Free to be Nobody
In this talk on the theme of freedom and discipline Michael argues that true freedom comes with unravelling the layers of self-making that are deeply habitual—including striving, intellectualizing, cl...
7 Sep 20211h 12min
The Eyebrows Don't Know Anything
In this talk, which took place during a retreat at Sugar Ridge, Michael delves into the koan titled “Not knowing is the most intimate” (Miscellaneous Koans Case 62). He explores ideas about home and p...
29 Aug 202150min
Gladness of the Heart
In this Awake in the World podcast guest teacher Norman Feldman explores metta practice and how it compliments and supports insight (Vipassana) practice, as well as allowing us to open to dukkha so we...
22 Aug 202147min
Shifting Our Stories
In this Awake in the World podcast Michael speaks about the power of story-telling and how the stories we construct, individually and culturally, can either heal and transform us—or shut us down. Once...
15 Aug 202147min
The Two Darts: A Buddhist Psychology of Pain
In this Awake in the World Podcast Michael explains the teaching of “The Two Darts” (the Sallatha Sutta) and asserts that the Buddha offers a useful and supportive model for working with pain—whether ...
9 Aug 202158min
Ducks’ Legs Are Short, Cranes’ Legs Are Long
In this Awake in the World Podcast Michael covers the ninth part of the Genjokoan that begins, “A fish swims in the ocean, and no matter how far it swims there is no end to the water.” He argues that ...
2 Aug 202139min
Cherishing All Life
In this Awake in the World podcast, guest teacher Trudy Goodman gives a talk on sila, the ethical foundations of the eightfold path (wise livelihood, wise behaviour, and wise speech). Recorded on Jul...
26 Juli 202154min
Ordinary Mind is the Way
In this Awake in the World podcast Michael talks about the tendency we have to amplify suffering by creating a self that we think is separate and “special,” and how in our quest to be enlightened we c...
19 Juli 202154min
