Category: Dharma Talks

In this talk given to the Weekly Online Dharma Practice Gathering on April 3, 2020, Rebecca talked about habitual tendencies that practitioners may fall into when experiencing tremendous stress.  These habits block us from fully experiencing the present moment.  She explained how the practice of Silent Illumination allows us to face the challenges presented by the pandemic with equanimity.

This talk was given in the Online Dharma Practice Gathering with Rebecca Li held on Zoom on March 27, 2020, a weekly practice group established to support practitioners during the pandemic.  In this talk, Rebecca shared the practice of cultivating clear, total awareness of the present moment in the body and our surrounding to allow joy into our heart as we experience anxiety and stress during the pandemic.  She recommends listening to her talk on gratitude and total awareness here.

This is a reflection on Sallie Tisdale’s book Advice for Future Corpses on how to prepare for our own death and that of our loved ones by engaging in Chan practice.  This talk was given as part of the meditation workshop on February 16, 2020 at the New Jersey chapter of Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association in Edison, New Jersey.

This Dharma talk was given to the Buddhist sangha at Yale University on February 25, 2020.  Rebecca discussed characteristics of lacerating self-judgment and how to work with it by cultivating total, clear awareness through Chan practice.

The Dharma talk was given at the Daylong retreat organized by Newark Center for Meditative Culture on February 23, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey.  Applying sociological analysis of how the sense of belonging is often generated by maintaining a common enemy, Rebecca discussed how suffering is created in the process and alternative means of building community more in accordance with wisdom and compassion.

This bilingual talk was given at Chan Meditation Center on December 15, 2019.

Below is the English-only version of this talk

Rebecca was invited by the Buddhist Sangha of Bucks County to speak on the teaching of “no-self.”  She first explained the Dharma concept of “no-self.”  After the break, she discussed how to cultivate wisdom by establishing an accurate conceptual understanding of “no-self” and integrating the teaching in one’s daily life.  (Please note that a few minutes of the talk after the break is missing on this recording.)   This talk was given on November 18, 2019 at the weekly practice meeting of BSBC in Yardley, PA.

Rebecca spoke on how to engage in Chan practice to identify ways in which one generates suffering during the holiday season.  By cultivating clear awareness of one’s unhelpful habits, one can generate less suffering for ourselves and others, hence living more in accordance with wisdom and compassion.  This talk was given on November 24, 2019 at the New Jersey chapter of DDMBA. 

This talk was given at the meditation workshop hosted by the Buddhist Sangha of Yale University on September 17, 2019.  In this recording, the talk begins at the 17th minute.