Love & Understanding

In this episode, John explores the topic of friendship. In his commitment to meet death for a year, one of the main insights he has gathered is that, when we imagine ourselves looking back on our lives from our deathbed, what matters most is our relationships. He then reflects on one of his most influential relationships.

In this episode, we explore the self. First, we'll examine the self through a conceptual investigation. And then, to end the episode, we'll look directly at our own experience to see who or what knows.

In this episode, we'll continue our exploration of epistemology by seeking to understand the nature of concepts or universals. Primarily, we'll wade through Aristotle's epistemological response to Socrates and Plato to unravel the dangers of seeking certainty.

In this episode, we will continue our exploration of epistemology, meeting the ancient Greeks who invented the first formal tradition or school of reason.

In this episode, we'll explore how our problems and questions, our wonder and curiosity, open the door to our ignorance - the first step in knowledge creation. Once faced with our ignorance, we'll discover that the only thing we can do is guess - we must create an answer or a solution.

In this episode, we'll begin exploring the foundations of knowledge, our epistemological bedrock. What do you believe and how do you know it to be true?

In this episode, John explores dukkha, or dis-ease and unsatisfactoriness, in more depth. Then, John introduces the Buddhist practice that opens us to this dukkha and, ultimately, frees us from it.

In this episode, John shares a meditation from his free online course titled The Space of Possibility . Until you ask the question, "What is my life, or my being, in service to?" where is your freedom? Clearly comprehending your motivations and intentions, together with mindfulness, is the key to freedom. www.spaceofpossibility.org

In the first half of this episode, John talks to his partner River about her recent name-change from Deborah to River and the consequences of this decision. And in the second half, John and River each open up about the sexual abuse they experienced as children and how they have come to find compassion for their abusers.

In this episode, we'll take one more spin around the wheel of wisdom - around the Buddha's Noble Eight Path.

In this episode, John first discusses how our livelihoods fit into the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path, and then he goes on to discuss his own business - his future plans and promises to you, his audience.

In this episode, we'll explore the role of concentration in the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path.

In this episode, we explore how mindfulness fits into the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path.

In this episode, we'll explore how virya, or effort, fits into the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path.

In this episode, we'll explore two approaches to awakening - sudden and gradual.

In this episode, I express my commitment to meet death formally for a year. I express some of my own personal struggles with loss and grief, and explore how mindfulness and honesty can help transform that loss and grief back into love.

In this episode, we will continue exploring our actions as they relate to the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. More specifically, we will explore the precept - to abstain from taking what is not given.

In this episode, we continue our exploration of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path by opening to our actions in the world.

In this episode, we will continue our exploration of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path, exploring in depth how our speech affects our hearts and our minds.

In this episode, we will continue our exploration of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. More particularly, we will enter the second of three arenas of training along this path, training in virtue, which consists of training our speech, actions, and livelihoods. Today, however, we will focus only on the first element - our speech, exploring what it means for our speech to be truthful.

As we continue our exploration of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path, today we will explore thoughts of compassion, and how we can cultivate compassion to become the default response to suffering.

In our exploration of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path, this episode, we will explore thoughts of metta, or loving-kindness.

Continuing our exploration of the Noble Eightfold Path, in this episode, we explore thoughts or intentions of renunciation.

Today, as a part of our continued exploration of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path, let’s move into the second set of exercises in our wisdom training, exercises in thought. Remember, in an effort to transform the suffering in the world, the Buddha created a path, the Noble Eightfold Path, which can be broken into three arenas of training: (1) a training in wisdom, (2) a training in ethics, and (3...

To help train our perception, it may be useful to bring into awareness what Buddhists call the Four Great Hallucinations of Perception, since we likely fall into these traps at times and become agitated and dis-eased. They are: 1. The Hallucination of Permanence . How often do you take that which is impermanent to be permanent? Is your reaction to this question one of denial? Remember, knowing the...