Podcasts

This podcast was originally posted  May 16th, 2006. ___ Subscribe to this podcast from the Buddhist and/or Philosophy sections of the Religion & Spirituality list. ____ What should we do about seduction as we walk the spiritual Path? Not just physical seduction,...

People tend to arrive at spiritual work because of some type of dissatisfaction with their lives. It's the human tendency to try to distance ourselves from this discomfort and yet running from our pain never seems to alleviate it for very long. Buddhist teaching...

Recognizing that all things are truly impermanent can be terrifying. So much of our time in life is devoted to keeping this fundamental reality from creeping into our awareness that we often miss the behaviors that lead us away from the very awakening we claim to...

Our work, as practitioners, ultimately centers itself around our ability to shift our perspective from what is contracted to that which is utterly expansive. Once we see this new, more comprehensive view, our work evolves toward integrating this new vision with our...

Once we come to terms with the fact that nothing lasts, even the idea of clinging begins to lose its gravitational pull. Cultivating this opening has been taught in several traditions, with Eihei Dogen's, "Eight Awakenings of Great Beings," offering Zen students an...

Rumi says, "When the water gets caught in habitual whirlpools, dig a way out through the bottom to the ocean." How many habitual behaviors and thought patterns diminish our experience? Looking carefully at the answer to this question helps us uncover what blocks our...

For the ego, misery is a far better choice than the Mystery, especially when it comes to relationships. Centering our entire being in the heart of our experience as a Witnessing awareness helps change this orientation and has the potential to end the cycle of our...

As spiritual practitioners we can often misplace our awareness, focussing too heavily on one or another aspect of being. We may overcompensate both intention and awareness in subtle ways, giving too much of our attention, for example, to our thinking or we can go the...

In this evenings talk, Michael walks us through how we can allow for peace and freedom to burst through us. This powerful and natural shine permeates and has the opportunity to be shared among all of us as soon as we stop avoiding our lives and begin a disciplined...

Whatever keeps us off of the cushion is what keeps us from awakening. At least this is one of Michael's most common refrains as he encourages a daily stillness practice. Why? "Because," as he says, "it loosens whatever is keeping us bound." Once this loosening takes...