Podcasts about buddhist

It takes a trained mind to see wonder and awe in the middle of everyday struggles. In today's PT. 2 episode, Ryan and persuasion expert Jay Heinrichs dive deeper into discipline, the power of our inner dialogue, and what it really means to have agency. Jay shares the story of having breakfast with the Dalai Lama and how the Stoics, Buddhists, Aristotle, and even Taylor Swift all point to the same truth about how we see and respond to life. Jay Heinrichs is a New York Times bestselling author of Thank You For Arguing and is a persuasion and conflict consultant. Middlebury College has named him a Professor of the Practice in Rhetoric and Oratory. Jay has conducted influence strategy and training for clients as varied as Kaiser Permanente, Harvard, the European Speechwriters Association, Southwest Airlines, and NASA. He has overseen the remake and staff recruiting of more than a dozen magazines. Pick up a copy of Jay's latest book Aristotle's Guide to Self-Persuasion: How Ancient Rhetoric, Taylor Swift, and Your Own Soul Can Help You Change Your Life Follow Jay on Instagram @JayHeinrichs and check out more of his work at www.jayheinrichs.com

An original story by Marlene Wurfel inspired by the Buddhist allegory of an anger monster who thrives on anger and shrinks from kindness.  

Buddhability Shorts is a monthly series where we break down a Buddhist concept or common life challenge we've touched on in an interview. Today we're talking about quality versus quantity when it comes to chanting.To ask a question about the basics of Buddhism, you can email us at connect@buddhability.org Resources:Which is more important for chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo: quality or quantity?The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 1, revised edition, pp. 123–24, 130.

Uncovering the deep connection between Buddhism and Martial Arts, Damiano Seiryū Finizio joins Vincent Moore to explore what it truly means to face our most powerful opponent: the mind.This conversation was originally recorded on Paths of Practice Podcast. Listen to more episodes HERE.Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Damiano and Vincent discuss:What initially brought Damiano to Buddhism after growing up in Italy, a predominantly Catholic countryHow Buddhism can be harmonious with martial arts Working on self-development and mutual growth rather than sparring Maintaining perfect mental presence during times of physical discomfort Following the Buddhist precepts and adopting a vegan diet for the principal of no-harmMountains as natural energy centersDamiano's global work and exposure to unique cultures in Vietnam, Cambodia, The Canary Islands, and moreBringing the message of peace, awareness, and compassion into the westDamiano's advice for beginners walking the Buddhist pathAbout Damiano Seiryū Finizio:Damiano Finizio was born in Italy in 1992. He began practicing traditional Japanese martial arts in 2012, where he met the Buddhist monk Seiun, who transformed his curiosity for Eastern disciplines and philosophies into dedicated practice. In 2014, he officially took refuge in the Dharma at Tenryuzanji Temple, receiving the name Seiryu, symbolizing his deep bond with his teacher and the temple. Since 2020, he has been living and working in Spain as a hostel owner, while also working seasonally in Italy and Croatia as a trip leader during the warmer months. Despite his commitments, he remains an active member of the Tenryuzanji community and continues to participate in its activities whenever possible.For more information about Tenryuzanji Temple, please click HERE. To keep up with Damiano, visit his Instagram.“The advice is don't do it yourself. It's very likely to happen that you're trying to tame your mind, but if you don't know how to do it, most likely your mind will tame you and make you feel like you're moving forward, but you're just looking for comfort. This is why a teacher is important.“ –Damiano Seiryū FinizioAbout Vincent Moore:Vincent Moore is a creative and creative consultant living in San Francisco, California, with over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry and holds a graduate degree in Buddhist Studies. For years, he performed regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, an improv and sketch comedy theatre based in New York and Los Angeles. As an actor, Vincent performed on Comedy Central, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Seth Meyers, Above Average, and The UCB Show on Seeso. As a writer, he developed for television as well as stage, including work with the Blue Man Group, and his own written projects have been featured on websites such as Funny or Die. Additionally, he received a Masters of Buddhist Studies from the Institute of Buddhist Studies with a Certificate in Soto Zen Studies and engages in a personal Buddhist practice within the Soto Zen tradition. Vincent is also the creator and host of the podcast, Paths of Practice, which features interviews with Buddhists from all over the world. Learn more on Vincent's website HERE.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Vishvapani talks here about the Buddha's response to society's need for protection from demons the spirit world. Excerpted from the talk The Buddha and Society, part of the series Gautama Buddha, Birmingham, 2011. This series marked the launch of Vishvapani's book: 'Gautama Buddha: The Life and Teachings of the Awakened One' (Quercus, 2011). *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB  

“Is my understanding of faith compatible with Catholicism?” This episode explores the nuances of faith within the Catholic tradition, while also addressing questions about burial practices in Buddhist cemeteries and the role of suffering in God’s plan for greater good. Tune in for a thoughtful examination of these important topics. Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 05:34 – Is my understanding of faith compatible with Catholicism? 18:15 – Is it permitted to be buried in a Buddhist cemetery? 34:36 – Can God bring greater good without suffering?

Jack Kornfield and Prof. Rajiv S. Joshi explore how facing suffering with love can awaken the courage to heal our world.Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.Jack's new book hits shelves on 11/11: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World – Preorder your copy today!“Love is this unbelievable, inexplicable force. When there's love it's almost that anything is possible. It's love that binds all things.” –Prof. Rajiv S. JoshiIn this episode, Jack and Rajiv mindfully explore:Living Fully in a Time of Change: Joanna Macy's funeral as a teaching on joy, love, and the beauty of a life well-lived.Facing Suffering with Courage: The two kinds of suffering—what we run from and what we open to with compassion.Meditation as Refuge: Expanding the heart's window of tolerance to hold fear, grief, and love all at once.The Sweet Way of the Dharma: Remembering peace, joy, and humor even in the midst of difficulty.Smiling as Practice: Softening the heart through simple, embodied gestures of kindness.The Great Regeneration: Redefining the pandemic as a moment to reimagine our world with wisdom and care.The Interbeing of All Things: Thich Nhat Hanh's Heart Sutra and the recognition that we already hold the solutions we seek.Love in Action: Ram Dass's reminder to feed people, love people, and organize from the heart.Sacred Reciprocity: Healing inequality and climate change through generosity, reverence, and balance.The Middle Way in a Polarized World: Meeting conflict with understanding, presence, and possibility.Inner Climate Change: Transforming the heart to transform the earth—awakening compassion as the root of renewal.“The world is as it is—it has suffering and beauty in unbelievable measure. So the real question is: how are you going to tend your heart?” –Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk originally took place on 9/8/25 for Spirit Rock Meditation Center's Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation.About Prof. Rajiv S. Joshi: Professor Joshi is the Founder of Bridging Ventures and former Associate Dean for Climate Action at Columbia University. He helped launch Columbia's Climate School with President Obama, and has led groundbreaking work in global collaboration, climate technology, and regenerative entrepreneurship.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack's entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“There are two kinds of suffering. The first is the kind you run away, and that follows you everywhere. The second is the kind you're willing to turn, face, and go through, and that becomes our gateway to liberation.” –Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Longtime Buddhist Teacher, JoAnn Fox, explores five powerful Buddhist antidotes to anger and aversion:   patience acceptance recognizing karma remembering impermanence seeing other people or challenges as spiritual teachers compassion Learn how to meet challenges with wisdom instead of reaction. Buddha reminds us that peace isn't about avoiding pain; it's about understanding it.  By practicing a simple yet profound method, W.A.I.T What Am I Thinking, we begin to free ourselves from the fires of aversion and cultivate genuine calm instead. In this way, we can transform difficult people and situations into profound opportunities for spiritual growth. "Because I am patient and do no wrong to those who harm me, I have become a refuge to many." - Buddha References and Links Buddha (1986).The Dhammapada: Verses and Stories, Verse 399. Translated by Daw Mya Tin, M.A. (Website). Edited by Editorial Committee, Burma Tipitaka Association Rangoon. Courtesy .of Nibbana.com. For free distribution only, as a gift of dhamma. Retrieved from https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=399 Find us at the links below:  Our Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/BuddhismForEveryone Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Buddhismforeveryone Private Facebook Group:: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sanghatalk/ Website: Buddhismforeveryone.com Instagram: @buddhism4everyone X: @Joannfox77 TikTok: @buddhism4everyone YouTube: @Buddhism4Everyone To learn more about virtual classes with JoAnn Fox: Buddhist Study Program To learn about Life Coaching with JoAnn Fox visit www.BuddhismforEveryone.com/coaching

Cynthia Kane's insights into communication stem from a process of self-examination and transformation, leading her from a career in book editing to a calling centered on mindful speech. Recognizing the profound effect language has on both relationships and self-identity, Cynthia developed programs and mentorships to help others experience the same shifts she achieved through Buddhist principles and conscious communication. Her approach addresses the growing demand among professionals who find themselves burned out, showing that the way we communicate not only shapes our external world but also our inner wellbeing and success. Central to her method is the belief in creating brief, meaningful pauses before responding—especially in emotionally charged moments. By teaching practical tools such as breathwork and short mindfulness rituals, she empowers individuals to ground themselves and shift from reactivity to intentionality. This accessible, practice-driven philosophy is especially relevant for busy professionals, showing that genuine change need not require dramatic time investments, but rather, a commitment to small, consistent acts of awareness woven into everyday routines. If you want to experience a more peaceful, purposeful way of communicating and living, explore Cynthia Kane's transformative tools and teachings. Visit her website for resources, programs, and to discover her book, The Pause Principle: How to Keep Your Cool in Tough Situations, a guide to staying calm, present, and connected—even when life feels overwhelming. For the accessible version of the podcast, go to our Ziotag gallery.We're happy you're here! Like the pod?Support the podcast and receive discounts from our sponsors: https://yourbrandamplified.codeadx.me/Leave a rating and review on your favorite platformFollow @yourbrandamplified on the socialsTalk to my digital avatar Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

[This episode originally aired on January 10, 2023]  The image of remaining like a log comes up in a number of different traditional Buddhist texts  •  think of a log rotting slowly in an ancient forest — it just lies there placidly, providing sustenance and a home for various critters as it gradually dissolves into the forest floor  •  sometimes remaining like a log is talked about in terms of vigilance: maintaining vigilance over one's mind and heart  •  usually we associate vigilance with putting a guard at the door; so what does the remaining like a log have to do with vigilance?  •  there are many ways that we lose our minds and hearts: our mind strays, or we're captured by some attachment or aversion or mental dullness  •  the idea of remaining like a log is that when we notice our mind is captured by the bandits of emotional chaos, mental fixations, distractedness, fickleness or wildness, we simply remain like a log — we recognize these tendencies within ourselves and just stay put  •  It's not an image of struggling; it's an image of simply grounding ourselves, letting ourselves settle into our own particular forest floor of in the midst of our mental and emotional chaos.

Welcome to the Change The Map podcast, where we inspire, educate, and resource you to transform the Buddhist world through prayer and action. Join us as we explore the mystical world of Buddhism. Discover its unique challenges, meet Buddhist background followers of Jesus, and engage in strategic prayer to change the spiritual map of the Buddhist world.This month Josh is joined by Randy Young. Randy is the director of the Agora group, a mobilizer for global missions, and is part of our Change the Map advisory team. On this month's episode, we dive into one of our most used resources, 7 Ways to Pray for the Buddhist world. Randy shares how he developed this and gives insight into each of these powerful ways to pray for the Buddhist world.

From a downloaded document from one of my online dharma dialogs — dated June 8, 2016, but otherwise unidentified — we find the following definitions of the Four Immeasurables of Buddhism: Metta (loving kindness) Karuna (compassion)Mudita (sympathetic joy or empathy) Upekkha (equanimity) I have always felt that the immeasurables of Zen practice are more important than those aspects subject to measurement. For example, it is more important in doing meditation, zazen, to never give up, as MatsuokaRoshi would often encourage us, than how long we sit when we do, how often, how frequently, how regularly, etc. More important than the quantitative dimension is the qualitative.Folks bring this up in dokusan frequently, saying they know they need to “sit more.” I ask them when do they think they can do that. You cannot sit more in the past — it's too late. You cannot sit more in the future, because it is not yet here, though you can plan to do so — and possibly set yourself up fordiscouragement by failing to live up to your own expectations — been there, done that. The only time you can do more zazen is when you are doing it. You can do zazen more by refraining from doing anything else while you are on the cushion. Such as daydreaming, worrying, planning, ruminating, regretting, and so on. Turn up the intensity knob. The list is followed by an extension of the definitions: The ease of equanimity, the full-heartedness of love, the tenderness of compassion, the radiance of joy. There follows a brief “prayer,” a term we do not often see in Buddhist teachings, a “short version” attributed to H.H. the Dali Lama:The Four immeasurables are found in one brief and beautiful prayer: May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes,May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes, May all sentient beings notbe separated from sorrowless bliss, May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free of bias,attachment and anger.This sounds very similar to the familiar Metta Sutta, or Loving Kindness Sutra, from the Soto Zen liturgychanted often in Zen temples, though finding our “bliss” is not a term I would use as a goal or objective of Zen practice. While human beings are included in the panoply of sentient beings that we pray may be happy, it is also acknowledged that human beings can be a significant part of the problem, the cause of unhappiness and sorrow in their fellow sentient beings. Needless to say, we “pray” in the sense of earnestness — not to a god, to Buddha, nor to a specific bodhisattva. Our basic prayer is that we wake up, as soon as possible.It should be equally needless to point out that the prayer, or wish, for all beings to be happy does not imply a rose-colored, magical-thinking belief that somehow just because we pray for it, it shall come to pass that all beings will suddenly become happy, via some “spooky action at a distance” — thank you, Zen Master Einstein.We “transfer merit” at the end of our service because we don't want to suggest that we actually believe we personally accumulate any real merit owing to our devotional activities. Whatever merit there maybe, it must already finitely exist, and can be neither increased or decreased by what we do.Likewise, the practical worldview of Buddhism and Zen dictates that if and when all beings actually do become happy, it will be happy with the causes and conditions of existence just as they are, or in spite ofthem: the unsatisfactory nature of life, being subject to aging, sickness and death, etc ad infinitum. Zen isnothing if not realistic.“Things as it is” is an expression David Chadwick attributes to Shunryu Suzuki Roshi in his charming book, “Crooked Cucumber,” as his condensed expression of one of the central truths of Zen. It does notmean “things as they are.” If it did, there would be no reason to engage in all the necessary discipline andwork of Zen, if it were only to result in things staying the way they are. That is, if our own perception and conception of our own reality did not undergo some kind of meaningful change as a result of our efforts, what would be the point of practicing? Which begs another central question, What kind of change is that?The kind of change that can come about through the practice and study of Zen, particularly itsmeditation, is pointed to in the Heart Sutra, chanted ubiquitously in Zen centers all over the world. The linethat declares, “Given Emptiness, there is no suffering, no end of suffering.” This Emptiness is capitalized tostress the unique meaning of the Sanskrit shunyatta. It is not voidness of existence, or devoid of meaning, but the dynamic nature of change that underlies all existence, the operative meaning of dukkha, usually translated as “suffering.” The suffering that can change through our coming to this insight that Buddha experienced and coached others to find, is of the unnecessary sort — that needless suffering that we heedlessly inflict upon ourselves and others. The suffering that does not — indeed cannot — change is that of the natural type, e.g. sickness, aging and death.Metta, nonetheless, is a worthy and worthwhile aspiration to a frame of mind that, while embracing the universal givens — impermanence, imperfection and insubstantiality — continues to encourage a hopeful mindset, and an engagement in compassionate action for all, toward that ideal of all beings being as happy as is practicable, under the circumstances.However, kindness — and likewise the other three immeasurables — is not at all separable from the immediate circumstances of life. Suffering fools gladly, or humoring others in their delusions or neuroses, is not an act of kindness, but of uncaring, a kind of cop-out. Treating others in ways that may not be helpful, butthat allow one to sustain a false sense that one is being kind, is not truly kind.In Zen, we recognize that the kindest thing to do, with and for others, is sharing the dharma assets, including those aspects that are most adaptable by others, such as the unsurpassably simple method of Zen meditation. But we also recognize that, even then, the effect of Zen training upon their lives is entirely up to them. You can lead a horse to water, et cetera. It requires a sense of modesty and humility to accept that we can actually do very little to help anyone else. And that what we suppose to be the most important kind of help they need may not be so. The most we can do is to expose them to the practice and teachings of Zen — sanzen and zazen — in the midst of the universal, ongoing, relentless pandemic of ignorance. Whether the inoculation against this virus takes, or not, depends upon them.

Feeling stuck in the unsettling space between who you were and who you're becoming? If you're navigating midlife transitions—whether it's empty nest, perimenopause, aging parents, or shifting identity—this episode of Pleasure in the Pause offers a transformative perspective on living consciously through change.Host Gabriela Espinosa sits down with Ann Tashi Slater to explore the Buddhist concept of "bardo"—the in-between state—as a powerful model for midlife transformation. If you've been resisting change, clinging to what was, or feeling overwhelmed by uncertainty, this conversation reveals how accepting impermanence can actually open the door to deeper peace, creativity, and joy. Discover practical daily practices for meeting life's transitions with awareness instead of resistance, and learn how to live fully awake in the great in-between of midlife.Are you ready to awaken your sensuality and feel more empowered in your body? Access the FREE Pleasure Upgrade Bundle at https://www.pleasureinthepause.com/gift.Ann Tashi Slater is the author of Traveling in Bardo: The Art of Living in an Impermanent World. She contributes to The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Paris Review, Oprah Daily, Guernica, Granta, and many others. Her speaking engagements include Princeton, Columbia, Oxford, the American University of Paris, and Asia Society. Highlights from our discussion include:Bardo as a midlife model: The Buddhist concept of bardo—the in-between state—perfectly describes midlife when we're no longer who we were but not yet who we're becoming.Acceptance unlocks action: True acceptance doesn't mean giving up—it allows meaningful action. We must acknowledge reality before we can move forward through any transition.Resistance causes suffering: It's not change itself that threatens us, but our resistance to it. Clinging to what was creates additional suffering on top of natural grief.Practice noticing transitions: Build comfort with impermanence by observing daily beginnings and endings—the start and end of each day, changing seasons, how you've evolved over time.This week, notice one beginning and one ending in your day. Then ask yourself: If things could be exactly as I wanted, what would my life look like? Remember—wanting to be happy isn't selfish, it's human.If you're seeking to reclaim your pleasure and vitality, join Gabriella at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.pleasureinthepause.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for this enlightening journey into the heart of female pleasure and empowerment.CONNECT WITH ANN TASHI SLATER:Traveling In BardoWebsiteCONNECT WITH GABRIELLA ESPINOSA:InstagramLinkedInWork with Gabriella! Go to https://www.gabriellaespinosa.com/ to book a call.Full episodes on YouTube. The information shared on Pleasure in the Pause is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any decisions about your health or treatment. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or Pleasure in the Pause.

Todaywe are continuing to look at Ephesians 2:18-22. In these verses, we find thatGod's purpose for the church, God's purpose for Jew and Gentile. God's purposefor every human being is to know that you are of tremendous value to God. Itdoesn't matter whether you're a Jew, whether you're a Palestinian, whetheryou're called a Christian, whether you're called a Muslim, Hindu, a Buddhist, aRussian, an American, a Chinese, or any other nationality for that matter. Itdoesn't matter your ethnic background or your racial background. It doesn'tmatter whether you're rich or poor. You are of tremendous value to God.  Everyhuman being was created in the image of God. That means we have personality.That means we can think, we have a will, we have emotions. Every human beinghas all these things because we're created in the image of God. God's plan andpurpose is that we have peace with one another and that we get along with oneanother and that we love one another. The great commandment is to love God withall your heart, soul, and mind. Alongside of this first and great commandmentis the second commandment, which is the proof that we truly love God, that welove our neighbors as ourselves. No matter who our neighbor is.Wehave been created with and for something special. Every human being, no matteryour background and religion, no matter who you are, where you live, whereyou're from, or what you've been taught, you have been created with eternity inyour heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  In thelast verses in Ephesians 2, Paul reminds us, “For through Him we both haveaccess by one Spirit to the Father”. Yes, we can have access to the creatorGod and Father of the universe. You can have access to the God, already beingworshiped as “the unknown God” that many are still looking for.  But He can only be found “through”Jesus Christ alone.  Myfriend, only then can you enjoy personal peace and experience unity with thosearound you. Now, therefore, we're no longer strangers or foreigners, butfellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (v. 19).Verse 20 tells us that this unity is: “built on the foundation of theapostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” Paulsaid in 1 Corinthians 3:6:11, “I planted. He says Apollos watered. But Godgave the increase." He then goes on to say, "For no other foundation can anyone laythan that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus."  WhenPaul said, "I laid the foundation," he says earlier in 1Corinthians 2:2, “For I determined not to know anything among you exceptJesus Christ and Him crucified”. Christ is the foundation and He's thechief cornerstone of Psalm 118:22. This is the chief cornerstone which thebuilders rejected and is often referred to in the New Testament as in verse 20.The “cornerstone” binds a building together.  Nowwe are part of His temple, the church of Jesus Christ, the universal church,the church which is His body. Oh, how wonderful to be a part of something sospecial and that's eternal. Nations come and go, institutions come and go, butone thing will last, for eternity, and that is the body of Jesus Christ, Hischurch. Today, you can be a part of His church by placing your faith, not in areligion but in a person, Jesus Christ! A religion didn't die for you! OnlyJesus Christ did! Thatis what this chapter is about. We're separated from God by our sin, but Jesusdied to give us eternal life. We can by faith trust Him and enter into ourunion with Him and with one another today. Would you do that? Would you trustChrist? And then if you know Christ, if you're in Christ, then as a follower ofChrist, tell others.  Today,would you tell someone about this hope, this faith you can have that changesand transforms everything and brings you peace with God and with others.   GodBless!

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Ray Boomhower chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting The Ultimate Protest: Malcolm W. Browne, Thích Quảng Đức, and the News Photograph That Stunned the World. Here's what you'll discover in this episode: The powerful story behind Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức's 1963 self-immolation protest in Saigon. How Malcolm Browne's iconic photograph of this tragic act shocked the world, igniting global outrage that influenced the course of the Vietnam War. Why Boomhower chose The Ultimate Protest as the biography's title. How Boomhower braided biography with war history.  Boomhower's meticulous behind-the-scenes research, from scouring archives and news reports to retracing Malcolm Browne's footsteps in Vietnam. How Boomhower captured Malcolm Browne's voice and perspective despite never interviewing him.  How Boomhower depicted distressing and sacred moments with unflinching accuracy, empathy and cultural sensitivity. The ethical dilemmas Boomhower grappled with in sharing Browne's story.

Michael McCord prompts us with a few questions before diving into the concept of harboring ill will. What is forgiveness in the Buddhist practice? How do we work with long standing grievances and short term frustrations?

A practice built with character is a practice made up of loyalty, positive culture, and long-term growth. Kiera provides listeners with a list of questions to ask that will set the tone for showing up as the best, truest version. She then gives specific takeaways to meet that ideal culture and stay consistent. Episode resources: Subscribe to The Dental A-Team podcast Schedule a Practice Assessment Leave us a review Transcript: The Dental A Team (00:01) Hello, Dental A Team listeners, this is Kiera. And today, I hope you're having an amazing day. I hope you're having fun. I hope you remember that dentistry is honestly the greatest profession we could ever get to be a part of. So I hope you're just so excited. I hope you're loving your life. I hope you're happy. I hope that if you're not, that you're committing to make a change in the next week so that way you can be happy. My husband showed me this reel the other day that said, it was from like, I don't know, a Buddhist monk, I think. And he said that yesterday is dead.   Today is all we have and tomorrow is not born yet. And so don't wait for the happy life. You want the happy day. And I've thought about this so much because I think so many of us wait for happiness. We wait and we think, once I get this or once I do that or when I have the team or when my practice doesn't have this, then I'll be happy. Then I won't be stressed. And it's like, no, it's actually on the day. It's today. It's the decisions I'm making today. It's the pieces that I'm doing today and finding that happy.   And they said when you can have a happy day is when you have the happy life. I think when you can have the less like the more stress free day more consistently, it's when you have the more stress free life consistently. And so with that, just reminding you that it's okay. You don't have to do this alone. And I'm here for you and our team's here for you. And dentistry really is one of the greatest professions you could ever be a part of. So welcome. I hope that if you're new to the podcast, welcome. I'm Kiera. I love dentistry. I love helping people. love life.   And I love helping people get the life that they always dreamed of and making that a reality. Today, I wanna talk about ⁓ character. My dad and I were talking and my dad said, in the word character, there's the word act. And I had never picked up that the word character has act. ⁓ And I wanna talk about some leadership pieces today and culture pieces for your practice on building a practice with character and how people act. And...   I think character is something that you hire, yes, of like how people are naturally and who they are naturally, but also I think it's something that you do lead. ⁓ when we look at this, like when you have a practice of character of how people are acting, it does create loyalty, it does create culture, and it does create long-term growth. And so for everybody just going through that, ⁓ looking at that and seeing what is your character possibly? What is the character of your practice possibly?   And what things can we do to evolve your character to make it be a place of things that you want, of the loyalty, the culture, the long-term team. ⁓ And when I look at really awesome practices, the way people act and the character that that practice has is truly something embedded deep into the roots of that practice. going through that, ⁓ Dental A Team's goal is to help offices build to scale, to have the life that they want, ⁓ but to do it in a way that's meaningful.   that it's fulfilling, that it has purpose for you. And so ⁓ this is truly trying to help build a culture for team members to stay, for patients to be raving and for leaders to truly be proud of the practice that they built. So character with this act, like step one, if you want, like we'll just kind of go into this whole process is like how you act when it's hard. ⁓ And I think when I look at teams,   Culture is something that's like not built during easy times, it's revealed during the hard ones. When our production's not hit, when the cash flow's not there, when like all the things are pushing upon you, how do you act? Do you respond with conflict with consistency, clarity and compassion? Do you admit mistakes as a leader? Do you prioritize long-term trust over short-term comfort? Like how is your character in those hard times? And for you as a doctor, and there's the book, Extreme Ownership by Jacque Willings, and I think about this so much of   Like, okay, what is my culture of my company? But what is the culture of me? Because my team ultimately is a reflection of me and how do I act? In high school, I was nominated as most poised and I thought that was such a weird phrase for me to get like most poised. But I actually think about that a lot and like when things are hard, do I lose my temper? Do I yell? Do I shout? How do I act? For me, I almost think like I have the tiger like queen strength. Like what if I was the queen of this   I don't know, like kingdom, my business. Who do I need to show up as? And that character, like really looking to see how do you act. And it's crazy because when you look at a team and you want a team to be a certain way, you got to look at the leaders and how are they showing up? How are they acting? And when my dad talked about this character, it's all about how you act. It's how you act in the hard times, how you act in the good times, how you act when no one's watching. It's how you act when people are watching. And what is your ultimate character in your practice? And so, ⁓   When doctors start to have consistency, clarity, and compassion, when you say like, kind is clear, ⁓ when you're more clear, when you admit mistakes and you have humility, but in addition to that, you also are focusing on making sure that I don't just admit the mistake, but I find the solution to the mistake so it doesn't happen again. ⁓ When we're doing long-term, we have uncomfortable conversations and we're building trust over short-term solutions. Like I'm not just saying things.   And who I was at a leader at the beginning of the NLA team compared to who I am today, she's a much more mature grownup version of herself. ⁓ And it came through a lot of these hard conversations. It came through a lot of these hard awarenesses. It came from asking people, but also asking myself, did I show up as the person that I want to be and the leader that my team needs me to be? And if not, what do I need to do to change that? And so   Thinking about that, that's the culture you're building. And as much as I don't want to be like a rip on leaders, leaders are the mold. Like how you, what you do and don't do is a subconscious theme that runs through your practice. And so I think when people feel like they have no hope and they have no way of changing things and there, there is no solution. The answer is like, there actually is a solution. There actually is a process and a path out. It just sometimes is starting with you.   and not sometimes starting with you, it's always starting with you. And so if you can focus on building that and the culture you're building constantly, that's going to help and that's gonna lead into the next phase and that's gonna be through core values. And core values, I used to think were so laissez-faire. I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, core values. But ⁓ really it's hard to hire the character you want. It's hard to continue to create it if you don't even know.   what it looks like in your practice. so core values kind of give this like framework. call them like, to me, they're like a cookie cutter is how I envision it. Like here's the cookie cutter, not like that we're a cookie cutter practice, but it's the shape. So a cookie cutter shapes the dough into what they want it to be. And core value shape the practice into what we want it to be and helps us have this, I would say filter of who we're hiring for. And so it's, what are the three to five core values that define your team and how you work? Now owners,   Go back to when you first started your practice and what were the three core things that really made your practice what you want it to be? For me, it was always do the right thing, fun and ease. Like from day one, those were the pieces. Those are our core. And if you look at it, it's do the right thing for the company and the practice. We like to have a ton of fun when we're doing it. I I love sprinkles. I love to the sparkles. I love to add the glitter. I love to add the fun. I love to surprise and delight. And then it's to do everything with ease. How can I make this easier for a practice? I don't want things to be hard for an office.   But like that's truly the core of when I started a Dental A team. Now we've evolved into who we want people to be on our team. We have other people, pieces of ownership. We have pieces of passion for excellence and results focused. We have pieces of grit. And so there's other core values that have come and there's core and then there's aspirational. ⁓ But I want to make sure that the people we're hiring and filtering through have that character in them already. I don't want to try to develop that in them. I want to expand it once they're a part of our company.   but I don't want to try and convince somebody to have grit. Like grit's a core portion of you. So what that does is once we figure out what our core of our company is, then we have those in our hiring, we have those in our reviews, we have those in our meetings and decision-making. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to the core values when I've been looking at team members and I look to see rating this person on our core values, how do they fit? And a lot of times the people that are not elevating our team are the ones who usually are getting lower scores on the core values.   And it becomes very crystal clear for me. And so what we do is we hire. So when you're having this, you hire based on core values. You filter your company right now based on your core values. And again, this is the code of conduct of how we act. This is the character, the culture that I want to have in my practice. And when you start to bring people in like this, when I start to have people who naturally do the right thing, naturally look for ease, naturally have passion for excellence and results focus, naturally have grit, and they've got life experiences to teach me about that.   They fit into our company. And when I started to really like, I'm not talking service level, but dig into this and to have the character and the culture and the company, this is when team alignment flourishes. You get reviews, things feel easy. Like there's this mystical flow of businesses that I always thought was so impossible to get. And I found out that actually it's real. And so when you have it, you start to build this culture.   And so what I say for you is write down your values. do assess ours. get our core values get assessed every single quarter. We define them. We have them there. The team works on them every single Wednesday. We have core value shout out every single Wednesday in the company. We have them on their monthly one-on-ones. We have them in their reviews and we review them every quarter to make sure these truly are the guiding core values of our company. I have changed them multiple times throughout ownership ⁓ because it's about the character and the culture of how we act.   And then this is something that goes up on the wall. So for you guys in your offices, have your core values everywhere. We review them every single quarter. The team knows them, but they're part of the core of who you are and what you guys act and believe in. And the number three is like having a culture of accountability and grace. so that's balancing. Like I found leadership as a balance of high expectations and genuine care. And I actually think Britt on our team does such a great job of this, of like, these are the expectations. These are the standards. This is our culture.   but there's also like a care of you as a human and being fair to you and ⁓ having that. it's like, and Britt is so good at clear expectations and follow through consistently where we don't just say this is how we act and this is what we do. And then that's kind of like tossed in the back corner and how we truly act, that's your true character. So it's one of those things like we don't want our core values and our company to be aspirational. We want it to be accurate. And so,   Use feedback as a tool and not punishment. I used to be really, really bad at this. This is a zone that is like a huge growth for me of giving honest feedback. And I remember I had a team member tell me once like, Kiera, you don't always have to tell me I'm doing a great job. If I'm not doing a great job, I want you to tell me and give me that feedback so I can get better. so it's having a culture of how we act, if we give feedback and we have honest feedback, we don't shy away from those uncomfortable conversations, but we do them with grace and true, genuine care.   And then I think about my husband in their hospital and they have a culture where it's a no fault culture. And what they want is they want people to bring their mistakes to the table with the solutions. That way they can continually fix and improve the culture there and improve the protocols. And working in a hospital, think that's so important because at the end of the day, we don't want patients to die. And so if people do make mistakes, which are going to happen, they're celebrating those. They're celebrating the wins and they're...   just as often as we're correcting and fixing mistakes. But we're doing it in a way where that's our culture. So it's these high expectations with this genuine care. And when I found that leaders actually have these feedback loops, when they give them on their one-on-ones, when they tell them true feedback or there's true ownership within an organization, your morale improves, the passive aggressive nature diminishes, ⁓ people feel less egg shelly. There's a culture of trust. There's a...   There's a culture of ⁓ being around people that you enjoy being around because you're not scared of what are people saying about you. But when this doesn't happen, people walk on eggshells and it's artificial harmony. And I think artificial harmony is one of the best ways to describe it. And so looking at your practice to see, do we have feedback? Do we have artificial harmony? ⁓ And don't lie to yourself. Don't make it worse than it is and don't make it better than it is, but make it realistic up to what it is.   because this is something where if we don't have feedback and we're not having one-on-ones and we're not able to have like open to where I'm giving feedback on a consistent basis rather than just when you're in trouble or when you've done something wrong, I'm doing it when you're doing something right, I'm doing it when we're doing something wrong, all of that's gonna be super important for us. And so looking at that to see where is the true character and culture of my company. And so when I look at this, it's like characters in hard times, core values are part of the core.   and then we have accountability with grace. Like that's the formula. Like who are we, what's our culture, what's our character, what are our core values? And then how do we have accountability with grace and love? And I think when practices really take this on, you're able, and like owners especially, that's gonna trickle down to the rest of your team. It's gonna trickle down to every other person in your practice. So for this, this is how you build a legacy practice. This is how you build.   a culture that can withstand the growth and the bumps and the hard times and the great times. It's the one where you know these people are gonna be with you for a long time. And so this is where it starts with character, not just KPIs. Like both are important, but having a practice of character of how we act and really thinking of how do we really act on the hard times, on the good times, on the bad times, on the rocky times? What are our core values? And then what's our accountability and check-in and feedback? When you get those pieces in play,   It's magic. It's incredible. And it's not overnight. These things don't happen overnight, but they are incredible for you. So I would just say like, this is leadership. This is leadership 101 for you. This is how you build it. And hopefully just giving you another perspective and some ideas of how you can improve the culture and the character of your practice with ease. If we can help in any way, we want to help you build a practice that stands out because of who you are, to where you get people coming to your practice because of the raving reviews in the community.   of the culture of the reputation and so building that for you and you might not be there today, but that's okay. We can get you there as long as you're willing to put in the work you're willing to change and you're willing to evolve. And that's something I'm obsessed with. So let us help you reach out and ⁓ you can reach out at Hello@TheDentalATeam.com. can go to our website, click on a book, a call, let's talk about it. It's okay. It's a no judgment zone. It's just there with true love, with true solutions to help you.   This is what we're obsessed with. This is what we do. And as always, thanks for listening. I'll catch you next time on the Dental A Team Podcast.

What would you do if you lost your career, your marriage, your father—and your entire identity—in just three months?In today's #FanFav episode, host Kevin Lowe sits down with Ray Martin, who went from successful CEO to shattered and lost at 44. But instead of falling apart, Ray stepped into the unknown—launching a 6-month sabbatical that turned into 14 years of life-changing global travel. This interview originally aired on Episode 395, which was released in May 2025.If you're stuck in a life that no longer feels like your own, this conversation could be your turning point.Learn how to rewrite your definition of success after hitting rock bottomDiscover the emotional and spiritual lessons Ray gained from Buddhist monasteries, fundraising marathons, and minimalist livingFind out how you can begin your own journey of transformation—without needing to leave your hometownTIME TO PRESS PLAY!Listen now to discover how shedding expectations and embracing uncertainty helped Ray Martin find purpose, peace, and freedom—and how you can too.Hey, it's Kevin!I hope you enjoyed today's episode! If there is ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to reach out. Below, you will find ALL the places and ALL the ways to connect!I would LOVE to hear from you! Send me a Voice MessageWant to be a guest on GRIT, GRACE, & INSPIRATION? Send Kevin Lowe a message on PodMatch!Book Kevin to Speak at Your Next Event: CLICK to Learn More + Get In TouchHire Kevin to Create Your Own Custom Soundtrack!Or for 1 Place for Everything, CLICK to visit the website!Stay Awesome! Live Inspired!© 2025 Grit, Grace, & Inspiration This podcast is designed specifically for those seeking healing from trauma, relief from anxiety, overcoming fear of the unknown, resolving isolation, rebuilding self-worth, confronting guilt and shame, personal growth after trauma, finding their life's purpose, recovering from emotional distress, conquering limiting beliefs, navigating identity shifts, building resilience, rebuilding relationships, coping with chronic pain, searching for spiritual direction, embracing inner strength, cultivating hope, overcoming self-doubt, reclaiming their future, and experiencing post-traumatic growth.

Text me your feedback.Jen's back from a brief hiatus to talk about how to build a sustainable spiritual/contemplative practice that can withstand the shifting demands of your time and energy. You can't really lose a practice, but circumstances change and your practice can and should change with you. In this episode you'll findWhy "class" as a construct isn't the paradigm you need to follow when crafting your personal home practiceWhat the Buddha's Raft Parable can tell us about letting your practice adapt to your situation and not the other way aroundHow to approach resistance in your practice with support from IFS Parts Work and the Four Hindrances~ ~ ~SMP welcomes your comments and questions at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

In this episode, spiritual director John Bruna offers a clarifying commentary on the benefits of ethics in our lives and specifically on the path to Enlightenment. He describes how ethics paves the way for deeper states of concentration and eventual realization of emptiness that will free us from Samsara. This episode was recorded on September 3rd, 2025.Welcome to the Way of Compassion Dharma Center Podcast. Located in Carbondale, Colorado, the Way of Compassion Dharma center's primary objective is to provide programs of Buddhist studies and practices that are practical, accessible, and meet the needs of the communities we serve.  As a traditional Buddhist center, all of our teachings are offered freely. If you would like to make a donation to support the center, please visit www.wocdc.org.  May you flourish in your practice and may all beings swiftly be free of suffering.

30th October 2025  Ajahn Santutthi hosted this week's meditation session at the Roleystone Family Centre. Roleystone Meditation Group's weekly classes are about an hour long and include a talk on meditation, meditating together, and questions & answers. The sessions are led by a Buddhist monk from Kusala Hermitage in Roleystone (Buddhist Society of WA). Support us on https://ko-fi.com/thebuddhistsocietyofwa BSWA teachings are available: BSWA Teachings BSWA Podcast Channel BSWA DeeperDhamma Podbean Channel BSWA YouTube   

Few people blend the Buddhist spiritual path with the 12-Step journey as seamlessly and as helpfully as Fr. Bill's guest Kevin Griffin. A student and teacher of Buddhist meditation for many years as well as an excellent writer and musician, Kevin is also a man in long-term recovery from addiction with a powerful message to share.This series explores Kevin's book One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps. It's sure to be of interest to spiritual travelers of all stripes. This episode is focused on Steps 4 & 5 exploring how Buddhist meditation can help with becoming more awake and responsible.Show notes:One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps by Kevin GriffinKevin's website: https://kevingriffin.net/

Prayer Moment 1 of 4 in NovemberPrayer for God's Glory and Breakthrough1. God's Glory: Pray for the whole earth and all it contains to be filled with the glory of God and His salvation (Habakkuk 2:14).2. Changed Nations: Pray for Buddhist nations to know Jesus (Psalm 2:8).3. Eyes Opened: Pray that confusion and misunderstanding of the gospel message will break, and Buddhist eyes and hearts will be receptive to the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4-6).

In this episode, we speak with Dr. Ralph H. Craig III about his beginnings as a scholar of Buddhism, background in yoga practice, his work on Mahāyāna Buddhism, reading the Lotus Sūtra, Buddhist preachers (dharmabānaka), and more. We also preview his upcoming online course, BS 113 | Mahāyāna Buddhism, which will explore these issues in more depth.Speaker BioRalph H. Craig III is an interdisciplinary scholar of religion, whose research focuses on South Asian Buddhism and American Buddhism. He received his B.A. in Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University and his Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Stanford University. His research interests include memoir, popular culture, yoga/meditation theory, religious experience and authority. He works with textual materials in Sanskrit, Pāli, Buddhist Chinese and Classical Tibetan. His work has appeared in the journals American Religion, Buddhist-Christian Studies, and the Japanese Journal of Religious Studies; in Lion's Roar and Tricycle magazines; on the American Academy of Religion's Reading Religion website; and the 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha. His first book was Dancing in My Dreams: A Spiritual Biography of Tina Turner (Eerdmans Publishing, 2023) which explores the place of religion in the life and career of Tina Turner and examines her development as a Black Buddhist teacher. Among other forthcoming projects, his next book project is a monograph on preachers in Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtras.Episode LinksBS 113 | Mahāyāna Buddhismhttps://rhcraig.comDancing in My Dreams: A Spiritual Biography of Tina Turner (2023)

Dharmacharini Vidyajyoti, who passed away in 2010, offers a sparkling talk on a key part of the Buddha's legendary life story - his encounter with Mara. She's the ideal person to introduce the figure and the seriousness of her topic comes through well amidst the laughter and the key references to art and culture.  Mara isn't the devil but what he represents is a challenge for us all in everyday life. Let Vidyajyoti's voice from the past bring him to life and show the ways to beat him…Excerpted from the talk simply entitled Mara. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB  

This episode explores the Buddhist concept of bhavaṅga, or the “life continuum” — the stream of consciousness that connects one moment to the next, and even one life to another. It explains how our unique personalities at birth may arise from past lives, carried through this subtle flow of awareness.We also look at how consciousness operates between wakefulness and deep sleep, and how every perception — seeing, hearing, thinking — unfolds through a rapid series of thought moments. Using the vivid “falling mango” analogy, we uncover how these moments shape our experiences and generate karma. Tune in to understand how the mind's hidden processes influence who we are and the path our lives take.YouTube Video LinkYouTube Channel Link Website:www.satipatthana.caDonations and Memberships

What if the very thing you think is blocking your progress in meditation — or in life — is actually the doorway forward? In this conversation with Dr. Christiane Wolf, hosted by DJ Cashmere, we explore how to work with expectations, frustration, and the belief that life needs to be different before we can be okay. Christiane shares clear, compassionate wisdom for turning toward difficulty instead of fighting it — and for discovering that what feels like the problem can become the path. Christiane is a physician, longtime meditation teacher, and author of Outsmart Your Pain and A Clinician's Guide to Teaching Mindfulness. She's known for blending deep Buddhist insight with warmth and humor. We're also thrilled to share that Christiane will be our Teacher of the Month for November, leading meditations and conversations throughout the month in the DanHarris.com Substack community.   Related Episodes: Peak Performance at Any Age | Christiane Wolf (Dharma Teacher/Doctor/Ultramarathoner) How to Outsmart Your Pain | Christiane Wolf Tickets are now on sale for a special live taping of the 10% Happier Podcast with guest Pete Holmes! Join us on November 18th in NYC for this benefit show, with all proceeds supporting the New York Insight Meditation Center. Grab your tickets here! Tickets are now available for an intimate live event with Dan on November 23rd as part of the Troutbeck Luminary Series. Join the conversation, participate in a guided meditation, and ask your questions during the Q&A. Click here to buy your ticket! Join Dan's online community here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris Thanks to today's sponsor: Airbnb: Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com/host.  

A Sermon for All Saints' Day St. Matthew 5:1-12 by William Klock What does it mean to be “blessed”?  In today's Gospel we hear St. Matthew's telling of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount—or the beginning of it, at any rate.  Blessed is this person and blessed is that person.  But what does it mean to be blessed?  And what's Jesus really getting at with this list: being poor in spirit, mournful, meek, merciful, and so on?  And who is the promise of blessing for?  This past Monday I found myself listening to a sermon by one of these woke, “exvangelical” guys whose ministry is about walking people through the deconstruction of their faith.  If you haven't come across it yet, “deconstruction” is a trendy euphemism for apostasy.  You throw away all the bits of Christianity that you can't harmonise with the secular world, leaving behind a gospelless gospel—like the security blanket I had as a toddler.  I wouldn't get rid of it, so my mom slowly cut it down, a little bit at a time until all I had was a little bit of fabric I could hold.  It wasn't a blanket anymore, but for some silly reason I still found security in it.  These folks do that with the gospel.  This preacher was preaching on the Sermon on the Mount and he started out by holding up Mohandas Gandhi as the one man who followed Jesus better than anyone else in the Twentieth Century.  Gandhi heard these words of Jesus and faithfully followed him.  Never mind that he was also a devout Hindu.  This preacher reduced the Sermon on the Mount to a bracing ethic.  It's Jesus teaching us how to be good and, through that, how to make the world a better place.  It doesn't really matter, he said, if you're Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist.  Jesus just wanted people to live this way and in doing so, we'll know the blessings of a better world.  He took the gospel and turned it into law.  And not even a good law.  The Old Testament law—the torah—has a lot more gospel to it than I think we often realise.  At its heart was that first and greatest commandment: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.  The God who reveals himself in the scriptures.  Not Zeus or Jupiter.  Not the gods of Gandhi's Hindu pantheon.  Not Mohammed's corruption of the biblical God.  Only the God who has made himself known through the law and the prophets, the evangelists and apostles, and most of all through his son, Jesus the Messiah.  Without love for him, no amount of loving your neighbour as yourself will truly heal the hurts of the world.  There is no blessing apart from him—and, more specifically, apart from loving him with all our being. Why?  Because it was our rejection of him that brought sin and death into the world in the first place.  Idolatry—whether it's the worship of false gods or the worship of ourselves—idolatry is the first sin from which all the others and all the world's misery cascade.  This is why God's gracious plan to set his creation to rights began as he reestablished our relationship with him. If we look to the scriptures we see that blessing comes through being in relationship with the God of Israel.  Specifically—because “relationship” is such a squishy modern idea—specifically blessing comes through being in covenant with him.  Think of Abraham.  The Lord established a covenant with him.  The Lord promised Abraham a family and a land and great name.  In a word: blessing.  In return Abraham was to trust him—to live by faith and to give the Lord his allegiance.  And, centuries later, when the Lord delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, consider what he did.  He revealed his glory by defeating Pharoah, his army, and his gods.  He revealed his glory in signs and wonders the likes of which no one had ever seen.  And then he met his people at Mt. Sinai.  He made them a promise: to make them great, to give them a land, and most important of all, to live in their midst.  Their end of the covenant—their promise to God—was embodied in the law.  Like Abraham, they were to live by faith and obedience and to give him their full allegiance—to love him with all their being and to love their neighbours as themselves.  And not just for their own benefit.  The Lord had a greater purpose.  He wanted the nations not only to see his glory, but for them to see the blessing that comes through living in fellowship with him. And so, before he died, as Israel was encamped in Moab and ready to cross the Jordan River to conquer Canaan, Moses assembled the people and reiterated the covenant.  “If you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, if you carefully do all his commandments, the Lord will set you high above the other nations…Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field.  Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb…and blessed shall be your basket and kneading bowl.  Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out.”  And Moses reminded them that this was no mere “duty”.  This was no mere exchange of works in return for a declaration of righteousness.  This was grace.  Through Moses, the Lord reminded the people of all he'd done for them.  He'd rescued them from Egypt.  He'd defeated Pharaoh.  He'd done signs and wonders.  Their clothes had not worn out.  He'd provided every last morsel of food that they'd eaten for forty years.  All so that they would know that “I am the Lord your God”.  In other words, to reveal his love, his grace, his glory, and above all else his faithfulness—to enter into relationship with them and to give them every reason to have faith in him and to give him their allegiance.  To keep the law was to live by faith in the character and promises of God—to love him in return for his love. And this theme rings through Israel's history and Israel's scriptures.  This is what blessing means in the biblical economy.  Think of David's words in Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, not stood in the way of sinners, and hath not sat in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law will he exercise himself day and night.  And he will be like a tree planted by the waterside, that will bring forth his fruit in due season.”  The prophets use this same language of blessing when they rebuke Israel for having strayed from the Lord.  Blessing isn't just some nebulous idea of things being good—as a lot of people use it today.  Blessing is about creation—and humanity—being set to rights.  If you want to picture “blessing” in your mind's eye, picture Adam and Eve, in the garden, all their needs provided, as they faithfully steward God's creation and live in his immediate presence.  Brothers and Sisters, that's blessing.  David wasn't posting #blessed on Instagram with a picture of his pumpkin spice latte next to the fireplace.  For David it was #blessed with a picture of the tabernacle radiating the visible presence of the Lord in the midst of a people serving and loving and taking care of each other. This is what we've got to have in mind as we listen to Jesus begin to preach his great sermon in Matthew 5.  And we have to remember that it wasn't the reality that Israel knew.  This is why the people were so desperate for the Messiah.  The world is not as it should be.  Israel was most definitely not as it was supposed to be.  They wanted to know God's blessing—not just in the sense of material prosperity—above all, they longed for his presence.  And so, Matthew writes, “Seeing the crowd, Jesus went up the hillside and sat down.  His disciples came to him.  And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Do you want to see God's kingdom, to know him as Father, to know creation set to rights, your sins forgiven, and your tears wiped away?  This is the way.  And it's not a set of ethical guidelines.  Too often we think of it that way.  It's character.  It's a mindset.  It's the character and the mindset of men and women who know desperately that the world is not as it should be.  But not just that.  Gandhi knew well enough that the world is not as it should be.  This is, first and foremost, the mindset of people who know the world as it should be is centred on the living God who created and sustains all things and us living joyfully, lovingly, and faithfully in his presence.  This is the mindset of people who have that image of Adam and Eve in the garden walking with the Lord in the cool of the day in their mind's eye and the longing of their hearts.  It's the mindset of people who have that image of tabernacle full of God's presence in the middle of a people who love him with all their being and their neighbours as themselves. And so it's the mindset of men and women who are not only outraged over sin and evil and longing for God's justice to fall on the people who have done them wrong.  It's the mindset of men and women who know that they've done wrong themselves—who know their own poverty of spirit.  Of men and women who mourn not only the sinful state of the world around them, but who also mourn their own sinfulness and the contributions they've made to the world's sick and sorry state.  It's the mindset of men and women who are meek, because they know that pride and selfishness do nothing more than deepen the world's darkness—who know that pride and selfishness are rooted in the very idolatry that drives God to the margins.  It is the mindset of men and women who, knowing the injustice and the unrighteousness of this broken world, hunger and thirst for God's justice and righteousness.  They long for his return as king to bring an end to evil and to rule with justice, because they know that we can never fix the world on our own and in our own power.  It is the mindset of those who are have known God's mercy and are therefore merciful themselves.  Of those who understand the ugliness of sin and idolatry and run from it, who are pure in heart.  It's the mindset of men and women who know the story and know of God's grace and how he loves sinners and desires above all else to be reconciled with them, and so they themselves become peacemakers and reconcilers. I don't think Jesus' list here is by any means exhaustive.  He preached this sermon more than once.  I expect he preached some version of it just about everywhere he went and it was a little different every time, which is what we see in the parallel passage in Luke's Gospel, where the list of beatitudes is shorter and a little different.  Jesus is describing a mindset using characteristics that resonated with his fellow Jews in that specific time and place.  These were the attitudes needed to counter the problems that infected First Century Israel.  Notably, these are all characteristics deeply rooted in Israel's prophetic tradition.  And I can't help but wonder if he learned this mindset, this character from his mother.  She sang her song, the one we call Magnificat and sing at Evening Prayer, when Elizabeth blessed her on hearing the news she was pregnant with the Messiah.  I wonder if Mary sang that song to Jesus when he was a boy, because we can hear echoes of it in his beatitudes: “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.  For he hath regarded the lowliness of his hand-maiden.  For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call be blessed.  For he that is mighty hath magnified me and holy is his name.  And his mercy is on them that fear him through all generations.  He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.  He hath put down the mighty from their set and hath exalted the humble and meek.  He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich he hath sent empty away.  He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel as he promised to our forefathers, Abraham and his seed, forever.”  Can you hear the echoes? But that's not the end of Jesus' beatitudes.  There are two more and I think they give us the key to how this works.  In verses 10-12 he continues: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of justice [or righteousness—the Greek word means both and there's no easily drawn line between justice and righteousness], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people slander you and persecute you and say all kinds of wicked things about you falsely because of me.  Celebrate and rejoice!  There's a great reward for you in heaven.  For that's how they persecuted the prophets who went before you.” And as we read that we should start to realise that while Jesus is talking about “them”, what he's also doing is outlining his own vocation and ministry.  Jesus would stand weeping over Jerusalem, mourning the unfaithfulness of his people and the judgement that was hurtling towards them like a freight train.  He would let himself be arrested and then stand, unresisting and refusing to retaliate or even to defend himself as he was mocked and spit on and beaten to within an inch of his life.  He would, beaten and bloodied, carry his own cross through the streets of Jerusalem and out to Golgotha.  His clothes would be stripped from him by the soldiers.  And as he breathed his last and died, one of those very soldiers would declare, “Surely this man was the son of God.” We think that when God comes to set the world to rights he'll send in the cavalry.  Most of the Jews in Jesus' day thought the same thing.  The Messiah would come like David, riding at the head of a great army to crush the heads of the Gentiles.  But instead the Messiah went humbly to Calvary.  He let sin and death rise up to their full height and strike him down so that when he rose from the grave three days later, he crushed the serpent's head and overturned the victory of sin and death. Brothers and Sisters, this is how God takes his throne and sets the world to rights.  This is how Jesus becomes Lord.  This is how blessing comes.  In poverty and meekness, bringing mercy and making peace.  And giving his life for the sake of his enemies.  Because any other way would simply perpetuate the very things you and I have done to get the world into the mess it's in. And now that Jesus has done it, our calling as his people is to keep doing it.  As St. Paul says, we're to have the mind of the Messiah.  This mindset has always been the mindset of the faithful people of God and it will be until the mission is one day done.  I suppose if he wanted to, God could simply save his people from their bondage, set the world to rights, and set them free to live in it, but that's not how he does things.  From the beginning he created Adam and Eve to bear his image—that means to be his stewards, to act as the priests of his temple.  And so when he delivered Israel from Egypt, he showed the people his glory and gave them reason to love and trust and obey him.  He established a covenant with them.  He took up his dwelling in their midst so that they would be his light in the midst of a dark world—so that the nations would see and come to give him glory.  He made them stewards of his glory and his grace.  And, Brothers and Sisters, in Jesus he has done the same for us. I started slowly reading through Ephesians this week—which might give you a hint of things to come—and the first thing I was struck by in the very first chapter was how, over and over, Paul proclaims the glory of God that has been revealed in Jesus and the Spirit—and that is also revealed in us.  I couldn't help but think how Jesus goes on after the Beatitudes: “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.  A city can't be hidden if it's on top of a hill…That's how you must shine your light in front of people!  Then they will see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.  This is what we see at the end of Revelation: the nations seeing the glory of God revealed in Jesus and his church and streaming to the New Jerusalem to worship him.  Brothers and Sisters, God's glory revealed in us, because he's made us new, and God's glory revealed by us, as we go to live and to proclaim his new creation. It is no easy task, but it is the only way to know and to make known God's blessing.  We go out, knowing our own poverty of spirit, but also the riches of God's grace.  We go out meek and mourning, but also knowing the joy of being coheirs with the King.  We go out hungering and thirsting for justice, but we do so having experienced mercy ourselves.  We go out to battle, paradoxically, with the intent to reconcile.  And as we do this, we also transpose this Messiah-like character into the key necessary to meet our own culture.  In a world of ugliness where truth is now defined as whatever we want it to be and politicians try to win our loyalty with lies and appeals to our greed, we go out knowing that blessed are those who hunger and thirst for truth, beauty, and goodness.  In a culture obsessed with consumption and debt, we go out knowing that blessed are those who are satisfied with the riches of God.  However we do it, Brothers and Sisters, our calling is to go out into the world as light in the darkness, knowing and confident on the one hand that Jesus is Lord and has won the battle, but also going out with the same humility of spirit that took him to the cross.  Knowing that when God rides out to war to set the world to rights, it's not with the cavalry, but to the humility of Calvary.  So, too, must it be with us. Let us pray: O almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those inexpressible joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting.  Amen.

Send us a textSangha member Isabelle Andre gives a talk on Buddhist perspectives on death and dying, drawing from numerous sources including Thich Nhat Hanh and the Tibetan traditions.

In this episode I am joined by Alana Fairchild, spiritual teacher, psychic, and author of the best-selling Kuan Ying Oracle Deck. Alana recalls her unusual childhood of Catholicism and folk spirituality, details her training as a psychic, and recounts her significant spiritual experiences. Alana shares her journey of academic excellence through law school, explains her career-change to become a working psychic, and reveals how she created the bestselling Kuan Yin Oracle Deck. Alana also reflects on the relationship between eros and spirituality, expresses her views on past lives, and describes her mysterious sense of connection to the Kālī Mā and the Indian tantric tradition. … https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep331-becoming-the-oracle-alana-fairchild Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast'. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 01:38 - Alana's unusual childhood 03:22 - Early spiritual inclination 05:44 - Folk spirituality and an esteemed Catholic family 08:59 - Alana's father 10:06 - Pros and cons of ancestor work 13:34 - 2 dimensions of freedom 16:52 - Alana's beliefs about past lives 20:12 - Comparative religion and expanding the experience of God 23:24 - Eros and spirituality 34:45 - Sacred sexuality mistakes 28:36 - Imminence vs transcendence 30:35 - Changing relationship with Buddhism 33:47 - Spiritual experience while getting a tattoo 36:11 - Overcoming lifelong existential terror 40:17 - Sense of connection to Tibet 41:39 - Heart connection with Kuan Yin / Avalokiteśvara 44:45 - Connection to Kālī Mā at 6 years old 45:53 - Creating the bestselling Kuan Yin Oracle Deck 48:18 - Developing a Buddhist tarot deck 49:35 - Training as a lawyer 53:02 - Meeting a mentor and becoming a psychic 55:50 - Psychic training 59:58 - Changing modalities of Alana's psychic work 01:02:35 - Attending Catholic mass as a clairvoyant 01:04:19 - How Alana receives psychic impressions 01:06:24 - Sequel … To find our more about Alana Fairchildvisit: - https://www.alanafairchild.com/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi' by Steve James

When I first started teaching mindfulness, I thought I had to sound wise, calm, and enlightened — like a “real” teacher. But one unexpected moment — in a tiny community room in Berkeley — changed everything I thought I knew about guiding others in mindfulness. In this episode, I share the hidden truth I discovered after years living as a Buddhist monk in Thailand and training more than 30,000 mindfulness teachers around the world: that teaching mindfulness is actually much simpler than most of us realize. You'll hear:

“Psychedelics trigger a unitive state, and meditation trains it.”So says Naina Eira Gupta, who researches the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and meditation.Psychedelics work because they disrupt the monkey mind, she asserts. They stop the constant chattering in your head, which is the mind's MO to perpetuate the story of ‘you'.Everything we think we have is just that, a story.“Psychedelics are assisted mind training, I would call it. They provide mental immunity”, says Naina.Then, meditation trains you to keep that base perception, to see the story for what it is.“You realize you don't have to be reactive to a particular thought or feeling, because it's just a story.“When the ego dissolves, you become so much more of an effective human being.“You can fall in love with the world. Everything becomes lighter. You don't feel so much distance between what you perceive as ‘you' and the rest of it.”What Naina hopes for is that more people have access to mind training, “because it's deeply, deeply transformative”.Different psychedelic drugs work in different ways. Some can trigger negative experiences if taken irresponsibly. According to Naina, MDMA is one of the best for pro-sociality and connectedness, because it produces very little bad experiences.Psychedelic experiences can be so transformative that it can be difficult to know what to do with them. Some kind of scaffolding around their use is needed, says Naina.“Even so, many studies now show that psychedelics are beneficial therapeutically, even just in themselves, even if you don't have a particular practice around them.”As a practicing Buddhist, Naina Gupta doesn't hold a certain metaphysics. The middle way means that you accept that reality cannot be framed or pinned down. Something is, isn't, is both and is neither, at the same time.“It's just unbelievable potential.”The cause of our suffering is the subject-object duality.Naina has several meditation practices, and she has trained herself to dream lucidly.Is this – learning how to liberate oneself from duality with the help of psychedelics, meditation and other spiritual practices – conducive to achieving a more peaceful world?“If there is any hope, it lies in this.”“I wouldn't be talking to you today if this wasn't needed.”Naina's personal page at the University of ExeterNaina on Linkedin

In this recap, Lesley and Brad reflect on their powerful conversation with Amber Fuhriman—attorney, NLP trainer, and host of Break Your Bullshit Box. Together they unpack how perfectionism and people-pleasing keep high achievers trapped in fear, and how authenticity, though uncomfortable, is freeing. This episode challenges listeners to take responsibility for their choices and trust that staying authentic is better than constantly seeking approval.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:Why people-pleasing is a hidden form of control, not kindness.How perfectionism hides behind fear and the need for validation.What authentic affirmations sound like without toxic positivity.Why creating an “SOS list” can help you act instead of overthink.How taking responsibility for choices leads to personal freedom.Episode References/Links:Cambodia Retreat Waitlist - https://crowsnestretreats.comOPC Winter Tour - https://opc.me/eventsPilates Journal Expo - https://xxll.co/pilatesjournalAgency Mini - https://prfit.biz/miniContrology Pilates Conference in Poland - https://xxll.co/polandtContrology Pilates Conference in Brussels - https://xxll.co/brusselseLevate - https://lesleylogan.co/elevateeLevate Waitlist - https://lesleylogan.co/elevatewaitlistSubmit your wins or questions - https://beitpod.com/questionsTiny Habits by BJ Fogg - https://a.co/d/fNNWEahAmber Fuhriman's Website: https://www.successdevelopmentsolutions.com90 Day Success Jumpstart Training - https://jumpstart.successdevelopmentsolutions.comBreak Your Bullshit Box Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/morethancorporate If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Speaker 1 0:00  She advocates for affirmations that acknowledge the gap between who I think I am now and who I need to be in order to accomplish this. You know, I want to be this type of person. I will become this type of person, right? I am becoming this type of person.Lesley Logan 0:14  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 0:57  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host in life, Brad, and I are going to dig into the candid convo I had with Amber Fuhriman on our last episode. If you haven't listened to that one, you are going to need to listen to that one, because I'm stumbling over my words today. Brad Crowell 1:12  It's a great episode. It's a lot of fun.Lesley Logan 1:14  It's so good, it's so fun. And it was nice as local. And I really like being on her podcast, so you're gonna want to listen to it whether you listen to it first or last, I mean, there's, it's really okay, I think, in life to hear the ending and then watch the show. Sometimes I do that with real life TV, because I just want to know if I'm like, falling like, if I'm like, rooting for a villain or not. I just want to know. I gotta, I gotta have that information now.Brad Crowell 1:35  Yeah, she's not lying. She literally does this. Lesley Logan 1:38  Hey, you know what? Brad Crowell 1:39  Tell me. Lesley Logan 1:39  Bands would like drop just like a single song, but you'd go buy the whole album without listening to it. So you, in fact, knew there's one song I'm gonna love on this. Speaker 1 1:50  I think there's a difference between the teaser of something and the ending conclusion. Lesley Logan 1:55  These are not teasers. The recap episode is teasers. We are taking a talking point each, right? And of the many talking points that they had, so it's like two things.Speaker 1 2:06  I don't know what that has to do with going and watching the end of a TV show before you start the TV show. That's the conclusion versus a teaser. Lesley Logan 2:12  It's a sample, sampling. Brad Crowell 2:14  Okay. Lesley Logan 2:14  Sampling a part. Brad Crowell 2:16  It just happens to be the ending sample. Lesley Logan 2:18  Okay. Well, today is October 30th and we decided we want to talk about tomorrow, because tomorrow is Halloween. And I don't know about you, but I grew up. First of all, I went to some churches where Halloween was, like, just the evilest thing you couldn't even go trick or treating. Did you ever go to a church like that, like, where, like, they didn't even? Brad Crowell 2:35  No. Lesley Logan 2:35  Okay. Your church has always trick or treated? Brad Crowell 2:37  Yes. Lesley Logan 2:38  Okay. So I did not experience that all of my childhood. But then some churches, we could totally trick or treat, and then there were some churches where you could trick or treat, but like people, like whispered, you know. Brad Crowell 2:49  They whispered about trick or treating? Lesley Logan 2:51  At any rate, what no one talks about is how this holiday had nothing to do with the churches, and it wasn't even the Halloween. It was about something else. And we decided to tell you about the true history of Halloween. So.Speaker 1 3:03  Yeah, it's, it's actually like cultural warfare is, if you, if you want to look at it. Lesley Logan 3:08  I know, like, it's like an appropriation. Brad Crowell 3:10  Yeah. Well, they, yes, they appropriated the time and they renamed it. So we'll talk about that. Lesley Logan 3:16  Okay, many, many holidays were done this way. So Halloween originated from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, right. Brad Crowell 3:24  Samhain. Lesley Logan 3:25  No no. In the thing we looked up, it literally said to how to say it pronounced saa · wn. So Samhain is pronounced saa · wn spelled Samhain, but it's you say it saa · wn, let me go back to my sheet. Okay. A three day celebration held over 2000 years ago that marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. Are you gonna just.Brad Crowell 3:52  Sorry, just taking over right there. All right, keep going. Lesley Logan 3:55  Okay. Thank you so much. Okay, so the Celts believed that this was a time when the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead blurred, allowing spirits to roam the earth. To ward off harmful spirits and guide benevolent ones, they lit bonfires, wore costumes and left offerings and food outside their homes. Pause, just so you know, also in October in Cambodia, they do something called Pchum Ben and Pchum Ben, Pchum Ben, it is a almost month long celebration in parts of the country, but for sure, a three day celebration where everyone, no one works, including in the tourist city of Siem Reap we're only going to find expats working. You're not going to find a single Cambodian working. And they they don't get dressed up, but they celebrate and they do all these things so like that is awesome.Speaker 1 4:42  Pchum Ben is a Buddhist holiday that is celebrated every year where they believe that the souls of their ancestors are released for 15 days so that they can basically stay with family. Lesley Logan 4:53  Yeah, it's really cool. People like will travel on a moto for 11 hours to go with family. It's freaking crazy. But I just want to say, like, how cool, like, even across the world, the same, similar thing was happening. So to ward off harmful spirits and guide benevolent ones, they, oh, I already said that part, sorry. Speaker 1 5:09  They lit bonfires, wore costumes and left offerings, which is actually like it trickles down over the, you know, millennia. And the ancient custom, those ancient customs, kind of evolved into what are now, trick or treating, the costumes, decorations and parties celebrated for modern Halloween. I mean, we don't light bonfires and, you know that kind of a thing (inaudible).Lesley Logan 5:30  No because if you did, people are gonna think that you're a witch. But you can actually just say, no, I'm celebrating. How do you say it? Samhain, I'm celebrating Samhain Okay, so the oh, one more thing on this, the Roman and Christian influence. After the Romans conquered the Celtic lands, Roman festivals like Feralia and Pomona were incorporated into Samhain traditions. Later, the Catholic Church established All Saints Day on November 1st and All Souls Day on November 2nd, making October 31st All Hallows Eves, which means hallowed or holy, right? So they just.Brad Crowell 6:05  Which then become Halloween. Yup.Lesley Logan 6:08  .Yeah, So they just stole it. Brad Crowell 6:10  Yeah. Just just renaming things over here. Lesley Logan 6:12  So if you don't like that I'm harping on the church, you know it, sometimes we have to accept the responsibility of people from our past. Every fucking group of people has done something wrong, but it's more important to be like, educated and understand. And if you love Halloween, I love that for you. I decided to get into Halloween-ish, this year I got witchy nails, which are not done for this recording, but just check out my Instagram. They're witchy nails for me anyways. And when I because I just, like, remember, when I was why does everybody like, this holiday, but now that I, like, know the history of it and what it was for, I actually can get down with it.Speaker 1 6:50  It also marks like, it's actually the end of a season, going into the next season. So it was the end of harvest. So imagine, yeah, imagine, imagine you just spent all season, like, you know, really digging in on the harvest, and now it's time to party, and there's a new season coming. So I feel like it all kind of goes together. Lesley Logan 7:11  And also, like, I mean, just imagine a couple thousand years ago, like, life was so hard. And I also (inaudible), the more you look at the celebrations that they had, it really was like taking a pause of the hard work of life, and doing some sort of way to celebrate that. And we don't do that around here. We just, like, keep working through all the things. And like, at least in the States, maybe you take off a couple days for the actual holidays. And so I just, I feel like this is a holiday that has a lot more history to it. And and I, and I kind of like, what that history is. It seems really beautiful. And what a great way to spend time with family and past loved ones. And also, like, let's not forget, you know, in Mexico, they do Día de Muertos, which is on November 1st, right? Like, the big celebration of the like, there's a lot of different cultures that celebrate the people that have come before them and spend time together. And there's all this stuff. So anyways, just think about that. Think about the loved ones you had, and celebrate the harvesting you did, and report back. Okay.Speaker 1 8:09  Yeah, Lesley and I've been back from Cambodia and Singapore now for a week and a half. And it's just always so refreshing for us to get back to our second family over there. You know, people that we love, the places that we love to be in. The environment over there is just it's so magical. And we would love to have you join us next year, but get on the waitlist, because there's limited amount of spots. We're going to be going in October of next year, but we're going to be announcing all of that in January. So go to crowsnestretreats.com to get on the waitlist for information about the upcoming trip for 2026 we're only going one time next year, only going one time next year. We're only going one one time next year. Lesley Logan 8:50  Are you trying to convince yourself or everyone else? Brad Crowell 8:53  I'm letting everybody know, because a lot of people have said, oh, I'll come with you in the spring, and we're not going in the spring. We are only going in the fall next year, so, side note. Lesley Logan 9:04  And probably the year after that, I just have to say it to you. Brad Crowell 9:06  October 1st, we already rolled out our tour go to opc.me/events to join us for the OPC winter tour. We're gonna be driving all around the United States of America. We're gonna be going from Vegas all the way up to Boston, down to Miami and back. It's gonna be something like 24, 25 locations. It's kind of insane. We're very excited about it. We are going to be even bigger.Lesley Logan 9:28  We're going to studios we've not been to and have been excited. They've been on the list for a while. These are human beings that, like, we have literally been like, how do we make sure we get to see them again?Speaker 1 9:39  But you can find out all the specifics where we're stopping. Go to opc.me/events, chances are high that some locations may already be sold out. Lesley Logan 9:47  Yeah it's been out for a month. Brad Crowell 9:48  Because it's been out for a month. So but go check it out opc.me/tour. Then in January, where are you teaching?Lesley Logan 9:55  We'll be at the Pilates Journal, their first ever event in the U.S. It will be at Huntington Beach. If you go to xxll.co/pilatesjournal, you can get your tickets Brad Crowell 10:03  Pilates Journal Expo. Lesley Logan 10:05  Yeah. So Pilates Journal is a Pilates Journal. It's a magazine, and they.Brad Crowell 10:10  It's free, by the way. Lesley Logan 10:11  Is it? Brad Crowell 10:11  Yeah. The journal they release is free. Lesley Logan 10:14  Oh, I love that. I mean, I always just assumed, I just was given it for free. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Pilates Journal, but I just, I don't know. I just thought maybe they just (inaudible).Brad Crowell 10:23  I'm like 90% sure. Lesley Logan 10:25  But they, they do a really, they do events in Australia and. Brad Crowell 10:28  Yeah, subscribe for free. Lesley Logan 10:29  You can subscribe for free. I've written for articles for them several times. I think it's really worth looking into. But if you're a Pilates teacher, you should come. The lineup is amazing. Several of these teachers have taught. We've all taught together somewhere, but never taught all together. So like you're not going to see this line up again, you might as well come and then in February, we're going to host Agency Mini, that is our business coaching program for Pilates instructors and studio owners. And you're going to want to go to prfit,biz/mini. So it's profit without the O dot B-I-Z slash mini, to get on the waitlist. Also probably in January-ish, they'll be letting the waitlist people get the best discount. So I'm just saying. In March, we're going to two places in Europe. We'll be in Poland, at the Pilates Poland Controlology Pilates Conference. So go to xxll.co/poland by the way, I'm doing that with Karen Frischmann. And so if you like me, and you're gonna like Karen, I'm just gonna tell you right now, she's like, she's extremely smart, extremely knowledgeable. And like, I I feel, I feel like, like, you know how there's like the pop band, and then there's like the, like, uber rock, like, just has done, been doing music for decades, and like, they're just like, that's what it is. And so you, if you don't know Karen, I promise you're gonna love Karen. And if you know Karen, then what are you waiting for? The two of us will be together so we can, like, knock it out in one weekend, or go into Brussels, xxll.co/brussels. We'll be at El's studio there in Brussels, and we're very excited about it, different workshops at each event. So, but same teacher. So you're as long as long as you love Karen and I, or one of us, you're gonna have a great lineup. Just pick the one that works the best for you, and then we will, Brad is gonna take me on a second honeymoon, and then we are going to land and arrive at P.O.T in London. And I don't have a link for you, but you could just Google P.O.T., Balanced Bodies P.O.T. London, It will come up. They have amazing SEO. They're really good at what they do. And you can snag your spot. It is limited, and it sells out every year. So there you go. Before we get into this amazing interview with Amber, what is our question this week?Speaker 1 12:29  @marystarpilates asks, hey, Lesley, do you still do your continued education teacher training program? Where can I find information on that? Thank you so much. So I'm assuming she's talking about eLevate. Lesley Logan 12:41  Yes, I did clarify. And the answer is yes, she's talking about my mentorship program for Pilates instructors. So you have to have, you have to have done a comprehensive program in that, like, you should have been trained on the mat, Reformer, Cadillac or Tower and Chair, right? The Wunda Chair. Of course, I'd love it if you (inaudible) on the barrels. But like, I'm not worried about you being overwhelmed by the fifth weekend, but you need and then you have to have access to a mat, a Reformer, a Tower, Cadillac, a Chair and a Barrel. So you don't have to have a full studio access. It doesn't have to be classical. In fact, I work with both classically trained and contemporary trained people who are classic, classically curious, classical people who feel like they were like, taught this, like, rigid, you know, culty perfect way of doing Pilates, and they would like to have a little bit more fun. And we just really break down and ditch perfection and get really excited about what Joe gave us and what the intentions were, and free you from thinking you need to have a million fucking cues all the time. And also really help you with your own personal practice. Help you with seeing, help you with patience in your teaching. And so if you go to lesleylogan.co/elevate, you can learn more about it if you do the same exact URL, but add waitlist to it. So lesleylogan.co/elevatewaitlist, you can get on the waitlist for the next one, because this upcoming what year are we in right now? So 2026, is next year is sold out. Sold out. You can reach out to us. You never know what might happen. But 2027 is where we're already we're actually already taking people, taking applications, selling spots. The reality is mentorship programs like this. I have friends who have one who are five years booked in the future. I'm not going out that far. I'm kind of a year in advance kind of person, but if you know you want it then you can plan ahead. So that's what I would say. Speaker 1 14:24  Yeah, awesome. Well, stick around. We'll be, oh, actually. Lesley Logan 14:28  Go to beitpod you want to send us questions. Brad Crowell 14:30  Yeah, you have to join us for all these questions. Your participation is required, or we don't get to ask answer your questions. So 310-905-5534, hit us up or.Lesley Logan 14:39  And I want some fun questions. I want, I want relationship questions. I want family questions. I want career questions. I want some (inaudible) questions. Brad Crowell 14:50  She wants some juicy questions.Lesley Logan 14:51  I want, I want, I want. I also want the gossip that comes with the questions. You could be anonymous. Speaker 1 14:58  Go to beitpod.com/questions, where you can leave a win or a question. Thank you for that. Stick around. We'll be right back. We're going to talk about Amber Fuhrman. Amber Fuhriman is a recovering perfectionist and people pleaser and an attorney who now works as a coach, human behavior expert and podcaster. As a certified trainer of neuro linguistic programming or NLP, and host of the More Than Corporate Podcast. She blends her legal background with mindset and performance coaching to help high achievers push past limiting beliefs and perfectionism. And after years of believing success was about money and titles, Amber has redefined it as freedom choice and building a life that truly feels fulfilling. A lot of relation like a relatability here with her story and just.Lesley Logan 15:43  I know, another guest where it's like, oh, we're, like, just on the same we're on the same longitude, you know, just a different latitude. Like, she's doing something very similar, like it's, we're on the same longitude, but a different latitude, you know, like, like, Joe Allen was doing similar things with the orthodontist. And we do what we do for Pilates instructors and studio owners, and she does what she does for like, other professional it's just very cool. But also I love how our lives can bring a different lens to it, a different focus to what we do. And we I really appreciate her willingness and interest in like, we talk about people pleasing, and we talk about a bunch of stuff, but I just really got excited about talking about people pleasing because, like, how many of our listeners, how many people do we know that are doing things that are people pleasing? Brad Crowell 16:26  Well, I thought her definition of it was, she said, people pleasing is when you consider other people's feelings before you consider your own. And I thought that was interesting, especially because, you know, and then y'all talked about how.Lesley Logan 16:47  Yeah, we talked about see, so, like, I also think that some people pleasers are it's just another form of control. By the way, you can also be you're controlling people's emotions as well, or the outcome of people's emotions. But we, she clarified that not people pleasing doesn't mean being an asshole. Just for the purpose of being an asshole, like it's about instead about being authentic and speaking your truth. So meaning, like a lot of people will go to dinner with a family member on Thursday to people please, rather than which is not authentic, by the way, because you don't want to be there. You're gonna be somewhere else. So you're actually that's kind of, I think you're more of an asshole if you're people pleasing because you're not being authentic. I think that's we should re define people pleasing as being an asshole, a non-authentic person.Brad Crowell 17:28  Not authentic person. Lesley Logan 17:30  Yeah. So she advised, like, what you can do when you're not people pleasing is, like, were the actions that I took in alignment with who I want to be as a human So, meaning you decided to not people please. Someone had a reaction that was not something that you liked like all, that they're upset that you're not doing the thing for them. And so like, you get to ask yourself, were the actions that I took in alignment with who I want to be as a human being? If the answer is yes, then I will not apologize when I'm 100% in alignment with my actions. And you can understand that and accept me for I am, or you don't accept me and like, that is really hard for a lot of people, because, like, I'm gonna lose people. You guys were allowed to lose people in our life. We just are, and it's gonna happen. Like, it's impossible. It's impossible to keep everyone happy with you all of the time. There's just not, there's no way that is going to even be a possibility. And so if you are, if you are actually being authentic in alignment with how you feel and you speak that and someone doesn't like it, you are not in the wrong. They are also, by the way, there might not even be in the wrong.Speaker 1 18:29  I mean, look, you could be in the wrong, but if you are doing this to protect yourself or to stop people pleasing, this is when you have to ask yourself these questions. You know, were the actions I took in alignment with who I want to be as a human? If that's the case, then, then you can confidently move forward knowing that you weren't doing it to hurt them. You were doing it to uphold your own values, right? So if you were doing it to hurt them, then don't be an asshole. But if you're doing it to uphold your own values, that that's different.Lesley Logan 19:00  If you were doing it then hurt them. Sorry. You are being an asshole. But I just think that the more we can understand ourselves, the recovering people pleasers that we are, these are gonna be conversations you have to have with yourself. You're going to have to chit chat with yourself about like, okay, but give yourself pep talk. I want to be this person who speaks my heart, who shares how I feel, who's honest with how and will I will spend time with people, and that is going to upset some people who would like me to have more of me or have me at this thing. But I'm not in the wrong. I'm not an asshole. I'm being authentic and like, they will either come around or they won't. Speaker 1 19:35  Yeah, I really liked when she was talking about the like, toxic positivity, like, fake it till you make it. Where she was talking about, she, basically, I just, she was so frustrated about the idea of it, and she, she was like, don't ever put me in a room with people who believe this, because she's gonna lose her shit.Lesley Logan 19:59  Yeah, I want to be in that room. Actually, is that terrible? I like, I would like her to, like, she's such a good person with words. I would love to and she's a lawyer, so she's so good at articulating. Speaker 1 20:11  I mean she talked about, she talked about, you can't lie to yourself and convince you like you can, but there's dissidence that's happening when you're lying yourself in that way. And she said, the brain doesn't like distance between what is being said and what is truly believed. So, you know, she said, instead of doing that, instead of being like, I'm amazing, I'm beautiful in the mirror every morning, kind of a thing, she said, she advocates for affirmations that acknowledge the gap between who I think I am now and who I need to be in order to accomplish this. You know, I want to be this type of person. I will become this type of person, right? I am becoming this type of person, right? That's different than, you know, like.Lesley Logan 20:49  Like people do I am, I am rich. But if you're, like, barely able to pay your bills, like the brain is, that is not helpful. So I am becoming rich.Brad Crowell 20:57  Or I make decisions that are going to make me rich. Lesley Logan 21:00  Yes, I make decisions that are making me rich. I am on my way to abundance. I am, you know? Speaker 1 21:05  Yeah, I like that. And so it's, it's nuanced. It's nuanced here, you know, but I, but I actually appreciated that, and I thought, oh, that's a cool way to to adjust it, because sometimes it does feel fake, and that's annoying, and that's not, that's not. I have a hard time embracing that too, so I get that.Lesley Logan 21:20  Well, because scientifically, like in behavior science, like the brain, doesn't like dissonance, right? So, BJ Fogg, his sister, she was talking about how, you know, one of the habits, BJ likes to get people to start with from reading his book, it's like every day, get out of bed, you put your feet on the floor, like everybody does this. You can literally start a habit. Tomorrow morning, you put your feet on the floor. You say, today is going to be amazing. Or you can say, I'm amazing, but, like, usually he would say, today's me amazing day. And then you stand up and like, you like, so you want and like, it's a great first habits, a great way to start the day. And she, like, talked to us just like, yeah, so my husband died, and on the day of his funeral, I'm not going to put my feet on the floor. I go today is an amazing day. Because the brain isn't like dissonance, and that's gonna screw the habit up, right? Because it's gonna be like, oh, this is not real. So what she said is, today is going to be as good as it can be, right? And that's an honest thing. And so I think where she's.Speaker 1 22:16  And it's an affirmation, you know, like, still, is putting you on like, a path to see the good in the day. Lesley Logan 22:22  Without it being toxic positivity. It's like, it's an and so I actually really appreciated that because we taught we have a lot of people talk about, like, affirmation and mantras. And hers is like, yeah, so have ones that are that are actually helping you be it till you see it, not that are lying to you about what you are. That's not gonna be helpful. She's just super cool. I mean, I listened before I was on her podcast, because I met her in person for the podcast. I listened to several of her episodes, and I was just like, I feel like I'm learning so much. Brad Crowell 22:48  That's cool. Love it.Lesley Logan 22:49  Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you don't have to put her on faster speed, just gonna be really honest, you can put it on a regular speed, because I had it on 1.75 I was like, maybe we'll take that down a little bit. It's like listening to me.Speaker 1 23:00  That's hilarious. Well, stick around. We'll be right back. We're gonna dig into those into those Be It Action Items that you have with Amber Fuhriman in just a minute. Brad Crowell 23:10  All right, welcome back. So finally, what Be It Action Items, can we take away from your convo with Amber? Oh, I said that differently this time. For those of you who say it along with me, say it along with me. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Amber Fuhriman? She said, hey, when you are struggling with overthinking or in or you are struggling with intense emotions, this is really cool y'all. She said, create an SOS list, meaning the list of people that you are flashing the SOS sign to, right? And this list is just two or three trusted people who you can reach out to, and they can be your gauge for you, right, that they can help you when you know you're spiraling out, like if, if you know, for example, if you are like an overthinker and you can't put it into action, and you recognize I'm overthinking again. I'm not acting. I need you to actually just get started. You can text your SOS list, you know, but first ask them if that, you know, they're willing to be on it. But you can develop a specific, predetermined SOS phrase, like Amber said, I'm stuck at the airport, right? And for her, being stuck at the airport is like she's prepping, she's prepping, she's prepping, she's prepping, but she's never taken off. She's never taken off. She's always stuck at the airport. So she said, explain what the SOS phrase means to you, and clarify that if you send that message to your people on the SOS list, it really means I need somebody to check in on me right now. So for example, you know, I imagine it may change over time. You know, what does your SOS mean, right? Especially when Amber's partner died, I imagine it was a, you know, a different reason to be reaching out than now where she's, you know, it's been a couple of years, and she's moving on, and she's running a company and things like that. You know. So she said, it really will help you have somebody check in on you. Who, who you trust to understand like, I need help right now. So when you find yourself in those overwhelm moments, send an SOS to your list. And she said the decision to ask for help actually allows your brain to see solutions. Okay, even if they don't get back to you instantaneously, it will put you on a different path to see solutions, particularly helpful for recovering perfectionists who find it really hard to say, I actually need some help right now. So really cool idea. Lesley Logan 25:35  Something has nothing to do with what we're talking about now, right now. But like my brain went to this person, somebody in China, bought a first class ticket to some Chinese airline, which means that you get to eat in the first class lounge before you take off. And because it's a first class ticket, it's like fully refundable and transferable. So for 300 times, 300 meals, this person would check into the airport, check into the first class lounge, eat for free, and then reschedule their ticket. And they did this 300 times before anyone's like, what is this person doing? So talk about being stuck at the airport, and I just thought, is the food that good? Because the actual like going to an airport, getting into a first class lounge is so annoying.Speaker 1 26:27  Even the food at the Centurion lounge, it's good, but I wouldn't say it's great. Lesley Logan 26:31  And also, not all Centurion lounges are created equal. I like ours, but the L.A. one, you can get it together as can you JFK, just saying, Okay, my big, back on track. Brad Crowell 26:41  Yeah, how about you over here? Lesley Logan 26:43  Recognize you have complete control over your daily decisions. You've complete control your daily decisions. I think we like to outsource decisions like I can't do that because x, y and z, but you have complete control over your daily decisions. And if you're unhappy, you have to dig into the decisions you're making to create that situation. Are you saying yes to things you should be saying no to? Are you staying up late the night before so you feel like shit in the morning, right? So understand that avoiding a decision is still a decision. Oh, avoiding a decision is still a decision, and make different choices to change your outcomes. She also said.Speaker 1 27:22  I think that's been the biggest thing that has changed my stress level is that I would avoid making a decision, but in the back of my mind, it was still I knew I had to address this thing, whatever this thing would be. It didn't matter what it was like, I might like just be unwilling to open a text message from somebody because I knew it was going to launch a whole thing. I got to go down this thing and then I would push it off, and then, you know, or it's like email inbox kind of stuff, too, like, avoid it, avoid it until it's like an actual problem. Yeah, and that was one of the biggest changes, was making the decision to stop avoiding things and to just hug a cactus, as it were. But I love that. I think, I think acknowledging that avoiding a decision is actually still a decision that was super helpful for me.Lesley Logan 28:08  And she said, consider her 90 Day Success Jumpstart Training or join her free Break Your Bullshit Box community. So I and that's on Facebook, if you, if you go there, I mean honest on I went on Facebook the other day, and I was like, oh, wow, look at all these people I can unfollow. Thank you for acknowledging yourself, sir and sir and you so anyways. But I just thought this is such a bright, wonderful, honest and maybe a little maybe you feel called out, maybe you feel called out, and maybe you need to, because you got to break your bullshit. You know. And I just think a lot of us the what's getting in the way of being it till we see it is people pleasing and telling ourselves that we don't have control over certain things, some things you do, and we just gotta be honest about that. So, share this with a friend who needs to hear it, especially the people pleasing one, because those people can bother your life too. And until next time, Be It Till You See It. Brad Crowell 28:56  Bye for now.Lesley Logan 28:58  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Speaker 1 29:40  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 29:45  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co. Speaker 1 29:50  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi. Lesley Logan 29:57  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals. Speaker 1 30:00  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time. Transcribed by https://otter.aiSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

I have to confess, I didn't exactly go storming into the Computer Age. I was sort of carried into it. Yeah, you know, back in the days when I was getting into that world, I was returning from my first trip to an Indian reservation, and I had a heart full that I wanted to write into a report. So, as usual in those days, I pulled out my trusty pen and paper and handwrote my report. It took the whole trip from Arizona to New Jersey. Well, after one of my friends read my report, he called my wife and said, "I don't want Ron wasting any more time writing things like this by hand. He has to get a computer." My wife agreed, but she indicated we didn't have the funds to get a computer. My doctor friend said, "That doesn't matter. I intend to buy a computer for him!" I was stunned, and shortly thereafter, the owner of a wonderful personal computer. Ever since then, what a difference, huh? I mean that's greatly impacted my life! I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Biggest Spiritual Mistake In the World." I couldn't have afforded to buy a computer. The only way I got one was that someone who cared about me gave it to me as a gift. Had I tried to pay my friend for it, had I tried to work for my friend to earn it somehow, it would have no longer been a gift. Right? Tragically, most of the religious people on this planet are making the mistake of trying to earn from God what He says we can only have as a gift. In fact, I believe that's why so many people observe their religion's ceremonies, attend their religion's meetings, and try to live by their religion's rules. They are trying to earn eternal life in heaven by doing good things and being good people. And it's a good thing to live a good life, but it's a deadly thing to depend on your good life to get you into heaven. That's the message of much of the Bible, including our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 6:23. God says, "The wages of sin is death." In other words, what we get paid for running our own lives is spiritual death--eternal separation from God. That's the bad news. But then God says, "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now, notice - eternal life isn't the reward of God that we earn with a good life. It's the gift of God which we cannot possibly earn. We can earn hell; we can't earn heaven. In fact, God says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "It is by grace (which that's undeserved love) you have been saved. It is the gift of God - not by works..." Could it be any plainer? We can't get to heaven by Protestant works, or Catholic works, or Jewish works, or Moslem works, or Buddhist works, or Hindu works. God couldn't make it any clearer. It's not by works! The computer my friend gave me could have only been mine if someone else paid for it. The heaven you want to go to when you die can only be yours if someone else pays the death penalty for your sin - and someone did! Jesus, God's only Son! All I could do to get what my friend had purchased was to accept it. All you could do to have the eternal life Jesus purchased with His life is to accept it. So the eternity-deciding question is this, "Has there ever been a time when you have told Jesus, 'Lord, You are my only hope of having my sins forgiven...of going to heaven when I die. I'm turning from the running of my own life and I'm welcoming You into my life right now - the One who died for me, the One who walked out of His grave under His own power. I know, Jesus, you have the power to change me. I know you love me enough to have paid for my sin. I'm putting all my trust in you.'" If your trust is in anything else - including your religion or your goodness - you'll never see heaven. Only Jesus can take you there. So tell Him right now. Put your total trust in Him. Tell Him you're putting your trust in Him today. Our website is there to help you be sure you belong to Him. That's reason enough to go there isn't it? It's ANewStory.com. Look, you'll never be able to earn heaven. It's a gift - one that God's Son paid for with His life. But the gift won't be yours until you reach out and receive it.

Sports with Rod 10-30-2025 …Bo Duke is not the Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays …The Catholics are Crushing the Buddhists in the Religion World Series …Thinking Inward with Kaleem

Why attachment wounds heal best in safe relational contexts (mentorship, IPF, romantic, community), not in isolation and how it plays out. Try our free video resource "The Main Signs of Attachment Disturbance " and learn how to identify core attachment disturbances, move beyond the challenges and live a truly meaningful life. Get it now at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mettagroup.org/start-here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mettagroup was founded by George Haas in 2003 and named the ‘Best Online Buddhist Meditation' by Los Angeles Magazine in 2011, Mettagroup uses Vipassana, or Insight meditation, as a way to help students live a meaningful life. Drawing from 2500-year-old Buddhist teachings and John Bowlby's Attachment Theory, the Mettagroup techniques serve as a model of how to connect with other people, and how to be completely yourself in relationships with others and with work.More info at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mettagroup.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Episode #422: “There is beauty in owning one's racial identity. There's beauty in owning, valuing, and respecting one's heritage, ancestors, sexual identity, and gender identity. But on the other side of the coin, there can also be imprisonment there.”So says Bhante Sumano, an African-American monk at Empty Cloud Monastery. This is the 6th episode in our ongoing “Intersections of Dhamma & Race” series, in which we examineentrenched protocols, practices and biases within the vipassana and mindfulness communities.Bhante Sumano begins by telling us how he came to take on the monk's robes. Originally from Jamaica, he moved to New York City for college and has stayed there ever since. Bhante Sumano trained under Thich Nhat Hanh and Thanissaro Bhikkhu before ultimately deciding that Empty Cloud was the best fit for him, as he appreciated the flexibility and openness in how the monastery embraced different Theravadin traditions.Bhante Sumano goes on to describe how the Buddha's teachings have guided him in understanding and responding to racism. He expresses disappointment with how he has seen the wider Buddhist community respond to the recent social justice movement, and feels that even many experienced teachers have “blind spots” that prevent deeper understanding. Finally, he shares the value in providing safe spaces where practitioners of color can come to practice the Dhamma.

Khemasuri explores the message of Transforming the World in The Sutra of Golden Light at Sangha Night, Sheffield Buddhist Centre 2008. Excerpted from the talk Transforming the World given at Sheffield Buddhist Centre, 2008. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967

The full moon in May is celebrated as the anniversary of the Buddha's Enlightenment and his victory over the demon Mara. Sangharakshita explains what Mara represents and how he can be overcome. As well as containing much that will fascinate experienced Buddhists, this is also an excellent introductory lecture. Excerpted from the talk entitled The Buddha's Victory given in 1987. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967

Speaking with writer, collapse philosopher, novelist, and blogger Ran Prieur in a conversation that unfolds with a slow, organic rhythm, a pleasurable meandering walk through modern life and its ruins. Ran, as always, is philosophically rich, grounded, and quietly radical. In line with his long-held ethos of anti-industrial, post-collapse thought. I enjoyed reengaging with this contemplative tone in moving naturally between personal insight and social critique, offering a model for intimacy that remains intellectually serious and open.From technology as spellcraft, to collapse as ongoing reorientation, to spiritual practice as a form of quiet resistance, on his new novel, on writing, the conversation avoids doomer clichés: it's not about despair, but about seeing clearly. Ran speaks with a rare patience that reveals thought in motion pausing, circling, revising inviting us to listen more closely to what remains alive, to re-enchant.For an earlier conversation with Ran, I invite you to listen to my 2022 interview with Ran Prieur.ExcerptsOn Mind and Matter as Play “Matter is like a game that we're playing. It's like you're playing a board game and if you're playing a board game, you have to follow the rules of the game. And that's what matter is. It's a game. The mind is playing and that we're all in. And while we're in it, we have to follow its rules, but underneath it's all mind.”On Returning to the Non-Human World “We've pulled all this stuff where humans are going deeper and deeper into a world of our own creation, and we've lost the vital force which we can get by going back to the non-human made world.”On The Zeitgeist“ We are the fish. And our whole culture is the fish and everything is going faster and brighter as the net closes around us. That's my sense of the zeitgeist. “ “AI is not the painter, AI is the pallet.”More Ran PrieurSome works / people mentioned in the interview that might not be clear in audio transcriptionPurse-Seine: a large wall of netting used in fishing to encircle and capture schools of fishYokohama Kaidashi Kikou by Hitoshi AshinanoDreamsnake by Vonda McIntyreJohn Vervaeke, Ph.D - psychology, cognitive science, and Buddhist psychology at the University of Toronto. Get full access to Leafbox at leafbox.substack.com/subscribe

What if the most potent weapon that America has against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) isn't nukes or tariffs?“This isn't a competition between the largest economy and the second largest economy. This is a competition of ideals—and we've got the better ones,” says former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback.“If you want to hit them where it hurts, hit them on human rights issues, genocides in their own country, religious freedom that they don't grant any of their people—whether they be Buddhist, Muslim, Falun Gong, Christians. That's where they're the weakest. It's where they're the most vulnerable.”Ahead of President Donald Trump's expected meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, I sat down with Brownback to understand what he sees as the Chinese regime's greatest vulnerabilities, its deepest fears, and how those can be strategically leveraged by the United States.Brownback is co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit. He previously served as governor of Kansas from 2011 to 2018 and as a U.S. senator from Kansas, 1996 to 2011. His upcoming book is titled, “China's War on Faith.”Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Inner peace, as expressed by love, exists as goodness itself and is the strongest alternative to helplessness, resentment, hate, insanity, bitterness, and crazy violence. Here, we focus our attention on the capacity for a generous love that embraces such virtues as kindness, courage, forgiveness, gratitude, dignity for all, and hope. Stephen G. Post, Ph.D. is among a handful of individuals awarded the distinguished service award by the National Alzheimer's Association. In 2001 he founded The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, which researches and distributes knowledge on kindness, giving and spirituality. Post served as a co-chair of the United Nations Population Fund Conference on Spirituality and Global Transformation. He's a professor in the Department of Preventative Medicine at Stony Brook University and founder and director of the Stony Brook Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics. He's a leader in medicine research and religion and the author of several books. Interview Date: 8/22/2025 Tags: Stephen Post, Buddhist chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, John Eccles, original mind, supreme mind, creativity, freedom, intuition, Mircea Eliade, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, loyalty, compassion, kindness, Sean Keener, Jacques Rousseau, empathic, freedom, Dostoevsky, Hinduism, Golden Rule, volunteering, mirth, Personal Transformation, Psychology, Work/Livelihood

Drawing on concepts from his latest book, Confidence, Ethan explores how it is that our self-assessment can be so off the mark so frequently, especially when it comes to seeing our progress along a long-term path like meditation, or the deeper journey of spiritual and psychological . Why is it so hard assess our traits, and to see our strengths as well as our stuck places, clearly? How can we overcome our negativity bias and meet the inner critic more skillfully in everyday life. What does it mean to develop clarity when asking ourselves the question: "How am I doing, really?" Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions for a paid subscription. Additional links and show notes are available there. Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and a guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed a mindful take on the These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Spotify,Ethan's Website, etc). Find out about the 2026 Yearlong Buddhist Studies program at this link! Check out about upcoming free live events like a panel on Mindfulness and Holiday Stress Nov 12, a live talk with Ethan and Dan Harris December 10, and a live talk with Ethan and Roshi Joan Halifax January 6th! A new free video course on a classic Buddhist contemplation called The Five Remembrances is available at this link. Find out about the 2026 Yearlong Buddhist Studies program at this link! Check out all the cool offerings at our podcast sponsor Dharma Moon, including a free webinar with David Nichtern on the new Advanced Teacher training on November 20. Free video courses co-taught by Ethan and others, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download at Dharma Moon. Subscribe now Ethan's most recent book, Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds was just awarded a gold medal in the 2025 Nautilus Book Awards. You can visit Ethan's website to order a signed copy. Please allow two weeks from the time of your order for your copy to arrive.

Weaving together environmental science, wilderness adventure, goddess mythology, and the sentience of old growth redwoods, the author shows how to cultivate a sensitivity to the forest and open a channel to its wisdom. She presents simple techniques of receptivity, some from her Buddhist mindfulness practice, along with forest bathing protocols to help you strengthen your bond with nature and learn to listen deeply to the denizens of the forest, especially trees. She examines the scientifically proven healing benefits of spending time in nature, showing how forest bathing can calm, soothe, and heal our bodies, minds, and spirits. Ellen Dee Davidson is also the author of a number of children's books, including Wind, which won the Nautilus Gold Award, and The Miracle Forest, a Spanish/English picture book telling the true story of how a community in Colombia found a miraculous way to restore rainforests. She is a member of TreeSisters, Awakening Women, and the Earth Treasure Vase Global Healing Project. She lives in Bayside, California. Contact: Email: ellendeedavidson@gmail.com WEB: ellendeedavidson.com FB:    facebook.com/ellen.davidson.583 INSTA:  @ellen.davidson.583 Linkedin:  Ellen Davidson

Venerable Hue Can is the Abbess of Sunyata Meditation Centre in Vic Park and has the very clear goal to teach others how to realise their full potential through Zen Buddhism. Venerable Hue Can had an interesting and diverse career as a teacher, children's librarian and co-ordinator of the Ethnic Child Care Resource Unit. As an advocate for access and equity she have worked in the area of social welfare, particularly in the Vietnamese community in Western Australia. When the Most Venerable Master Thich Thanh Tu came to Perth in 1996 she was fortunate to attend his lecture "Why am I a Buddhist”. She found out that Buddhism could give her five things that she had always been searching for – wisdom, altruism, freedom, equality and emancipation. She wanted to become his disciple and follow the path that he had illuminated. Her first ordination occurred in 1998. Every year, the monastic community (Monks and nuns) go on a three month retreat called the “Rains Retreat” from mid July to mid October. During this period, they do not visit our centres for teachings as it's a time for deepening their own practice. While the monks and nuns are away, we will have some interesting guest speakers coming in to give the Friday Night talk. Dust in Our Eyes 2025 (Rains Retreat Speakers' Series 2025) Hear stories of everyday dhamma as told by monastics and lay practitioners from various Buddhist traditions. Support us on https://ko-fi.com/thebuddhistsocietyofwa BSWA teachings are available: BSWA Teachings BSWA Podcast Channel BSWA DeeperDhamma Podbean Channel BSWA YouTube

Few people blend the Buddhist spiritual path with the 12-Step journey as seamlessly and as helpfully as Fr. Bill's guest Kevin Griffin. A teacher of Buddhist meditation for many years as well as an excellent writer and musician, Kevin is also a man in long-term recovery from addiction with a powerful message to share. This series explores Kevin's book One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps. It's sure to be of interest to spiritual travelers of all stripes. This episode explores Steps 2 and 3: how Buddhism can help when traditional religious practice is becoming less of an option for many.Show notes: One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps by Kevin GriffinKevin's website: https://kevingriffin.net/

Steve Kang never heard of what the Bible calls hell until he was led there by satan. The agony he describes from his time there is riveting. The beings he saw there have no light, no joy, and no faces. No babies, children, animals, or plants.

This talk explores the transformative power of tuning into the felt sense—the subtle, bodily knowing that lies beneath thought and emotion. Rooted in early Buddhist teachings and supported by contemporary somatic practices, the felt sense offers a direct path to presence, insight, and release. By connecting deeply with the body from the inside out, we ground our awareness in the Four Foundations of Mindfulness and begin to directly experience the liberating truths of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-self.   You'll learn how to recognize and trust the language of inner sensation, how the felt sense awakens the Five Spiritual Faculties—faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom—and how this embodied presence becomes a guide for wise action and compassionate insight. Through reflections, guided sensing, and practical tools, you'll discover how to stay close to what's real and alive, and how this intimacy with the body can lead to deep inner freedom.

A strong routine can be crucial to getting through the day when you have a full plate. But that discipline doesn't happen over night. Enoa Reid, of Oahu, shares how the reality of adulthood helped him develop the skills needed to win every day.Watch today's episode on our YouTube channel.Resources:My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, pp. 361—62.