How can we find the courage to have alobha, to give freely without attachment; adosa, to let go of aversion and punitive actions and live with integrity; and amoha, to gain insight into the nature of things without delusion? In this Tharma Talk, we will learn to practice the three beautiful branches of dana (giving), sila (moral integrity), and bhavana (cultivation, meditation), and to live as heart-centrically as we can.
Joshua Bee Alafia’s meditation practice began in 1989 when his mother gave him a mantra to work with. This sparked a rich journey through many different meditation styles from the Hindu, Hawaiian Shamanic, Ifa, Sufi, Dzogchen, Taoist, and Vipassana traditions. Alafia is a graduate of Community Dharma Leaders, and has taught at NY Insight, The Brooklyn Zen Center, MNDFL, Dhamma Dina, East Bay Meditation Center, and the Garrison Institute. He also taught mindfulness practice to incarcerated, court involved, and system vulnerable youth through New York’s Lineage Project in 2010. Alafia founded Liberation Center Worldwide in 2020, a nonprofit dedicated to building meditation wellness centers internationally. Currently he teaches at South Side Insight, South Side Liberation Center, and Immortal Arts Chicago.