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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
355 episodes
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
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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
The Gap Between the Thoughts
Reflecting on a piece of writing from Kittasaro, Mary talk about the 'gap between thoughts' which is so important but also something that we miss most of the time. It's when we make the effort to release the habitual thinking mind that we make ...
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17:33
The Importance of Wisdom
The development of Wisdom is a key component in Buddhist teachings and practice. It is not just knowledge of facts, but is a deep and embodied understanding of the nature of experience. Wisdom, Wise View and clear seeing are necessary for our a...
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27:40
Awe Amidst Suffering
Inspired by aquotes, Mary reflects on how we contain multiplicities and can hold them all at once. We can experience suffering, and also awe. We can experience grief, and also gratitude. It's when we get stuck on one experience and block out ot...
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20:16
Europe Reflections
A few reflections on impermanence and fixed views. There is no formal dharma talk this week.Recorded Sept. 15, 2025 in the virtual world (and near Zurich, Switzerland)
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7:03
Intention and Expectations
Wise Intention is the second factor of the Eightfold Path and can help to guide our journey from dukkha to liberation. However good our intentions can be however, sometimes we get caught up in expectations about how those intentions ar...
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20:01
Check in With Your Spiritual Practice
In reflecting on 17 years of teaching the Saturday Afternoon Sit, Mary also talks about the invitation to check in with our spiritual practice every decade or so. We often want to see immediate results to whatever we're doing, but deepening our...
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20:11
Taking Refuge
In this talk Mary takes a deep dive into what it means to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. These reflections all point to a path to liberation - trusting in our awakening, how to get there, and how we support each other on...
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32:01
The Fire Sermon
The Buddha's famous teaching, often called The Fire Sermon, is about how easy it is to be caught up in the flames of greed, aversion and ignorance when we don't pay attention. Our senses are easily pulled into stories and reactions that keep us...
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21:19
Patience and Freedom
It's said that if there is impatience, it's because there is resistance to what is and that is the definition of the second noble truth - our inability to be with things as they are. In this reflection, Mary discusses how powerful it can be to ...
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21:31
Being Aware of Our Legacy
Often when we think of our legacy, we think about what people will remember about us when we die. Instead, we can think of our legacy as what we leave in our wake as we move through the world. How do we show up? Are we kind? Are we wise? Are we...
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18:49
10,000 Joys and 10,000 Sorrows
With so much going on these days it can be challenging to stay balanced and present for whatever shows up in our world - pleasant or unpleasant. In this talk Mary discusses the idea of joy and sorrow and the eight worldly winds as a teaching to...
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28:57
Don't You Know Who I Am?
In our world today we can chase after certificates and degrees to prove who we are and what we know. In this talk Mary reflects on the words of Ajahn Chah who says that these are only "appendages". "We think they are real and we carry them arou...
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21:52
Simple Reflections
This week Mary offers a few reflections on suffering and patience and invites your comments and thoughts.Recorded July 15, 2025 in the virtual world
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8:07
It's Not Personal - or Permanent or Perfect
Reflecting on Ruth King's framing of the Three Characteristics, Mary discusses this wonderful perspective on meeting the world. We can make everything so personal and chase perfection or permanence, but to do so only leads to dissatisfaction. L...
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18:17