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Sally Armstrong's Dharma Talks
Sally Armstrong
Sally Clough Armstrong began practicing vipassana meditation in India in 1981. She moved to the Bay Area in 1988, and worked at Spirit Rock until 1994 in a number of roles, including executive director. She began teaching in 1996, and is one of the guiding teachers of Spirit Rock's Dedicated Practitioner Program. Sally has always been inspired by the depth and the breadth of the Buddha’s teaching, as presented in the suttas of the Pali Canon, because the truth and power of the Buddha’s words still speak to us today. Her intention in teaching is to make these ancient texts and practices accessible and relevant to all levels of practitioner, from the very new to the dedicated meditator.
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2015-10-05 The Second Foundation of Mindfulness: Feeling Tone 57:36
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Vedana, or the feeling tone of pleasant, unpleasant or neither-pleasant-nor-unpleasant that arises with each contact, was considered important enough by the Buddha to be a foundation of mindfulness, one of the five aggregates, and central to the teaching on dependent origination. It is also at the heart of the Dart Sutta in the Samyutta Nikaya, where the Buddha talks about the two common responses to suffering: to bemoan and lament the fact that suffering is happening, but often to try to avoid the unpleasant by chasing after the pleasant. This talk looks at all of these different teachings to help us understand the importance of bringing mindfulness to vedana in our practice and in our lives.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center :  Three-Month Retreat - Part 1
2015-09-28 Satipatthana Series - The first foundation of mindfulness: the body 59:36
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In the Satipatthana sutta on the foundations of mindfulness, the first area of practice is the body. The Buddha gives us many different practices and ways to investigate the body. This talk explores these practices, beginning with the breath, but going on to other practices that we don't often teach, such as the four elements, the 32 parts of the body, and corpse contemplations. Each of these practices can be a powerful doorway to wise seeing and freedom. This talk is the first of a series of four on each foundation of mindfulness.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center :  Three-Month Retreat - Part 1
2015-09-22 Guided Metta practice for self and friend 43:25
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Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center :  Three-Month Retreat - Part 1
2015-09-21 Bringing wisdom and compassion to the judging mind 59:30
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Many of us have a tendency to be critical and judgmental of ourselves and others. In meditation, this habit can seem quite strong and can create a lot of suffering. But mindfulness is a wonderful tool to enable us to see these thoughts for what they are, so we can begin to bring wisdom and understanding to them. they then no longer dominate our heart and mind.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center :  Three-Month Retreat - Part 1
2015-09-21 Standing Meditation 48:45
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Guided meditation on the standing posture, as a valuable but often neglected part of our practice.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center :  Three-Month Retreat - Part 1
2015-09-15 Morning Instructions - 3 month retreat 16:24
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Breath, body and sounds
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center :  Three-Month Retreat - Part 1
2015-09-14 What is Mindfulness? 55:38
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Mindfulness is becoming very popular in many areas of modern life: as a stress reduction, in schools, prisons, hospitals, in the workplace and so on. But what is mindfulness, and what was the Buddha talking about when he encouraged us to practice it? Right mindfulness, or Samma Sati, develops wisdom and understanding, decreasing unwholesome states of mind, increasing wholesome ones and leading us to more freedom and clarity.
Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center :  Three-Month Retreat - Part 1
2015-08-17 Concentration and the Path of Practice 56:33
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Concentration is an important part of any meditation practice, but not an end in itself. We can use the steady attentive mind to turn to the nature of reality, revealing the essential truths that can free us from confusion.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center :  Concentration
2015-08-13 Factors of Awakening 58:31
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The seven factors of awakening develop and strengthen naturally as we practice, but knowing this map helps us incline towards them. This talk focuses on developing them in concentration practice.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center :  Concentration
2015-07-16 The Wise Response of the Heart 59:11
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The flavor of Metta is kindness, which is such a beautiful and powerful attitude, but the other Brahma Viharas of compassion, joy and equanimity allow us to meet all of life with openess and connection.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center :  July Metta Retreat

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