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Undefended Dharma with Mary Stancavage
Dharma talks from meditation teacher Mary Stancavage. These focus primarily on the pragmatic aspects of Buddhist teachings and philosophy drawing strongly on wisdom and heart practices. All are viewed through the lens of learning to live with an Undefended Heart. (photo by @kimanhuynh)
Episodes
369 episodes
Grief 2026
Grief is an emotion that all humans experience although many of us have a difficult time turning towards and being with it. Right now so many folk are grieving a multitude of losses and in this talk Mary reflects on the invitation to meet our g...
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18:40
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Persistence and Patience
Effort and persistence are an important part of the path to liberation and awakening, but sometimes we get caught in thinking we should be there by now and ask when it's enough. This is when the practice of patience is necessary. Patience is ne...
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24:06
Aspire to Awakening
In this talk Mary reflects on the Mahayana idea of bodhicitta. At it's heart, it is the idea of an awakened mind and an aspiration to awaken and experience an end of suffering both for ourselves and for all. And why not?Recorded March 7,...
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20:23
Practicing the Pause
So much of what we think, say and do is habitual - we react without thinking. The Buddha taught that our reactivity is also impacted by whether we experience something as pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. In this talk Mary discusses how this col...
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24:52
Collectedness of Mind
The word Samadhi is usually translated as concentration, but it's also thought of as collectedness of mind and steadiness. This important teaching - the 8th factor on the Eightfold Path is necessary for awakening and liberation. Mary d...
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24:14
A Foundation of Love
In this time of great dukkha, it's imperative to remember the importance of love and how we ground ourselves and our practice in it. Mary reflects on the wisdom of bell hooks and others to find a way to make this a foundation of our pr...
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21:05
The One You Feed
The old story about a good wolf and bad wolf that live in our minds aligns beautifully with the Buddha's teachings on cultivating what's beneficial and letting go of what isn't. Mary reflects on how we often feed the ideas that don't serve us a...
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18:07
Living the Four Noble Truths
In this important teaching, the Buddha invites us to become intimate with the human condition and to see how we create levels of suffering for ourselves. There is also the recognition that there is a way out - the Eightfold Path. Mary also refl...
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21:46
What Now - How Do We Hold This?
Every day we're inundated with stories and images of violence, and the three poisons of greed, hatred and ignorance that the Buddha spoke of centuries ago. How do we greet this moment in time? How do we handle the emotions we experience with wi...
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26:59
Communicating with Clarity
The Buddha's teaching on Wise Speech remains as important and necessary today as it did over 2,500 years ago. It may be even more important to be grounded in wisdom and clarity because there are so many more ways to interact with each other and...
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26:48
The Difficult Practice
Mary answers the question, "How do we offer Loving Kindness to those that commit atrocities?" This is a common question, and is especially relevant right now. The heart practices do not ask us to ignore feelings or emotions that arise whe...
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18:51
Understanding What it Means
There are a lot of misconceptions of basic Buddhist teachings and in this talk Mary reflects on a few. The Buddha did not say that "Life is Suffering", but instead that there is suffering, and there is a way out. Additionally, equanimity and be...
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21:07
Clarity and Delusion
Delusion is one of the greatest impediments to freedom and in this talk, Mary discusses how being embodied and whole allows for clear seeing. When we're stuck in the habit energies of our minds, we're often disconnected from reality and our jou...
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18:21
Mindfulness All the Time
Using an article by Sayadaw U Tejaniya as a jumping off point, Mary discusses what being mindful all the t...
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23:42
Our Great Teacher
The saying that life teaches you how to live it is so aligned with Buddhism's invitation to be present in each moment for whatever is at hand. Mary reflects on this topic and the wisdom of being present for our lives.Recorded Dec. 6, 202...
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16:50
Truth and Reality
Reflecting on the invitation to "live as though the truth were true," Mary examines this through the Buddhist lens of being fully present with reality. So often we're in opposition to the 'truth' or reality because it differs from our wants or ...
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21:21
The Wisdom of Gratitude
November is often thought of as a month to give thanks, but the cultivation of gratitude is a practice that benefits us throughout the year. Gratitude is a heart practice that expands our awareness and connection to ourselves and others. Throug...
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22:04
Embodied Dharma
In this talk Mary emphasized the importance of being connected to our body and the wisdom it contains. When we live in our heads, we can get stuck in views and perceptions and we miss out on the experience of the moment. The Buddha said that th...
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21:03
The Pause that Heals
We are all experiencing an onslaught of information and it can be challenging to keep up. The fact is, we cannot keep up and the invitation to pause in practice is important. Mary discusses what gets in our way and how to find a path to equanim...
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15:18
Recognizing Our Reactions
Our reactivity to situations often takes over and determines how we feel and act. However, if we can pause before reacting, we may have a very different experience. In this talk Mary discusses how we need to recognize how nothing in our reactio...
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22:35
Truth is Freedom
Reflecting on the Parami of Truthfulness, Mary investigates what gets in the way and keeps us removed from reality and not seeing the world clearly. We are invited to reflect on being honest with the world and, what is sometimes even more diffi...
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27:16
A Reflection on Emptiness
In this talk Mary reflects on the idea of emptiness which can be thought of as an absence of attachment to self or I, Me and Mine. This freedom can seem elusive, but we can recognize it in our daily lives as we work on letting go.Recorde...
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22:10