Dave Smith Dharma

A talk on the Noble Question (MN 26). Given at Insight Denver. https://www.insightdenver.org/ https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

From a live event in the fall of 2025. A youtube video, uploaded audio here due to high demands. You are welcome. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Come sit at Vallecitos! Ñāṇavīra Thera (born Harold Musson, 1920–1965), an English monk whose work is a cornerstone for those interested in the intersection of the Pali Suttas and phenomenological philosophy. He is best known for his radical, "vertical" approach to the Dhamma, which bypasses traditional commentaries to focus on the immediate structure of personal experience.The primary collection of his later work is titled "Clearing the Path", which includes his seminal book and his extensive correspondence. Notes on Dhamma (1960–1965): This is his most influential work. It consists of highly technical entries intended to correct common misinterpretations of the Suttas. He famously discarded the "three-life" traditional model of paṭiccasamuppāda (dependent arising) in favor of a structural, timeless interpretation. vThe Phenomenological Approach: Ñāṇavīra used the tools of Western existentialists—like Sartre, Heidegger, and Kierkegaard—not as a substitute for the Dhamma, but as a way to clear away "objective" or scientific biases. He argued that the Dhamma must be understood from a "vertical" view—looking directly into the abyss of one’s own existence. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

The overlooked power of the creative mind. Religion hates this kind of thing... https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Unpacking the teachings of right effort aka samma vayama. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Always a big thanks to Sangha Live! https://sangha.live/ https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

From the Sunday mentoring group. Consider joining us: https://www.davesmithdharma.com/mentoring/ https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

How do the bramha viharas fit into the satipatthan? A person description. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Buried in my zoom folder, sometime 2025. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

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Sunday morning reflections on this overused and under defined term. To join these live session, consider our mentoring program.https://www.davesmithdharma.com/mentoring/ https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

From the 2025 archives. More to come on this soon. Check out posted 2026 programs : https://linktr.ee/davesmithdharma https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

From NYE retreat, Bay St. Louis. Flowering Lotus: https://www.floweringlotusmeditation.org/ https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Metta-Vipassana is an integrated practice that unites the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Vipassana) with Metta practices (Brahmavihāras). Vipassana meditation (insight or mindfulness practice) connects the richness of our shared human experience with the immediacy of moment-to-moment awareness. As the body and mind learn to settle, intuitive wisdom emerges. This wisdom allows us to fully open to the entirety of each moment, both within and around us. By cultivating this openness, we increase our capacity and interest in meeting life’s joys and sorrows with ease and presence.Metta practice (kind-friendliness) calls forth and strengthens beautiful spiritual emotions within the heart: kindness, care, joy, and equanimity. Mindfulness of these qualities helps bring them to full fruition. This process directs our life's energy toward awakening our full potential, providing a stable foundation for contentment, purpose, and meaning...thus I have heard. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/schedule/ https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Get some. Collect and connect. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

The mind, its structure and functionality aka citta. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Night one talk. NYE retreat in Bay St. Louis. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Guided practice session from overview. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Morning one, overview of sila bramha vihara. NYE retreat, Bay St Louis MS. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Final reflection for 2025, attempt to wrap up some thoughts on the year. Join me for programs in 2026: https://linktr.ee/davesmithdharma https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

From the weekly mentoring group, to join find out more HERE. Can can also sing up for my new Essential Dharma Course HERE https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Random talk from Sunday mentoring group. If you would like to be part of this group you can see more HERE. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Dave and Mikey Livid (Wild Heart Nashville). In collaboration with Flowering Lotus Meditation. You can sign up for the retreat at this link: https://register.etransfer.com/cgi-bin/acct/VDEYW88NN1/displayForm.pl?dir=KOT2WZYK_2025 https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Opening lecture from the Ghost Ranch, Authenticity in an Artificial World. Brief history of mindfulness address the two streams if vipassana and secular mindfulness. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Reflections from Chiang Mai. In proper dedication to my teacher and mentor, Steven Smith. More to come....The Roots in the Sagaing Hills: Metta VipassanaThe Sagaing Hills of Myanmar are the spiritual epicenter where the two dominant forms of modern Burmese Buddhism originated. This region is revered for its "patipatti-minded" monks who prioritize meditative practice (paṭipatti) over mere scholarship.Mahasi Tradition: The foundation of the widespread Mahasi Sayadaw movement was laid at the Thameikdawdaya Nunnery in Sagaing. A pivotal encounter there in 1947 led to Sir U Thwin inviting Mahasi Sayadaw to lead a new center in Rangoon, launching a movement that would rapidly sweep across Southeast Asia.Ledi/Goenka Lineage: The area is also linked to the lineage popularized by U Goenka. The suggestion that Ledi Sayadaw learned Vipassana deep in the Hills underscores Sagaing's reputation. Furthermore, Sitagu Sayadaw, a contemporary friend of U Goenka and influential teacher, established his major academic and practice centers at the foot of the Hills, cementing the region's enduring legacy as a site for intense practice.Sayadaw U Pandita: The Synthesis of Pāli Text and PracticeThis practice-oriented tradition was synthesized, systematized, and exported by Sayadaw U Pandita (1921–2016), the scholarly successor to Mahasi Sayadaw. U Pandita's life embodied the necessary dual commitment to study and application.Scholarly FoundationU Pandita was first a distinguished scholar of the Pāli Canon, earning the prestigious title Abhivamsa and serving as a corrector in the Sixth Sangha Council (1956). His profound textual knowledge ensured the authenticity of the tradition he taught.Integration with MeditationAt age 29, U Pandita began practice under Mahasi Sayadaw, gaining the crucial realization that textual study must be complemented by the practical application of meditation. This conviction led him to leave his teaching post to become a meditation master. He insisted that a teacher must have a careful study of the Pāli texts—which he championed as providing precise practical guidance for practice—completed by direct meditative realization. His teaching hierarchy placed the Pāli texts (such as the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta) as the highest authority, followed by commentaries and the lineage, with one’s personal views carrying the least weight.The Bridge to the WestU Pandita became the critical bridge for transmitting the Mahasi lineage's rigorous methods to the West. The turning point was a historic 1984 retreat at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Massachusetts, where he guided the generation that became the most senior Western teachers.His method, rooted in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta and the analytical framework of the Abhidhamma, was characterized by:Rigorous Mindfulness: Training in satipaṭṭhāna practice with extreme precision and energy, primarily using the detailed noting technique.Ethical Foundation (Sīla): His insistence on the purity of morality (sīla) as a foundational and necessary precursor to concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (paññā), following the structure of the Visuddhimagga.Compassionate Practice: The intensive, long-term practice of the brahmavihāras (loving-kindness, compassion, etc.).This powerful synthesis—precise, textually-grounded mindfulness paired with the brahmavihāras—profoundly shaped the contemporary presentation of Vipassana meditation in the West, ensuring that the legacy which began in the humble Sagaing Hills continues to flourish globally. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

talk given for Insight Denver, via zoom: https://www.insightdenver.org/ https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Given as part of the Monday night series at the Durango Dharma Center. https://www.durangodharmacenter.org/ https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

This talk was given for the Sunday mentoring group session. It discusses the role of metaphor, pointing to the fact the the primary metaphor is one of entrapment NOT pain and suffering. If you are interested in the mentoring program HERE https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Final talk, Montana retreat, Bozeman Dharma Center. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Morning 3, guided gratitude as awareness practice. Montana retreat, Bozeman Dharma Center. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Evening 2 bramha vihara session, metta. Montana retreat, Bozeman Dharma Center. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Talk number 2 from the Montana retreat, Bozeman Dharma Center. The integration of the bramha viharas and the four noble truths. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Day 2, morning session. Cultivating awareness. Montana retreat, Bozeman Dharma Center https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Evening 1 heart practice session. Overview of sila-bramha-vihara with guided instructions. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Talk 1 from Montana retreat, Bozeman Dharma Center. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Morning 1 overview and instructions. Bozeman Dharma Center Retreat. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Final talk from Vallecitos. The three trainings of the 8 fold path are outlined and described. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Evening heart practice from Vallecitos. Compassion in appreciate as they are outlined in the abhidharma (manual on Buddhist psychology) https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Evening Bramha vihara session with a focus on metta/kindness. Check out my program at the Ghost Ranch in November. HERE https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Talk 1 from Vallecitos "natural awareness" retreat. If you find these episodes useful, please consider dropping me some support. You can venmo or paypal at this page: https://www.davesmithdharma.com/contact/ https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

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From Big Heart City Friday night class. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

The talk is from Vallecitos, and covers the teaching on the four foundations of Mindfulness. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

Over of gratitude and guided practice from Vallecitos. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing. 

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Final talk at Vallecitos - July 2025. https://www.davesmithdharma.com/https://account.venmo.com/u/davesmithdharmaThank you for subscribing.