Buddhist Wisdom, Modern Life

In this insightful episode, we explore the nuanced teachings of anger within Buddhist practice, particularly how Western students may misinterpret traditional advice like "don't get angry." Join us as Dr. Harvey Aronson, also known as Lama Namgyal Dorje, offers a cross-cultural perspective that bridges Eastern wisdom with Western understanding. Discover how to navigate anger with awa...

This week, we're sharing the second of two episodes from Inner Cosmos that explore the neuroscience behind our sense of self. Host David Eagleman investigates why our bodies, composed of trillions of cells, feel like a single, unified "me." These episodes offer a compelling scientific perspective on the Buddhist concept of anatta (no-self), providing a fascinating bridge between anci...

This week, we're sharing part one of two episodes from Inner Cosmos that explore the neuroscience behind our sense of self. Host David Eagleman investigates why our bodies, composed of trillions of cells, feel like a single, unified "me." These episodes offer a compelling scientific perspective on the Buddhist concept of anatta (no-self), providing a fascinating bridge between ancien...

This guided practice, recorded for the Jung Center of Houston's MBSI Power of Community series, invites you to turn your attention inward with kindness and understanding. As you listen, allow yourself to be held in a space of warmth and acceptance. This meditation offers an opportunity to connect with parts of ourselves that might feel uncomfortable.

If you've finished your day of work -- or just want to take a relaxing break -- this guided meditation is here for you! This meditation was recorded live as part of the Mind Body Spirit Institute’s Power of Community meditation series. To learn more and register (for free!), click here: https://geni.us/mbsipoc May you and all beings be well.

This week internationally renowned spiritual teacher and author Andrew Holececk about his new book, Reverse Meditation , in which he shares a powerful form of spiritual practice that can transform our relationship to unwanted experiences. In the process, we open more and more fully to the luminous, spacious true nature of the mind. Toward the end of the episode, he offers a guided contemplation yo...

In this guided meditation, we'll start with cultivating focus with an object by imagining light flowing down through the body. But then we switch to "object-less" meditation, which is less well known. As you practice, see if you can notice what it feels like to cultivate each type of focus. May you and all beings be well.

Barbie might be the last character you'd expect to be similar to the Buddha... but consider this: The beginning of Barbie's journey into the "real world" comes when she begins to reflect on death and impermanence. Sounds a lot like the story of Buddha's life to me! This episode offers a few thoughts for anyone about to see the hottest movie of the summer or who's just see...

This Tibetan-style tonglen meditation on compassion was recorded live as part of the Mind Body Spirit Institute’s Power of Community meditation series. To learn more and register (for free!), click here: https://geni.us/mbsipoc May you and all beings be well.

I used to think that Buddhism and trying to "manifest" what you want don't go together. But then I realized that actually Buddhist teachings on karma tell us how to put in place the causes for getting what we want. Mind blown! Want to learn more about the basic teachings of Buddhism? You can check out my book, The Buddhist Path to Joy, here: https://geni.us/buddhistpathtojoy And my f...

Today’s episode is a little different. I’m sharing some “inspirational” writing I did for my own sangha, Dawn Mountain’s, newsletter a couple of weeks ago. This is my appreciation for the dharma’s ability to help us not just feel better but also navigate the difficult times in life without giving up. I’ll share the story of how bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara got 11 heads and 1,000 arms. Want to reply...

To celebrate the Buddhist holiday of Vesak, which commemorates the birth and awakening of the Buddha, here’s a guided meditation on trusting and resting in our own buddha nature. You (yes, you!) are a buddha masquerading as a human, and the tragedy of human life is that we’ve forgotten we’re already everything we’re looking for. This meditation was recorded live as part of the Mind Body Spirit Ins...

This episode is a guided meditation on relaxing into the spaciousness of our true nature, which I offered for the Mind Body Spirit Institute's Power of Community series (see link below to register for free). Learning to relax into spaciousness is at the heart of the Buddhist wisdom teachings —and one of the best things we can do for our health and happiness. This meditation introduces the beau...

In this talk, we explore Thich Nhat Hanh's interpretation of the Easter story of the death and resurrection of Jesus from a Buddhist perspective. While acknowledging that this interpretation is not representative of any given Christian interpretation, we use certain aspects of the Christian story and its interpretation for Buddhist purposes. In Christianity, Jesus is both fully human and fully...

The biggest challenge most meditators face is finding enough time to practice -- and the Pomodoro Timer method is my favorite way to get around this. In this episode, I’ll dive into the Pomodoro Timer method and show you how it can help you get more time to meditate. So if you’re a meditator who always wishes you had more time for practice, listen now and download my free time tracking spreadsheet...

In today’s episode I’ll be speaking with Nina Simons, Co-founder and Chief Relationship Officer at Bioneers, who leads its Everywoman’s Leadership program. Throughout her career, Nina has worked with nearly a thousand diverse women leaders across disciplines, race, class, age and orientation to create conditions for mutual learning, trust and leadership development.  Today we’ll talk about her boo...

This is a meditation I led for the Power of Community program hosted by the Houston Jung Center’s Mind Body Spirit Institute. It was recorded live, so you might hear background noises. If you’d like to join the Power of Community for free weekly meditation sessions (in English and Spanish), you can register here: https://geni.us/mbsipoc Free courses on Buddhist basics: https://geni.us/freecourses...

In today’s episode I’ll be speaking with Cynthia Kane, the Founder and CEO of the Kane Intentional Communication Institute, which provides services to help individuals and companies improve their communication skills and show up authentically in their most important relationships. She actually has an entire book on the topic of today’s conversation: How to Communicate Like a Buddhist.  Cynthi...

Welcome, friends, in today’s episode I’ll speak a bit about meditating to benefit those who have died, and then I’ll guide a short practice using the mantra of Amitabha Buddha: OM AMI DEVA HRI. (See below for a short summary.) More on Amitabha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amit%C4%81bha If you enjoy this practice, please share this episode and subscribe! To learn more about Buddhism through my fr...

Welcome, friends, in today’s episode I’ll be speaking with author, Zen monk, and founder of the Ithaca Zen Center Yoshin David Radin. Sylvia Boorstein (co-founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center) described his new book, A Temporary Affair , like this: “These short discourses by an old Zen priest facing his possible imminent death are relaxed and friendly in tone. They speak directly to the heart...

New year, new you? Come get support and connect with fellow seekers at these live online events! Impermanence and buddha nature with my lamas (and sometimes me) at Dawn Mountain's virtual temple: https://www.dawnmountain.org/teaching-tuesdays-2/ Bring your spirituality to work -- and de-stress your brain while you're at it: https://junghouston.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/junghouston/event.jsp?event...

We've probably all wished we had more time for spiritual practice, and you might have made a resolution to meditate (or journal, pray, etc.) more this year.    But what do we have to give up to make space for what's most important?   In this video, I share a big lesson from grad school that helps me prioritize what's most important... with some help from Marie Kondo!   Happy Ne...

This meditation uses the imagery of descending into a sacred pool inside a sacred cave to offer an opportunity for renewal: letting the ego self dissolve to light, then emerging again and deciding which parts of our ordinary sense of self we want to keep carrying.

Inspired by Deborah Eden Tull's beautiful book Luminous Darkness, here are some reflections on the beauty of this darkest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere). Happy holidays. :)

My friend Dent Gitchell, PhD, an educator, author, and meditation teacher in Arkansas, joins me today to bring a different perspective on reincarnation cases. After a childhood of being open to the unseen aspects of reality, Dent trained with Roger Woolger, a pioneer in past life regression therapy, which helps people recover from previous life traumas that are holding them back from healing and f...