Widening the Circles of Care

Tara Brach

Buddhism, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 11.4K Ratings

🗓️ 18 June 2026

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What helps us widen our circles of care and awaken a more inclusive, compassionate heart?

As we navigate political division, collective uncertainty, and personal challenges, mindful awareness and spiritual imagination can help us stay connected to love without being overwhelmed by the suffering we witness.

Drawing from mindfulness, compassion practices, personal stories, and timeless wisdom teachings, Tara explores how we can move beyond fear, reactivity, and "othering" toward a deeper experience of our shared humanity.

This talk is an invitation to reconnect with the truth of our belonging—to ourselves, to one another, and to the living world. When we deepen our attention and allow our hearts to be touched, we become part of weaving a more loving future.

In this talk, you'll learn:

-How fear and stress fuel division, blame, and "othering"
-Why opening to suffering can deepen wisdom and compassion
-The role of mindfulness in staying present without becoming overwhelmed
-How spiritual imagination helps us envision and create a more loving world
-Practices for recognizing the vulnerability and goodness in others

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome, friends, to the Tara Brock podcast. I'm so glad you're here.
0:11.3	Each week, I share teachings and guided meditations to help us awaken our hearts and bring healing
0:17.8	to our world.
0:24.4	You can learn more or support this offering by visiting tarabrock.com,
0:27.1	where you can also join our email list.
0:32.5	Now, let's explore together
0:34.7	the many ways we can live
0:36.7	from the love and presence that's our deepest essence.
0:45.3	Namaste, welcome.
1:11.6	A couple of weeks ago I gave a talk at All Souls Unitarian Church in New York City.
1:19.6	They're celebrating their 10th year of a very robust, wonderful mindfulness community.
1:28.3	So I'd like to share the talk that I gave there with you.
1:32.3	It's focused on what to me is kind of a core inquiry for our times,
1:38.3	which is what allows us to widen our circles of caring, our capacity to care in a more inclusive way.
1:49.0	So I hope you find some value and inspiration in listening.
1:56.9	Thank you, thank you for being part of this. Maybe in the spirit of this gathering, just take a moment for us to pause together consciously.
2:08.6	There's a beautiful line from a poem, take, you know, just sense the forest of your life, the dense forest of your life, and take a pause
2:21.5	to arrive right here and now.
2:26.1	The dense forest of our lives, may we pause and just find the space that's right here
2:32.8	now. Maybe you're finding your breath, taking a few
2:40.1	full breaths. Maybe listening to your heart.
2:51.7	We don't often listen inwardly.
	...

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