wisdom and compassion are sometimes called the two wings of awakening — and a practice built on only one of them will eventually veer off course.In this talk, Travis Hicks introduces the four heart practices — loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity — and makes the case for weaving them into a meditation practice that might otherwise lean heavily toward insight and awareness.Travis walks through each of the four brahmaviharas, including both their far enemies (hatred, cruelty, envy, indifference) and their subtler near enemies (sentimental attachment, pity, forced cheerfulness, aloof detachment). He offers practical guidance on how to work with the phrases, when visualization helps, and why starting with someone easy — kindling the fire with small twigs before adding the wet log — matters more than people often realize. He closes with a reflection on how these practices off the cushion, noticing that genuine metta toward a difficult person isn't just an exercise — it's a retraining of the heart.About TravisTravis Hicks has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1995 and teaching since 2005. He completed a two-year teacher training program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center under the guidance of senior teachers in the Theravada tradition. Travis brings a warm, accessible style to the dharma, drawing on both classical Buddhist teachings and contemporary psychology. He leads weekly sittings, daylong retreats, and occasional residential retreats for the IMH community.