by 2 people |
Buddhism for the Lay Person
I started to look at Buddhism and was completely overwhelmed - turning to children's books to try and understand! But then I found the audio podcasts from Gil Fronsdal...
He has such a way of 'saying things' that make you think 'oh yeah!' ... he talks about Buddhist concepts in a way that relates to everyday life - you 'get it'.
It is a pleasure to listen to his podcasts, and I hope that doing this lens will help others who are considering Buddhism as their path.
It is said, you should have a Teacher ... well, I class Gil Fronsdal as my virtual teacher! :-)
Three reasons to love Gil Fronsdal
2. He relates Buddhism to daily life, often with humour.
3. He has a wonderful, soothing voice. It 'fits' the teachings.
Gil Fronsdal at a Glance
Gil Fronsdal (1954) is a Buddhist who has practiced Soto Zen and Vipassana since 1975, and is currently a Buddhist teacher who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Gil was trained as a Vipassana teacher by Jack Kornfield and is part of the Vipassana teachers' collective at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. He was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 he received Dharma transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center.
He is the guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Center (IMC) of Redwood City, California. He is one of the best-...
Audio Dharma Podcast
Learn about Buddhism the easy way!
These are the most recent podcasts but there are loads to listen to. You can subscribe to these podcasts in a number of ways here
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byGil Fronsdal Talks
Introductions to Buddhism and Meditation
- Introduction to Meditation - 5 Audio Lessons
- See this as an online audio course in meditation practice (which even includes homework!). The website states:
"Several times a year Gil Fronsdal offers a 5-week instructional series for beginning meditators.
These classes provide a good overview of insight meditation practice as well as many guided meditation sessions which help the student learn how to establish and sustain a daily meditation practice."
Resources & Links
- Insight Meditation Center
- Gil Fronsdal is the guiding teacher at the Insight Meditation Center.
- Insight Meditation Center on Facebook
- Connect with others who have found Gil and the IMC a useful part of their life.
Shout Out For Gil Fronsdal!
Share your stories, sightings, thoughts, rants, raves...
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- Emilie Hare Emilie Hare Sep 1, 2009 @ 1:01 pm
- I stumbled upon the Zencast series when I discovered Podcasts for the first time. I didn't know Buddhism from Catholicism before I gave a listen to his Dharma Talks. I always thought it was Worship and Deities and prescribed (ridiculous) behaviors like the rest of the religions I'd been exposed to. Little did I know that I'd find myself and a greater truth.
Thank you, Gil. You taking the time to record and share your teachings has changed my life for the better and given me a greater sense of Peace than I've ever known.
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- Translater2 Translater2 Apr 7, 2009 @ 6:44 am
- Isn't it amazing.... the call... where does it come from really
Isn't it amazing.....the answers... who's gonna teach
In this times
The need for virtual-media-dharma is huge / it's usefulness widely underestimated.
The antidote to much evil...try it!!
There are also a few contributors, it seems.
Thx to them and there tradition, teachers like Gil Fronsdal ( Spirt Rock( Associates))
and also Ajahn Brahmavamso with friends, have been extending the wisdom teachings
to be available where it should.
--------------------------------------------when You need a rope or a new beginning, maybe.
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- michael kan michael kan Nov 3, 2008 @ 7:16 pm
- how can I contact Gil direct???
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- riccio riccio Oct 30, 2008 @ 3:46 pm
- Gil is really Fantastic! He is able to go very deep in my heart and mind. But you know, somebody says, when you see a Buddha, kill him!
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- Kelly Kelly Sep 26, 2008 @ 11:03 pm
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- dolly patterson dolly patterson Jul 29, 2008 @ 8:45 pm
- I am learning and benefitting from Gil Fronsdal. However, as I was reading an excerpt on Mindfulness Meditation (Week2 ) about the body, Gil wrote "The Buddha saw the human mind and body unified. When we suppress or ignore aspects or our emotional....."
My point is that *physically the Buddha is repulsive* to me and the antithesis of an example. May I suggest he not use this example?
Dolly Patterson
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- mark mark Jul 14, 2008 @ 3:48 pm
- gil rocks!
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- RinchenChodron RinchenChodron Feb 20, 2008 @ 3:38 pm
- Thanks, I learned something new. I invite all Buddhists to join my Dharma Group
Quick, what do you think of Gil Fronsdal?
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