Tea with Mara

"Jimothy Didn't Choose" is a Dharma Talk about free will, and whether or not we have it. I hope you'll find it helpful. Enjoy!

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"Loving Without Losing Yourself" is a Dharma talk and very brief guided meditation on the topic suggested by a community member of how to deal with a parent who is extremely hostile toward you. But in a broader way it's just about how to develop healthy boundaries and hold them, and how to find compassion for difficult people. I hope you'll find some fit in your own life for this one if you need it. Enjoy!

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"An Unfinished Life" is a Dharma talk inspired by a friend of mine who had a few questions. The common thread across them all, that I saw, was about growth, and about the perfection of imperfection. I don't know if this directly addressed all of her questions, but it definitely was a talk I enjoyed sharing. An Unfinished Life is also something we are all living out every day and may we always be treating it so! I hope you will find some help or inspiration within this talk, and I deeply thank my friend for sharing her questions...

"Stretch Toward Giving Heed" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha inspired by the movie Disclosure Day. While I tried hard not to spoil any of it, the overall meaning - or at least my view of it - is shared. This talk is about paying attention, and I hope you will get some benefit from it. I believe it's something the whole world desperately needs right now. Enjoy!

https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Freedom Fighters" is a Dharma talk and super brief meditation on the five hindrances ("freedom fighters" because they fight our efforts to free ourselves!). It's hopefully a helpful look at the things that get in our way, and it was inspired by discussion following last week's talk. I hope you find it helpful. Enjoy!

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"Use Your Time Wisely" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of doing non-doing. We talk about boredom and the benefits of sitting and doing absolutely nothing, instead of filling our time with habit driven busywork.I hope this will be useful in your practice. Enjoy!

https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Agitation of Joy" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation on the topic of how even joy can sometimes feel painful, and an exploration of how that actually works. This topic was suggested by a community member who received great news, but then couldn't sleep all night which was the pain they endured. We discuss why and how to work with that. I hope you find it useful! Enjoy!

https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Greatest Gift" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha inspired by Father's Day and the many different ways the day can be held and felt for people. And also about how the Buddha might have addressed these many ways. I hope you find some value or comfort in this talk and that it can serve you in some way. Enjoy!

https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Guarding The Garden" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation based on the wisdom imparted by author Z.S. Diamanti in his wonderful cozy fantasy book "Guard In The Garden". From the first quote I highlighted, where one character tells another "Everyone has loads to be thankful for if they have the eyes to see it. And, when we’re filled up with gratitude, it often overflows as kindness." I knew I would end up doing a talk on this topic. Diamanti is a veteran, and expresses the eternal wisdom through his protagonist Felton who is a wounded wa...

"Freedom Without, Freedom Within" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha reflecting on the celebration of Independence Day by exploring a different kind of freedom.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a nation declared its independence from a distant ruler. But what about the rulers we still carry within? The voice of self-criticism. The pull of craving. The grip of fear. The stories we tell ourselves about who we are and how life is supposed to be.

The Buddha spoke often of true freedom from the greed, hatred, and delusion that keep us...

"The Stories We Live Inside" is a Dharma talk exploring the stories we tell ourselves, the identities we cling to, and how we can begin to see that our stories are not the same thing as reality. We may find that freedom can come from loosening our grip on the stories we've been carrying too long. I hope you will find something useful in this talk. Enjoy!

https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"I Thought I Was Right, But I Was Certain" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha about how, when we're young, we often feel remarkably certain about things we have barely experienced. We know what love is. We know what happiness means. We know how life works. Then life happens. Marriage. Children. Loss. Success. Failure. Friendship. Aging. And slowly we discover that reality is far more complicated...and far more beautiful...than our theories about it.

In this talk, we'll explore how wisdom is less about knowing the answersand more about learning to hold our...

"Buddhism Still Ruins Everything" is a Dharma talk about misconceptions, curiosity, and personal responsibility. A starting place perhaps for someone considering a Dharma practice. Raised Catholic, disillusioned by religion, and spending years searching for something that felt true, I eventually discovered the Dharma in a book about mindful eating. What I found wasn't a new belief system. It was a practical path for understanding suffering, identifying its causes, and learning how to live with a little more wisdom and a little less confusion. In this talk we cover some of the most common misunderstandings people have about Buddhism, whether...

"Within You, Without You" is a great Beatles song...and also the name of the Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha tonight on the topic of the differences between fear based beliefs and experience based spiritual practice. We start out by clearing up some common misconceptions about Buddhism, and then talk about how fear based beliefs cause harm, while wisdom and experiential practices lead to happiness. We covered a lot of ground. And we wrapped it up with the Beatles. I hope that this talk will help heal your wounds and incline you toward happiness. Question everything (including...

"Not Picking Up What I'm Putting Down" Is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation on the difference between carrying something and controlling it, why the mind clings to burdens that no longer serve us, and how the Buddha's teachings point toward a deep form of relief found through through wisdom, discernment, and learning what can finally be set down. I hope you find it useful! Enjoy!

https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“Radar Rider” was a short Dharma talk offered for Heavy Metta Chicago on the topic of escapism, entertainment, mindfulness, and the stories we disappear into. When Jay invited me to lead the session, I was excited because obviously I love the Dharma, but as a kid I also loved to escape into the fantasy art worlds of the magazine that inspired the HMC logo, Heave Metal. Peppered with my love of the magazine and movie, we explored the differences between restoration and avoidance, how media can both nourish and numb us, and what it means to enjoy art, fantasy, book...

"The Living's Easy" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of nourishment, presence, and making the most of the fleeting moments of our lives. As summer begins, vacations loom, children grow up, and life shifts around us, we often find ourselves holding both joy and a sadness at the same time. Tonight we’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings on nutriment and ask not only what we feed our bodies, but what we feed our minds, hearts, relationships, and attention. We’ll reflect on presence versus distraction, fear versus love, and how the ordinary moment...

“Jealous Again” is a Dharma talk offered at Mindfulness VR on the topics of jealousy, envy, comparison, chronic illness, and the tenderness that often lives beneath those experiences. We discuss the difference between jealousy and envy, why the mind compares itself to others so naturally, and how suffering deepens when we build identity around those comparisons. We’ll look at the Buddha’s teaching of the “second arrow,” appreciative joy (muditā), and how longing itself is not the problem…bitterness is. This talk is not about pretending difficult emotions don’t exist or trying to spiritually bypass pain. It’s about learning ho...

“When We Stand On Unsteady Ground” is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on how we can actually practice when things feel heavy, uncertain, painful, or overwhelming. Without focusing on any one specific kind of suffering, this talk explores practical Dharma-based ways to steady ourselves during difficult times. We’ll look at the Buddha’s teachings on grief, fear, overwhelm, patience, compassion, and resilience as pragmatic tools for surviving hard moments without losing ourselves inside them. I hope this is useful for you!

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"Something Has Changed" is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation offered at MindfulnessVR on the subtle and often surprising nature of genuine happiness. Sometimes transformation appears in a simple moment where we suddenly realize, “I think I’m actually okay.” This talk explores contentment, healing, friendship, gratitude, emotional resilience, and the gradual rewiring of the heart through practice. And, crucially, it's about paying attention so that we notice when it happens! Enjoy!

https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“Mother Matters” is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha exploring the many dimensions of motherhood, care, grief, gratitude, and the maternal heart. Mother’s Day is not always simple. For some, it is joyful. For others, it carries loss, longing, regret, complicated relationships, or deep tenderness. In this talk we’ll explore the Buddha’s own experience with maternal loss, the story of Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī who raised him, and how the Dharma invites us to hold love and suffering together with compassion and honesty. May it be of use to you!

https://bio.reverendgeorge...

"Another Chapter" is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation on the topics of change, impermanence, and letting go. This talk was inspired by my favorite social book tracker app shutting down. It's been my favorite place for over a year, and it's closing up shop. This made me think of the MindfulnessVR community (where this talk was given) and all the changes we have encountered, grieved, and survived. It seems only natural to offer a talk that might help another community through their own suffering of loss like this. I hope someone will find it helpful!

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"Mid-Life Crisis or Spiritual Awakening?" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of saṁvega ...the spiritual urgency that arises when we begin to clearly see aging, impermanence, mortality, and the unsatisfying nature of trying to build lasting happiness from changing conditions.

What we often call a “mid-life crisis” may sometimes actually be the moment the story we’ve been living inside of stops fully working…forcing us to ask deeper questions about meaning, identity, fulfillment, and what truly leads to peace.

This talk explores the Buddha’s teachings on disillusionm...

"The Four Kinds of Friends" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation on a topic inspired by another recent talk, after which the discussion arose about how to handle difficult friends. The Buddha actually had some very specific kinds of advice he offered around this, so we dove into it in this talk. I hope it helps you gain some clarity around these kinds of relationships and how to grow the healthy ones and let go of unhealthy ones. May it be of use. Enjoy!

https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Most Sublime Bookshelf" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of the Four Brahma Viharas. In this talk, we explore loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity; the practical ways the Buddha taught that the heart can meet the world. Framed here by gratitude at the beginning and forgiveness at the end, this talk looks at how we open the heart, train it, and learn to let go of what keeps it closed. I hope you find it helpful. Enjoy!

https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Suffering of Expectation" is a Dharma talk offered at the Two Hands Sangha about how we suffer because of the expectations we place on things. Particularly when we ask someone for help, and we expect a certain answer, that is a recipe for suffering. It means we aren't really asking for something, we are expecting it, and if the answer doesn't meet our expectations, suffering will follow most certainly. I hope this is of some use to someone listening, and that you enjoy it!

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"The Direction of Perfection" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of doing the best we can with what we have where we are. It's about the Paramis (or The Ten Perfections), but really it is ultimately about how our imperfection is actually just perfectly perfect as it is. I hope this will be a fun and useful talk for you. Enjoy!

https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Questions about Anxiety and Anger" is a mix between a Dharma talk and a guided meditation. I showed up without a talk prepared, or even a topic in mind, and the community asked how to "prevent the anxiety of an impending event" (paraphrasing) and "How to deal with a coworker who spoils the mood of the entire workplace with their attitude"? I hope I gave some useful teachings that will help in these matters, and that you find something useful in them. Enjoy!

https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Reduce and Renew" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha exploring the idea that transformation doesn’t necessarily come from adding something new, but from letting something go. On Easter, many people are reflecting on renewal and new life, we’ll take a Buddhist look at what it actually means to begin again. Over and over again, as something available to us moment to moment. What if “coming back to life” is about releasing what’s heavy and discovering what’s already here when the things we let go of begin to fall away. Happy Easter to our Christian...

"The Direction of Support" is a talk offered for the Virtual Reality community MindfulnessVR about how sometimes in life the direction of support gets a little unclear. We all need guidance. We all need connection. We all need people who can help hold us when things feel heavy. But in healthy relationships
there’s usually a natural direction to that support. And when that direction gets reversed inappropriately, it can feel confusing or draining, and frankly it can sometimes be hard to name or notice. This talk explores what it means to stand on your own feet and re...

"W.A.R." is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of the walls we build, the ways we see the world, and the responsibility we carry for what comes next. Drawing from a high school musical presentation of Hadestown, Frank White's Overview Effect, and the reality of collective action, this talk explores how fear and conditioning shape our perception and how a shift in view can change everything. When we step back for a moment the lines we thought were solid begin to soften. I hope this talk helps us all determine who we a...

"The 4H Club" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation about how probably all of us have or will experience harmlessness, harm, harmfulness, and if we are lucky...heedfulness in our lifetimes. We talk about the life of Angulimala and some lessons we can learn from him. Ultimately, this talk is about how we can break the cycle that keeps us stuck in harming and being harmed, and learn to be heedful. I hope you'll find this useful. Enjoy!

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“Just This” is a Dharma talk that builds on the two most recent talks about identity and the unreliable narrator of the mind. If we’re not the stories we tell about our experience, and we can’t always trust the voice telling them, then where does that leave us? This talk explores a powerful teaching from the Buddha to Bāhiya: “In the seen, just the seen… in the heard, just the heard…" We look at what it means to experience life directly, without turning it into identity, commentary, or self-story, as well as how that simple shift opens the door t...

"The Unreliable Narrator" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation that follows up on the last talk I offered. That other one (Between Being and Having) was about the difference between having an experience and making that experience our identity. This talk, The Unreliable Narrator, is about how we can work on breaking that down and beginning to question the voice in our heads that tells the story of who we are. Like any narrator, it’s not always accurate. It’s shaped by habit, memory, and conditioning. When we learn to listen to it a little more care...

"Between Having and Being" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha about the difference between having an experience and making the experience our identity. All about the "I", "Me", "Mine" experience we solidify around with most of our thoughts and words all the time, and how to begin changing that. I hope this will be helpful for some of you, and that you will enjoy the talk!

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"A Stable Table" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of the three pillars of our practice: Panna, Sila, and Samadhi. This seemed like a natural follow up to our month of cultivating (or strengthening) a daily sitting practice, and I hope you'll find it useful. Very simple and straightforward, and supportive of your practice. Please forgive the audio quality, as I was forced to use a different microphone tonight with no noise control. I hope it's not too troublesome. Enjoy!

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"A Place of Peace" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation on the topic of how to be at peace in a world at war. Nobody really wants to dwell on these difficult times, and that's not what this is about. It's about how to practice and maintain your own sense of peace and practice alongside troubled times. May you find this helpful. Enjoy.

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"February Meditation Challenge - Wrap Up!" is the finale' of our month of establishing or strengthening a practice. We reflect on the last week of practice in February, and we close out the practice. This was offered at Two Hands Sangha on our Day of Mindfulness. May you continue to grow and strengthen your practice. Enjoy!

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"February Meditation Challenge - Week 4" is a review of week 3 and a look ahead to week 4, as we wind down our month long effort to establish or strengthen a routine meditation practice. It's largely about honesty, with ourselves and others, and is a lovely conversation. I hope you'll find it useful leading into our March 1st Day of Mindfulness. Enjoy!

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“It’s The Little Things” is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation on the topic of noticing and choosing small acts of kindness in dark or uncertain times. While traveling recently, I’ve been struck by how much goodness is quietly happening all around us; patience in long lines, shared laughter between strangers, tiny gestures of care that could easily go unseen. Gratitude practice trains the mind to look for this… and intention allows us to become part of it. This talk explores how karma unfolds in everyday moments, how we shape the emotional climate around us, and how choosi...