Topics covered: The mind names the moment, resists the very moment that it has named, and then tries to save itself from what it is resisting; The mind endlessly talks to itself about what it must do to restore the peace that it believes it possessed before it was disturbed by life; According to the comparative mind, being complete demands that others see us that way.

Classroom Talk: 3/15/2023 - Here's one of the reasons the mind won't stop its incessant chattering: we've become so identified with being in the company of all the (familiar) voices in our head, we actually fear their silence means that, somehow, we've been left alone, or forsaken.

Topics Covered: Where does an inner dialog get its authority over us? It starts with our unconscious consent to identify with those thoughts; The root of self-talk begins with judgment; Self-talk is inseparable from the moment of conflict where something happens and it is interpreted as a threat to who I think I am and what I'm identified with; No self-talk starts without being triggered...

Classroom Talk: 10/20/2021 - Part 1: The sure way to guarantee that any suffering continues unabated is to keep talking to yourself about it! Part 2: The more we talk to ourselves about how we need to make some real change in our life, the less we see how consoling ourselves with ideas for a brighter tomorrow keeps us from realizing a simple truth...

Classroom Talk: 11/11/2020 - Here's the first step in quieting the mind: SEE the fact that if we weren't always talking to ourselves about what we want, or don't want... that most of what troubles us would just disappear on its own!