An archive of Zoom Class recordings.
December 29, 2020: Are You Ready?: Video on YouTube. The beginning of Step Six, “were entirely ready.” Listen to audio below.
December 25, 2020: Introduction to Step Six: Video on YouTube. The heart of the Steps, Step Six opens wide ranging topics to discuss. Listen to audio below.
December 18, 2020: Group Sharing: Video on YouTube. People in the group are invited to share. Listen to audio below.
December 15, 2020: Mindful Listening: Video on YouTube. Exploring how to practice mindfulness in listening in conversation. Listen to audio below.
December 8, 2020: Right Speech: Video on YouTube. More exploration of mindfulness of speech from “One Breath at a Time.” Listen to audio below.
December 4, 2020: Guest Teacher Oren Jay Sofer: Video on YouTube. Author of “Say What You Mean.” Visit Oren’s website. Listen to audio below.
December 1, 2020: Noble Friends and Noble Conversation (cont.): Video on YouTube. Further discussion of community versus individual on the path. Listen to audio below.
November 27, 2020: Noble Friends and Noble Conversation: Video on YouTube. Continuing from Step Five in “One Breath,” now looking at what the Buddha said about the importance of community. Connecting that to recovery. Listen to audio below.
November 24, 2020: Working with Physical Pain: Video on YouTube. A talk about working with in meditation and in daily life. Listen to audio below.
November 20, 2020: Rigorous Honesty: Video on YouTube. “One Breath at a Time,” Step Five. Listen to audio below.
November 17, 2020: Breaking the Silence: Video on YouTube. Back into “One Breath at a Time,” Step Five. Listen to audio below.
November 10, 2020: More on Right Speech: Video on YouTube. Using Bhikkhu Bodhi’s “Noble Eightfold Path, I explore Right Speech as a spiritual practice and the deeper implication of honesty and truth. Listen to audio below,
November 6, 2020: Taking Refuge: Video on YouTube. As we wait for election results, I reflect on what is really important in our lives. Listen to audio below.
November 3, 2020: Greed, Hatred, and Delusion: Video on YouTube. An emotional class on election day. Listen to audio below.
October 30, 2020: Step 5 Introduction: Video on YouTube. Beginning to look at how Step 5 relates to Buddhism, particularly in relation to Right Speech. Listen to audio below.
October 27, 2020: More Revealed: Video on YouTube. Wrapping up Step 4. Listen to audio below.
October 23, 2020: Buddhist Lists: Video on YouTube. As we wind up Step Four, I review the lists we covered as “Buddhist inventory.” Listen to audio below.
October 20, 2020: Ten Perfections: Renunciation, pt 3: Video on YouTube. The third talk on renunciation, this one focused on renouncing ego. Listen to audio below.
October 16, 2020: Ten Perfections: Renunciationm, pt 2: Video on YouTube. The second talk on renunciation, this one focused on renouncing greed, hated, and delusion. Listen to audio below.
October 13, 2020: Ten Perfections: Renunciation: Video on YouTube. The first of three talks on renunciation. This one covers renunciation on the worldly level. Listen to audio below.
October 6, 2020: Factors of Awakening – Joy (cont): Video on YouTube. Continuing the exploration of the role of joy in the path. Listen to audio below.
September 29, 2020: Factors of Awakening – Joy: Video on YouTube. Exploring joy as an aspect of the spiritual path. Listen to audio below.
September 25, 2020: Factors of Awakening (cont.): Video on YouTube. Looking at other dimensions of investigation in meditation practice. Listen to audio below.
September 22, 2020: Factors of Awakening: Video on YouTube. Continuing on positive inventory with the first three elements of the 7 Factors of Awakening: mindfulness, investigation, and energy. Listen to audio below.
September 18, 2020: Positive Inventory: Video on YouTube. We begin an exploration of positive ways of looking at inventory. Listen to audio below.
September 15, 2020: Five Precepts (cont.): Video on YouTube. This talks goes into the precepts on sexual misconduct and not using intoxicants. Listen to audio below.
September 8, 2020: Five Precepts: Video on YouTube. This talks looks at the first two precepts, not to kill or steal, especially as they relate to recovery. Listen to audio below.
September 4, 2020: Doubt: Video on YouTube. This talks explores the hindrance of Doubt, as well as what’s called “Great Doubt” in the Zen tradition. I draw from Stephen Batchelor’s book “The Faith to Doubt.” Listen to audio below.
September 1, 2020: Energy: Video on YouTube. This talk explores the hindrances of Sloth and Torpor and Restlessness and Worry as an energetic states. Listen to audio below.
August 28, 2020: Depression: Video on YouTube. Expanding on the exploration of aversion, I explore the elements of depression and how to work with them with Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and other teachings and recovery tools. Listen to audio below.
August 25, 2020: Aversion: Video on YouTube. Here I get into the second Hindrance, aversion. Listen to audio below.
August 21, 2020: Craving: Video on YouTube. Further exploration of the Hindrance of desire. Readings from The Craving Mind by Judson Brewer and Satipatthana by Venerable Analayo. Listen to audio below.
August 18, 2020: Hindrance Inventory: Video on YouTube. I get into the suttas where the Buddha uses two similes to describe the problem of the Five Hindrances. Listen to audio below.
August 11, 2020: Eightfold Path, cont: Video on YouTube. Looking at other elements of the Noble Eightfold Path as areas for meditative inventory. Listen to audio below.
August 7, 2020: Buddhist Inventory. Video on YouTube. Beginning to explore how we can use Buddhist teachings as guides to inventory. Not covered in the book, but discussed here, is the idea of using the Eightfold Path as a guide to exploring where we are on our spiritual path. Listen or download audio below.
August 4, 2020: Why’s It So Hard? Video on YouTube. Reflecting on the challenge to the ego from writing Step 4 inventory. Listen or download audio below.
July 31, 2020: Why Inventory? Video on YouTube. A short reading followed by some sharing on people’s experiences with inventory. Listen or download audio below.
July 28, 2020: Challenge to Meditators. (No video) In this class, we talk about the challenge to increase the time of your meditation periods. Listen or download below.
July 24, 2020: Step Four Introduction. (No video) In this session I read from and discuss the opening of Step Four in One Breath at a Time. Listen or download below.
July 21, 2020: Part Two: Investigation and Responsibility: Video on YouTube. Part Two of One Breath at a Time covers Steps 4-9. This is the opening to that section. Listen or download audio below.
July 17, 2020: Reflection on Meditation: Video on YouTube. Discussing some of the subtle aspects and challenges of meditation practice. Listen or download audio below.
July 14, 2020: Too Much Faith: Video on YouTube. Looking at the dangers of blind faith on a spiritual path. Listen or download audio below.
July 7, 2020: Too Much Wisdom: Video on YouTube. Looking at how over-intellectualizing can get in the way of spiritual practice and Steps 3. Listen or download audio below.
June 30, 2020: Totally Under Control: Video on YouTube. Looking back at the ways I tried to solve my problems without facing my alcoholism and addiction. Listen or download audio below.
June 26, 2020: Finding Our Own Words: Video on YouTube. I showed up late for this class, so the recording starts after the meditation. This section of the book is about language in spiritual teachings.
June 23, 2020: Sharing: Video on YouTube. In this session I opened it up for people to share and ask questions. Listen or download audio below.
June 19, 2020: Growing on the Path: Video on YouTube. I talk about my own development in recovery and how Buddhism and the Steps eventually merged. Listen or download audio below.
June 16, 2020: Don’t Know: Video on YouTube. “Don’t Know” is a Zen idea that acknowledges the unknowability of God and many other things. Instead of looking for answers to “what or who is God?” we practice “don’t know.” This teaching comes from Zen Mater Soen Sunim. Listen or download audio below.
June 12, 2020: Spirit Rock Class – Step Six, Addiction and Racism: Chat with resources
June 5, 2020: Understanding God (cont.): Video on YouTube. Continuing this section of “One Breath at a Time” by discussing the Akron Pamphlet “Spiritual Dimensions of Alcoholics Anonymous” and some of the definitions of God from my book “A Burning Desire.” Note: this class and others are taking place, not only during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the uprising for racial justice in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police. Listen to or download audio below.
June 2, 2020: Understanding God: Video on YouTube. This section of Step Three explores Buddhadasa Bhikkhu’s comparison of Christianity and Buddhism and how he talks about “Dhamma God.” (“Dhamma” is Pali for “Dharma”). Also some discussion of the current crises in the US around racial injustice and the trauma we are all experiencing. Listen to or download audio below.
May 29, 2020: Making a Decision: Video on YouTube. Step Three continues. Here I talk about my own first year of sobriety and holding back from commitment. I connect Right Intention with the idea of “made a decision” in Step Three. Listen to or download audio below.
May 26, 2020: Step Three Introduction: Video on YouTube. Guided meditation on using “counting the breath” to deepen concentration. Talk covers commitment and begins the discussion of Higher Power from a Dharma perspective. Listen or download audio below.
May 22, 2020: Perspectives on Meditation: Video on YouTube. Listen or download audio below.
May 19, 2020: Faith, the Spiritual Faculty: Video on YouTube. Listen or download audio below.
May 15, 2020: How Can I Believe?: Video on YouTube. Listen or download audio below.
May 12, 2020: Who You Callin’ Crazy? Step 2: Video on YouTube. Listen or download audio below.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020. This session introduces Step Two on page 30. Listen or download audio below.
Friday, April 17, 2020. This session focuses on meditation. Guided practice, “Vipassana,” from pp. 28-29 in One Breath at a Time. Listen or download audio below.
Tuesday, April 7, 2020. This session covers the “Four Noble Truths,” from pages 22-24 in One Breath at a Time. Here is the video. And here is the audio.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020. These recordings aren’t perfect. You may need to scroll through a bit. You might not want to watch me meditating, Much of this talk explored page 19-20 in One Breath at a Time “Learning Balance: The Middle Way”. I talk about the Buddha’s path to awakening as well as my own experience before and after recovery. Here is the Zoom of the video recording. And here is the audio version.
Offerings of “dana” can be made to me in two ways:
Venmo: @Kevin-Griffin-65 (if needed, the last four digits of my phone number are 8076)
Paypal: kevgriffin2@comcast.net
Use the link below to access the meeting. Email me with any questions.
Kevin Griffin is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Dharma and Recovery
Time: Mar 13, 2020 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/8468382188
Meeting ID: 846 838 2188
Click on the URL or copy it into your browser. That should get you in the meeting.
Warm regards,
Kevin Griffin
P.S. If more than 100 people show up, I will have to upgrade my Zoom account. I will give people ways of offering Dana (donations) for the event if they so choose.