Awake in the World Podcast

Guest teacher Stephen Batchelor explains his interest in Secular Buddhism, which returns the word “secular'' to its etymological root, “saeculum,” meaning “this age” or “at this time in this world.” H...

13 Feb 202256min

This Awake in the World Podcast features guest speaker Christopher House, who was the artistic director of the Toronto Dance Theater for twenty-five years (he retired in 2020). He describes his studie...

6 Feb 20221h 3min

In this podcast episode, Michael introduces the bodhisattva path and the paramitas. The bodhisattva ideal is you at your best – rather than simply a code of ethics, it is the cultivation and realizati...

30 Jan 202226min

Michael explores Patanjali’s teachings on samadhi (Pada 1, 41-51) and points out that if practice becomes too self-focused and too centered on achieving “special” mind states it can be easily co-opted...

28 Jan 202244min

In this deep dive into the first four lines of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra Michael talks about the nature of awareness and the goals of yoga. Recorded March 14, 2010.

13 Jan 20221h 20min

Starting with a poem by Gary Snyder, Michael explores the Fourth Pada of the Yoga Sutra and argues that without the experience of a solid meditation practice it cannot be comprehended. Patanjali, he s...

9 Jan 20221h 43min

This week we're revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode from a New Year's retreat. A tender and personal talk Michael gives during silent retreat about his father, forgiveness, and h...

31 Dec 202149min

This week we're revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode. An hour before New Year’s Michael gives a quiet talk on the Heart Sutra and Forgiveness. “When I hold someone’s hand as they ...

26 Dec 202132min