Dr. Larry Ward is the co-founder and Executive Director of The Lotus Institute, a senior teacher in Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village tradition, and the author of America's Racial Karma: An Invitation to Heal and co-author with his wife, Peggy, of Love's Garden: A Guide To Mindful Relationships. Dr. Ward brings forty years of international experience in organizational change and local community renewal to his work at the Lotus Institute.

Dr. Ward holds a PhD in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Buddhism and the neuroscience of meditation and has trained at the Trauma Resource Institute. As a teacher, Dr. Ward interweaves insights with personal stories and resounding clarity that express his Dharma name, “True Great Sound.”

Learn more about the Wards here: https://www.thelotusinstitute.org/

00:01 - Sean introduces Dr. Larry Ward and Dr. Peggy Rowe Ward
04:14 - Peggy guides a meditation on bringing mindfulness to energy in the body
16:15 - Larry reads a poem
18:55 - The central theme: What are we transmitting when we try to transmit “the dharma?”
19:20 - Defining “the dharma”
20:44 - We are always transmitting something, based on who we are and how we see the world
22:45 - The three powers of thinking, speech and behavior
25:15 - Larry presents how he practices with the question, “What am I transmitting?”
25:41 - (1) Who is the audience?
30:36 - (2) What is the content?
38:45 - Two things Larry asks himself before every presentation
38:56 - (1) What is my rational objective?
42:25 - (2) What’s the emotional tone I want to leave people with?
48:58 - Assessing the energy of your teaching space
52:41 - Using your body to more consciously transmit what you want to
55:42 - Is there suffering being addressed in your transmission?
56:08 - The thing about mindfulness, keep it simple
57:54 - QUESTION: How can we transition from trying to make people feel a certain way?
1:09:21 - A student shares her appreciation for the teachings
1:10:28 - QUESTION: How can we transmit these teachings to children? (Peggy answers)
1:19:19 - QUESTION: How do you address corporate audiences?
1:23:40 - QUESTION: Can you say more about allowing for equanimity while teaching?
1:31:15 - QUESTION: Is letting people feel what they feel tied to equanimity?
1:33:47 - Sean comments on how we aren’t always aware of our own energy
1:37:30 - QUESTION: How can I cultivate this energy of leaning in to become a better listener?
1:42:37 - Peggy: Mindfulness teachers just need to practice