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Tempel Smith's Dharma Talks
Tempel Smith
Tempel Smith spent a year ordained as a monk in Burma and teaches Buddhist psychology and social activism in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is currently part of the IMS/Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program.
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2019-07-15 Day 5: Sit with Instructions (Retreat at Spirit Rock) - Loving Kindness for Unfamiliar Beings 55:13
We have never met most of the living beings on our planet (and beyond), and many we have met we don’t know all that well. As we expand our loving kindness practice to include all beings we have to consciously learn how to actively care for those we don’t know well. Rather than having the typical challenge of reactivity, this group of beings is hard to love precisely because we don’t know them well. If we have learned to care for a larger group of friends and community members, then this next larger group is more accessible.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center July Metta Retreat
2019-07-14 Day 4: Metta and Samadhi (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 62:34
How does samadhi--the unification of the heart--develop with metta practice? And how can we use the absorption factors in metta practice to help us develop deeper metta adsorptions?
Spirit Rock Meditation Center July Metta Retreat
2019-07-11 Day 1: Brahma Vihara Practice (Retreat at Spirit Rock) - Starting the Loving Kindness Meditation 57:15
After learning to develop a kind and patient awareness of our breath and body, we have the basis to begin the traditional Loving Kindness meditation practice of repeating phrases of kindness towards our most easy being for whom we care.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center July Metta Retreat
2019-02-27 Beautiful Qualities of the Free Heart (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 1:10:03
Our hearts have the potential to develop common strengths into boundless beautiful qualities called Paramis (Paramitas).
Spirit Rock Meditation Center February Monthlong
2019-02-25 Day 23 Equanimity: This is how it is, it is like this...(Retreat at Spirit Rock) 44:54
To practice the divine abode of equanimity, we begin by reflecting on the need to be intimate with what is really happening. With this strength of heart we can soften our preferences and the fantasies they produce in order to bring out heart in steady contact with all unfolding phenomena.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center February Monthlong
2019-02-20 Cultivating Meditative Absorptions (Jhanas) (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 63:40
There are two larger categories of meditation: samatha meditations and vipassana meditations. Samatha meditations are intended to calm, unify, balance and develop strengths of the heart, and vipassana meditations lead toward insight into our patterns of suffering, confusion, clarity and freedom. The samatha meditations can develop to the point where we are fully absorbed into our meditation subject. This talk describes this process.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center February Monthlong
2019-02-16 Day 14 Choiceless Awareness: Guided meditation (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 43:43
A guided practice for letting go of specific objects or sense doors to practice open or choiceless awareness. For some people this is a more natural way of practicing. The intent is to become mindful of one’s mental activity as it is drawn to different experiences arising at any of the six sense doors. From this practice you can gain insight into how the mind works and find freedom no matter what the experience.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center February Monthlong
2019-02-15 Day 13 - Guided Metta (Loving Kindness) for All Beings (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 43:57
Inviting our heart to let go of all reservations and conditions to universal friendliness and kindness. This heart which can hold all beings in kindness becomes a refuge for our own well being and the well being of others.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center February Monthlong
2019-02-14 2nd Foundation of Mindfulness - Vedana (Feeling Tone) (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 61:30
Continuing from the Anapanasati sutta we turn to vedana, the 2nd foundation of mindfulness. With great courage. we can develop contentment no matter the pleasure, pain or neutrality of any give moment. In not understanding vedana we are forever imprisoned by our wrong views. When we can breath consciously in a greater range of pain, pleasure and neutrality we find the path to non-conditional contentment.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center February Monthlong
2019-02-13 Day 11 - Instruction for Mindfulness of Vedana (2nd Foundation) (Retreat at Spirit Rock) 48:54
Instruction and guided meditation on the 2nd foundation of mindfulness called vedana (feeling tone). This is the factor of each moment of consciousness which is pleasant, unpleasant and neutral. Being able to be mindful of vedana allows us to cut off our reactivity.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center February Monthlong

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