Rodney Smith's Dharma Talks
at Seattle Insight Meditation Society
Rodney Smith
More and more, the teaching practice takes me into the community where I engage directly with students. My focus right now is on bringing the continuity of the Dharma into the market place. Although retreating is an important form for self-knowledge, I find myself less interested in the immediate results of a retreat and more interested in helping students investigate their relationship to the ups and downs of their everyday life.
Nature, death and spontaneous freedom continually interweave themselves into my teaching. From the forest of Thailand, where I spent several years, I bring a deep awareness of the healing quality of nature into my teachings. Relaxing into our true nature allows us to realize what it means to be a human being. It is here we find a resting point, a counterbalance to the speed and turbulence of our culture.
My work in hospice brings a sense of urgency into my teaching. Working with the theme of death and dying reveals the here and now of life to us, how important it is to open to each loss, change and transition that marks our path. Life is precious. We need to awaken without hesitation.
Many of us crave to be more calm and centered. We know that life has more to offer than this fleeting material world. For each of us, the Dharma offers an immediacy of freedom for which we do not have to strive or wait. In practice, we can learn to relax deeply into the moment and rediscover spontaneous freedom.
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Select from Rodney Smith's
209
talks
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VIEW ALL
2011-01-04
A Blameless Life
2010-01-12
A Paradigm Shift of the Heart
2008-09-01
Abiding in Pause
2007-09-03
Abiding Within Paradox
2010-08-15
Adaptation and Surrender
2001-10-01
After The Retreat: What Now?
2010-08-14
Aligned with Awakening
2005-12-10
Aligning the Mind and Body
2010-08-17
An Evolution Toward Stillness
2009-09-06
An Imposter in the Body
2008-05-25
Blessed Quiet
2008-08-31
Body Trumping Mind
2007-09-01
Boundaryless Living
2008-09-03
Congruent Effort
1998-01-01
Contemplation On Death And Dying - I
1998-01-01
Contemplation On Death And Dying - II
2015-06-09
Continua of Practice: Adaptation to Surrender
2015-10-20
Continua of Practice: Alienation to Belonging
2015-08-18
Continua of Practice: Blame to Accountability
2015-06-30
Continua of Practice: From Denial to Openness
2015-07-14
Continua of Practice: From Self-Centeredness to All Beings
2015-08-04
Continua of Practice: From the Horizontal to the Vertical
2015-05-12
Continua of Practice: Introduction
2015-10-06
Continua of Practice: Shadow to Light
2015-11-03
Continua of Practice: Sophistication to Innocence
2015-05-26
Continua of Practice: The Unified Mind
2010-09-04
Continuums of Practice
1998-03-26
Death Be Not Proud
2013-01-22
Dependent Origination
2013-02-05
Dependent Origination: Co-Dependent Arising (1)
2013-02-19
Dependent Origination: Co-Dependent Arising (2)
2013-11-05
Dependent Origination: Aging
2013-09-17
Dependent Origination: Becoming
2013-10-01
Dependent Origination: Becoming Through Thinking
2013-10-22
Dependent Origination: Birth
2013-01-22
Dependent Origination: Causality
2013-04-30
Dependent Origination: Consciousness
2013-06-18
Dependent Origination: Contact
2013-11-26
Dependent Origination: Death
2013-08-13
Dependent Origination: Desire
2013-07-30
Dependent Origination: Feelings
2013-07-09
Dependent Origination: Feelings and Personalities
2013-04-16
Dependent Origination: Formations of Mind (2)
2013-08-27
Dependent Origination: Grasping and Clinging
2013-03-12
Dependent Origination: Ignorance
2013-03-26
Dependent Origination: Mental Formations
2013-05-21
Dependent Origination: Name and Form
2013-12-17
Dependent Origination: Review
2013-06-04
Dependent Origination: The Six Senses
2007-03-15
Differentiating Right Effort from Wise Effort
2008-08-11
Effort and the First Beginning
2010-09-07
From Science to Art
2012-01-10
Fundamentals of the Dharma
2012-11-23
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Appreciation
2012-02-07
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Bare Attention
2012-01-10
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Death and Denial
2013-01-08
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Embodied Action
2012-08-07
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Faith
2012-11-06
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Fear
2012-05-01
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Generosity
2012-10-23
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Love
2012-09-11
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Love of Honesty
2012-07-10
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Mindfulness
2012-01-23
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Moving Toward the Struggle
2012-09-25
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Relax, Observe, Allow, and Respond
2012-06-26
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Renunciation
2012-02-21
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Samadhi
2012-10-16
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Self-Uncertainty
2012-04-17
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Sila
2012-04-03
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Staying Within Yourself
2012-08-21
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Surrender
2012-07-24
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Wisdom
2012-05-29
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Wise Intention
2012-05-15
Fundamentals of the Dharma: Wise View
2000-12-15
Illusion 1: Taking What Is Insubstantial To Be Permanent
2000-01-08
Illusion II: Taking What Is Incapable Of Satisfying As Happiness
2001-01-01
Illusion III: Taking The Momentary Display Of The World As Continuous
2001-02-01
Illusion IV: Taking What Lacks Independent Existence As Independently Existing
2003-11-13
Learning
2007-09-07
Listless Mind
2006-01-10
Living an Ethical Life
2008-08-13
No Words to Follow
2003-01-18
Non-Doing
2009-08-04
Once, Long Ago (1 of 2)
2009-08-05
Once, Long Ago: Awakening (2 of 2)
2009-07-07
Practice Q and A
2008-03-25
Practice Q and A
2008-12-09
Practice Q and A
2006-12-19
Practice Q and A
2007-07-03
Practice Q and A
2008-08-14
Practice Q and A
2009-01-20
Practice Q and A
2004-01-06
Precepts and Refuges
2005-08-23
Psychic Leanings of the Mind
2009-08-02
Purgatory
2008-09-04
Questions and Answers
2013-01-01
Questions and Answers
2012-06-19
Questions and Answers about Meditation Practice
2002-01-07
Receiving the World
2002-11-01
Referencing The Moment
2001-12-12
Reflections On September 11Th
2008-10-04
Relating to Anger
2005-06-18
Relax, Observe, and Allow
2002-06-29
Responsibility
2007-09-05
Sacred Intention
2002-12-06
Sangha: A Path of Relationship
2007-01-09
Sangha: The Strength in Gathering
2010-04-13
Satipatthana Sutta, First Foundation: Body as the Body
2010-07-06
Satipatthana Sutta, First Foundation: Death and the Body (1)
2010-08-03
Satipatthana Sutta, First Foundation: Death and the Body (2)
2010-05-25
Satipatthana Sutta, First Foundation: Integrating Body and Actions
2010-06-08
Satipatthana Sutta, First Foundation: Loving the Whole Body
2010-08-24
Satipatthana Sutta, First Foundation: Mindfulness of the Mind Within the Body
2010-05-11
Satipatthana Sutta, First Foundation: The Body in Movement
2010-04-27
Satipatthana Sutta, First Foundation: The Image of the Body
2011-08-02
Satipatthana Sutta, Fourth Foundation: An Overview (1)
2011-08-16
Satipatthana Sutta, Fourth Foundation: An Overview (2)
2011-11-08
Satipatthana Sutta, Fourth Foundation: Application of Discernment
2011-12-13
Satipatthana Sutta, Fourth Foundation: Discerning the Self
2011-11-22
Satipatthana Sutta, Fourth Foundation: Discernment and the Hindrances
2011-09-27
Satipatthana Sutta, Fourth Foundation: Independent Seeing
2011-10-25
Satipatthana Sutta, Fourth Foundation: The Effort to Discern
2011-09-13
Satipatthana Sutta, Fourth Foundation: The Lions Roar
2011-10-11
Satipatthana Sutta, Fourth Foundation: The Spirit of Questioning
2010-01-19
Satipatthana Sutta, Introduction: Foundations
2010-03-30
Satipatthana Sutta, Introduction: From Mindfulness to Awareness
2010-02-16
Satipatthana Sutta, Introduction: Moving the Principle Through the Application
2010-02-02
Satipatthana Sutta, Introduction: Selfless Application
2010-03-16
Satipatthana Sutta, Introduction: Understanding Mindfulness
2010-03-02
Satipatthana Sutta, Introduction: Wise Effort
2010-12-21
Satipatthana Sutta, Second Foundation: Equanimity
2010-09-14
Satipatthana Sutta, Second Foundation: Feelings Molding Character
2010-11-23
Satipatthana Sutta, Second Foundation: Feelings Unleashing Thoughts
2010-09-28
Satipatthana Sutta, Second Foundation: Leaning into Feelings
2010-11-09
Satipatthana Sutta, Second Foundation: Neutral Feelings
2010-10-12
Satipatthana Sutta, Second Foundation: The Pain of Pleasure
2010-10-26
Satipatthana Sutta, Second Foundation: Unpleasantness Leading to Divisiveness
2011-01-11
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: Awareness of the Mind
2011-02-22
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: Dividing the Mind Through Aversion
2011-02-08
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: Dividing the Mind Through Desire
2011-04-12
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: Division Through Anger
2011-06-28
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: Division Through Arrogance
2011-06-14
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: Division Through Boredom
2011-03-29
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: Division Through Doubt
2011-03-08
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: Division Through Fear
2011-05-10
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: Division Through Judgment
2011-04-26
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: Division Through Shame
2011-05-24
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: Division Through Worry
2011-01-25
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: The Divided Mind
2011-07-12
Satipatthana Sutta, Third Foundation: The Personal and Impersonal
2011-08-30
Satipatthana Sutta: Questions and Answers
2008-08-09
Searching in a Wise Direction
2002-12-07
Self-Kindness and Self-Indulgence
2004-12-07
Self-Knowledge
2008-01-08
Sila, Samadhi, Panna
2010-09-08
Sincerity: Hunger for the Truth
2001-12-17
Sitting Practice And Its Effect On Our Life
2009-09-05
Space, the Final Frontier
2005-06-22
Stepping out of Self-Deception
2009-05-26
Ten Paramis: Energy (1)
2009-07-14
Ten Paramis: Energy (2)
2009-11-24
Ten Paramis: Equanimity (1)
2009-12-15
Ten Paramis: Equanimity (2)
2009-01-27
Ten Paramis: Generosity (1)
2009-02-10
Ten Paramis: Generosity (2)
2009-10-27
Ten Paramis: Metta (1)
2009-11-10
Ten Paramis: Metta (2)
2009-07-28
Ten Paramis: Patience (1)
2009-08-11
Ten Paramis: Patience (2)
2009-03-24
Ten Paramis: Renunciation (1)
2009-04-14
Ten Paramis: Renunciation (2)
2009-09-29
Ten Paramis: Resolve (1)
2009-10-13
Ten Paramis: Resolve (2)
2009-08-25
Ten Paramis: Truthfulness (1)
2009-09-15
Ten Paramis: Truthfulness (2)
2009-02-24
Ten Paramis: Virtue (1)
2009-03-10
Ten Paramis: Virtue (2)
2009-04-28
Ten Paramis: Wisdom (1)
2009-05-12
Ten Paramis: Wisdom (2)
2000-08-07
The Controlling Mind
2000-03-06
The Eightfold Path 2: Wise Aspiration
2000-03-13
The Eightfold Path 3: Wise Speech
2000-03-27
The Eightfold Path 4: Wise Action
2000-04-03
The Eightfold Path 5: Wise Livelihood
2000-04-17
The Eightfold Path 6: Wise Effort
2000-04-10
The Eightfold Path 7: Wise Mindfulness
2000-04-24
The Eightfold Path 8: Wise Samadhi
2009-01-13
The Gift of Blamelessness
2006-09-02
The Governing Laws of the Mind
2000-08-14
The Isolated Mind
2000-08-21
The Moody Mind
2007-10-13
The No of Love
2000-08-28
The Obsessive Mind
2008-08-30
The Root of the Root of Yourself
2002-12-23
The Sangha
2010-01-19
The Satipatthana Sutta
2007-03-22
The Tasks of Being Nobody
2009-01-27
The Ten Paramis
2005-06-21
The Three Awakenings
2005-01-11
The Triple Gem
2010-09-05
There is Only Mystery
2008-09-02
To Be or Not to Be
1999-12-02
Touching The Earth
2008-08-12
Tracking a Dying Lion
2008-02-02
What Reality Are We Practicing
2009-02-21
What the Body Knows
2004-11-23
Wholeness and Healing through Generosity
2001-11-01
Why Meditate?
2009-08-01
Wrong Way on a One-Way Road
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Select one of Rodney Smith's 1 retreat
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2015-05-12
Continua of Practice Series
2002-12-07
Self-Kindness and Self-Indulgence
42:31
Study a few of your behaviors this week such as sleeping, eating, or recreational enjoyment such as listening to music or watching videos. How much of these activities arise from self-indulgence and how much from self-kindness? Are all forms of entertainment self-indulgent? Since almost any action can be either indulgent or kind, what determines which way you label it?
When you consider yourself equally deserving (self-love) then the quality of your action is as important as the result. Do you believe this is a true statement? What does self-love have to do with the way you do things? Isn't it good enough that the results benefit others? Explore this question this week and watch whether you consider yourself equally deserving in your actions.
Seattle Insight Meditation Society
2002-12-06
Sangha: A Path of Relationship
45:21
Questions for personal inquiry: Do you experience most interpersonal relationships as growth opportunities or troubling? Do you make space in your life for others? Do you frequently feel isolated and lonely? How much of the isolation comes from assumptions about self and other? Do you make the effort to attend gatherings of like-minded people? Reflection: What was your life like before you knew the existence of "a Path"? What is different now? How does the sangha support that Path and your growth on it? Would the Path be the same without the sangha? What efforts do you make to build cohesion in the sangha? Exercise: Become active in your support of like-minded people. Befriend someone from the sangha, volunteer for a community activity, join a like-minded group or become socially engaged in meaningful action. The sangha like the dharma takes each one of us to make it complete.
Seattle Insight Meditation Society
2002-06-29
Responsibility
45:04
What prevents me from being responsible here and now? Be aware of superficial explanations about your circumstances or busyness. Continue to ask the question through the range of excuses. Whenever the mind stops and says, "This is the reason," pause, and ask yourself if this is true. Is your ability to hold responsibility strengthened through living this question?
Seattle Insight Meditation Society
