Please note: Like all the material on my website, the recordings and resource sheets below are offered on a dāna basis. If you intend to download them all, please consider making a contribution to Jill to support her livelihood, and Dharmaseed to support their running costs in making these talks available.
Many thanks for your generosity.
Week One – the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path
Week 1 Dharma talk: the Noble Eightfold Path in Context
35 mins
Where the teaching on the Noble Eightfold Path comes from, its purpose, and a brief introduction of each of the eight factors
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/38800/
Week 1 Instructions: Small group discussion
5 mins
Guidelines for working together in small groups, to support mindful speaking and listening
Week 1 Practising at Home
Guided meditation: Four Noble Truths
15 mins
Short guided meditation exploring the Four Noble Truths in your immediate experience
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/38801/
Week Two – Right View and Right Thought/Intention
Week 2 Dharma talk: Right View and Right Thought/Intention
35 mins
A re-cap of Right View, followed by an exploration of Right Thought in terms of the intention towards renunciation, the intention towards good-will or metta, and the intention towards non-cruelty or compassion
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/38827/
Week 2 Practising at Home
If you’re new to the brahma vihara practices of metta and compassion, you might like to explore these talks and guided meditations as a support for Right Thought:
Dharma talk: Metta – 30 mins
An overview of metta practice, starting with metta for the category known as the benefactor
Guided meditation: Metta for the Benefactor – 15 mins
Short guided meditation exploring metta for the benefactor, then oneself
Dharma talk: Compassion – 15 mins
Compassion as the second of the four brahma-vihara meditations
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/35785/
Guided meditation: Compassion – 25 mins
Beginning with reciprocal flow compassion practice for oneself, then a friend experiencing difficulties, using traditional phrases
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/35786/
Week Three – Right Speech
Week 3 Dharma talk: Right Speech
32 mins
An introduction to the ethical factors of the path, followed by an exploration of Right Speech in terms of abstaining from false speech, divisive speech, abusive speech, and idle chatter.
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/38905/
Week 3 Practice Instructions: Right Speech
7 mins
An introduction to the Insight Dialogue guidelines of Pause, Relax and Open as a support for exploring Right Speech in dyad practice (pairs)
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/38906/
Week 3 Guided Meditation: practising Right Speech in dyads
13 mins
Beginning with a short guided meditation exploring the guideline of Open, then working in pairs with separate speaker and listener, with three minutes each to name what is being experienced at any of the five physical sense doors (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching-physical sensations)
Then three minutes each to recall a time of being able to practice Right Speech in daily life, and how that affected the body, heart and mind, followed by ten minutes of free-flow dialogue to explore what it’s like to practice Right Speech right now
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/38907/
Week 3 Practising at Home: Exploring unskilful speech skilfully
15 mins
A short guided meditation investigating an example of unskilful speech, paying attention to sensations in the body and emotions in the heart-mind with the intention of gaining clarity about what happened
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/38908/
Week Four – Right Action and Right Livelihood
Week 4 Dharma talk: Right Action and Right Livelihood
32 mins
Continuing to explore the ethical aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path, Right Action and Right Livelihood, expanding livelihood to look more generally at all aspects of how we live our lives
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/39014/
Week 4 Guided Meditation: Exploring skilful action skilfully
13 mins
A short guided meditation investigating an example of skilful action of body, speech or mind, based on the Buddha’s instructions to Mahanama AN6:10
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/39015/
Week Five – Right Effort
Week 5 Dharma talk: Right Effort
34 mins
Moving to the meditative aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path, starting with an exploration of Right Effort in daily life and formal meditation, with an overview of the Four Great Efforts for working skilfully with mental states.
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/39165/
Week 5 Guided Dyad (pairs) Meditation: Exploring Right Effort in daily life and in meditation
13 mins
Guided dyad meditation exploring Right Effort, beginning with separate speaker and listener (allow 3 minutes each) then open dialogue (allow 6-10 minutes)
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/39166/
Week Six – Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration
Week 6 Dharma talk: Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration
32 mins
Continuing to explore the meditative aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/39297/
Week 6 Guided Dyad (pairs) Meditation: Exploring Right Concentration
8 mins
Guided dyad meditation exploring Right Concentration in meditation practice then in the moment, beginning with separate speaker and listener (allow 3 minutes each) then open dialogue (allow 6-12 minutes)
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/637/talk/39298/
Offering financial support to the teachers:
This course was partly based on material freely offered by Gil Fronsdal from the Insight Meditation Center, Redwood City. To donate to his organisation please use this link:
http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/donate/
* Dana is the Buddhist word for offering generosity. Traditionally, the Buddha’s teachings are given freely, and people are invited to contribute to the teacher and/or meditation centre to help support the continuation of the teachings.
Jill Shepherd: insight meditation 