Talks: Reflections on the Path
“The intimacy that arises in listening and speaking truth is only possible if we can open to the vulnerability of our own hearts. Breathing in, contacting the life that is right here, is our first step. Once we have held ourselves with kindness, we can touch others in a vital and healing way.”
The Universal Expressions of Love, Part 3 – Joy
Joy - blossoms in the moments our hearts open boundlessly to reality, to the 10,000 joys and sorrows. This series reflects on four primary expressions of an awake, wise heart: lovingkindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. In each talk we explore the habitual patterning that...
The Universal Expressions of Love, Part 2 – Compassion
Compassion – the tender resonance of heart – awakens as we allow ourselves to be touched by our shared vulnerability. This series reflects on four primary expressions of an awake, wise heart: lovingkindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. In each talk we explore the habitual...
The Universal Expressions of Love, Part 1: Lovingkindness
Love is the most basic expression of who we are, and yet it is often obscured by the trance of separation and fear. This talk is the first of a four part series on the Brahmaviharas - the four primary qualities of an awake, wise heart: lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and...
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Flourishing in an Unraveling World: A Conversation with Tara Brach and Richard Davidson
In the midst of a world that often feels like it’s coming apart, what does it mean to truly flourish? Drawing on his new book Born to Flourish, Richard Davidson joins Tara Brach to explore the science and practice of well-being—how awareness, connection, insight, and purpose...
The Honesty Challenge – Getting More Truthful with Ourselves and Our World
What does it truly mean to be honest—with ourselves, with each other, and with the world we share? In this talk, Tara explores radical self-honesty as a pathway to inner freedom and authentic connection. While honesty is often thought of as simply “telling the truth,” we...
Compassion in Times of Conflict—a Conversation with Tara, Paul Gilbert, and Rick Hanson
In this talk, we explore how compassion can arise in the midst of conflict—within our lives and in the larger world. In a conversation with moderated by Dr. Rick Hanson, Tara and internationally renowned psychologist Dr. Paul Gilbert, reflect on how our evolutionary...
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This Messy, Gorgeous Love: A Conversation with Tara Brach and Devon & Nico Hase
In this conversation, Tara is joined by two longtime friends and wonderful teachers, Devon and Nico Hase, to explore their recent book, This Messy, Gorgeous Love: A Buddhist Guide to Lasting Partnership. This refreshingly real and relatable book offers guidance for anyone...
Your Awake Heart Is Calling You: Healing Separation and Returning to Loving Presence
In this talk, we'll explore the deep evolutionary and spiritual currents that shape our lives—the pull of fear and separation, and the quiet, persistent call toward love, compassion, and belonging. Drawing on stories, reflections, and contemplative practices, this talk invites...
Love-Based Activism: A Conversation with Tara Brach and Mohsen Mahdawi – Part II
In this conversation, Tara is joined by Mohsen Mahdawi—Palestinian refugee, Buddhist practitioner, and courageous voice for justice—whose life bridges worlds that are so often held apart. Growing up in a refugee camp and later emerging as a student leader and advocate for...
Love-Based Activism: A Conversation with Tara Brach and Mohsen Mahdawi – Part I
In this conversation, Tara is joined by Mohsen Mahdawi—Palestinian refugee, Buddhist practitioner, and courageous voice for justice—whose life bridges worlds that are so often held apart. Growing up in a refugee camp and later emerging as a student leader and advocate for...
The Power of Inquiry in Spiritual Awakening – Part 2
How can the simple act of asking a sincere question awaken us from the trance of our habitual thinking? In this talk, Tara Brach explores the transformative power of spiritual inquiry—a practice that guides us beyond our stories and into direct, embodied awareness of what is...
The Power of Inquiry in Spiritual Awakening – Part 1
In spiritual life, inquiry arises from our deep yearning to understand reality, and it involves bringing an interested, engaged attention to our immediate experience. These two talks explore how inquiry serves emotional healing by focusing on difficult “stuck” places, how...
Fear as a Pathway to Loving Presence – Night Travelers
Transcript available here: Fear as a Pathway to Loving Presence - Night Travelers Shifting our relationship with fear is central to the evolution of consciousness. Our suffering arises when our thoughts, feelings and sense of identity are shaped by fear. As we learn to attend...
The Bodhisattva Path—Nurturing the River of Caring
As humans face the darkness of fear, violence, and division, something else is also stirring: an awakening field of courage, care, and connection. This talk explores the primitive survival strategies that keep us in trance and the evolutionary currents of awakening that return...
Letting Go of Controlling: The Path of Freedom – Part 2
While it’s natural to try to control our life experience, our chronic controlling cuts us off from presence and obscures the loving awareness that is our essence. This series of talks explores how we can let go in four key domains of controlling: clinging to thoughts,...
Letting Go of Controlling: The Path of Freedom – Part 1
While it’s natural to try to control our life experience, our chronic controlling cuts us off from presence and obscures the loving awareness that is our essence. This series of talks explores how we can let go in four key domains of controlling: clinging to thoughts,...
3 Degrees Friendlier: Small Shifts That Transform Everything
What might change if you were three degrees friendlier than you are now? Not more accommodating or self-sacrificing, but authentically friendlier—to your inner life, with others, and in how you meet the world. In this talk, I explore what friendliness actually is, why it so...
How Hope Can Heal and Free Us – Part 2
What if hope is not something we cling to—but a capacity we can cultivate? In this talk, we'll explore how hope becomes a healing and liberating force when it is rooted in awareness, trust, and compassionate action. The mature expression of hope includes three interwoven...
How Hope Can Heal and Free Us – Part 1
How does hope support healing, inner freedom, and our capacity to serve a hurting world? In this talk, we'll explore the mature expression of hope—not as wishful thinking, but as a living force on the spiritual path. True hope includes three essential elements: • an aspiration...
Coming Home to True Refuge | Finding Peace Through Awareness, Truth, and Love
In this talk, we'll explore what it truly means to find refuge—not through controlling life, but by coming home to the living truth of our experience. Our deepest refuge—the source of peace, safety, and freedom—is discovered through direct realization of reality itself. Drawing...