Middle Way in a New Light

December 6th, 2018, Pune, India

Remains of East gate, Kapilavastu castle, Nepal. Prince Siddhartha’s journey started here.

This is the 2nd Dharma Talk given at the 2018 Mindfulness and Zen retreat at Vajradhatu, Pune, India.

“The Buddha’s path is your path. Buddhism is about you, and every single one of us. So it is quite important that we understand the Prince Siddhartha’s story as our own”. By using Siddhartha’s two different approaches for enlightenment as an example, Ven. Yamashita explains the pitfall of trying to control our minds and what really means to take the middle way.

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Why subtle body meditation?

December 5th, 2018, Pune, India

Dharma Talk (somehow we do not have Dharma talk photo of 2018. This is from 2019 Vajradhatu Retreat)

This is the introductory Dharma Talk given on the 1st day of 2018 Mindfulness and Zen retreat at Vajradhatu, Pune, India.

In this talk, Ven. Yamashita explains the reason why we need subtle body meditation, which is the first part of the One Dharma Method. Subtle body meditation is an “exit’ from our mind-maid stories that we call “suffering”. How so?

Topics covered include: the reason why mindfulness is so difficult (spoiler alert: because it is impossible), our double-structured nature, the difference between ordinary knowing and mindful knowing, how we cross to the other shore, and so on.

The talk is followed by a question and answer session. Questions are difficult to hear, but you can hear it in the teacher’s answer.

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Meditation Instruction 2018ver

Meditation instruction recorded at the 2018 international retreat, Deer Park Institute, Bir, India.

Sunrise on the Holy river of Ganga, near Baranasi, India

On December 2nd, 2018, Bir

Please note that no recording of guided meditation was made at the 2019 international retreat. This is the latest version available in English as of 2020.

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One Most Important Thing About You

November 29th, 2018, Bir, India

Walking meditation in front of the Buddha Hall, Deer Park Institute, Bir

Day 2 of 2018 Zen and Mindfulness Retreat at Deer Park Institute

When you lose touch with this one crucial thing about you, suffering is inevitable. You mistake who you are, and get caught up in life’s misery—birth, old age, sickness, and death. Also, key teachings of Buddhism, expressed in contrasting expressions such as nirvana/samsara, form/formless, this shore/the other shore, will simply confuse you.

What is that “one thing”? Ven. Yamashita calls it our double-structured nature. Understanding it is the first step out of the confusion surrounding yourself and the teachings of Buddhism.

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A realistic strategy for mindfulness

November 28th, 2018, Bir, India

Day 1 of 2018 Zen and Mindfulness Retreat at Deer Park Institute

Dharma Talk at Deer Park Institute, 2018, Bir, India

Have you ever been fascinated by mindfulness? Have you ever tried it but found it difficult to remain in that state and wondered why? If your answer is yes, this is the talk for you. Because you know from your own experience that speaking sweetly about mindfulness is never helpful enough.  Then what should we do? “We need a strategy,” says Ven. Yamashita. Our mind acts quite contrary to what mindfulness entails. But there is a solution. This Dharma talk invites you to understand how our mind operates in order to understand mindfulness.


Note: If you are interested in the subtle body meditation mentioned in the Dharma talk, you can try it with the guided meditation instruction available at  https://en.onedhamma.com/meditation-2/

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Young Global Leaders Meditation Workshop

Ven. Yamashita teaching the subtle body meditation to the Young Global Leaders (class of 2014)

9/14/14  Hounen-in, Kyoto, Japan

With Ven. Issho Fujita

An introductory talk on meditation given to the Young Global Leaders Forum, a project of the World Economic Forum. YGL is “a community of exceptional young leaders who share a commitment to shaping the global future.” Ven. Issho Fujita speaks for the first 25 minutes (the very beginning of his talk is cut), followed by Yamashita-sensei.

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Why Compassion?

12/28/13  PM,   New Delhi,  India

From this talk:  “Once you start your own meditation, you find your mind does not work as you think.”

Topics covered include: Mindfulness and problems in meditation, subject and object, the untrainable monkey mind, the fundamental misunderstanding, and the role of compassion in meditation

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Anxiety and the Blue Sky

12/28/13  New Delhi,  India

From this talk:  “If your mind created this anxiety, your mind can also stop this anxiety.”

Topics covered include: Yamashita-sensei’s background and connection with Deer Park (Himachal Pradesh, India), an explanation of Blue Sky (Clear Sky) Meditation, the meaning of Dharma, and the cause of anxiety and how to handle it.

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Resistance and Acceptance

12/21/13  PM,   Goa,  India

From this talk:  “If you check your mind please find your resistance. This is the core of your ego.”

Topics covered include: ego vs. compassion, the meaning of samatha and vipassana, resistance and acceptance, the importance of retreats, and mindfulness in daily life.

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