This dharma talk was inspired by a woman named Marta Beckett who was a professionally trained ballet dancer in New York City. When her car broke down in Death Valley she saw an abandoned old theater and listened to the call of her heart and renovated it. She danced there many years with little to no audience until she was discovered. In the talk I explore how we can devote ourselves fully to our path with love and commitment, rather than seeking results, even when the terrain seems barren. In this way, we open to greater possibilities as unexpected and wonderful surprises often appear along the way.
Category Archives: Dharma Talks
Presence, Vulnerability and the Wise Heart
I gave this dharma talk shortly after finding out that a long time friend had died accidentally. I explore how cultivating presence and vulnerability, even in such difficult times, will open the door to the wise heart that knows the way to compassion and kindness for self and others.
Dharma Talk: The Flood and The Heart Tree
In this talk I share my experiences from the Nashville flood of 2010, how it devastated Radnor Lake and how the lake recovered. From a larger perspective, I explore the question of how we proceed when a tree falls into our path, or when the path is flooded beyond recognition. Can we discover a new way even as we mourn what is lost?
Mind Like Sky Guided Meditation
I’ve had a number of requests to offer a recorded version of the open awareness guided meditation I often do at retreats, “Mind Like Sky.” This guided meditation facilitates open awareness, a mind as wide and limitless as the sky.
Saying Yes: The Cabin in the Woods
This dharma talk focuses on the aggregate of thought as it applies to perceived limitations we may encounter in our meditation practice. The main focus of the talk is in working with trauma and I tell my own story about my cabin in the woods — the most difficult time of my life.
Why You Should Meditate!

This is a podcast I did for A New Business Mindset hosts Gareth Young and Todd Schnick. The key focus is on meditation and why it is so beneficial.
No-Self and Freedom From Bondage
This dharma talk focuses on how releasing self identity can open the door to forgiveness and free us from bondage to our past.
One Minute Audio Contemplation: Emptiness of the Breath
This is a one minute contemplation on the breath and how our ideas of inside and outside are illusory:
by Lisa Ernst
Guided Mindfulness Meditation
Take some time to be still and enjoy a guided and silent 30 minute mindfulness meditation. If you prefer a guided meditation that includes gaps of silence, this one is for you.
Loneliness and The Heart of Equanimity
New dharma talk on finding peace and and open heart in the midst of life’s challenges and heartache.