Tea with Mara

"Guarding The Garden" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation based on the wisdom imparted by author Z.S. Diamanti in his wonderful cozy fantasy book "Guard In The Garden". From the first quote I highlighted, where one character tells another "Everyone has loads to be thankful for if they have the eyes to see it. And, when we’re filled up with gratitude, it often overflows as kindness." I knew I would end up doing a talk on this topic. Diamanti is a veteran, and expresses the eternal wisdom through his protagonist Felton who is a wounded warrior adjusting to civilian life after serving in the Dwarves military. I fell completely in love with this book, and I hope you will indulge me as I use many of the quotes from the book to hopefully show that the dharma can arise anywhere, including the pages of a cozy fantasy book. I hope you enjoy this talk as much as I enjoyed offering it. I'll post a link below to purchase the book directly from the author if you want to get even more out of it! I definitely recommend that you do! Enjoy!⁠https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com⁠⁠Guard in the Garden by Z.S. Diamanti⁠

"Freedom Without, Freedom Within" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha reflecting on the celebration of Independence Day by exploring a different kind of freedom.Two hundred and fifty years ago, a nation declared its independence from a distant ruler. But what about the rulers we still carry within? The voice of self-criticism. The pull of craving. The grip of fear. The stories we tell ourselves about who we are and how life is supposed to be.The Buddha spoke often of true freedom from the greed, hatred, and delusion that keep us trapped even when no one is holding us captive. I hope you enjoy this talk!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Stories We Live Inside" is a Dharma talk exploring the stories we tell ourselves, the identities we cling to, and how we can begin to see that our stories are not the same thing as reality. We may find that freedom can come from loosening our grip on the stories we've been carrying too long. I hope you will find something useful in this talk. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"I Thought I Was Right, But I Was Certain" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha about how, when we're young, we often feel remarkably certain about things we have barely experienced. We know what love is. We know what happiness means. We know how life works. Then life happens. Marriage. Children. Loss. Success. Failure. Friendship. Aging. And slowly we discover that reality is far more complicated...and far more beautiful...than our theories about it.In this talk, we'll explore how wisdom is less about knowing the answersand more about learning to hold our answers lightly. We'll look at certainty, humility, Beginner's Mind, and the freedom that comes from realizing we might not know as much as we thought we did. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Buddhism Still Ruins Everything" is a Dharma talk about misconceptions, curiosity, and personal responsibility. A starting place perhaps for someone considering a Dharma practice. Raised Catholic, disillusioned by religion, and spending years searching for something that felt true, I eventually discovered the Dharma in a book about mindful eating. What I found wasn't a new belief system. It was a practical path for understanding suffering, identifying its causes, and learning how to live with a little more wisdom and a little less confusion. In this talk we cover some of the most common misunderstandings people have about Buddhism, whether it conflicts with other religions, why meditation isn't about stopping your thoughts, why the Buddha wasn't asking for worship, and why I jokingly say that Buddhism ruins everything. Because once you start seeing things clearly, you can't go back to not knowing. And that turns out to be sometimes inconvenient and always beautiful. Enjoy!

"Within You, Without You" is a great Beatles song...and also the name of the Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha tonight on the topic of the differences between fear based beliefs and experience based spiritual practice. We start out by clearing up some common misconceptions about Buddhism, and then talk about how fear based beliefs cause harm, while wisdom and experiential practices lead to happiness. We covered a lot of ground. And we wrapped it up with the Beatles. I hope that this talk will help heal your wounds and incline you toward happiness. Question everything (including this), and see for yourself what your beliefs lead you toward and what your actions lead you toward. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Not Picking Up What I'm Putting Down" Is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation on the difference between carrying something and controlling it, why the mind clings to burdens that no longer serve us, and how the Buddha's teachings point toward a deep form of relief found through through wisdom, discernment, and learning what can finally be set down. I hope you find it useful! Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“Radar Rider” was a short Dharma talk offered for Heavy Metta Chicago on the topic of escapism, entertainment, mindfulness, and the stories we disappear into. When Jay invited me to lead the session, I was excited because obviously I love the Dharma, but as a kid I also loved to escape into the fantasy art worlds of the magazine that inspired the HMC logo, Heave Metal. Peppered with my love of the magazine and movie, we explored the differences between restoration and avoidance, how media can both nourish and numb us, and what it means to enjoy art, fantasy, books, music, and stories without losing ourselves completely inside them. The Dharma does not ask us to reject imagination or beauty, but simply to remain awake within them, and to remember to come home again. I hope you will enjoy this one as much as I did, and go check out the beatiful community over at Heavy Metta Chicago! Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Living's Easy" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of nourishment, presence, and making the most of the fleeting moments of our lives. As summer begins, vacations loom, children grow up, and life shifts around us, we often find ourselves holding both joy and a sadness at the same time. Tonight we’ll explore the Buddha’s teachings on nutriment and ask not only what we feed our bodies, but what we feed our minds, hearts, relationships, and attention. We’ll reflect on presence versus distraction, fear versus love, and how the ordinary moments we often overlook may someday become the moments we miss the most. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“Jealous Again” is a Dharma talk offered at Mindfulness VR on the topics of jealousy, envy, comparison, chronic illness, and the tenderness that often lives beneath those experiences. We discuss the difference between jealousy and envy, why the mind compares itself to others so naturally, and how suffering deepens when we build identity around those comparisons. We’ll look at the Buddha’s teaching of the “second arrow,” appreciative joy (muditā), and how longing itself is not the problem…bitterness is. This talk is not about pretending difficult emotions don’t exist or trying to spiritually bypass pain. It’s about learning how to hold suffering, grief, longing, and comparison with honesty, compassion, and a softer heart. Enjoy! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“When We Stand On Unsteady Ground” is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on how we can actually practice when things feel heavy, uncertain, painful, or overwhelming. Without focusing on any one specific kind of suffering, this talk explores practical Dharma-based ways to steady ourselves during difficult times. We’ll look at the Buddha’s teachings on grief, fear, overwhelm, patience, compassion, and resilience as pragmatic tools for surviving hard moments without losing ourselves inside them. I hope this is useful for you! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Something Has Changed" is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation offered at MindfulnessVR on the subtle and often surprising nature of genuine happiness. Sometimes transformation appears in a simple moment where we suddenly realize, “I think I’m actually okay.” This talk explores contentment, healing, friendship, gratitude, emotional resilience, and the gradual rewiring of the heart through practice. And, crucially, it's about paying attention so that we notice when it happens! Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“Mother Matters” is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha exploring the many dimensions of motherhood, care, grief, gratitude, and the maternal heart. Mother’s Day is not always simple. For some, it is joyful. For others, it carries loss, longing, regret, complicated relationships, or deep tenderness. In this talk we’ll explore the Buddha’s own experience with maternal loss, the story of Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī who raised him, and how the Dharma invites us to hold love and suffering together with compassion and honesty. May it be of use to you!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Another Chapter" is a Dharma Talk and brief guided meditation on the topics of change, impermanence, and letting go. This talk was inspired by my favorite social book tracker app shutting down. It's been my favorite place for over a year, and it's closing up shop. This made me think of the MindfulnessVR community (where this talk was given) and all the changes we have encountered, grieved, and survived. It seems only natural to offer a talk that might help another community through their own suffering of loss like this. I hope someone will find it helpful!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Mid-Life Crisis or Spiritual Awakening?" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of saṁvega ...the spiritual urgency that arises when we begin to clearly see aging, impermanence, mortality, and the unsatisfying nature of trying to build lasting happiness from changing conditions.What we often call a “mid-life crisis” may sometimes actually be the moment the story we’ve been living inside of stops fully working…forcing us to ask deeper questions about meaning, identity, fulfillment, and what truly leads to peace.This talk explores the Buddha’s teachings on disillusionment, awakening, craving, identity, and how moments of existential discomfort can become doorways into wisdom rather than panic or reinvention.https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Four Kinds of Friends" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation on a topic inspired by another recent talk, after which the discussion arose about how to handle difficult friends. The Buddha actually had some very specific kinds of advice he offered around this, so we dove into it in this talk. I hope it helps you gain some clarity around these kinds of relationships and how to grow the healthy ones and let go of unhealthy ones. May it be of use. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Most Sublime Bookshelf" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of the Four Brahma Viharas. In this talk, we explore loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity; the practical ways the Buddha taught that the heart can meet the world. Framed here by gratitude at the beginning and forgiveness at the end, this talk looks at how we open the heart, train it, and learn to let go of what keeps it closed. I hope you find it helpful. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Suffering of Expectation" is a Dharma talk offered at the Two Hands Sangha about how we suffer because of the expectations we place on things. Particularly when we ask someone for help, and we expect a certain answer, that is a recipe for suffering. It means we aren't really asking for something, we are expecting it, and if the answer doesn't meet our expectations, suffering will follow most certainly. I hope this is of some use to someone listening, and that you enjoy it!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Direction of Perfection" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of doing the best we can with what we have where we are. It's about the Paramis (or The Ten Perfections), but really it is ultimately about how our imperfection is actually just perfectly perfect as it is. I hope this will be a fun and useful talk for you. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Questions about Anxiety and Anger" is a mix between a Dharma talk and a guided meditation. I showed up without a talk prepared, or even a topic in mind, and the community asked how to "prevent the anxiety of an impending event" (paraphrasing) and "How to deal with a coworker who spoils the mood of the entire workplace with their attitude"? I hope I gave some useful teachings that will help in these matters, and that you find something useful in them. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Reduce and Renew" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha exploring the idea that transformation doesn’t necessarily come from adding something new, but from letting something go. On Easter, many people are reflecting on renewal and new life, we’ll take a Buddhist look at what it actually means to begin again. Over and over again, as something available to us moment to moment. What if “coming back to life” is about releasing what’s heavy and discovering what’s already here when the things we let go of begin to fall away. Happy Easter to our Christian friends who celebrate the day, Enjoy!HTTPS://BIO.REVERENDGEORGEBEECHER.COM

"The Direction of Support" is a talk offered for the Virtual Reality community MindfulnessVR about how sometimes in life the direction of support gets a little unclear. We all need guidance. We all need connection. We all need people who can help hold us when things feel heavy. But in healthy relationshipsthere’s usually a natural direction to that support. And when that direction gets reversed inappropriately, it can feel confusing or draining, and frankly it can sometimes be hard to name or notice. This talk explores what it means to stand on your own feet and recognize what truly supports the path and how to relate to others with wisdom, compassion, and wise boundaries. I hope something in this talk lands as helpful for you. Enjoy! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"W.A.R." is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of the walls we build, the ways we see the world, and the responsibility we carry for what comes next. Drawing from a high school musical presentation of Hadestown, Frank White's Overview Effect, and the reality of collective action, this talk explores how fear and conditioning shape our perception and how a shift in view can change everything. When we step back for a moment the lines we thought were solid begin to soften. I hope this talk helps us all determine who we are building on behalf of and what we are building. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The 4H Club" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation about how probably all of us have or will experience harmlessness, harm, harmfulness, and if we are lucky...heedfulness in our lifetimes. We talk about the life of Angulimala and some lessons we can learn from him. Ultimately, this talk is about how we can break the cycle that keeps us stuck in harming and being harmed, and learn to be heedful. I hope you'll find this useful. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“Just This” is a Dharma talk that builds on the two most recent talks about identity and the unreliable narrator of the mind. If we’re not the stories we tell about our experience, and we can’t always trust the voice telling them, then where does that leave us? This talk explores a powerful teaching from the Buddha to Bāhiya: “In the seen, just the seen… in the heard, just the heard…" We look at what it means to experience life directly, without turning it into identity, commentary, or self-story, as well as how that simple shift opens the door to more ease and freedom in our everyday lives.https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Unreliable Narrator" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation that follows up on the last talk I offered. That other one (Between Being and Having) was about the difference between having an experience and making that experience our identity. This talk, The Unreliable Narrator, is about how we can work on breaking that down and beginning to question the voice in our heads that tells the story of who we are. Like any narrator, it’s not always accurate. It’s shaped by habit, memory, and conditioning. When we learn to listen to it a little more carefully, instead of automatically believing it, we create space and in that space a little more freedom becomes possible.https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Between Having and Being" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha about the difference between having an experience and making the experience our identity. All about the "I", "Me", "Mine" experience we solidify around with most of our thoughts and words all the time, and how to begin changing that. I hope this will be helpful for some of you, and that you will enjoy the talk!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"A Stable Table" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of the three pillars of our practice: Panna, Sila, and Samadhi. This seemed like a natural follow up to our month of cultivating (or strengthening) a daily sitting practice, and I hope you'll find it useful. Very simple and straightforward, and supportive of your practice. Please forgive the audio quality, as I was forced to use a different microphone tonight with no noise control. I hope it's not too troublesome. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"A Place of Peace" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation on the topic of how to be at peace in a world at war. Nobody really wants to dwell on these difficult times, and that's not what this is about. It's about how to practice and maintain your own sense of peace and practice alongside troubled times. May you find this helpful. Enjoy.https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"February Meditation Challenge - Wrap Up!" is the finale' of our month of establishing or strengthening a practice. We reflect on the last week of practice in February, and we close out the practice. This was offered at Two Hands Sangha on our Day of Mindfulness. May you continue to grow and strengthen your practice. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"February Meditation Challenge - Week 4" is a review of week 3 and a look ahead to week 4, as we wind down our month long effort to establish or strengthen a routine meditation practice. It's largely about honesty, with ourselves and others, and is a lovely conversation. I hope you'll find it useful leading into our March 1st Day of Mindfulness. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“It’s The Little Things” is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation on the topic of noticing and choosing small acts of kindness in dark or uncertain times. While traveling recently, I’ve been struck by how much goodness is quietly happening all around us; patience in long lines, shared laughter between strangers, tiny gestures of care that could easily go unseen. Gratitude practice trains the mind to look for this… and intention allows us to become part of it. This talk explores how karma unfolds in everyday moments, how we shape the emotional climate around us, and how choosing humor, patience, and kindness is powerful. I left my wife's spectacular sneeze in this one just for posterity. Enjoy! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"February Meditation Challenge - Week 3" is the third week of discussing the wonderful book by Sharon Salzberg "Real Happiness" and working together as a community to build or strengthen a routine daily meditation practice. I hope you'll find some wisdom in something she shared in the book, or that I shared in this recording that helps you solidify a meditation practice in your own daily life. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"February Meditation Challenge - Week 2" is a Dharma sharing based on the book by Sharon Salzberg "Real Happiness" and starts with a review of Week 1 and then moves into looking ahead to Week 2 of building a daily meditation practice. I hope you'll join us as we work toward establishing or strengthening our practices, and if you are local we will be culminating on March 1st with a Daylong to celebrate and keeping what we build together. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"February Meditation Challenge - Week 1" is a discussion about the introduction and first two chapters of Sharon Salzberg's wonderful book Real Happiness. This is one of the books I recommend to new practitioners primarily because it is very simple and straightforward, practice oriented, information. If you want to join our local sangha in starting or strengthening your practice, start here, and grab a copy of the book for yourself and stay tuned here all month long. March 1st we will have a day of mindfulness to celebrate! Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Resistance and Forgetting" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation to help with people who will be participating in our February Meditation Challenge to build a daily sitting practice. Of course it is useful for anyone, because we all resist and forget, but hopefully this talk will be a good reminder as people work through the things that get in the way of building that daily habit of sitting. I hope you enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Beginner's Mind, From The Beginning" is a dharma talk about beginner's mind and how and why it can be such a useful thing, as well as how it is so easily lost in our daily lives. I hope you'll find something useful in this talk. There's a brief meditation afterward. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Why Bother?" is a dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha about knowing our reasons for why we bother with practice. Getting to know our own needs and reasons intimately is key to establishing a steady reliable practice. This talk lays the groundwork for our month long effort in February to help people build a daily sitting practice. I hope you find it to be useful in your efforts. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Spark" is a brief sort of meditation/dharmette offered to the MindfulnessVR community this week. Lacking a topic for the evening, we had a lengthy sharing and discussion check-in which only allowed for a brief meditation together. In the check-in someone asked for an exploration of the meaning of the first of the Three Gems; The Buddha. I offered my response as this sort of contemplative reflection. This one was brief enough that I wouldn't typically share it, but I'm hoping it might help others who are not clear on the idea behind this first gem. May it be helpful for you in some way! Enjoy! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Direction, Not Perfection" is a Dharma Talk about the place that an Altar can hold in our practice. This talk is following up on our NYE Intention settings, checking in a few weeks later...this is often when the effort toward these intentions can start to wane. Establishing an Altar can help give some purpose and direction to our intention to establish or maintain a practice. And also this is in preparation for February when we will revive an old annual tradition within our Sangha where we use Sharon Salzberg's Real Happiness book, and try to build or bolster our daily routine of practice. I hope you find something useful in here, and I apologize for the weak delay in posting this. My schedule has included a lot of travel lately, so patience is appreciated! Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"The Ground Upon Which I Stand" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the topic of taking a close look at where we are, and beginning to make small changes in our lives that will incline us in the direction we want to move. After last week's Intention Setting Ceremony this was a way of recognizing where we are and how to get where we wish to be; how we implement the changes to see those intentions materialize. I hope you enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“Hero Protagonist” is a brief Dharma talk and guided meditation on agency, aspiration, and what it means to consciously participate in our own lives. Using the simple lens of storytelling and the story arc of the "hero", we explore what brought us to the practice, what truly matters to us, and what’s at stake when we live on autopilot. I hope you find something useful in this talk. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"2025 NYEEEE Intention Setting Ceremony" is our Two Hands Sangha Intention Setting Ceremony. We came together, discussed the meaning and value of intention, and following this talk the group lit candles to set their intentions for the new year, followed by taking Refuge and Precepts for those who wished to. It was a beautiful evening of fellowship. Hope we see you in the new year! Have a safe and Happy New Year! Welcome 2026!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“Chasing Paper Airplanes” is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha during Christmas week, exploring the pressure to feel how we think we’re “supposed” to feel. We look at why forcing joy, gratitude, or positivity can actually increase suffering, and how the practice invites us to stop chasing old stories, let feelings land, and meet this moment with honesty and care. There is no correct emotional response to December, only the opportunity to be present with what’s true. I hope it offers some relief. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“A Wider View of Mindfulness” is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation in which we explore mindfulness as the Buddha taught it: an inward knowing of experience that helps us see clearly, respond wisely, and reduce suffering. Grounded in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, this is a gentle widening of the lens, building on commonly held ideas about what Mindfulness is, inspired by the MindfulnessVR Community Discord conversation on the topic. I hope you’ll find a broader view of mindfulness herein, and that you enjoy the exploration! https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Bob” is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha on the Eight Worldly Winds; those shifting conditions of gain/loss, praise/blame, pleasure/pain, status/disgrace that blow through every human life. Using pendulums, turbulence, Miley Cyrus, Rilke, and some honest reflection, we explore how to rise in altitude, soften instead of shatter, and meet change with humor, flexibility, and equanimity. If you’re feeling blown around by life, this one might help you breathe again. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“Gratitude Balancing Rage” is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation on how the heart can widen even in moments when it feels tight, hot, and reactive. We explore why rage contracts our world down to a single point and how gratitude gently expands it again. We cover a lot, including some practical ways to bring gratitude into real-time moments of anger without bypassing or pretending. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"Despite All My Rage" is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha about the fire we feel when we’re hurt, unseen, or misunderstood, and the cage we end up building around our own hearts. We explore what the Buddha taught about anger, why revenge never brings real freedom, and how we can reclaim our power by tending to the wound beneath the rage. If you’ve ever felt trapped in your anger…or exhausted by fighting battles that never seem to change anything…this talk is for you. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

"More Ferris, Less Cameron" is a Dharma talk and brief guided meditation on the topic of strong fixed views, and the pain and suffering that holding those can introduce to our lives. We dive into the subtle ways our beliefs hold us tight, and how compassion and curiosity can set us free. In a nutshell, we hold our views, but our strong fixed views hold us in a clenched fist. I hope you'll find something in this one that helps your life in some way. Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.com

“Empire of Noble Silence”  is a Dharma talk offered at Two Hands Sangha that looks at how Christopher Ruocchio’s wonderful book Empire of Silence unexpectedly echoes one of the oldest Dharma stories we have; the prince who leaves the palace and finally sees the world as it is. Hadrian’s journey reminds us that awakening begins the moment we step outside our own comfort and truly see. The dharma can be found everywhere we look with the eyes of wisdom, and good fiction can open that door…Ruocchio does it beautifully. I hope that I have represented his work well here, in my way, and that you will go an find his books (at the links below) and see if you find your own bit of wisdom, in addition to a beautifully crafted tale! Enjoy!https://bio.reverendgeorgebeecher.comHighmatter Books Sun Eater Youtube