Dharma Talk Series
If you weren’t able to attend a talk, check out our Dharma Talk Library where we post recordings of some of these and other talks hosted by Insight San Diego. To be notified when new talks are posted, sign up to receive our email communications.
Generosity
Following a 2,500-year tradition in which the community financially supports the offerings provided, the teachings and meditation sessions in these events are offered on a generosity (Dana) basis. No one is turned away because they cannot give. We are encouraging attendees to give what their budget and hearts of generosity allow, and/or to sign up for monthly giving on our donations page. Information for giving dana to teachers is provided below with each event’s description.
Upcoming Talks
For talks marked as “Save the Date,” we will post additional information as soon as it is available.
All times are U.S. Pacific Time unless indicated otherwise.
Vinny Ferraro
Internal Kindness
Wednesday, August 28, 2024, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Dharma Talk Summary: How do we stop withholding love from ourselves?
Since the mid-90s, Vinny has practiced insight meditation (vipassanā). He is the Guiding Teacher of the Big Heart City Sangha in San Francisco and has led a weekly sitting group for almost two decades. As a fully empowered Dharma Teacher through Spirit Rock/IMS, Vinny has taught residential retreats at Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and the Esalen Institute. Currently, he leads Spirit Rock's Year to Live course and teaches retreats and daylongs through Big Heart City and meditation centers across the country. Although meditation was not his initial path, it played a vital role in his personal journey, leading him away from drug addiction, incarceration, and violence decades ago. He now utilizes his extensive meditation practice and diverse experience to support individuals in finding their inner strength and overcoming social and personal limitations.
Join the talk via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81909658322?pwd=MxUgf7xbjPb3YcMevyJ4L5GHE10k6L.1
Cara Lai
Authentic Activism
Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Dharma Talk Summary: Many of us live in a culture that prizes energetic doing and active determination, where being quiet and simply listening is often viewed as laziness or avoidance. The culture of social activism is not exempt from this value system, so it can be easy to question or judge ourselves when we pause to meditate or go on retreat, or to constantly feel as though we are not doing enough. But without a mindful pause, our actions, however well-intended, become infused with fear or ill-will, and we end up feeling depleted, helpless, and angry. Each of us has our own unique gifts to offer the world, our own way of helping. This talk will explore the endless ways to give lovingly to a world in need.
Cara Lai spent most of her life trying to figure out how to be happy, or at least avoid total misery, which ultimately led her to spend the majority of her adulthood meditating. She's explored what it means to be alive through many adventures in consciousness, including long retreats, chronic illness, and having a whole human come out through her vagina.
Cara once worked as an artist, wilderness guide, social worker and psychotherapist, but traded it in for an all-out mindfulness rampage. She’s a working mom whose teaching is relatable, authentic, funny and sometimes crass, and is accessible for many people. She teaches teens and adults at Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, Inward Bound Mindfulness, and Ten Percent Happier; ultimately hoping to get woke enough to bend spoons with her mind in front of large audiences. And to help everyone get free.
Join the talk via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82647230694?pwd=BJfTrTceibYivdY8cFpQU3amMuIBln.1
Marjolein Janssen
Exploring Mudita - The Joy of Sympathetic Joy
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Dharma Talk Summary: Mudita, often translated as "sympathetic joy" or "appreciative joy," is the practice of finding happiness in the success and well-being of others. This essential virtue helps cultivate a generous heart and counteracts feelings of envy and jealousy, fostering deeper connections and a sense of interconnectedness.
Marjolein Janssen is originally from the Netherlands. She has been practicing insight meditation intensively in Europe, the US, as well as Myanmar, where she was ordained as a Buddhist nun. Marjolein brings both formal practice and practice in daily life to her teachings. She seeks to offer a practical approach to Buddhist concepts and ideas. Her sharing of the Dharma comes from her wish to contribute to the freedom and happiness of all beings. Marjolein lives in Richmond, VA, where she is the Guiding Teacher of the Insight Meditation Community. She is a graduate of Sati Center’s Buddhist Eco-chaplaincy program. This spring Marjolein will graduate from the Insight Retreat Center's Dharma Teacher Training as well as the Nature Dharma Teacher Training.
Dāna for Marjolein can be given at https://www.brightdharma.org/donate/
Join the talk via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86096067420?pwd=5Ybw02Yjt4KQAMwj6aNFwsbRx7Xvi3.1
Donald Rothberg
Cultivating Wise Speech: Its Importance in the Path of Everyday Awakening
Thursday, February 13, 2025, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Dharma Talk Summary: Wise speech is an integral part of the traditional Buddhist path of awakening and a powerful way to energize our daily life practice, but is often underdeveloped in Western Buddhist practice. We’ll look in a very practical way at three aspects of wise speech: (1) developing presence in the midst of communication; (2) working with the four guidelines for skillful speech developed by the Buddha; and (3) becoming more mindful of and skillful with thoughts and emotions occurring during communication, both our own and those of others.
Donald Rothberg, Ph.D., is a member of the Teachers Council at Spirit Rock Center, a guiding teacher for the Marin Sangha, and a regular teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, California, Southern Dharma Retreat Center, and InsightLA. He teaches retreats and groups on concentration and insight meditation practice, lovingkindness practice, transforming the judgmental mind, mindful communication, working skillfully with conflict, and socially engaged Buddhism. He has practiced insight meditation since 1976, and has also received training in Tibetan Dzogchen, body-based psychotherapy, and trauma work. He has helped guide many six-month to two-year training programs in socially engaged spirituality, both Buddhist-based and interfaith, and is the author of "The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World," and the co-editor of Ken Wilber in Dialogue.
Dāna for Donald can be given at
- PayPal: redmountain@donaldrothberg.com, if possible through “Family & Friends”
- Venmo: @Donald-Rothberg plus the last four digits of Donald's cell phone, 4718, if asked
- Mail a check to 1505 Holly Street, Berkeley, CA 94703.
Join the talk via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89621901485?pwd=V0TFaLmZ6LhbyFWPKfzNC49j2sIo74.1
Jaya Rudgard
Wise Attention (Yoniso manasikāra)
Sunday, March 16, 2025, 10:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Dharma Talk Summary: From ancient spiritual traditions to modern psychology, human beings have recognised that where and how we place our attention shapes our experience for better and for worse. These days, when our attention has become a commodity, learning how to use it wisely has become a necessary life-skill. This session will explore some core Buddhist teachings on the topic of wise attention and how we might apply these teachings in our own life.
Jaya Rudgard became interested in dhamma as a teenager, and from 1996 to 2005 lived and practiced as a nun in the Thai forest tradition at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England. She subsequently trained as an Insight Meditation teacher at Spirit Rock in California and Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts. She leads meditation retreats and courses in the UK and internationally, and serves on the teacher council of Gaia House Retreat Centre in England and the faculty of Bodhi College. Jaya has extensive experience teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Mindful Self-Compassion and teaches retreats for Mindfulness teachers and teachers in training. She also enjoys practising and sharing qigong.
Dāna for Jaya can be given at https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=MMYX28VRXQ4V6
Join the talk via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83350421657?pwd=LUWBDq0NnpzQnjYpj0G0PmuHZCqD5x.1