Secular Buddhism

Within any given discipline, we all have a circle of skills. In order to grow the circle of skills, we need to do things that are just outside the circle and once we master a new skill, that circle grows. The key to safely growing the circle is to go slowly and not attempt skills that are too far outside the current circle we have. I believe this is also the case with how we can approach Mindfulness practice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I will talk about "The First Meditation" a story about an experience that Siddhartha (the Buddha) had when he was 9 years old. I believe this experience shaped his understanding of the importance of experiential vs intellectual understanding and I believe there are some good lessons to be learned by us as we hear this story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It can be easy to get caught up "in the thick of thin things" when our perspective is too narrow or zoomed in. When we take the long view, we learn to zoom out and see things from a different perspective. In this podcast episode, I will talk about taking the long view and also discuss the parable of the lute and the analogy of tuning the strings of an instrument. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zen Master Seung Sahn said "I do not teach Buddhism. I only teach don't know." The beauty of not knowing arises when we understand that reality is unknowable as a complete picture. First, because it's always changing, and second, we are limited in our perspective in terms of space and time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liberation is not a destination we strive to reach, it's a state of mind that is available to us right here and right now. When we fully understand the reality of emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness, we become liberated from the type of thinking that has us trapped in the prison of our own mind. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Observation in Buddhist practice is an active thing, it's not passive and it's not a form of resignation. The skilled observer, observes precisely in order to be able to act more skillfully. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast episode, I share my thoughts about "Buddha nature" and what it means to me. I also share the story of the little rock in my backyard that had a Buddha painted on the rock. When the paint started to fade, I was able to see the buddha nature of that rock. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every moment that arises is simultaneously the first time and last time that moment exists. I used to value moments based on their pleasantness or unpleasantness but now I see the beauty of the uniqueness of each moment. In this episode, I will be vulnerable and share my thoughts as I process the recent loss of a loved one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I love thinking about life as a great song, with high notes and low notes and quiet pauses in between each note. I like to think of my relationship to this song as the dance of life. In this episode, I will share my thoughts about going through life as if it were a dance instead of a fight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Life has a funny way of teaching us lessons even amidst circumstances or events that we don't particularly find to be pleasant. In this episode, I will share the story of how we ended up with a 3-legged cat as a pet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I will talk about the idea of "branding". The story we have about ourselves is our personal brand and we do a lot to influence the way others perceive us. Practicing non-attachment to our brand may allow us to experience greater freedom to be ourselves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our search for answers to life's big questions, what if the question is actually more important than the answer? In this episode, I will talk about the quest for answers and how it may be more beneficial to focus on the quest for understanding the question. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast episode, I will share some thoughts around the idea that we can change our relationship to our emotions by pretending that we're playing a game where the goal is to experience the full range of possible emotions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I will talk about perception and the role it plays in how we experience our reality. Reality is in the eye of the beholder. “Dependent on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises...The meeting of the three is contact.”With contact as a requisite condition, there is feeling. What one feels, one perceives. What one perceives, one thinks about. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Some see something to fear where there is nothing to fear, and some see nothing to fear where there is something to fear." In this episode, I will talk about fear from a Buddhist perspective. Fear is universal but there are perhaps some fears that are skillful and others that are unskilful. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm sure you've heard the expression "work smarter, not harder". In this episode, I will share my throughs regarding Skillful Effort of the Eightfold Path and how it pertains to not only mindfulness practice but to everything we do in life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ANNOUNCEMENT...I’m excited to present a new online workshop called "Mindfulness for Everyday Life" available exclusively through Himalaya Learning.Himalaya Learning is a new educational audio platform specializing in audio courses that focus on lifelong learning, business, personal development, and more, featuring courses from some of the world’s greatest minds like Tim Ferriss, Malcolm Gladwell, Elon Musk. You can listen to my full workshop series by visiting www.himalaya.com/mindfulness and entering the code MINDFULNESS for a free 14-day trial.Whether you’re looking for more peace in the workplace or at home, or even just greater peace within the confines of your own mind, mindfulness practice is where it all starts. In this 20-part series, I will present several key concepts, ideas, guided meditations, and exercises centered around mindfulness that will help you to understand how and why this ancient practice can be so useful in our day to day lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat

I recently had the opportunity of interviewing Dr Sarah Shaw about her new book "Mindfulness: Where it comes from and what it means". I hope you enjoy the conversation. To learn more about her book, visit: https://www.shambhala.com/buddhist-mindfulness.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this podcast episode, I will talk about the Buddhist story of Sticky Hair Monster and the prince who tried to battle him. This story points to the battle that often takes place in our minds against our own thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is nothing something? What happens when we do nothing? In this podcast episode, I will share my thoughts on the concept of nothingness and the beauty of nothing. I will also discuss the koan "every day is a good day". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.