Buddhist Wisdom, Modern Life

This week internationally renowned spiritual teacher and author Andrew Holececk about his new book, Reverse Meditation, in which he shares a powerful form of spiritual practice that can transform our relationship to unwanted experiences. In the process, we open more and more fully to the luminous, spacious true nature of the mind. Toward the end of the episode, he offers a guided contemplation you can use next time you feel the urge to complain. 

Today’s episode is a little different. I’m sharing some “inspirational” writing I did for my own sangha, Dawn Mountain’s, newsletter a couple of weeks ago. This is my appreciation for the dharma’s ability to help us not just feel better but also navigate the difficult times in life without giving up. I’ll share the story of how bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara got 11 heads and 1,000 arms.

Want to reply? You can post on Facebook or Instagram and tag this podcast, @BuddhistWisdomModernLife.

The biggest challenge most meditators face is finding enough time to practice -- and the Pomodoro Timer method is my favorite way to get around this. In this episode, I’ll dive into the Pomodoro Timer method and show you how it can help you get more time to meditate. So if you’re a meditator who always wishes you had more time for practice, listen now and download my free time tracking spreadsheet!

In today’s episode I’ll be speaking with Nina Simons, Co-founder and Chief Relationship Officer at Bioneers, who leads its Everywoman’s Leadership program. Throughout her career, Nina has worked with nearly a thousand diverse women leaders across disciplines, race, class, age and orientation to create conditions for mutual learning, trust and leadership development. 

Today we’ll talk about her book Nature, Culture, and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership. The second edition just came out in June, 2022, with an accompanying discussion guide and embodied practices.

This is a meditation I led for the Power of Community program hosted by the Houston Jung Center’s Mind Body Spirit Institute. It was recorded live, so you might hear background noises.

In today’s episode I’ll be speaking with Cynthia Kane, the Founder and CEO of the Kane Intentional Communication Institute, which provides services to help individuals and companies improve their communication skills and show up authentically in their most important relationships. She actually has an entire book on the topic of today’s conversation: How to Communicate Like a Buddhist.  Cynthia will share tips to help us all connect more authentically, plus she puts communication in the context of skillful speech, a vital part of Buddha’s teachings.  

Welcome, friends, in today’s episode I’ll speak a bit about meditating to benefit those who have died, and then I’ll guide a short practice using the mantra of Amitabha Buddha: OM AMI DEVA HRI.

(See below for a short summary.)

Welcome, friends, in today’s episode I’ll be speaking with author, Zen monk, and founder of the Ithaca Zen Center Yoshin David Radin. Sylvia Boorstein (co-founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center) described his new book, A Temporary Affair, like this: “These short discourses by an old Zen priest facing his possible imminent death are relaxed and friendly in tone. They speak directly to the heart of human suffering, the confusion that comes from not understanding what is clearly available for us to feel directly and be liberated. It is a book I keep on my bedside table, at close hand when I need a dose of encouragement.”

New year, new you? Come get support and connect with fellow seekers at these live online events!

We've probably all wished we had more time for spiritual practice, and you might have made a resolution to meditate (or journal, pray, etc.) more this year.   

But what do we have to give up to make space for what's most important?  

In this video, I share a big lesson from grad school that helps me prioritize what's most important... with some help from Marie Kondo!  

Happy New Year.  :)  

If you enjoyed these reflections, please share this episode and subscribe!  

My friend Dent Gitchell, PhD, an educator, author, and meditation teacher in Arkansas, joins me today to bring a different perspective on reincarnation cases. After a childhood of being open to the unseen aspects of reality, Dent trained with Roger Woolger, a pioneer in past life regression therapy, which helps people recover from previous life traumas that are holding them back from healing and freedom in this life. Now, I’m not sure that all memories that come up in this form of therapy refer to actual previous lives, but many people find tremendous healing from it, and as you’ll hear, Dent found it helpful. This conversation also makes some connections between Buddhist teachings on karma and the previous lives Dent experienced.

I first met my guest today, Jake Loveland, when we recorded an interview for his podcast, Tenaciously Human, about the connections between Buddhism and success in life. (You can find that episode here: https://geni.us/mPbVnik.)

One thing Jake mentioned in that first conversation was that he’s a big fan of the Jewish and Christian idea of the Sabbath, and as I took time off this summer, I found myself thinking again and again about how rest and relaxation open more space for creativity. So why are these practices often so difficult?

Hi, friends, I’m excited to introduce you to Dr. Dent Gitchell, an educator, author, and meditation teacher – a guy with a lot of credentials and a lot of expertise. But what I recently learned about him is that he’s been a fan of The Grateful Dead since he was young, and along with that came a lot of consciousness-expanding experiences with psychedelics.

If you've heard of the three types of Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana), you might wonder: What are the origins of Vajrayana Buddhism? How is it similar to and different from Mahayana and Theravada? What are the practices and beliefs of Vajrayana Buddhists?

In this video, I'll cover the historical origins of the Vajrayana forms of Buddhism and talk about the one region where this type of Buddhism is dominant: Tibet and the Himalayan regions. If you’ve ever wondered what Buddhist tantra is, you’re in the right place because it’s Vajrayana Buddhism. But there’s no sex involved, lol!

Y'all, get ready to meet a good friend and dharma sister of mine, Pam Stockton, as we discuss psychedelics and how they can be helpful on the spiritual path—in the right context, with the right preparation, for folks who can benefit from them, which isn't everyone. You can learn more about Pam at her website, which is linked below. And if you'd like to learn more about the basic teachings of Buddhism, there's a link to my free courses, too.

Pam Stockton is licensed as a professional counselor in Texas and New Mexico, and is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in private practice. Formerly a business lawyer, she was certified by Grof Transpersonal Training as a practitioner of Holotropic Breathwork in 2009 and is now a Grof Breathwork practitioner. In addition to degrees in law and counseling, she holds a Master of Theological Studies degree and Certificate in Women’s Studies from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University.

I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Y'all, I'm so happy to share a conversation I had with Emily Anchia, the Digital Manager at my home sangha, Dawn Mountain. Her degree is in personal finance, so we talked money stuff, and she comes at the topic from a more spiritual angle that reminds me of Marie Kondo more than the finance bros on YouTube.  

If you'd like to learn more about the basics of Buddhism, please see the links below to my free courses for beginners and to my favorite comprehensive intro courses on Buddhism and Buddhist meditation.  

Emily is the manager of all things digital and broadcast at Dawn Mountain Buddhist Temple. She facilitates spreading the dharma as a profession, but she also has a passion for spreading financial literacy! She loves the art of storytelling in every form and especially all things spooky.  

Hello, friends, and welcome to this interview with Moriah Williams, who's going to share with us some of their wisdom about the world we can see and how it connects to the unseen. If you've ever felt like there's more to the human experience than what our senses show us, you'll probably enjoy getting to meet this remarkable healer.

If you'd like to learn more about the basics of Buddhism, please check out the links below to my book, The Buddhist Path to Joy, and my free online courses for beginners.

Moriah Williams is a holistic practitioner who offers somatic and spirit-based online sessions education. They support people in making friends with themselves, deepening their connection to their bodies and their intuition, reclaiming their energy from old wounds and ongoing structural oppression, and trusting their own power. Moriah believes that the more we trust our capacities for healing, the more we can live lives of joy, wonder, and kindness.

A bodhisattva is one who has vowed to train to become fully awakened (enlightened) in order to benefit all beings. This spiritual aspiration has inspired countless people to devote their lives to developing their capacities for wisdom and compassion.

The starting assumption for Mahayana Buddhism is that all living beings have the same potential for awakening. Thus, we are all capable of becoming bodhisattvas.

In Mahayana Buddhism, the quality the bodhisattva cultivates is "bodhicitta": 'the mind (citta) of awakening (bodhi)'. The more common translation is 'enlightenment mind' or 'awakening mind'.

The awakening being's experience leads to the end of all suffering or dukkha whatsoever; hence, the bodhisattva's ultimate goal is to eliminate all suffering, the most profoundly compassionate motivation.

In this podcast episode, I’ll talk about one of the bodhisattva’s most important qualities: generosity. That doesn’t just meaning giving money or resources but also time and protection from danger. And I’ll share some verses from the Bodhicaryavatara, the classic guide to walking the path of the spiritual hero.

Hello, friends. If you're interested in the basics of Buddhism and want a fun introduction to the history, beliefs, and practices of the various Buddhist lineages, I have a great new learning platform to share with you: Buddhist Studies Online or BSO.

Today I'm talking with Dr. Kate Hartmann, a Harvard PhD in Religious Studies and one of the folks behind Buddhist Studies Online and the instructor for BSO 101 about the history, philosophy, and practice of Buddhism.

Kate is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at the University of Wyoming. She received a PhD in Religious Studies, focused on Tibetan Buddhism, from Harvard University in May 2020. Her research focuses on the history of pilgrimage to holy mountains in Tibet. She also helped develop and launch Buddhist Studies Online, an educational platform aimed at making academic courses on Buddhism more accessible to the public.

If you'd like to hear more about her story of connecting with Buddhism as an undergrad, then traveling around Asia in the course of her studies, you can find a link in the show notes to an interview she did with Seth Powell who helped found BSO.

I hope you enjoy the conversation, and if you'd like to learn more about BSO 101 or 102, Buddhist Meditation in Theory and Practice, you can find links to both those courses in the show notes.

If you’ve ever wondered how to “get serious” about practicing Tibetan Buddhism, you might be relieved to know that you don’t have to become a monk or nun, and you don’t have to spend the rest of your life in a cave.

In this episode, I’ll talk with Aaron of the organization Dharma Gates on what’s involved when you want to become a serious student of Tibetan Buddhism, including how to connect with a teacher and community.

We’ll have a live conversation about this on June 30, and you can find registration info in the show notes. Plus if you’re new to Buddhism, I have some free mini-courses you might be interested in. There’s a link to them, too. I hope this conversation answers some of the questions you might have about getting started in this wonderful tradition.

A bodhisattva is one who has vowed to train to become fully awakened (enlightened) in order to benefit all beings. This spiritual aspiration has inspired countless people to devote their lives to developing their capacities for wisdom and compassion.

The starting assumption for Mahayana Buddhism is that all living beings have the same potential for awakening. Thus, we are all capable of becoming bodhisattvas.

In Mahayana Buddhism, the quality the bodhisattva cultivates is "bodhicitta": 'the mind (citta) of awakening (bodhi)'. The more common translation is 'enlightenment mind' or 'awakening mind'.

The awakening being's experience leads to the end of all suffering or dukkha whatsoever; hence, the bodhisattva's ultimate goal is to eliminate all suffering, the most profoundly compassionate motivation.

In this podcast episode, I explain the terms bodhisattva and bodhichitta, and I'll share some inspiring verses from the Bodhicaryavatara, or Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, a famous text on how to become a bodhisattva by the great Indian saint Shantideva in the 8th century CE. The Bodhicaryavatara is one of the best introductions to the subjects of bodhicitta and compassion in Mahayana Buddhism.

The previous episode was a live talk I offered on Insight Timer with some ideas for doing meditation practice for those who have died. Here's the guided meditation from the end of that talk so you can come back to it easily.

If you've lost a friend or loved one recently -- or just want to offer some practice to help folks you hear about on the news who've recently passed -- here are a few simple suggestions, plus a little background from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. This is a longer, live version of the previous episode, for those who prefer a short talk.

I’ll explain how to prepare to support your loved one (or a stranger) who’s recently died, based on Tibetan Buddhist teachings as well as modern research on near death experiences and cases of reincarnation.

I’ll also show you how to use the mantra of Amitabha, the buddha of limitless light whose pure land is easy to be reborn into. And if the person you’re supporting isn’t Buddhist, you can use a variation of the practice.

If you know someone who’s recently died (or want to help the people we all hear about on the news every day who die of COVID, in wars, or in gun violence), here’s an explanation and a short practice.

I’ll explain how to prepare to support your loved one (or a stranger) who’s recently died, based on Tibetan Buddhist teachings as well as modern research on near death experiences and cases of reincarnation.

I’ll also show you how to use the mantra of Amitabha, the buddha of limitless light whose pure land is easy to be reborn into. And if the person you’re supporting isn’t Buddhist, you can use a variation of the practice.

Amitabha’s mantra: OM AMI DEVA HRI

Watch this on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DwTaIWqwvtY

More on Amitabha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amit%C4%81bha

More mantras: https://youtu.be/PuyE_S1UZhs

If you've ever wondered what the most important teaching in Buddhism is, now you know! If you understand impermanence -- that things are constantly changing -- then the rest of Buddha's teachings make sense.  

There are two levels to this constant change or flow: "gross" and subtle. The first level refers to the changes we notice, like when a wildfire burns through a community, transforming it overnight. At the subtlest level, science shows us that the subatomic particles that make up the atoms of our cells are constantly flashing into and out of existence.  🤯  

I was listening to a Radiolab episode recently (link & description below) that was all about nihilism and why it seems to be having a moment right now.   It got me thinking about the difference between Buddhism, with all its talk about how nothing is inherently existent, we're all going to die, etc., and proper nihilism.   

The difference? Buddha nature! After we strip away everything, there's still a luminous layer of reality according to Buddhist teachings.  

The Buddha taught that awakening is our ticket out of an endless round of deaths and rebirths. But these days, many folks don't believe in rebirth and wonder if nirvana is real. So let's talk about what full awakening means and the ways different traditions describe it.

Dukkha (unease or unsatisfactoriness) is the main problem the Buddhist tradition helps us solve. In this meditation, you'll be guided to notice mental and physical states of unease, stress, or discomfort and offer yourself compassion in response.

If you’ve decided to take refuge (become a Buddhist), what should you do to get ready? It’s not rocket science, but this is a significant commitment, so here are some ideas for anyone who wants to take this step.

If you’ve ever wondered how to become a Buddhist, this episode is for you! My friend and colleague Loppon Yudron Wangmo shares her insights on what refuge means – and if you want to take refuge with her, live on Zoom, then register at the link below.

Taking refuge is how you become a Buddhist and commit to waking up out of samsara (the endless cycle of deaths and rebirths). You can meditate and get lots of benefit from Buddhist practices without taking refuge, but deciding to walk the dharma path is a significant moment in the spiritual path.

If you’ve ever wondered how to become a Buddhist, this episode is for you! My friend and colleague Loppon Yudron Wangmo shares her insights on what refuge means – and if you want to take refuge with her, live on Zoom, then register at the link below.

What does it mean to take refuge in the three jewels (Buddha, dharma, and sangha), and what’s the benefit of taking refuge? Do you have to be Buddhist to practice meditation?  

If you’ve ever wondered how to become a Buddhist, this episode is for you! My friend and colleague Loppon Yudron Wangmo shares her insights on what refuge means – and if you want to take refuge with her, live on Zoom, then register at the link below.  

In the third part of my conversation with my dharma friend Loppon Yudron Wangmo, she explains how to request teachings and make a good connection with a spiritual teacher. Did you know that it’s traditional to ask a teacher for instructions on a certain topic? And Loppon-la shares why it’s good not just to learn from famous teachers (like the Dalai Lama, Pema Chodron, and so many others) but also to have a teacher who knows you personally.

I hope you’ll join us for more of this conversation with a wonderful contemporary female Buddhist teacher.

In the second part of my conversation with my dharma friend Loppon Yudron Wangmo, she explains the lineage she teaches in, the Dudjom Tersar, and her approach to teaching at Mayum Mountain, her foundation. Plus she shares the benefits of ngondro or the foundational/preliminary practices students of Tibetan Buddhism do before engaging in Vajrayana practices, Dzogchen, or Mahamudra.   

I hope you’ll join us for more of this conversation with a wonderful contemporary female Buddhist teacher.