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Undefended Dharma with Mary Stancavage

Mary Stancavage

Dharma talks from meditation teacher Mary Stancavage. These focus primarily on the pragmatic aspects of Buddhist teachings and philosophy drawing strongly on wisdom and heart practices. All are viewed through the lens of learning to live with an Undefended Heart. (photo by @kimanhuynh)

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24 episodes
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Avg 21 min
English

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Tuesday · 20 min
Continuity of Mindfulness
We don't meditate to get good at meditation. Instead, our practice lays the ground for awareness which we, hopefully, carry throughout our days. Continuity of mindfulness is a phrase which conveys this idea. In this talk Mary talks about Thich Nhat Hanh's book, Peace is Every Breath, which brings practice down to the most mundane parts of our lives like brushing teeth and making breakfast. The sacred is right here all the time when we're aware. Recorded Sept. 12, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
September 8 · 25 min
Because of this...
A core teaching of Buddhism is Dependent Origination although it can seem difficult to understand at times. In this talk, Mary offers a simple overview of this important teaching on conditionality and how we can free ourselves from the grip of Samsara. Recorded Sept. 5, 2026 in the virtual world Book: Tear the City Down by Andre Hardy Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
September 1 · 17 min
Stay in the Now Now
In this dharma reflection Mary discusses the idea we so often carry about the now, the future and the past and how easy it is to be caught up in a world that is somewhere else. Discussing various mental states, meditation invites us to identify these states in order to liberate our minds from attachment. Recorded August 27, 2026 in the virtual world Let Go by Martine Batchelor Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
August 25 · 20 min
Undefended Heart - 2026
Living with an undefended heart is not only a saying, but it is a practice that moves us toward liberation and away from greed, aversion and ignorance. In this talk Mary discusses her years-long practice and what an Undefended Heart is, and what it is not. Recorded Aug. 22, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
August 18 · 20 min
Checking Our Spiritual Progress
The Dalai Lama suggests that we check in with our spiritual practice every ten years or so. Using the 18th anniversary of teaching as a jumping off point, Mary checks in with where spiritual practice can lead and what it may look like. It's not about achieving a particular goal, but about how we show up in the world and recognize our shared humanity. Recorded Aug. 15, 2026 in the virtual world Bhikkhu Bodhi article: A Challenge to Buddhists Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
August 11 · 17 min
Opening in Awareness
Using the teachings of Sayadaw U Tejaniya, Mary reflects on awareness, and how we find it in our lives. Recorded August 6, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
August 4 · 24 min
The Necessity of Mindfulness
Sati, or mindfulness is foundational to our practice and necessary for liberation. In this talk Mary discusses what mindfulness is and the Buddha's teaching on how we cultivate this vital practice and move towards awakening. Recorded August 1, 2026 in the virtual world Books mentioned: The Satipatthana Sutta by Bhikkhu Analayo Mindfulness by Joseph Goldstein The Noble Eightfold Path by Bhikkhu Bodhi Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
July 28 · 20 min
Grief and Kindness
So many things are coming at us these days, it can feel so overwhelming. In this talk Mary reflects on the grief we may be feeling about so much loss in the world, and how a path of radical kindness is a wise and skillful response for ourselves and others. Recorded July 25, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
July 20 · 22 min
The Three Poisons
The Buddha says the root of suffering begins with what he calls the three defilements, also known as the three poisons. These are greed, aversion or ill-will, and ignorance or delusion. This teaching is as valid today as it was almost 2600 years ago. In this talk Mary discusses how these poisons show up in our lives and how we can learn to let them go. She also touches on the three Buddhist personality types. Recorded July 16, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
July 14 · 25 min
Saying Hi to the Demons
In this talk, Mary reflects on the famous story of Milarepa and the demons who take over his cave. It's a wonderful reflection on our spiritual journey of aversion and delusion to being intimate with our deepest experiences. Recorded July 11, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
July 7 · 16 min
Touching the World Lightly
St. Francis of Assisi invited us to wear the world as a loose garment and in this talk, Mary discusses how this is an invitation to equanimity. How do we turn towards the world without rigidity, yet with a willingness to stay present and meet life where it is? Recorded July 4, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
June 30 · 19 min
Releasing the Stories
One of the things we release on the journey to awakening is our attachment to fixed views. These are the stories that have become rigid and that we believe about ourselves and the world. This practice invites us to pause and take a look at our views and ask if they're even true. Freedom lies with our letting go of shoulds and opening to this moment as it is. Recorded June 27, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
June 23 · 28 min
What Gets In the Way
In order to move on the path of liberation, we need to see what gets in the way. The Buddha's teaching of the Five Hindrances is a helpful way to recognize these sometimes subtle obstacles and learn how to release them so we can continue towards freedom. Recorded June 20, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
June 16 · 18 min
Know That You Know
In the book, "Dancing With Life", Phillip Moffitt writes about the three insights associated with each of the Four Noble Truths: Reflecting, Experiencing and Knowing. This is a wise way to look at his core teaching and Mary offers a summary of Phillip's teaching. She calls these insights a journey of awareness from the head to the heart. Recorded June 13, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
June 9 · 20 min
The 5th Precept
The 5th precept is more than just an admonition not to drink or use drugs, but is an invitation to look at our consumption and how we may numb ourselves and become lost in delusion. It's from this deluded place where we can cause the most harm to others and to ourselves. Recorded June 6, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
June 2 · 11 min
Sad - No Problem
Held in the shadow of Mary's husband's illness, this talk is a simple reflection on life's realities and the sentiment, "Very sad, no problem," as a path of equanimity. Sadness, joy and everything else does not need to be a problem. Instead, it's simply reality and we can choose how to show up. Recorded May 30, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
May 25 · 20 min
The Intimacy of Now
Dogen said that enlightenment is an intimacy with all things. Mary reflects on this thought and it's similarity to equanimity and an undefended heart. How do we show up for the reality of the moment with complete openness. It is a journey and all we can do is begin with right now. Recorded Mary 23, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
May 18 · 27 min
Do Not Take What is Not Freely Offered
In this talk, recorded at Insight Community of the Desert, Mary discusses the Second Precept. It's often just referred to as not stealing, but this precept is about recognizing all the different places that craving and greed show up and how to let go of that. Additionally, the cultivation of generosity is an important step in freedom from craving and a way to live in harmony with others and in contentment with ourselves. Recorded May 17, 2026 at ICD in Palm Springs Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
May 5 · 18 min
Finding Freedom with the Way it Is
The Buddha taught the Five Remembrances as a way to normalize our relationship to the human condition. We we all grow old, get sick and die, yet some of us fight tooth and nail against, especially in our Western culture. But when we truly greet this reality there is quite a freedom - we no longer have to hide or try to change our reality. Become a friend to this teaching and find some ease. Recorded May 2, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.
April 28 · 22 min
The Importance of Joy
Oftentimes when things are especially awful, we think that joy may be inappropriate and that we must stay focused on the difficulties. But this is not the case. Bhikkhu Bodhi says that cultivation of joy is important to regulate despair. In this talk Mary discusses what gets in the way of joy and how to allow it into our lives. Equanimity means being present for everything that shows up, even the good. Recorded April 25, 2026 in the virtual world Send me a text with any questions or comments! Include your name and email if you would like a response - it's not included automatically. Thanks. Visit Mary's website for more info on classes and teachings.

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