[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...
[This episode originally aired on Nov. 27, 2023] Lately I've been thinking about the slogan, “Always maintain only a joyful mind” • at the same time, I've been haunted by the teachings that describe samsara, the nature of reality, as an ocean of suffering • if the world is marked by endless suffering, how can you be joyful? and if the world is fundamentally good and wholesome, how do you account for suffering? • the Buddha's earliest teachings o...
[This episode originally aired on Nov. 20, 2023] In this episode, I'd like to explore such things as resistance, avoidance, procrastination — and why it’s so hard to keep going • I think such things are connected with expectations and its partner, disappointment • in one form or another, or at one time or another, I think most of us have had these kinds of experiences • but we don't need to view such things as character flaws or annoying obstacles; th...
[This episode originally aired on Nov. 20, 2023] This episode is about groundlessness and uncertainty • how do we respond when we are no longer on familiar ground, when we feel insecure? • it can feel so uncomfortable that we might begin to panic; and often, when we reach that point, we scramble — we scramble to find some new secure ground to replace the one that we have left • so we go on a search to find some basis that is reliable, something...
[This episode originally aired on Nov. 13, 2023] One function of meditation practice is the quality of exposing and uncovering what's going on inside our thoughts and feelings • when we practice, the basic fundamental pattern that becomes obvious is how much our thinking revolves around our own needs and wants and desires • we look at what is there without judgment, without being embarrassed, without trying to prove anything • all of this provides gr...
[This episode originally aired on Nov. 6, 2023] The “five powers” are five supports for your practice • they are: determination, familiarization, seed of virtue, remorse, and aspiration • with determination, you're willing to do what it takes to get from here to there; it is connected with having some sense of why we're doing this all together; with determination, we just keep going • familiarization is becoming familiar with our own potential of awa...
[This episode originally aired on Oct. 30, 2023] All beings truly want to be happy and content; so why do we continually and repeatedly create situations for ourselves and others that only lead to greater suffering? • so many large-scale problems in the world, such as warfare, famine, hatred, injustice, poverty, can be traced back to just four simple patterns: grasping, greed, hatred and ignorance • they are tricky, because they start out so simply and innocently ...
[This episode originally aired on Oct. 23, 2023] Many classical Buddhist texts on meditation say that the best place to meditate or to practice is a quiet place in the forest, free from distractions, pleasant and refreshing • but what if you're a busy mother? what if you're struggling to pay the bills by taking on three jobs? what if you're dealing with a chronic illness? what then? • if we spend all of our time resenting the circumstances we're in, we will be fr...
[This episode originally aired on Oct. 16, 2023] In Buddhist psychology, even large scale events and large emotional upheavals can be traced back step-by-step to simple little things • just a thought, just an idea, just a memory, just a little emotional undertone can quickly expand and expand until it's out of control • you could view this as bad news in seeing how quickly things escalate beyond our control, or you could think of this as good news in that even di...
[This episode originally aired on Oct. 9, 2023] The Mahayana path, the path of the Bodhisattva warrior of wisdom and compassion, has a great deal to do with how we relate to ourselves and to one another • what kind of others do we include in our world? • what kind of underlying feelings do we honestly have about the people in our lives and the people we encounter? • everybody is worthy of our attention, but usually we engage in a lot of picking and c...
[This episode originally aired on Oct. 2, 2023] The Mahayana, or open path, is the path of the Bodhisattva — the enlightened warrior of wisdom and compassion • at the core of the Mahayana path is an outrageous vow, called the Bodhisattva vow, where we vow to emulate the great Bodhisattvas of wisdom and compassionate action • the Bodhisattva vow, conventionally speaking, makes no sense at all • you vow to save all sentient beings as vast as they are th...
[This episode originally aired on Sept. 26, 2023] This period of history has been marked by incredible leaps in efficiency: things that used to take a great deal of time and effort can get done more quickly and easily than ever • but there are whole areas of reality that can't be accessed by efficiency, no matter how quick or clever or speedy we are • in fact, the harder we try and the speedier we get, the further away we are • there's a value, at le...
(This episode originally aired on Sept. 19, 2023) In Buddhist psychology, a lot of emphasis is placed on the process of perception because the way we perceive —and misperceive — has tremendous consequences • in grade school we are taught an oversimplified view of what it means to have a sense perception: there's an object out there, and there's the eyeball, and the brain, and boom, just like that, a perception • you might say, I saw an apple, but of course you ne...
[This episode originally aired on June 6, 2023] There are many ways to look at the connection between spirituality and our everyday lives • in the Buddhist tradition, the basic components are very simple and straightforward: they are wisdom, compassion, and effective action • an image that illustrates how theses three components work together is that of a wheel — a wheel with a hub, spokes, and a rim • the hub at the center connects the wheel t...
[This episode originally aired on May 30, 2023] When the Buddha spoke of being “a son or daughter of noble family,” what was he referring to? • in India, where the Buddha taught, there was a caste system with very clear distinctions between the noble castes, the less noble castes, and the untouchables • the closest thing in many Western societies is being born into wealth or being born into poverty • with extreme wealth comes access to extreme power;...
[This episode originally aired on May 23, 2023] Today’s topic is perception, how we see our world • each of us sees things a little bit differently, and optical illusions highlight this fact • in one well known optical illusion, some people see a chalice, while other people see two women facing each other • which is it? • you might see a chalice when everyone around you sees two women • the problem begins when we take our versi...
[This episode originally aired on May 16, 2023] I find it inspiring to discover wisdom in the midst of so many ordinary stories, even simple children's stories • the Wizard of Oz is one such story • the main character is Dorothy, whose life changes completely when she is swept up in a tornado and lands in a magical place called Oz • there she embarks on a journey of discovery, accompanied by her little dog Toto and three companions: a scarecrow, who ...
[This episode originally aired on May 9, 2023] Buddha nature, or “enlightened genes,” isn’t something outside of us that we need to construct or to import • it is a force of awakening that is within us, and it is quite simple and quite natural • it is like the strong determination of children to learn and to develop; it’s almost a kind of discontent looking to awaken • traditional texts point to this inherent nature as the root cause of awakening •&n...
Pam N
So much projection.