What would it mean to truly trust the goodness that lives within you?

In this talk, Tara Brach explores what she calls "trusting the gold"—awakening from the stories of deficiency, fear and separation that keep us from recognizing our deepest nature. We may spend much of our lives trying to improve ourselves, earn approval or finally become "enough," while overlooking the loving awareness that is already here.

Tara explores how our early experiences of nurturing and belonging shape our capacity to trust ourselves, and how mindfulness and compassion can help heal the places that feel unworthy, unsafe or unloved. Through the practice of RAIN and what she describes as a "U-turn," we learn to step out of familiar stories, turn toward our vulnerability with care, and discover the wakeful presence beneath them.

Ultimately, trusting the gold means learning to recognize and rest in the awareness, goodness and love that are intrinsic to who we are.

In this talk, Tara explores:

- Awakening from the trance of unworthiness

- How early conditioning shapes self-trust

- RAIN, self-compassion and "spiritual reparenting"

- Moving beyond limiting stories and beliefs- Recognizing our intrinsic goodness

- Resting in loving awareness and true nature

Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

This guided practice awakens attention to sensations, sounds, space and aliveness, and encourages a continued "relaxing open" from thoughts into the living stream of experience. We are learning to recognize and rest in the moment to moment flow, "being reality," at home in what we are.

Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music

What would your life be like if you were no longer at war with your imperfections?

In this talk, Tara explores Radical Acceptance as a pathway out of self-judgment, shame and the trance of unworthiness. Rather than believing that acceptance will keep us from changing, we discover the opposite: when we stop making ourselves wrong for what we feel and who we are, we create the conditions for genuine healing and transformation.

Through stories, reflection and the practice of RAIN, Tara explores how we can meet our imperfect, conditioned selves with honesty and compassion while remembering the deeper goodness that is our true nature. Radical Acceptance doesn't mean becoming passive or ignoring harmful patterns—it allows us to respond to ourselves, others and our world from greater wisdom, clarity and love.

In this talk:

✨ Making peace with our imperfections
✨ Healing self-judgment and the trance of unworthiness
✨ Understanding Radical Acceptance as a path to change
✨ Using RAIN to meet shame, anger and difficult emotions
✨ Remembering and trusting our basic goodness

Our introduction music is from "Opening" by Adrienne Torf, © 2025 ABT Music