Intro talk giving an overview of fear in the context of the Buddha's teachings, and touching in to how befriending fear benefits not only ourselves, but the communities and wider society we live in
The practice of the Dhamma is a powerful protection that comes about by wholeheartedly applying mindfulness, the four protective meditations, restraint, virtue, going for refuge, patience, or the parittas.
Confidence is crucial for any undertaking, also for our spiritual journey. Our confidence in the teaching, the actual practice, and in our ability to do the practice grow and deepen as we move along the way.
Thoughts are a natural manifestation of the mind. We need to understand the nature of thoughts and then use them wisely and skillfully in our meditation practice and life.
Instead of being at the mercy of desire and attachment we need to understand the sticky nature of every form of desire – and then to weaken and abandon it. Besides using mindfulness there are a number of approaches to skilfully deal with desire.
The world (loka) and beyond the world (lokuttara) are distinguished by only one thing: loka is what is constantly disintegrating and disappearing whereas in lokuttara there is peace with no arising and passing away.
