This talk was given as part of the 2006 Buddhafield Festival. The delightful Akuppa looking again at issues around social awareness and Buddhist practice.

Please note, there are a few minutes missing at the start, and the original recording was very poor. But it's worth it!

This is a timely and invaluable talk from Paramabandhu. Drawing on many years of experience as a consultant psychiatrist and Dharma teacher, he invites us to consider the lessons Buddhist techniques around meditation and mindfulness training can bring to the field of mental health - especially to problems with depression and addiction. The talk evokes the Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta to explore the four traditional foundations of mindfulness and discuss their potential use in therapeutic contexts. It is a kindly and empowering expression of practical hope, whose message applies to us all as we struggle to overcome whatever it is that holds us back from greater freedom in our lives.

Complete with a subsequent question-and-answer session on the talk in which Paramabandhu elaborates on the general theme. There's a wide range of material opened up - and considerable detail about how we can actually go about applying these techniques to whatever challenges we face in your own lives. Essential listening.

Please note - the questions in this recording were made at very low levels. We've amplified and clarified where possible - but the general sound quality drops noticeably at these points. However, they are all now audible and, in almost all instances, questions are repeated by Paramabandhu before he answers.

Talk given at San Francisco Buddhist Center, 2006