Podcasts about menla mountain retreat

Hello Everyone, welcome to the podcast! On Episode Master Dechen Thurman and I discuss the yogic quest for the perfect action.  With respect to karma, the yogi must examine the causes of their own biases. Dechen has been teaching yoga for over 25 years.  He Graduated Ohashi Institute 2001 and assisted Wataru Ohashi at Omega Institute and Integral Yoga Institute. He has taught at Yoga Journal Conference, Kripalu, Menla Mountain Retreat, Wanderlust and Loyola Marymount University. At Jivamukti Yoga School NYC, he taught a daily morning class for 13 years and completed 20 apprenticeships. Co-Leader of 20+ retreats in Asia and Europe with Geographic Expeditions and Jivamukti Berlin. Served meals and provided cleaning service to refugee families and monks for the American Institute of Buddhist Studies 1978-1989.You can reach Dechen at www.dechenkarlthurman.com and on social media @dechenkarlthurmanStart of Conversation (to skip intro) go to: 12:26  The Jai Sugrim Method Podcast is sponsored by Commons CBDI use commons cbd daily to reduce exercise induced inflammation, as well as for good sleep. You can order Cannabis Products from Commons with my ambassador ink:www.commons.co/with/jsugrimTo train with Jai, and learn about his yoga classes and massage therapy treatments:www.jaisugrim.comTo support this podcast go to patreon:patreon.com/jaisugrimEnjoy and share this episode!May it bring you peace! 

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. - Confucius This week, Dr. Michelle Robin is joined by Laurie Gerber who is a Head Coach of Handel Group® Life Coaching, an international coaching company, which specializes in teaching individuals to take focused and powerful action in every area of their lives. Passionate about personal development, Laurie has dedicated more than fifteen years to coaching hundreds of individuals and leading large groups at Kripalu Center, Esalen Institute, Equinox Fitness, Soho House, the JCC of Manhattan, Natural Health Magazine’s Women’s Wellness Weekends, and Menla Mountain Retreat. Laurie’s rigorous, yet loving, coaching style was showcased in MTV’s True Life Special, I’m Getting A Second Chance, and she has appeared in Elle, Origin, and Experience L!fe magazines. Human Better In 2020 With Handel Group Life Coaching Get $150 off now until March 15th with the code SMALLCHANGE Learn to Human Better in LOVE with Lauren Zander's online coaching course, Inner.U. Avoid heartbreak and find whatever, whomever, and how many-ever it is that you truly and wholeheartedly want. Receive lifetime access with your subscription which includes:  12 audio coaching sessions from Lauren Zander 1 free private coaching session with an HG coach 1 6-week coaching bootcamp with an HG Coach 14 homework assignments the interactive Promise Tracker to accelerate your accountability and track your promises and consequences. Talk to a human and see if Handel Group coaching options are right for you Join Laurie and host, Dr. Michelle Robin as they discuss: Why Laurie’s mother introduced her to the world of healing, spirituality, and therapy at a young age and how that impacted her both positively and negatively. The struggle she faced to actually be content and proud of her life. Why the best thing you can do for a child is to demonstrate living a happy life in your career, mission, and love. What the 7 different ways people lie are plus understanding why we lie, how much we lie, and when we lie. Her dream for humanity that we get more connected to ourselves and to each other. Why she refers to herself as an “Angel Recruiter.” Find out how you can move forward in the direction you want your life to go: The importance of articulating your dream out loud for all the universe to hear. How to powerfully debate with your thinking in a very persuasive way. A simple design for deciding which goals you want to accomplish and how to make sure you stay true to them. Why her favorite quote comes from the title of Lauren Handel Zander's book, Maybe It's You. How the phrase, “Maybe It’s You,” can mean so many things from why you believe you’re something to maybe you’re here to save the world. Continue your wellness journey in 2020 with Inner.U Life and Inner.U Love: The launch of U Life and Inner.U Love plus what you will get from each program to make a positive change in your life. Where you can find Handel Group® Life Coaching’s methodology now in their completely digitized online courses. The wisdom behind the Secret Free Diet that she goes over in her TedTalk. Her mission to help people see the importance of always telling the truth to feel more comfortable being your authentic self.

“Learn about how to look at the quality of the instrument itself with which [you] learn things.”-Robert ThurmanRobert Thurman is a renowned Buddhist scholar and the father of actress Uma Thurman. He is the founder of Tibet House US, which is a non-profit dedicated to helping preserve Tibetan culture in exile and to be active against China’s control of Tibet, and founder of Menla Mountain Retreat, which is a healing arts center grounded mainly in the Tibetan healing tradition. Thurman’s extensive knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism, coupled with his deep study of various other philosophies and traditions, allows him to speak eloquently and intelligently on a wide variety of topics. He is able to take the state of our world and frame it in a Buddhist perspective. That way the listener can better understand how damaged our world currently is and how we can improve it through the lessons that can be learned from Buddhism. He uses logic and reason to expose the flaws in many different aspects of our society, from politics, consumerism, and capitalism to science, philosophy, and understanding knowledge, so that we can better go about healing our society. Today’s conversation is a wonderfully wide-ranging discussion that uses Buddhism as the lens to view what is wrong and what is right with the world that we live in today.AUM,Jarod ContrerasFind Robert:bobthurman.com/tibethouse.us/menla.us/Instagram: @Bob_Thurman instagram.com/bob__thurman/Twitter: @BobThurman twitter.com/bobthurmanFacebook: Robert Thurman facebook.com/Robert.A.F.ThurmanSupport Touching the Trail:touchingthetrail.com/donatetargetreleaserecovery.comFind Touching the Trail:touchingthetrail.comTouching the Trail Weekly: touchingthetrail.com/signupInstagram: @touchingthetrail instagram.com/touchingthetrailTwitter: @touchthetrail twitter.com/touchthetrailFacebook: Touching the Trail facebook.com/touchingthetrail

Spirituality and sensuality are born of the same energy and you can’t separate them. When we can tap into both of them, you enter the dance of life and you can embrace who you truly are.   Tamara Powell, founder of Arya Therapy Services, Tales of Being a Trapezoid Community and the Undress the Spirit Podcast joins us to talk about sexuality, identity, expression, and authenticity.   In this podcast, we dive deep into: how to live life as a sacred dance of giving and accepting invitations the connection between shame and trauma, and sensuality and sexuality the balance between taking responsibility and experiencing pleasure the empowering stories behind archetypes like Lilith and Mary Magdalene how to be authentic to your truest self and recognize the guidance you are able to receive at all times     To learn more about Tamara’s Therapy services, please go to: https://www.facebook.com/aryatherapyservices/ To follow Tamara and her community of like-mind Trapezoids, go to: https://www.facebook.com/talesfromatrapezoid/ To listen to her podcast, to go: https://www.facebook.com/undressingthespirit/       Thanks to this week’s sponsor, MetaFi:   MetaFi is a self-awareness app created by therapists that is available FREE on Android and iOS. It is designed to support mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and body awareness. When you tune in and use MetaFi as a tool, you can re-establish and strengthen the emotional connection between your mind and body. MetaFi helps you increase awareness of how you show up from moment to moment so you can improve your relationships, productivity, creativity, emotional intelligence, and thinking.   Please note that registration is open for the Practice of Being Seen Retreat for Therapist-Healers. Coming up August 13 - 16, 2017: (Re)Vision: Explore Your Stories, Shape Your Future at the Menla Mountain Retreat in New York’s gorgeous Catskill Mountains.      

What got Neil Sattin into his work as a couples coach and host of the popular Relationship Alive podcast? Believe it or not, it was dog training! In working with dogs and their owners, Neil discovered that he loved coaching people in relationship.   We go way beyond puppy love in this episode….   You know we love storytelling on the POBScast, and we also know that “stories” can be tricky, especially when it comes the stories a person can tells about herself, her partner, and her relationship. Neil helps us unpack when stories are helpful and when they perpetuate illusions. If you have conclusions about your partner, there’s a good chance the relationship will conclude, says Neil. We play with the whole “be present” thing. Is it always possible and even desirable to be present in every moment? Conscious timeouts are key to relational harmony. Relationships change over time. We talk about how humor and clear communication about your needs can help couples shape “a story of now” and keep growing together. Neil shares his professional and podcasting journey. We love that he credited meditation and the mystical for helping him find his way. (And we know it took a lot of laser focus and determination too!)   And, we dish a little bit on what it’s like to learn from one of the biggest names in the personal development world. Such rich territory as we talk about expectations, the art of generative questioning, and stepping outside of the story so that it can rewrite itself.   Learn more about Neil and his services: http://www.neilsattin.com/ To listen to his podcast:  http://www.neilsattin.com/relationshipalive/ And, if you’re looking to deepen your connection with your partner, learn how to create thriving intimacy with Neil and his partner, Chloe, go to: http://thenewloveparadigm.com/   Registration is open for the Practice of Being Seen Retreat for Therapist-Healers. Coming up August 13 - 16, 2017: (Re)Vision: Explore Your Stories, Shape Your Future at the Menla Mountain Retreat in New York’s gorgeous Catskill Mountains.

If someone told you that authentic relationships can cure just about everything, would you believe him? Listen to nationally recognized family therapist, author, and teacher Terry Real talk about “how to live a relational life” and there’s a great chance you’ll be on board with that idea.   If relationships are so fundamental to who we are, why are so many couples in trouble these days? Marriage wasn’t built for long walks on the beach and sex into your 70s. Marriage was built for companion and stability. So often, the reality doesn’t meet expectations.   Terry defines a “new intimacy” and tells us how this is synonymous with freeing men and women from the bonds and expectations of patriarchy. He invites us to think about relationships “ecologically” and understand how to act out of “enlightened self-interest” because we’re all so connected.   Therapeutic neutrality is a myth, says Terry and he believes you can’t teach people to be relational unless you’re relational with them. He teaches therapists to judiciously self-disclose and loves hearing his own clients say “I trusted you because I knew you’d been through it.”   All of this relational work has a spiritual component. Terry describes the movement from “first consciousness” and the knee-jerk, conditioned emotional reactions into the cultivation of “second consciousness,” which is marked by thoughtful, freedom-based responses. He helps people move from being “adaptive children” to becoming functional adults.   Other important topics covered in this conversation include the importance of: taking the right kind of timeout (link below) breaking free from ancestral pathologies understanding that technology can play in making us tune into ourselves and others the 3 key phases of healing a relationship: loving confrontation, trauma and family of origin work, and skill building Your feelings haven't left you, you've left them (we talk about tracking your feelings)   We close with a discussion of the “rules” of marriage. Ultimately, it’s about following some universal laws of relationships and moving into freedom, choice, and perspective. The new rules that Terry puts forth are about liberation while staying within bounds of a union. He believes that even deeper than personal empowerment is what he calls relational empowerment.   For more on Terry’s trainings and books, visit https://www.terryreal.com/ Get his 10 Commandments of Time Outs: http://www.terryreal.com/10-commandments-of-time-outs/ See the full text of the DH Lawrence poem, “The Healing” that Terry recites: http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/575443-i-am-not-a-mechanism-an-assembly-of-various-sections      OUR SPONSOR We’re so excited to highlight MetaFi in this week’s conversation with Terry Real. MetaFi is a self-awareness app created by therapists that is available FREE on Android and iOS. It is designed to support mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and body awareness. When you tune in and use MetaFi as tool, you can re-establish and strengthen the emotional connection between your mind and body. MetaFi helps you increase awareness of how you show up from moment to moment so you can improve your relationships, productivity, creativity, emotional intelligence, and thinking.   Get started today with your free download: https://www.metafi.me/#meet-metafi   And please note that registration is open for the Practice of Being Seen Retreat for Therapist-Healers. Coming up August 13 - 16, 2017: (Re)Vision: Explore Your Stories, Shape Your Future at the Menla Mountain Retreat in New York’s gorgeous Catskill Mountains.

Have you been taught to believe that nonstop working is the only way to sustain and guarantee a successful business? When your creative energy starts to dwindle, how can you find your purpose and embody it again?   Licensed marriage and family therapist and ZynnyMe cofounder Kelly Higdon has established a business model that many of us don’t dare to dream of: she went from the kind of overwork that landed her in the hospital to taking up to four months off each year.   In this episode:   Kelly reveals how focusing on different aspects of her business during different seasons has completely transformed her work-life balance for the better. We explore how operating with a minimalist mentality can help “clear out the clutter” and be inspiration for taking the next step toward your greater goals We discuss the importance of knowing the difference between “good push and bad push” and how to know when to reevaluate your plan so it serves your higher purpose. We dive into how finding the connection between what you dream of and what you are doing today is the key to unleashing your ultimate creativity.   Learn more about Kelly’s coaching services for entrepreneurs: http://www.kellyhigdon.com/ And, if you’re a private practice therapist or your want to be, check out ZynnyMe and their  Business School Bootcamp, conferences, and retreats: https://www.zynnyme.com/     Thanks to this week’s sponsor: Being Seen   Being Seen is a new therapist directory service that is dedicated to helping new potential clients find your private practice. Yes, there are other directories out there, but Being Seen is different - their skilled marketing team is building a broad network that seekers can find easily, but they’re limiting the number of therapists in the directory. That means the people seeking help don’t get overwhelmed and you’re always near the top of the list.   When you join the Being Seen network you get access to exclusive trainings and discounts on CEUs. And they stand behind their promise to help you grow your practice - If you're not thrilled with their service inside of one year’s time, just send an email and they'll refund your money. Find them at www.beingseen.org   And please note that registration is open for the Practice of Being Seen Retreat for Therapist-Healers. Coming up August 13 - 16, 2017: (Re)Vision: Explore Your Stories, Shape Your Future at the Menla Mountain Retreat in New York’s gorgeous Catskill Mountains.      

What are the biggest mistakes people make when they tell a story? It’s not “too much detail.” Storytelling Coach Marsha Shandur gives advice about how to be a powerful storyteller - even if you’re a private person or a therapist concerned about disclosing too much.   When you meet Marsha in real life, she makes an impression. You always remember what you feel around her (it’s all about grinning and being fabulously real, we find). That phenomenon totally carries over into the POBScast experience.   There’s a truth that so many coaches share: When you get very clear on why you are doing what you are doing, everything changes. When you’re in alignment, the universe starts throwing what you need in your path. Marsha tells us about her light bulb moment…   For years she thought she was supposed to be using her storytelling coaching skills in order to help nonprofits and other change the world ideas, but then she realized her real mission: she’s going to help us all understand that no one has their SH** together. She lives her message across her online platforms, but particularly in her weekly Facebook thread: “I don’t have it all together Tuesday.” (Follow her personal FB profile to participate - it’s the best!)   The experience of selling your personal brand, especially as a coach, means that you need to put out the best version of yourself. It’s necessary to look like we’re successful because we want people to hire us, but... Marsha calls on Brene Brown’s wisdom: when you meet someone, vulnerability is the first thing you look for in them and the last thing you want to show.   Storytelling is a brilliant, low-stakes way to be vulnerable. You need distance to tell the story well. The magic of time and distance makes it ok to share difficult parts of yourself and talk about your feelings.   Successful storytellers don’t rely on facts and opinions but on feelings. What does it take to feel your feelings? Marsha walks us through an exercise that helps you connect to the sensations in the moment and describe them. We touch on the neuroscience of story and how to create the “Freaky Friday Body Swap” phenomenon.   Want more of Marsha? Say “yes, yes” and visit the super special secret page she created just for the POBScast community: http://www.yesyesmarsha.com/pobs/   OUR SPONSOR   We’re so excited to welcome the latest sponsor to the POBScast family:  MetaFi is a self-awareness app created by therapists that is available FREE on Android and iOS. It is designed to support mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and body awareness. When you tune in and use MetaFi as tool, you can re-establish and strengthen the emotional connection between your mind and body. MetaFi helps you increase awareness of how you show up from moment to moment so you can improve your relationships, productivity, creativity, emotional intelligence, and thinking.   Get started today with your free download: https://www.metafi.me/#meet-metafi   And please note that registration is open for the Practice of Being Seen Retreat for Therapist-Healers. Coming up August 13 - 16, 2017: (Re)Vision: Explore Your Stories, Shape Your Future at the Menla Mountain Retreat in New York’s gorgeous Catskill Mountains.

What does it take to claim your personal truths? What does that process look like when you’re trying to find the intersection between your passion, and the work you’re meant to do in the world, and the work you’re already doing every day?   For the first time in many months, Marisa and Rebecca recorded a “Just Us” episode. In part, it’s a chance to dive deep into the project that’s front of mind at POBS: the (Re)Vision Retreat for Therapist-Healers that’s coming up this August. It’s also a chance to talk about the evolution of an idea and how it moves from being something you dream about into something you can describe and then birth into the world.   How do you understand your personal and professional brand? We use Rebecca’s evolving vision of “Connectfulness” as a model of a theory and a brand that’s been incubating for a long time and that is emerging in a new way. It’s about living the story before you can tell it. It’s also about becoming the embodiment of the vision. As Marisa says, Rebecca has become Connectfulness in so many ways so the brand melted away into the lived reality.    Is there a vision or a project that has been living in your heart, your mind, and your body? We talk about brands as the intersection of the personal, the professional, and what your soul is supposed to do in this life.   And we also walk between that dual consciousness that tells you that your idea is brilliant and original and necessary and also leaves room for the fears that the idea is obvious and unnecessary. We dive into the triad of universal wisdom, personal experience, and asking yourself who else needs these insights just as you are ready to present them.   Enduring wisdom is embodied wisdom. You’re called to envision the inspirational space that is Menla Mountain Retreat - the mountains and the compassionate energy of the valley and the deep peace that runs through the land. This place is a living invitation to root into spirit and self and manifest something that will shift the world.    Learn more about  (Re)Vision: Explore Your Stories, Shape Your Future, the Practice of Being Retreat for therapist-healers that’s happening August 13 -16. The early bird rate is available through May 31.   Oh, and if you’re curious about your own Myers-Briggs definition of hell, check this out: http://thoughtcatalog.com/heidi-priebe/2015/05/the-definition-of-hell-for-each-myers-briggs-personality-type/

In this episode Professor Thurman examines the twelve verse summary of the Buddhist path as found the 12th Century “Essence of Eloquence” transcribed to Jey Tsongkapa by Manjushri in 1396-1397. Using personal stories & tales from the life of the Buddha Professor Thurman elucidates the liberty & opportunity afforded during one’s life.  Includes a short guided meditation & dialog with retreat participants. This recording is an excerpt from the “Wisdom of Love & Devotion” Retreat with Krishna Das + Robert AF Thurman at Menla Mountain Retreat, November 2016. For more teachings from this & other past programs at Menla Retreat visit the Tibet House US Member Archive.

Different actions bring about different results. Depending on these results, actions may be called skillful or unskillful, right or wrong, realistic or unrealistic. Positive types of actions (physical, verbal or mental) may be called realistic because they improve the quality of one’s life. They also happen to improve the quality of lives of others. In this podcast Professor Thurman explains why some types of actions may be called skillful and realistic, while others may not. This episode was recorded on June 8, 2016 at Menla Mountain Retreat.

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains why karma is a biological theory. Karma doesn’t mean a fate, karma means causality. You shape how you are. You shape how you are not only by what you do, but also by what you say and, most importantly, by what you think. According to the Buddhist belief, a human could have been an animal or any other life form in the previous lives. This episode was recorded on June 8, 2016 at Menla Mountain Retreat.

In this podcast Professor Thurman discusses the importance of right understanding of faith, the ability to apply doubt and skepticism on the Buddhist path without taking it to the extreme of materialism, and developing tolerance of cognitive dissonance. Professor Thurman then engages into a very interesting discussion about what intuition is and how to differentiate it from the subtle conceptual mind. This episode was recorded on March 11, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman.

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains how freedom in our choices depends on whether we are living consciously or unconsciously. There is no such thing as “meant to be”, however, each action brings about a particular result. For example, being a victim of circumstances — Professor Thurman continues — can be seen as a result of an action performed in the past and can be empowering when we take its blame upon ourselves. Also, Professor Thurman explains how we can not only live, but die consciously so to be reborn in the place we like. This episode was recorded on July 27, 2014 at the “Hiking in the Catskills” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Robert Thurman.

In this podcast professor Thurman introduces great Buddhist masters Vasubandhu and Dignaga. Vasubandhu was a brother of the famous Asangha, who met with the future Buddha Maitreya. Vasubandhu wrote a famous work of the Abhidharmakosha (The Treasury of the Clear Science), which is the third of the “three baskets” of the Buddhist teachings (vinaya, sutra and abhidharma – are the three baskets). The Abhidharma brings out the Buddhist psychology in the most systematic fashion. Dignaga (who was Vasubandhu’s teacher) explains the notion of “bare attention.” He says that the only way to “get” reality is through “bare awareness”, and that “we all are knowing ultimate reality all the time with that awareness, which is underneath and obscured by our discursive, conceptualizing awareness.” The goal is to escape from entanglement in conceptualized reality and recover bare awareness. However, Dignaga continues, since we have to acknowledge that we are trapped in this web of conceptuality, it is critical reasoning within the web of conceptuality that liberates us from the conceptuality. So, one should not demonize conceptuality. Professor Thurman goes on to explain the famous “four mindfulnesses.” He says that the Buddhist psychology is based on the idea that the more awareness touches reality, the more realistic a person becomes, the more well they become. This episode was recorded in August, 2009 at a retreat co-led by Robert Thurman and Mark Epstein, M.D. at Menla Mountain Retreat.

In this podcast Professor Thurman teaches how each of us creates causes and conditions throughout our life, and how the consequences of those causes will go with us as our consciousness continues into the journey after death (“bardo”) and finds new embodiments. As long as we are helpless victims of our unconscious, we will be drawn by impulses, and our next birth will be an “impulse purchase.” This episode was recorded on July 25, 2014 at the “Hiking in the Catskills” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Robert Thurman.

In this podcast Professor Thurman reads a description of Buddha’s Enlightenment from his translations found in “The Jewel Tree of Tibet” providing historical & meditative context. Professor Thurman goes on to consider why we do not remember our previous lives, discusses the meaning of nirvana and explains the concept of Samantabhadra. “The Buddha was in the land of Magadha in the state of purity under the tree of enlightenment, having just realized true awareness . . .” Robert AF Thurman Tibetans think of their cherished tradition of Buddhism as a “wish-fulfilling jewel tree” for its power to generate bliss and enlightenment within all who absorb its teachings. Happiness, in fact, is the true goal of Tibetan spirituality, and the wish-fulfilling jewel tree will enable you to reach that goal. This episode was recorded on March 12, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman.

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains three steps to re-create the world of suffering as the world of bliss. The first step is seeing true selflessness or emptiness — the negational freedom from all fixation to non-relative structures or non-relative core that we assume things and ourselves have. By following this insight deeply through the practice of critical analysis, one can reach an experience, in which everything, including oneself, disappears into a vast, luminous, deeply-releasing state. The second step is seeing that the reality of that “disappearing state” does not destroy the “appearing state.” Instead, the appearing state reappears like a reflection in a mirror. One realizes non-duality of the absolute and relative: the absolute emptiness is the relativity; nirvana is this relative conventional “samsaric” world. The world is samsaric (meaning “bearing suffering”) only for those who do not know that it is also the absolute, for those who think that each and every little thing in the world is an absolute, conflicting against the other absolutes. The third step is the realization of non-duality of relative and relative (thing and thing), resulting in “magnificent activities path” or “creativity path.” Based on the knowledge of the absolute being relative, relative and relative are mutually non-obstructive and into-transformable. Therefore magic and miracles are possible. Re-creating the World of Suffering as the World of Bliss – Ep. 74 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash. This episode was recorded on March 10, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman.

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains why, according to the Buddha, the human life is precious. Being able to change oneself by opening to a new insight; having intelligence, which animals do not have; expanding one’s empathy and sensitivity – these are just a few of the freedoms which make human life so precious. Professor Thurman also clarifies that the Buddhist concept of “emptiness” is not to be confused with the concept of “nothingness” espoused by some modern scientists. This episode was recorded on March 10, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman.

In this podcast Professor Thurman teaches that enlightenment is not defined as awareness of space of light, which is somewhere else, not here, in some imagined opposition to this place of light and dark that is filled with all the world’s problems, from which one should escape. That is not the Mahayana definition of enlightenment. In the Mahayana, and therefore in the Buddha’s definition, enlightenment is expanding your sense of identification, in particular, of identifying oneself with others. Among animals, humans have a particular ability to identify with one another through love (mother and child, lovers or teams are good examples of that). The Buddha’s sense of identification expands to all beings, all life. This episode was recorded on March 10, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman.

In this podcast Professor Thurman reads and comments on an excerpt from The Avataṃsaka Sutra, which describes a cosmos of realms enfolding realms, infinite world systems mutually containing one another. Professor Thurman teaches that this infinite cosmos is governed by a principle called “the emptiness [shunyata] of everything.” When you realize that, then your life becomes your work of art: everything you say, all your gestures, how you hand somebody a tea cup, the way you walk and your posture — everything is an art-form within. . . The cosmos and the individual experience of the world in which we live is empty of any absolute solidity and is relative, and therefore you can shape it. It’s your choice: to be happy, or miserable, to be angry or peaceful, and so on. This episode was recorded on December 31, 2015 at the “New Year’s Yoga & Meditation Retreat” at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman, Carolyn Christie, & Brooke Myers.

In this episode Professor Thurman explains the concept of “intrinsic reality” and how it is different from the concept of “relational reality.” He continues by explaining “emptiness,” how it has often been misunderstood for nothingness, and how emptiness is the quality of the relationality of everything, the fact that everything is empty of any non-relational component. By internalizing our understanding of emptiness we realize what is called transcendent wisdom. Out of transcendent wisdom, transcendent love grows, powerful and skillful. This podcast was recorded on December 30, 2015 at the “New Year’s Yoga & Meditation Retreat” at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman, Carolyn Christie, & Brooke Myers.

In Professor Thurman’s view, men in our society are socialized to express their anger more readily than women and are expected to be generally more dominating. Women are socialized to be more patient and accepting. Some say, they should find their way to equality through expressing more anger. However, Professor Thurman continues, we would be wrong to think that aggressiveness is a strength; rather it is a weakness. This episode was recorded on March 12, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman.   Anger Management for Women – Ep. 59 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Illustration by Viv Tanner, All rights reserved. This episode was recorded on March 11, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” & ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this episode Professor Thurman shares some secrets of a long marriage, talks about the relationship between sacred feminine and sacred masculine, and about the balance of the feminine and masculine energies in the world and inside of oneself. Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine : Buddhism 101 – Ep. 58 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Digital Image by Adam Martinakis, All Rights Reserved. This episode a part of the Buddhism 101 series using classic teachings from the archives of Robert A.F. Thurman to elucidate basic concepts of the tradition. This episode was recorded on March 11, 2016 at the “Embracing the Sacred Feminine” Retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi and Robert Thurman. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” & ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

In this episode Professor Thurman explains the concept of emptiness. Sometimes people think if they have an experience where things seem to melt into empty space, that it is a realization of emptiness. It is a valuable experience — as long as it’s not misinterpreted — however, it’s not a realization of emptiness. It can be called a threshold of realization of emptiness: the things that seem to be solid and differentiated melt into this sort of vast space. But then, the space itself is not there obstructing relative things that we perceive. The space itself is a space wherein all the relative things are, and that emptiness, and that space is empty of itself, which is expressed by saying “emptiness of emptiness.” So, a state of being apart from the world is itself empty, because it’s also a relational state. It’s a state into which you departed through a certain diamond-like concentration. This episode was recorded on December 31, 2015 at the “New Year’s Yoga & Meditation Retreat” at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman, Carolyn Christie, & Brooke Myers. To learn about this annual event, please visit: www.menla.us. Emptiness of Emptiness – Ep. 50 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by Jesse Sewell on Unsplash The “Force for Good” Course, which Professor Thurman discussed in the end of the podcast, is available as a Livestream Talk Series with Q & A. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives. This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by

In this episode Professor Thurman discusses how to deepen our mental realism about what we are, what our inner world & processes are by applying the famous Buddhist Eightfold Path. There is a great difference between Buddhist psychology and Western psychology (not a religious difference, but a scientific one). Buddhist psychology does not accept that you have to be unconscious, and that you are going to be driven forever by unconsciousness drives and energies. Although the ordinary, habitual, instinctual driven person is driven by a huge unconscious, and Freud made a great discovery about it, yet we can become conscious of our unconscious. That’s what mindfulness is about. In this way, the Eightfold Path offers us instruments in how to gain freedom in our inner processes, rather than being driven by the unconscious — in other words, how to be a master of all energies that we are enfolded with. This episode was recorded on January 3, 2015 at the “New Year’s Yoga & Meditation Retreat” at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Sharon Salzberg, Robert Thurman, Carolyn Christie, & Brooke Myers. To learn about this annual event, please visit: www.menla.us. Becoming Conscious of the Unconscious – Ep. 49 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Photo by m wrona on Unsplash The “Force for Good” Course, which Professor Thurman discussed in the end of the podcast, is available as a Livestream Talk Series with Q & A. ‘A Force For Good’ is a Tibet House US course to further the Dalai Lama’s contemporary world initiatives. This on-going series was inspired by Daniel Goleman’s ‘A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World‘. To learn more about this year’s Force For Good Series please click the image above or visit: www.tibethouse.us. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The song ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains the meaning of the cornerstone Buddhist concept of Bodhichitta, which is of two kinds: love & compassion and wisdom of emptiness. Enlightenment is a complete manifestation of it . . . This episode was recorded on December 5, 2015 at the “Shamans and Siddhas: Meeting at the Crossroads of Shamanism & Tantrism” retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by Isa Gucciardi & Robert Thurman. Two Kinds of Bodhichitta : Shantideva – Episode 47 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via www.himalayanart.org.

What do we experience when we look inside? Where do we place our confidence? Do we believe that we have mind? In this episode Professor Thurman discusses the power of questioning, the necessity of digging deeper in order to understand mind and its power. The episode is an excerpt from the the “Buddha and Yogis” retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by David Swenson, John Campbell & Robert Thurman on July 31, 2015. Misplaced Confidence : Buddha & The Yogis – Ep 35 Photo by Vicky Sim on Unsplash. This week’s episode of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

In this episode, Professor Thurman discusses visualization practice and meditation. He explains how the context which you assume will determine how much progress you can make. When you create an imagined enlightened universe, you are making vivid to yourself a preferable image, as well as loosen your own sense of yourself as being limited and incapable of change. This episode was recorded on July 31, 2015 at the “Buddha and the Yogis” retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by David Swenson, John Campbell & Robert Thurman. Visualizing an Enlightened Universe : Buddha & The Yogis – Ep. 33 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via www.himalayanart.org. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

This episode is a continuation of last week’s episode on The Heart Sutra. In this episode, Professor Thurman discusses the questions: How does free will work? What does it mean that we are all effected by causes and conditions? He also discusses how shunyata, or voidness, is a scientific discovery, not just a mystic philosophy. This episode was recorded on July 27, 2015 at the “Buddha and the Yogis” retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by David Swenson, John Campbell & Robert Thurman. Heart Sutra : Part 2 – Episode 32 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image by Miles Neale. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” & ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

The Heart Sutra is one of the most profound and widely studied texts in the Buddhist canon. In this episode, Professor Thurman reads the Heart Sutra, and explains the meaning as he goes along. This is the first of a two-part episode on the Heart Sutra. This episode was recorded on July 27, 2015 at the “Buddha and the Yogis” retreat at Menla Mountain Retreat, taught by David Swenson, John Campbell & Robert Thurman. Heart Sutra : Part 1 – Episode 31 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image by Miles Neale. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us. The songs “Trance Tibet” & ‘Dancing Ling’ by Tenzin Choegyal from the album ‘Heart Sutra‘ (2004) by Ethno Super Lounge is used on the Bob Thurman Podcast with artist’s permission, all rights reserved.

All of us have knots in our energetic system from our conditioning and emotional trauma that need to be uncoiled through spiritual practice. However, if we try to pierce them or muscle our way through them, they just get tighter. In this episode, Professor Thurman, Richard Freeman, and John Campbell discuss how to flow through the knots, based on teachings from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Buddhist Inner science. Flowing Through the Knots – Ep. 26 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via Himalayan Art. This episode was recorded at the annual summer lecture series called “Buddha & the Yogis: The Vajra Body” given by Robert Thurman, Richard Freeman and John Campbell at Menla Mountain Retreat in July 2013. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

All of us have knots in our energetic system from our conditioning and emotional trauma that need to be uncoiled through spiritual practice. However, if we try to pierce them or muscle our way through them, they just get tighter. In this episode, Professor Thurman, Richard Freeman, and John Campbell discuss how to flow through the knots, based on teachings from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Buddhist Inner science. Flowing Through the Knots – Ep. 26 of the Bob Thurman Podcast Image via Himalayan Art. This episode was recorded at the annual summer lecture series called “Buddha & the Yogis: The Vajra Body” given by Robert Thurman, Richard Freeman and John Campbell at Menla Mountain Retreat in July 2013. This week’s episode’s of the Bob Thurman Podcast was brought to you in part through the monthly support of the Tibet House US Membership Community and Menla Retreat and Dewa Spa in Phoenicia, New York. Listen to more archive recordings from from past Robert A.F. Thurman teachings + public events please consider becoming a Tibet House US member. To learn about the benefits of Tibet House US Membership please visit: www.tibethouse.us.

Shamanism and medicine are blending in a variety of unexpected places across American. This week Alan Davis, MD, PhD, medical director for Quinney Rehabilitation Institute, discusses the merging of these medicines. Davis has been studying core shamanism for a decade. Join us as we discuss how this successful MD came to core shamanism and why he finds great joy and community in this part of his life. We will explore how these disciplines are blending and enriching each other. Davis is also the president of the Board of Directors of the Society of Shamanic Practitioners (SSP) here in the US. The SSP is "an alliance of people deeply committed to the re-emergence of shamanic practices that promote healthy individuals and viable communities." Their annual conference will be held June 18-21 at Menla Mountain Retreat in the Catskills Mountains. Alan will discus Bantu Medicine men, the "Temple of Spirit", a Corn Oracle and other adventures available at this year's SSP conference.