Sunday Dharma Talk

The Real Problem

The dharma student is a learner.  For the dharma student, practicing meditation is much more than simply a process of attaining tranquility; it's a process of learning.  And when we meditate, we begin to learn why we suffer; we begin to learn what the real problem is.  This dharma talk was given in February 2018 at the Sunday Night Meditation class. 

Heart of the Path

The heart of the path, the Buddha said, is concentration.  If we put wholehearted effort into our meditation practice, in the service of developing concentration, we'll come to know a greater happiness in this life.  In this dharma talk, given at Downtown Meditation Community's Sunday Night Meditation class in December 2015, Peter Doobinin discusses aspects of this elemental theme.

Taking a Step Back

Dharma students make an effort to take a step back from their lives.  Amidst the business and clamor of modern life, we can learn to find a center, a place of silence within, to be in touch with our goodness and the dharma inside us.  In this talk, Peter discusses what it means to take a step back.  The talk was given at Sunday Night Meditation in New York City in the summer of 2017.

Deepening Resolve

What is our resolve to further develop our practice?  A mark of progress in dharma practice is that we're deepening in our resolve.  In this talk, given at the Sunday Night Meditation class, Peter Doobinin discusses how, by following the Buddha's Noble-Eightfold Path, we learn to deepen in our resolve to practice the dharma.

The Buddha's Mindfulness

In this dharma talk, given at Sunday Night Meditation in the summer of 2015, Peter Doobinin explains the practice of mindfulness that the Buddha taught.  In Buddhist lexicon, this is known as "right mindfulness."  When we practice right mindfulness, beginning with mindfulness of breathing, we move toward awakening.  In fact, mindfulness is the first of the seven "factors for awakening."  As such, it's important to know what the Buddha taught when he taught mindfulness.

Knowing the Heart

May all beings be happy of heart.
The practice of the dharma enables us to know the heart and, thereby, take action that's straight from the heart.  In this talk Peter Doobinin discusses how we learn to know the heart.  He explains the practice of lovingkindness meditation and its great benefits to dharma students who practice this meditation on a regular basis.  The talk was given at the Sunday Night class in April 2015.

Mindfulness of Effort

What is skillful effort?  How, as dharma students, do we develop it?   As the Buddha noted, if our effort is skillful, in tune, our practice will flourish.  In this talk on mindfulness of effort, given in August 2015, Peter Doobinin discusses how, in terms of quality and quantity, we learn to develop skillful effort.

 

Clinging

In developing wisdom, as dharma students, we look to see that our suffering is caused by what we're doing.  Specifically, by our clinging.  In this talk, Peter discusses how we bring about affliction through clinging and how, by abandoning clinging, we find freedom from suffering.  The talk was given at Sunday Night Meditation in September 2015.

Taking Care of Ourselves

In this talk, Peter discusses how by practicing mindfulness of breathing in the manner in which the Buddha taught, we're learning to take good care of ourselves.  The talk was given in October of 2006 at the Sunday Night Meditation class.

Right Mindfulness

When we develop the practice of Right Mindfulness, we're able to maintain our awareness in the present moment and understand our present moment experience.  In this talk, Peter discusses how we develop Right Mindfulness, by keeping our attention on the body and learning to abandon habitual patterns of thinking.  The talk was given at the Downtown Meditation Community Sunday night class in 2016.