An Army of Coolness
Michael gives a talk about the Buddha’s “Fire Sermon,” and connects it to practice, being in relationship, and the cultivation of generosity, creativity and loving action. Recorded on September 22, 20...
30 Jul 202356min
A Ball Thrown into a River
In this talk Michael covers part of the Ariyapasasana Sutta (the Buddha’s own account of his awakening), the difference between Patanjali’s definition of yoga and the Buddha’s Second Truth, recognizin...
23 Jul 202348min
A Case of Mistaken Identity
Michael argues that “yoga citta vritti nirodha” can be interpreted as “the ending of our misidentification with the movement of consciousness” and that our attempts to ground or reify our self-identit...
16 Jul 202350min
Stormy Sea and Heaven’s River
Using a Haiku by Basho as a jumping off point, Michael continues his exploration of Dogen’s essay The Time Being. Recorded on September 13, 2009.
9 Jul 20231h 11min
Best of Awake in the World: Not Picking & Choosing
This week we're revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode. Michael uses an old Zen tale, a troubled story about him falling in love with his wife, and quotes from Shunryu Suzuki, to de...
2 Jul 20231h
Best of Awake in the World: Seals, Owls, and Letting Go of Destructive Relationships
This week we're revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode. Michael explores the sensitive topic of knowing when to pull out of relationships, kindness to one’s self, emptiness, love, a...
25 Jun 202357min
Whatever is Needed
Michael talks about dukkha, self-care, and activism. He also describes several kinds of burnout and some methods to prevent being afflicted by them. Recorded on September 12, 2010.
18 Jun 20231h 11min
Self-Portraits
Starting with Dogen’s Self-Portrait, Michael explores different ways of viewing self-hood and argues for a “useful” doubt in respect to the self (not the kind that leads to indecision, but the kind th...
11 Jun 20231h 9min
