Awake in the World Podcast

In thispodcast episode Michael explains the meaning of taking refuge in Prajna Paramita (your heart), and your capacity to embrace your aliveness without being sidetracked by your storyteller. Recorded April 28, 2009. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to th...

In this Best of Awake in the World podcast episode Michael explores the “negation section” of the Heart Sutra (no eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue...) and how the story-telling and I-making functions of the mind contract and cling, leading us away from intimacy. Drawing on poems by John Cage and Jack Gilbert he describes the dependent-origination of the self, our tendency to create metaphysical fra...

Guided meditation on Receptive Breathing with Michael Stone. Recorded in 2016 at the Meditation Facilitation Training, Vancouver, 20 min. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Michael talks about the goal of practice as being yourself. He tells the Zen story of T’ing being slapped and explores trusting yourself, not telling black and white stories about those we love and hate, and how meditation is the same as art. Chapin Mill, New York, 50 min. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for u...

Trigger Warning: Talks of Sexual/Assault and Trauma An expansion of the discussion with Molly Boeder Harris as she co-teaches with Michael on trauma sensitivity during the Meditation Facilitation Training in Vancouver, 25 min. Recorded in 2016 If you would like to learn more about Healing Trauma with the Body, we offer an inclusive six-week online course that offers accessible methods for helping...

Trigger Warning: Talks of Sexual/Assault and Trauma Molly Boeder Harris co-teaching with Michael on trauma sensitivity during the Meditation Facilitation Program. Vancouver, 46 min. Recorded in 2016 If you would like to learn more about Healing Trauma with the Body, we offer an inclusive six-week online course that offers accessible methods for helping the body to process trauma. Learn more: https...

Michael's talk on the core teachings of the Buddha and how they relate to being a self, letting go, repeating the past, investing too much in the future, and being stuck. Recorded on September 28, 2012. Please note, the end of the talk and discussion is cut-off.

The Buddha’s stance is anti-religious in a certain way. He uses what’s in religious practice to undo religious belief. The Buddha creates strategies, not dogmas. The more you go back into the old texts, the further away you get from religion. What we don’t need at this moment is another religion. Instead, perhaps we could engage a living tradition, and uncover the values of these practices. This m...

In this Best of episode, Michael Stone gives his final talk at Centre of Gravity on the famous Zen Koan MU. Michael begins with discussing meditation on the breath and then goes deeply into seeing how practice is about being unconditional with yourself. Recorded at Centre of Gravity, Toronto on May 6, 2014. 1 hour. This is a “must listen” talk if you’re a podcast regular! The Awake in the World po...

A dharma "pep-talk" by Michael Stone. Has the powerful but ineffable energy of strong emotions, attachment and aversion reduced us to servitude? A gruff old man takes up yoga and experiences momentary freedom from painful thoughts. Has anyone else been gripped by sorcery lately? Recorded on February 12, 2013. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon...

Michael guides a 20 minute meditation. He brings attention to calm and the body. Exploring the balance between vitality and tranquility in the body while allowing the ears to open to the movements of sound. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. T...

Michael teaches from the Lojong Training in Compassion. What’s happening right now in our lives can be the raw material that shows us the path of awakening & compassion. He reminds of the vows we've made to be awake, to wake up others and be available for others and learn skills to reduce reactivity and to realize that our actions have an effect. Recorded December 2, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. The...

In this Awake in the World podcast, recorded during the afternoon practice session on New Year’s Eve 2009, Michael gives a few words of encouragement around “realizing the mystery” in the ordinariness of your life. Recorded December 31, 2009. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of...

In this Best of Awake in the World podcast episode Michael relates the story of Daiju and Baso from the Gateless Gate (21) and explores the treasure of trusting yourself. Recorded on December 31, 2009. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To bec...

Michael Stone explores the integration of yoga and Buddhism, and how we can live a life fully engaged with the suffering of the world while also taking care of ourselves. Recorded during a day-long workshop and fundraiser for New Leaf Foundation (newleaffoundation.com) at the University of Toronto in September 2010. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing...

Michael explores the Buddha’s experience of absorption in the forest, and how he turned to the experience of pleasure in his body to stabilize during anxiety and dread. Recorded in Green Bay, WI, on March 27, 2017. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the p...

In this episode, Zoketsu Norman Fischer and Shoken Michael Stone explore how the Dharma is taking root in Western culture and finding expression through mainstream media. Their conversation examines the ways Buddhist teachings are shaped by language, culture, and contemporary experience, raising questions about what it means to receive Buddhism in a radically different social and historical contex...

In this Best of episode of Awake in the World Michael gives advice and practical tips for dealing with some of the struggles that come up during sitting practice, such as sleepiness, rumination, or difficult emotions like anger. The Business of our mind can both humble and motivate us to practice and letting go of our viewpoint to engage in experience. Recorded on January 22, 2008.

In this episode Michael continues his discussion of The Five Powers of the Mind and offers some thoughts on tradition and yoga, the interpretation of the word faith, ethics, and the strong need for self-care. Recorded August 14, 2009. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teaching...

In this Best of Awake in the World podcast episode Michael discusses Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras with an emphasis on The Five Powers of the Mind (outlined in the first pada, line 20). He touches on the fundamental teaching of Right speech and subtle forms of violence, and focussing on bringing new interpretation to old lessons while appreciating our surroundings and not getting caught up in the story...

Michael talks about how our work should be energetic, industrious, diligent and skilful. We should live within our means and keep good company. When you really, really want something, you might ask: How central is this for becoming a good version of myself? Recorded at Centre of Gravity on March 1, 2014. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supp...

Michael unpacks teachings from the Buddhist tradition on how to make a living, and how to make ethical decisions around money in a financial world that revolves around extraction and exploitation. Recorded at Centre of Gravity on March 1, 2014. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive o...

In this Best of Awake in the World episode about the Heart Sutra, Michael explores how it functions to counter what John Cage calls “the authoritarian structures” of our minds, including the tendency to create “frames” and contract around our sense of separateness. Recorded on March 31, 2009. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, maki...

Michael leads a 15 minute guided meditation class with the focus on grounding and bringing distractions back into the beginning of the inhale, relaxing the eyes, and feeling the sensations of breathing in the nostrils without visualizing the breath. Recorded January 17, 2017 in Victoria, B.C. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, maki...

Michael gives a talk on the ways illness strengthens our heart. He guides us through simple breath techniques to start, then to expand into finer, granular insight for strong concentration as our meditation practice becomes long-term. He tells the story of how Dongshan was ready to die. He said goodbye to everyone. They wept and wept. Then he jumped out of the casket and gave them a teaching about...