Because of this...
A core teaching of Buddhism is Dependent Origination although it can seem difficult to understand at times. In this talk, Mary offers a simp...
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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...
Episodes
20 of 392 episodesStay in the Now Now
In this dharma reflection Mary discusses the idea we so often carry about the now, the future and the past and how easy it is to be caught u...
Undefended Heart - 2026
Living with an undefended heart is not only a saying, but it is a practice that moves us toward liberation and away from greed, aversion and...
Checking Our Spiritual Progress
The Dalai Lama suggests that we check in with our spiritual practice every ten years or so. Using the 18th anniversary of teaching as a jump...
Opening in Awareness
Using the teachings of Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Mary reflects on awareness, and how we find it in our lives. Recorded August 6, 2026 in the virtu...
The Necessity of Mindfulness
Sati, or mindfulness is foundational to our practice and necessary for liberation. In this talk Mary discusses what mindfulness is and the B...
Grief and Kindness
So many things are coming at us these days, it can feel so overwhelming. In this talk Mary reflects on the grief we may be feeling about so...
The Three Poisons
The Buddha says the root of suffering begins with what he calls the three defilements, also known as the three poisons. These are greed, ave...
Saying Hi to the Demons
In this talk, Mary reflects on the famous story of Milarepa and the demons who take over his cave. It's a wonderful reflection on our spirit...
Touching the World Lightly
St. Francis of Assisi invited us to wear the world as a loose garment and in this talk, Mary discusses how this is an invitation to equanimi...
Releasing the Stories
One of the things we release on the journey to awakening is our attachment to fixed views. These are the stories that have become rigid and...
What Gets In the Way
In order to move on the path of liberation, we need to see what gets in the way. The Buddha's teaching of the Five Hindrances is a helpful w...
Know That You Know
In the book, "Dancing With Life", Phillip Moffitt writes about the three insights associated with each of the Four Noble Truths: Reflecting,...
The 5th Precept
The 5th precept is more than just an admonition not to drink or use drugs, but is an invitation to look at our consumption and how we may nu...
Sad - No Problem
Held in the shadow of Mary's husband's illness, this talk is a simple reflection on life's realities and the sentiment, "Very sad, no proble...
The Intimacy of Now
Dogen said that enlightenment is an intimacy with all things. Mary reflects on this thought and it's similarity to equanimity and an undefen...
Do Not Take What is Not Freely Offered
In this talk, recorded at Insight Community of the Desert, Mary discusses the Second Precept. It's often just referred to as not stealing, b...
Finding Freedom with the Way it Is
The Buddha taught the Five Remembrances as a way to normalize our relationship to the human condition. We we all grow old, get sick and die,...
The Importance of Joy
Oftentimes when things are especially awful, we think that joy may be inappropriate and that we must stay focused on the difficulties. But t...
The Dhammapada and the Lizard
Our practice is really about developing a different relationship with our mind - one that is wise and kind. In this talk Mary reflects on ho...