[This episode originally aired on March 14, 2023] The great teacher Shantideva emphasized the importance of vigilance, of protecting our minds • at the same time, tremendous emphasis is placed on maintaining an open, welcoming mind • so what's the difference between vigilance and just closing our mind in a negative or unhelpful way? • one way of looking at this is to think of your mind as a house • inside your house are your children or m...

[This episode originally aired on March 7, 2023] It may seem odd to talk about the benefits of “don't know mind” in a tradition that places such value on learning and on study • it also may seem odd because in the Buddhist tradition there is a great deal of discussion about ignorance and delusion, and the harm that comes from lack of knowledge, lack of awareness, lack of critical thinking • so how is don't know mind different from delusory mind or ignorance? • the main...

[This episode originally aired on February 28, 2023] The Buddhist path includes many methods for reminding us to wake up — from our blurriness, our sleepiness, and the busyness and distractedness of life • it's easy to get lost in the woods; reminders help us find our way back to the path • traditionally there are what are called the four basic or fundamental reminders • the first reminder is acknowledging the amazing opportunity of having this human life, ...

[This episode originally aired on February 21, 2023] Is there a way to make a sane relationship with our bad deeds and our regrets, to learn from them and to move on from them? • it's not easy to face up to all that we've done; it's not easy to find a way between wallowing in guilt and evading responsibility • in the Buddhist monastic traditions, there is a practice that addresses this issue • it's assumed that over time we can't avoid causing harm, but this pra...

[This episode originally aired on February 14, 2023] Images of the Buddha sitting in meditation posture give the impression that the buddhist path is quiescent and still; but actually it's a very dynamic, ever-evolving, and important journey • personally, I connect this idea of journey with a sense of something within us that we have lost and are trying to get back to • I think of this missing thing as our “heart of hearts” • it’s as though we are g...

[This episode originally aired on February 7, 2023] Early Buddhist meditators spent quite a lot of time alone in retreat in remote, rugged areas • as a result, they were very much in tune with the the five basic elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space • they observed that everything inside is mirrored by what is outside, and everything outside is mirrored by what is inside • we can observe these elements for ourselves, and we can emulate...

[This episode originally aired on January 31, 2023] A common idea about the spiritual path is that it is punctuated by gigantic breakthroughs, by big revelations • but many deep and important insights don't come in that way; they come in through glimpses • glimpses can be sudden or they can just kind of seep in; they are little openings or gateways into a sense of the whole • in some ways glimpses are similar to a jigsaw puzzle • we have all the...

[This episode originally aired on January 24, 2023] Through infusing mindfulness awareness into our everyday actions, we can invoke or evoke a magical quality to existence, a natural wisdom, which is known as “drala” • there's a famous line from the movie Field of Dreams that's often repeated: “If you build it, they will come” • in some ways, through our mindfulness and awareness, we're building a world that will attract this magical quality, this natural wisdom&...

[This episode originally aired on January 17, 2023] A large part of our reality involves talking, or working with our speech; it is one of the main ways we connect with our world • but our speech can also get us into a lot of trouble, including using it as a way of escaping from reality • Trungpa Rinpoche said that paying attention to speech is a way of paying attention to reality • but often we use speech just in the opposite way — as a way to avoid...

[This episode originally aired on January 10, 2023] The image of remaining like a log comes up in a number of different traditional Buddhist texts • think of a log rotting slowly in an ancient forest — it just lies there placidly, providing sustenance and a home for various critters as it gradually dissolves into the forest floor • sometimes remaining like a log is talked about in terms of vigilance: maintaining vigilance over one's mind and heart • u...

[This episode originally aired on January 3, 2023] In exploring the idea of transmission, we're looking into how the teachings are passed on, how the teachings are taught, and how the student can access the teachings • but what do we mean by transmission? • a helpful analogy is to think of music: you can learn to play all the notes in a song, but the music is not there • so what makes the actual music? • there's a famous jazz phrase: “it d...

[This episode originally aired on December 27, 2022] I'd like to introduce three simple short meditation practices that help us tune in to the rich and ongoing process of exchange that marks our lives altogether • we're always giving something out to the world and receiving something from it • we are affected by others and we affect others in so many ways; and we're also quite susceptible to the energies and the outpourings from those around us • in t...

[This episode originally aired on December 20, 2022] One of my favorite nursery rhymes contains quite a bit of wisdom: “Row row, row, row your boat gently down the stream; merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream” • if we think of the stream as a stream of teachings, then we could consider the Buddha as the source of the stream • from that beginning a great river continues to flow over thousands of years • where does this stream flow? It flows into an...

[This episode originally aired on January 15, 2024] The phrase, “When you lose your mind, come back” describes a lot of what happens in meditation: repeatedly losing our minds, and repeatedly bringing ourselves back • the moment we’ve noticed we’ve lost it is the moment we can return • what are we returning to? the simplicity of the present moment • another phrase Trungpa Rinpoche used quite a lot was, “Don’t think too much” • what are the...

[This episode originally aired on January 8, 2024] At our core is our tender heart, tinged with a touch of sadness • it is sweet and vulnerable • this soft spot may be deeply buried, but it is always there • even very simple or momentary experiences can connect us with this heart: you might watch a pair of swallows fly back and forth, over and over, bringing food to their hungry chicks, and something melts or softens in you • it is so beau...

[This episode originally aired on January 1, 2024] Trungpa Rinpoche emphasized the importance of understanding space • he encouraged us to explore our experiences of boredom, our discomfort with stillness, and our tendency to fill space • he pointed out that the basic energy pervading all of space is love and kindness; so to cultivate greater kindness and love, it makes sense to relate to space and its qualities • he introduced three aspects or qualit...

[This episode originally aired on December 25, 2023] Today I'd like to explore the topic of space • the idea of space as it relates to meditation practice is connected with the notion of “gap” — noticing gaps at the end of each outbreath, noticing the little refreshing moments between things, which we often miss • our connection with space can be an almost embodied or physical sense of things: we can sense when a space seems threatening or welcoming • ...

[This episode originally aired on December 18, 2023] In this episode, I'd like to explore the idea of walls — our internal walls, as well as the walls we create between ourselves and others • we're told we need to have clear boundaries; at the same time, we have the challenge of how to bridge the gap between self and others • the wall between ourselves and others is not always so visible; it can take us by surprise as we try to connect in some way • there a...

[This episode originally aired on December 11, 2023] I've been thinking a lot recently about peace, especially the Buddhist view of peace • it's one of those ironic things: throughout history people have longed for peace and prayed for peace, yet we seem unable to free ourselves from conflict, war and struggle • what’s more, our desire for peace can actually manifest as aggression: “if I can defeat my enemy, then I'll be able to finally have some peace” •&n...

[This episode originally aired on December 4, 2023] Buddhist training has two sides, somewhat parallel to pure science and applied science • there is the meditation aspect, the inward journey; and there is the application of that in the world, or meditation in action • we all have the capacity to help; we all have the capacity to cultivate compassion and also to cultivate wisdom and insight, so that compassion is intelligent • but each of us has...