Defensiveness often arises when identity is challenged. When information about ourselves and the world runs counter to the way we view them, hold them, and maybe even cling to them.
How, then, might defensive strategies be seen as a form of active ignorance? And how might we use the arising of defensiveness around selfhood as a mindfulness bell?
I explore these questions and more in this talk offered for the Insight Meditation Center on May 6, 2025.
Venerable Pannavati wanted us, all of us, to taste the joy of an unburdened heart and experience the selflessness that arises through good works.
Matthew draws on experiences firefighting and in incarcerated Buddhist communities to explore what it means to feel safe in a sangha, despite external circumstances.
Usually, craving is mentioned in terms of sensual pleasure, but here the topic is craving for becoming and craving for annihilation.
In this guided meditation, Matthew leads the practitioner through mindfulness of mind as part of Bhikkhu Analayo’s method of Satipatthana practice.
In this guided meditation, Matthew leads the practitioner through mindfulness of feeling tones as part of Bhikkhu Analayo’s method of Satipatthana practice.
In this talk, Matthew offers his perspective on setting intentions, whether big or small, aspirational or momentary. Weaving storytelling from his days in prison with perspectives from the Buddhist tradition, Matthew presents ways to enquire deeply about what we really want from our time here on Earth.