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The Emptiness of Self and Why It Matters
Episode 151
The emptiness of self is a Zen teaching that may seem rather abstract and philosophical, or even kind of nihilistic, depressing, or disorienting. Why…
5 years, 9 months ago
Zazen as the Dharma Gate of Joyful Ease
Episode 150
In this episode I focus on how zazen is the dharma gate of joyful ease, because experiencing it as such is so profoundly restorative at a time when o…
5 years, 10 months ago
Understanding People's Actions Through the Six Realms Teaching
Episode 149
Understanding people's actions can be difficult. Sometimes we can't help but feel disbelief, judgment, or disgust toward people based on how they res…
5 years, 10 months ago
Three Ingredients for a Generous Life in a Crazy World
Episode 148
Bearing Witness, Taking Care, and Taking Action: A skillful balance of these ingredients helps you sustain energy, motivation, positivity, and equani…
5 years, 10 months ago
Loving-Kindness (Metta) Practice as an Antidote to Fear and Anxiety
Episode 147
When we call suffering beings to mind and extend metta - or loving-kindness - it might seem like we'd be opening up to more suffering and thereby inc…
5 years, 11 months ago
Respect Even for Terrible People: What Does It Mean?
Episode 146
Buddhism, like other religions, teaches we should treat each and every human being with respect, regardless of their behavior or off-putting manifest…
5 years, 11 months ago
No Matter What Happens to You, You Have Choice in the Matter
Episode 145
Buddhism teaches that no matter what happens to us, we always have some degree of choice about how we respond, and what we do next. At those critical…
5 years, 11 months ago
Lotus Sutra 2: Wake Up! The Parable of the Burning House
Episode 144
The Parable of the Burning House is one of five main parables of the Lotus Sutra, a classic Mahayana Buddhist text. I go through the parable paragrap…
6 years ago
The Experience of Enlightenment and Why It's for All of Us
Episode 143
Whether you are personally intrigued by the concept of enlightenment or not, it is absolutely central to Buddhism. However, enlightenment – to use a …
6 years ago
Direct Experience Is Liberation: When There Are No Stories, There Is No "You"
Episode 142
Humans evolved to make sense of their experience by explaining with a story, or narrative. Although our stories help us communicate and navigate our …
6 years ago