Sunday Dharma Talk

How to Ease Fixation

It is a tendency of the mind to fixate, to become preoccupied with certain things, with certain thoughts, with certain stories.  In this dharma talk, Peter Doobinin explains how, using the skills the Buddha teaches, we learn to ease fixation.  And thereby live in the body and in the heart.  The talk was given in the winter of 2026.

NY Dharma: www.nydharma.org 

Moving Beyond Emotions

Emotions, as Peter Doobinin explains, are part of life, part of what it means to be a human being.  In dharma practice, we learn to understand emotions and to develop a skillful relationship to them.  And we learn to move beyond emotions, to know those qualities that are transcendent and conduce to happiness, the qualities of the heart.  The dharma talk was given in January 2025.

New York Dharma: www.nydharma.org 

The Path of the Heart

The path is the path of the heart.  It's a spiritual path.  As Peter Doobinin explains, the elements of this spiritual path include generosity, virtue, renunciation, and meditation.  Following this path, we come closer to the heart.  We know happiness of heart.  The talk was given in January 2025.
May all beings be happy of heart!

NY Dharma: www.nydharma.org 

The Dharma is Inside

The dharma is inside.  It's found within each of us.  It's found in this body.  In this very life.  As Peter Doobinin explains, as we develop in the practice of meditation, in the practice of mindfulness of the body, we become more and more in tune with the dharma within us.  This talk was offered in February 2026.

NY Dharma: www.nydharma.org 

This Very Life

The dharma students seeks to know a greater happiness in this very life.  As Peter Doobinin explains, we each have the capacity to live with an awakened heart, to live joyfully, to know the joy of living.  As we learn to move beyond our doubts and self judgments, the path opens up to us; we know what it possible; we begin to realize a greater happiness.  The dharma talk was given at an NY Dharma daylong retreat in January 2026.

New York Dharma: www.nydharma.org 

Cultivating Affirmative Thinking

As we move forward in our practice, in our efforts to cultivate skillful, affirmative thoughts we know a greater happiness.  This, as the Buddha tells us, is something we can do.   And it's something we should learn to do, if we want to know a joyful life.  In order to have a joyful life, we have to cultivate joyful thoughts.  Affirmative thoughts.  In this talk, Peter Doobinin explains how we cultivate affirmative thinking.  The dharma talk is the last in a series of five talks on "Skillful Thinking" that Peter gave in January 2025.

NY Dharma: www.nydharma.org 

Asking Skillful Questions

By asking questions in skillful ways we learn to free the heart of its burdens and know the happiness inside, the happiness of heart.  In this dharma talk, Peter Doobinin explains the skill of asking skillful questions.  The talk was given in January 2026.  It's the third in a series of dharma talks on cultivating skillful thinking that Peter offered during the month.

NY Dharma: www.nydharma.org 

Cultivating Skillful Thinking

Our happiness in this life depends on the way that we think and the actions that follow.  As dharma students, our task is to abandon unskillful thinking and to cultivate skillful thinking.  In this talk, Peter explains the skill for cultivating skillful thinking, thinking that leads us to true happiness.  The dharma talk is the second in a series of talks on "Skillful Thinking" offered in January 2026.
​"We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world."
(Dhp 1)

NY Dharma: www.nydharma.org

Fundamentals of Skillful Thinking

This dharma talk is the first in a series of talks on the theme of "Skillful Thinking" given by Peter Doobinin in January 2026.  As Peter explains, the Buddha's path is a path of developing skills.  The skill of skillful thinking is integral to the path.  Through developing skillful thinking we are able to shape our lives, we are able to live with wisdom & compassion, we are able to know the happiness of heart.  In this talk, Peter explains the basics for developing the skill of skillful thinking.

NY Dharma: www.nydharma.org 

Time Well Spent

Meditation is often difficult.  But, as Peter Doobinin explains, it's time well spent.  This talk was given by Peter in December 2025.