Abiding in an Expansive Way. Dharma Talk
Power of Release. The Finding of Renewal. 6 February 2026. Sangha Live.
Transcribed, edited, adapted and expanded into text from final online morning Dharma talk with the international network of Sangha Live. 2 - 6 February 2026 on the theme of Release and Renewal.
Let us cultivate what we might call a quiet power to know release from problems.
Our interest in release from clinging is a precious freedom: freedom enables us to turn attention
To what has arisen,
To what is arising,
To what may arise.
This does not mean forcing ourselves to be in the here and now in a rigid way, nor does it mean being detached from the here and now.
Slapton Sands, near Totnes, South Devon, England.
To be grounded in the present supports calmness, depth of experience, and insights. At times, here and now can become a prison—another ideal we try to live up to or fail at. To be detached from the here and now can become a confirmation of being out of touch, disconnected and numb.
We develop the power of reflection:
Looking at what has occurred.
Being mindful of how the past influences the present.
Seeing if a healthy or unhealthy state of mind influences the present.
We are free to explore:
What was,
What is,
What will be or might be.
In this reflective space, renewal can arise—through inspiration, insight, and fresh understanding.
A narrow view of being in the here and now can sometimes inhibit this freedom to explore. It can make us feel that reflecting on the past and future distracts us from the reality of the present. We experience all three fields of time, as all three reveal a significance. All three have a place for clarity and insight.
Let us abide in an expansive way—not confined to anything, but sensitive to the whole movement of life. We cannot control much of what did happen, is happending or will or might happen. The practice of mindfulness and reflection supports a wise and responsive relationship to the three fields of time.
We abide vulnerable to certain words and ideas—one example is the word hope. Politicians, religious leaders, environ-mentalists, the healthy, the sick and many others turn to hope for comfort or live in hope. We place our hope in a better future that has not yet come. The shadow of hope shows itself in disappointment, frustration, and unhappiness when things don’t match our hopes. If we spend too much time in the future, our life becomes contracted around special experiences we long for or fear will happen.
Be specific about and hope you cherish and the steps you take to bring hope to the real, otherwise it is fantasy land, living in Narnia.
Authentic Release
Authentic release reveals a freedom not dependent on events or experiences in the field of time. Release is timeless, not relying on positive mental activity that constantly runs through what was, what is, and what might be.
Freedom from dependency releases love, which gives us direction, purpose and expresses a depth of renewal in our being. The innocence and purity of love engage with the immediacy of seeing and sensing. Love shows itself closer than breath and closer than thought. Experiences of expressions of love, such as empathy, joy, and compassion, nourish an engagement with daily life. It manifests through connection, community and intimacy with the natural world.
In release, issues, global or personal, do not overwhelm us. Challenges still appear. Judgements and reactions emerge. We train the mind to view them as opportunities to meet issues head - on and to squeeze out insights. Freedom to explore and make errors of judgement also confirms an expression of release.
Dharma teachings and practice serve as the backbone for exploring human experience. We share contact with the Sangha of practitioners, including beautiful worldwide networks in monasteries, communities, cities and homes. If one other person contributes to your understanding, clarity, and love, that person confirms the Sangha. Others can bring the best out of us.
Exploration of freedom can take place:
Alone or with another or others
Indoors or outdoors
In formal practice or in a range of circumstances.
Freedom can become as clear and obvious as seeing your hand or the taste of water. You know the truth of the presence of the hand and the taste of fresh water. You experience being awake, conscious and connected. Doubters can’t persuade you to change your mind about the location of your hand or the benefits of drinking pure water.
Wise Application of Attention
Your clarity brings ease to inner experiences and ease with who and what’s around you. Sometimes these moments come spontaneously, without any plan or technique. There is a sense of being free, joyful and spacious. Sometimes you apply methods and techniques to support the experience of wise application of your attention. Freedom applies in all directions.
Thinking may arise in connection with that. You might say to yourself or another, I feel free. That is fine. That view does not have to be a problem. Thinking about the experience reveals the phenomenon of thoughts arising and passing within that freedom.
We experience drama, tension, and self‑concern. Release means a loosening of such contracted states of mind. We remember liberation does not depend on any particular period, state of mind or stream of thought. An expansive view matters. With ongoing exploration, release emerges from our reflections and practices, nourishing our potential for a liberated way of life.
Spiritual traditions often use a metaphor for freedom — for instance, the blue sky or the vast ocean. Sometimes we catch a glimpse of a clear, open sky. At other times, clouds cover it, yet the sky is still there. In the same way, release is like the open sky or a vast ocean—wide, free, unobstructed. Out of that expanse, unexpectedly, things emerge. New insights, new discoveries.
New responses
These are not forced, planned, or constructed out of our usual mental habits. They are fresh, revealing an aliveness. Old habits lose their power to dominate our lives.
Experiences can confirm an infinite variety of expressions of release, but they share one quality: they arise from freedom.
We do not need to push everything into an ideal of perfection. The word perfection is limited; it doesn’t represent the Dharma accurately. The teaching does not say we must reach a perfect state. This is a way too high expectation. Out of the expanse of release, issues will still arise, like clouds passing in front of the sky. Some of what arises needs:
Attention,
Exploration
Reflection
Insight
Understanding
A human being who knows release cannot hide the undesired from themselves or from others. The Sangha cooperates to release practitioners from suffering. Support comes through one‑to‑one contact with a teacher or practitioners. We share experiences within a group. We address issues, develop fresh views, and support others, the natural world, and ourselves.
We give attention to these steps as a path and worthwhile goal—dissolving problems, bringing benefit in different directions. In release, there is also a sense of freedom to explore: Liberation is so expansive that it can still improve things when necessary. It is not rigid or static. We may use the metaphors of path and goal as helpful tools within this body of teaching. The danger is when one declares:
“This is it. I am liberated. I am in the Now. Anyone still on the path to a goal is trapped in duality.”
Oh dear, is the person trapped in the duality of the now and the path to the the goal? Ego appears to adopt a position with a discriminatory tone. That leads to conceit, rejecting natural movement of learning as a confirmation of an expansive view in all directions. An expansive view of the here and now, three fields of time and the path and goal.
We respect those who walk a path, contribute to the welfare of others and feel a gap from full release. We recognise the value and contribution people make through their practice and service on the way to a liberated life. Wisdom offers a practical path for the welfare of one and all.
Freedom to be and freedom to respond confirm the best of a noble human being.
Let us sit quietly together for a moment.