Dharma talks with Jaya Ashmore

In this talk, the topic might somewhere be "generosity" and "interdependence" but we are led there through an underground fungal network beneath the forest floor and out through water flying out of the leaves of the trees. Led there joyously.

This talk, given during a silent retreat in North Carolina, in the United States, challenges listeners to know our lives as spiritual, and experience the unconscious not only as something dark, but light, wide and unaccountable. Ashmore's warmth, understanding and passion for transformative practice shine through her words.

In this talk, on processing big emotions, Ashmore calls upon the wisdom of the traditional village snake-handlers of India, along with contemporary poetry and ancient spiritual texts. With astute sensitivity, Ashmore makes room for the fear to see clearly, as well as our "snake-y alive wish to see clearly anyway." Her approach is imaginative, spontaneous, personal, yet universal, winding and also startlingly direct.

This talk is quite long and discusses some deep concepts but is well worth listening to until the end. In fact, it rewards repeated listening. Beginning with a discussion on the nature of Joy, the talk encourages us to maintain our practice even in the face of difficult emotions. Jaya maps a path through rocky terrain, suggesting we use the tools of Curiosity and Friendliness. This in turn might begin to feel like Courage and Joy, and that might ultimately lead one to an experience of non-duality.

This talk speaks about discrimination in a positive sense...seeing what doesn't need anything more from us, and just enjoying. Growing the ability to see what is worthy of our attention. Living what calls us. Through modern poetry and stories from the Buddha’s time, Jaya brings the teachings closer to our daily lives’ practice.

This talk is an invitation to increase our sensitivity to what’s underneath, into the depth and into listening beneath habit.

In this talk Jaya speaks about a friend who recently died, and who was a person who was able to deliver supreme teachings and daily life/lightening teachings and groundedness. Jaya discuss her own experience with turbulence in the mind, with the 5 obstructions and the idea that if you are experiencing turbulence in your meditation, you're in line with meditators throughout time. Unleash the mind at rest. Release the mind from habits, the ways it's been formed and letting it be at rest. And in this, the current of aliveness gets stronger...we find total power- total action. Jaya also speaks about a time with Papaji in Lucknow and brings in quotes of Ramana Maharishi and Krishna Merti. This talk is a rich invitation to feel into the tricky mind and trust one's own meditation experiences.

The voice and the wisdom we search for is present in each of us. All the things we do to find peace and to reach spiritual enlightenment can mask the reality that the peace we seek is already here. This talk is an invitation to stop reaching outside of ourselves because what we are looking for in the core of our being.