Mangala Shri Bhuti - The Link

Rinpoche speaks about the importance of cultivating maitri or unlimited friendliness to oneself and others as a way to cheer ourselves up and experience a lightness of being.

Elizabeth explores the role of prayer in the context of the non-theistic tradition of Buddhism.

Chris explores the physiological effects of trauma which can keep us from engaging in our life in an open and relaxed way. He explains how mindfulness and awareness help in working through obstacles to our progress on the path.

The wish for happiness all beings share, stripped down to its very basic form awakens our tender heart and increases our sensitivity as we move out of our bubble of self absorption toward a sense of universal responsibility. This is true happiness from the perspective of the Buddhist teachings.

Paddy uses the investigation of our ideas of why enlightenment is something we cannot achieve as a springboard to an overview of how the path leads us directly to that goal.

Tak recounts how his service to MSB and the sangha has brought him tremendous fulfillment. He emphasizes service as meditation in action and an important aspect of the three wisdoms.

Katherine describes the changing faces of devotion in recalling her years on the path since meeting her teacher.

Mary talks about cultivating fearlessness through bringing together joy and sadness. She explores how we distract ourselves from this openness.

Dungse-la discusses life' s difficult times and the choice we have to see them as a spur that motivates us to go beyond, using practice as the support.

Sasha explores faith in times when we are stripped bare by the rawness of life. He describes what for him have been the building blocks of faith and questions the concept of a "spiritual home" during these times.

Naomi recounts her early experiences finding the path, her teachers and the gift of their continued presence in her life long after their passing.

Dungsela revisits the how and why of social skillful means for solitary practitioners in the modern world.

Mark explores the stories or myths we create about our lives, the choices we make in perceiving our world and the significance of openness and its ability to nudge us closer to wonder.

Katie shares how service has been a valuable tool in working with the mind.

Gretchen shares several lively personal stories that illustrate how to be a student of the lineage.

Dungse-la talks about mindfulness, its limitations and its role in traditional Buddhism.

Julia gives several personal examples of moments in daily life when we can practice turning our gaze outwards to be in service to others as opposed to serving our egoic tendencies.

Matthew explores various ways being a householder and fully engaged with family can serve as a teacher on our path.

Abba explores samsara based on an instruction given to her by her teacher to "Be Wary of Samsara".

Dungse-la explores the way we deal with physical pain. He makes the distinction between the actual physical pain and the story we build around it.