World religion founded by the Buddha
POPULARITY
Categories
Celebrating Sylvia Boorstein's 90th birthday, Jack and Sylvia reflect on 49 years of friendship, meditation, and Dharma practice—and how awakening ultimately expresses itself through kindness, connection, and a willingness to stay amazed.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.This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield shares:Sylvia's journey through the Buddhist teachings of impermanence, suffering, and selflessness, and how intellectual understanding gradually becomes lived realizationJack and Sylvia's 49 years of friendship, from her early meditation and kundalini experiences to their travels, teaching, and shared life in the DharmaHow decades of mindfulness and metta practice made Sylvia not only kinder, but happier and more responsive to the needs of othersMeeting ourselves and one another with loving awareness, remembering our interconnectedness, and staying amazed by the mystery of being aliveThis episode was originally recorded for a special Spirit Rock Monday Night Meditation and Talk in July 2026 celebrating Sylvia Boorstein's 90th Birthday. Watch the next one at SpiritRock.orgAbout Sylvia Boorstein:Sylvia Boorstein, PhD, is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and has taught Dharma and mindfulness since 1985. A psychologist, author, and gifted storyteller, she makes Buddhist teachings accessible by emphasizing that everyday life is mindfulness practice. Her work integrates meditation, kindness, engaged citizenship, and social activism. Learn more about Sylvia at SylviaBoorstein.com“We remind each other of our freedom and our possibility. We are so deeply interwoven in the energy field of consciousness itself, and when you know it, whatever you do becomes benevolent in some really deep way.”"The shortest way to say what happened to me in 49 years is: I became kind. Seymour said, ‘No, you were always kind.' And I said, ‘Well, then I became kinder.' And the big surprise for me after all this time is that I'm also happier.” – Sylvia BoorsteinAbout Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield, PhD trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India, and Burma. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness practice to the West, has taught internationally since 1974, and is the author of 16 books which have sold 2 million copies.Stay connected with Jack and explore his latest offerings at JackKornfield.com.http://jackkornfield.com. Sign up for his free weekly email teachings, explore his transformational online courses, access his complete course library through the All Access Pass, or join his monthly livestreams and online community. Jack's latest book, All In This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World is out now!“We remind each other of our freedom and our possibility. We are so deeply interwoven in the energy field of consciousness itself, and when you know it, whatever you do becomes benevolent in some really deep way.” –Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Resident poet Matthew is back with a deep exploration of the Buddhist and personal lore around listening practice, as wayward monks almost get sexy, a patron saint of listening saves us all by finding the sound of her own heart beat, Matthew reveals his awkward youthful misdeeds, and we dissolve the boundaries between ourselves and everybody else to find ourselves just a little more free. Are wisdom and compassion just another word for listening? Can we still function in the world if we drop the narrative of its story? Is listening to ourselves checking out the most fool proof way to tune in?? Find out here!
A.M. Edition for Aug. 26. A bullish AI forecast from Nvidia lifts markets. And despite blockbuster growth and revenue forecasts, IG Markets' Chris Beauchamp says Nvidia still has more room to run. Plus, Fed chairman Kevin Warsh has so far kept his views on interest rates to himself. But investors hope that's about to change. And, WSJ's Tripti Lahiri brings us the latest from the devastating floods in Nepal and China. Luke Vargas hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Questions about what to say to someone who finds it hard to believe in a God that lumps non-criminals in with murderers and rapists when he sends them to Heaven or Hell, and whether all receive the same punishment in Hell. What could you ask a non-believer who finds it hard to believe in a God that lumps non-criminals in with murderers and rapists when he sends them to Heaven or Hell? Do all receive the same punishment in Hell? Does Hitler receive the same eternal punishment as a Buddhist?
We're back with the fourth episode in our series in which we're working our way through Pam's book, The Unschooling Journey: A Field Guide. Today, we're continuing our exploration of the deschooling phase of the journey with stage eight: Accepting the Value of All Experiences. We’ve questioned our beliefs about learning and about parenting. Now we're moving beyond judgement. As our understanding of this new world of unschooling grows, we are drawn to digging deeper. Using the lens of unschooling, we're exploring what it means to be a human being living fully in the world, with all of the ups and downs. We had a great time diving in. We hope you find this episode helpful on your unschooling journey! Watch the video of our conversation on YouTube. THINGS WE MENTION IN THIS EPISODE Learn more about Pam's book, The Unschooling Journey: A Field Guide. We invite you to join us in the Living Joyfully Network, a warm and welcoming online community of like-hearted parents. It's a non-judgmental space where you can steep in these unconventional ideas around parenting, relationships, and learning, and explore what they might look like day-to-day in your uniquely wonderful family. We offer a free month trial so you can see if it's a good fit for you. Click here to join us. Sign up to our mailing list on Substack to receive our email newsletters as well as new articles about learning, parenting, and so much more! Check out our website, livingjoyfully.ca for more information about exploring unschooling and navigating relationships. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT PAM: Hello, everyone. I’m Pam Laricchia from Living Joyfully. And I am joined today by my co-hosts Anna Brown and Erika Ellis. ANNA, ERIKA: Hello. PAM: And we are back with another episode in our A Field Guide series. We are working our way through my book, The Unschooling Journey: A Field Guide, which is framed around the hero’s journey and is a weave of myths, contemporary stories and tales from my own journey. We are now deep in the deschooling phase. In the last episode of this series, episode 413, we dug into some of the popular conventional paradigms about parenting, and we found more truths buried there. And as we continue our journey on the road of trials, we’re exploring the idea of accepting the value of all experiences. If you’re newer to unschooling, and this is your first time exploring these truths, you’re likely dancing with these ideas intellectually to understand what they mean and some of their further reaching implications. If you’ve been unschooling for a while and feel like you already intellectually embrace these ideas and have been bringing them into your family’s lives, now’s the time to peel back some more layers to build more connections and context around them, strengthening your web of understanding with your personal experiences, building your wisdom as you move towards believing them in your bones as your own truth. Now we are well into the deschooling phase. In the last two stages, we challenged those conventional pieces of wisdom around learning, like embracing curiosity rather than following curriculum, and parenting, replacing control with connection as our relationship dynamic with our kids. These stages often have lots of twists and turns as we bring these ideas into life, life into our family, and see how things unfold, right? Again, not about right or wrong. We’re gaining experience, we’re seeing how things happen. So this episode, which is stage eight of the journey, we’re exploring the idea of accepting the value of all experiences. In other words, we’re moving beyond judgment. Now here we go. As our understanding of this new world of unschooling grows, we are drawn to digging deeper. Using the lens of unschooling, we’re exploring what it means to be a human being living fully in the world. So Joseph Campbell calls this stage the meeting with the goddess. So in myths and stories, the hero must be spiritually prepared to meet this revered goddess, the universal mother, who represents the whole cycle of life. To meet her in her true form is to rise to her challenge and be able to contemplate the entire birth death cycle that she presents with equanimity with calmness and composure, the ups and the downs, the good and the bad, cosmic creation and destruction, to be able to hold both of these seemingly opposing ideas, opposites in your mind with comparable appreciation. So in the book, I shared that Kali from Hindu mythology is a great example of the kind of goddess you might meet in this stage. As a goddess of time, creation and destruction, she represents both the benevolence of a caring, comforting mother, and the fury of an aggressive punishing one, as well as the expanse of time that contains them both. So, when we look at Kali’s right side, we see good and on the left, we see bad. That’s what she represents. And when we are ready to grasp the truth that lies at the heart of this stage, we see her full nature, both. We see her in full. And we’ve been preparing to meet our Kali with all that we’ve learned so far on our unschooling journey. Like how on earth are we going to link those together? Here we go. We started to see the connections play out between our new perspective on things like we talked about in the last Field Guide episode, like why quitting things isn’t bad, right? Why saying yes more to our kids isn’t bad. Why are kids seemingly doing nothing is not bad. We’ve noticed times when we didn’t stop our child from making a choice that we feared might go badly. And they went on to happily engage with the activity. So by giving our days the time to unfold more naturally, we’ve seen new and interesting things take root in the wake of destruction and upset many times. From a fallen block tower springs a taller, sturdier one. From highly anticipated plans falling through emerges, say, a spontaneous trip to the park, or a cuddly movie day, which turns out to be just what was needed. Without knowing it, we have been thoroughly preparing ourselves for this meeting. And for me, I think the key shift has been your mantra, Anna, there’s plenty of time. The trick was giving moments more time and space to unfold. That allowed me to see how seemingly good and bad moments actually weave together that they’re not like just separate single incidents. They’re not like these distinct events where I can tell you that like, oh, we had five good moments today and seven bad moments. So that was a losing day, or if they were the opposite, that was a winning day, right? To see the fuller, bigger picture, see how this is our life and, and the good and bad were weaving together. But that block tower one is just something I remember, you know, one kid running up and knocking it over. And like just those pieces, think of your own stories in your own life. Think back to when you’ve seen those things go from, from bad something upsetting to working out well, and vice versa. It’s all so very interesting, I think. ANNA: Yeah, it is. And I think Kali is such an interesting representation for this phase, because many people are very afraid to get Kali in a reading because they associate her with destruction. But yes, both pieces are there, creation and destruction. And it fits here so well, because how I see that destruction part is really just a sweeping away of old paradigms, creating a clean slate, allowing us to build a stronger foundation when that tower of our ideas are knocked down, and a new framework to support where we are now with all of this new information that we’re taking in. And it really can’t be built on top of the old. We can take what we’ve learned with us. So it’s not that we’re leaving everything behind. But letting go of the fear around letting go of the old and embracing a new paradigm allows us to fully open to all it can bring us. And a lot of discomfort comes, I think, in straddling the old and new, because we aren’t actually fully in either at that point. And releasing judgment was such a key part of my journey. You know, in my 20s, I loved a good debate and was quite adept at it. And as I started to value connection over winning, I realized how disconnecting the judgment was. I will never know what’s best for another person, even my child. So any judgment of them or their actions actually just keeps me from learning about them, who they are, how they want to move through the world, what their priorities are. And honestly, it keeps my own learning stagnant. If I’m so sure I know what’s best, how do I see a new way, a way that might serve me better in this moment where I am right now. And I love the tally piece that you mentioned because I think it’s a really slippery slope. If we are focused on categorizing the day or the event as good or bad, we’re missing the nuance that exists in every day, every event, because there’s always going to be both, they exist together. And while our brain can like this idea of categorizing as a shortcut, it really takes us out of being present in each moment. And it can end up dictating our emotions around it. So have we had a good week? Okay, then I can feel happy and feel good. I’m a great parent, we’ve done it this week. But then if this week has been bad, then there must be something wrong with me, and I should have done something differently. That type of judgment and kind of surface level ranking just doesn’t serve us personally or relationally. And it can really keep us stuck in this yucky cycle, instead of learning and growing together. And so that is something to watch for that like, oh, this was good and so now this means X, you know, whereas again, I think the idea of plenty of time really does help just let things unfold, and not getting attached to those pieces, we just learn so much more. ERIKA: Yes, I like this phase, because it really feels to me like having gained some perspective, and maybe some maturity, after making a whole lot of huge mental shifts and paradigm shifts we’ve been working through in the last few episodes. And so I just think life is so much more nuanced than there’s one right answer, or there’s one right way to do something. And I think we may absorb that message in school that there is a right answer or one right path. But it’s so much more real and true to living life in this world to be in this gray area, there are infinite possibilities, there are infinite paths, we’re not sure how it’s going to play out. And so I feel a lot more grounded and safe when I have that perspective, and I’m not clinging so strongly to this is good, this is bad. I also feel a lot more generous and nonjudgmental towards other people as well. Because I can recognize, we’re just all doing our best in each moment to meet our own needs and just figure out what’s going to work best for us. And we’re all different. And I don’t need to judge others. And I just feel like it’s a grounding place to be, when we get to this stage. PAM: Yeah. Oh, I love that. Okay, so the next aspect we want to explore around the idea of accepting the value of all experiences is moving beyond this is good and bad. So in the book, I share a quote that’s usually attributed to Alexander Graham Bell. When one door closes, another opens. But we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us. I think that succinctly describes life before this encounter with the goddess, right? We don’t realize the connection between destruction and creation between good and bad on that continuum of time. So this is the wisdom that the stories of Kali and other cosmic mother goddesses are meant to convey, rather than being tossed around by the ups and downs of life, like that whole roller coaster image, we now see the value of and the connection between those moments. So as we’ve been paying attention on our journey, giving things time and space to unfold, which you hear us talking about all the time on the podcast, we’ve soon experienced the cycle and had time to learn that trying to rush through the down times doesn’t work. We can’t pry open a door that doesn’t want to give. We’ve learned that doesn’t mean passively sitting back and waiting. It means being attentive, just like from that quote, right? Maybe knocking on a door, wandering the hallway, noticing the door that’s slightly ajar, hearing the faint click of a doorknob being unlocked. Eventually, something happens and things move forward, maybe in unexpected ways. But in my experience, often in more interesting ways than we had first imagined. That was us looking at that door, that’s where we thought we were going. That’s where we thought things were going to be. But when we there’s just so many more ways that life can unfold. I actually really learned this more through observing my kids’ lives in action. So often, when I was able to stretch my comfort zones and follow them where they were eager to go, the door they wanted to go through, I saw them learning so much, both when things went well and when they didn’t. There’s that good/bad. I was humbled by how often my initial predictions were just flat out wrong. Thank goodness I kept them to myself because I wasn’t ready quite yet to admit how often I was wrong. But without me clouding their experience with my judgment, they could more clearly and directly learn what was most valuable to them in the moment, because that’s where their mind was. That’s where their whole body was. I want to be in this moment, and just see how it plays out. So as my wish to understand my children’s perspective, and choices grew, my need to judge them truly faded. And with that, so did so many of our conflicts, and our trust in each other grew. And again, remember that not judging isn’t about giving in or giving up or saying do whatever you want, right? It’s about engaging more deeply but with openness. The image that helps me is beginner’s mind. What can I learn here? That’s what this stage is encouraging us to discover. It’s about seeing the value of all aspects of life, moving through the bad moments with as much awareness as the good ones, not covering your eyes and trying to ignore them until they pass. Because, as you see, through all the ups and downs, all these moments are integral to our lives. They all mean something. They all help us learn something. ERIKA: Yeah, that’s a huge shift when we can stop labeling things as good and bad. It’s just more complicated than that. And I think our judging tends to influence what happens next. And so I don’t, I certainly don’t want to label my day as a bad day, especially at the beginning, which I do hear people do that sometimes. Because a day has all kinds of moments in it. And we don’t know what’s going to happen next. And by labeling it bad, I think we’re just setting ourselves up for well, now it is going to be bad because we said that. But we learned from it all. In some of the meditation courses I’ve participated in, I really came to understand and value that idea of equanimity. It’s a power that we can cultivate, to be able to just witness the turbulent nature of life and still see the bigger picture. It feels like not getting swept up by every little thing that’s happening. And it helps keep me going and moving towards the things that I want. Whereas if I am getting swept up, it makes it so I’m so overwhelmed that I can’t even face what’s happening or make decisions or move forward. And so I feel like if we can move away from judging ourselves, judging others, judging all the moments as good or bad, I think there’s just so much more potential and so many more possibilities in front of us. To me, it has a very spacious feeling. ANNA: Yeah, I really like that visual, witnessing the turbulent nature of life, but not getting swept away. I think that therein lies that practice of equanimity and just presence. I feel like the categorizing that I mentioned earlier keeps us from really appreciating the nuances of all the experiences. Each experience brings with it a wealth of knowledge and understanding about ourselves, about each other, about the world. And the idea of releasing good or bad always brings to mind for me the Taoist farmer story. I’ll post a better version in the show notes. But the idea is that there’s a farmer who has a series of events happen to his family at each event, the village wants to weigh in with, Oh, what bad luck you’re having? Or Oh, what good luck you’re having? And each time the farmer answers maybe. His horse runs away, bad luck. Maybe. His horse returns with six more wild horses. Good luck. Maybe. His son breaks his leg on a new horse. Bad luck. Maybe. His son doesn’t have to go to war when all the other young men do. Good luck. Maybe. As the story unfolds, you see how something first appears is never the whole of the story. And if we can step away from preconceived notions and judging everything as good or bad, it opens us to more nuances, to new paths, to new ideas. Even just bringing “maybe” into our mind when something happens can slow us down and help us widen our view. Because we get caught up with the quick snap judgment, and it creates this ripple that really narrows our focus, and keeps us from seeing the bigger picture. And that’s the thing with good or bad, it is just this narrowing of the focus. And so if instead, I acknowledge that what is happening just is, I’m more open to seeing the opportunities for growth and learning, I’m more open to actually experiencing it. And I guess that’s a big piece for me, because judging really takes us out of the moment and puts us back into our head. We’re categorizing, this is a problem, this is not good, this is bad, end of story. But there’s no end to the story. Each bit of life leads to another and weaves into this larger tapestry. And with openness and willingness, we can create this massive tapestry that keeps us learning and growing throughout our life. And once we understand that for ourselves, we can see that our kids are doing exactly the same. They are on their own unique journey, building their own unique, massive tapestry. PAM: I love that piece. And the word maybe could be so helpful if you’re navigating this stage right now. And just put a little card that says maybe somewhere where you see it. It’s just a little reminder that judging something in that moment, maybe you’re right but maybe not. Let’s let things unfold. Okay, so the next aspect we want to explore around the idea of accepting the value of all experiences is the epiphany moment. We’ve talked before about how we often understand things intellectually before we feel them as truth in our bones. And in the book, I liken the intellectual understanding as puzzle pieces we have floating around in our minds, right? They each make sense to us on an intuitive level, but they haven’t really quite solidly clicked into place. So as you begin this stage of moving beyond judgment, you may not yet have enough puzzle pieces to grasp what this not judging thing might look like in the bigger picture. And then at some point, the piece appears that kind of changes everything. The moment that sparks this epiphany, as with so many other insights on our unschooling journey, truly might be quite ordinary. It doesn’t need to be a special puzzle piece. It’s just the puzzle piece for you. This is the one, for some reason, that gives you the flash of insight. All of a sudden, you can see the picture you’re building, and how the pieces are going to fit together. So, the naivete, it’s so easy to write, less so much to say. But this naive urge to judge something becomes clear, and our understanding of the value of all experiences, good, bad, otherwise, medium, whatever word you’re using, or words you’re using to judge things, rises out of the confusing free-for-all that we first envisioned at the thought of moving beyond. If we’re not judging things, everything is just, everything’s good then? What does that mean? From this turning point, this epiphany, our perspective shifts. We stop desperately trying to avoid or escape bad moments. Understanding that they, while, absolutely not what we’ve hoped for, are just moments. And, as you often talk about, Anna, we grow to trust ourselves to handle whatever kind of moment comes our way. A deeper sense of confidence begins to take root, as we more mindfully engage in all the moments of our days. And, we more clearly see our children living this trust and confidence. I think it’s something humans are born knowing. But, we lose track of it growing up when we’re immersed in judgment, shame, and fear. And those being used to control us. Going back to that last episode of Control and Connection. And, it hits us now. We’ve got this puzzle piece. Life isn’t about trying to avoid the bad moments, so we can finally live our good lives. And, we’re just like, I want this good life. I want this good life. We have been living our full lives, our rich lives, all along. ANNA: I think there’s just such a beautiful freedom in recognizing that life is going to contain it all. It’s not about optimizing. It isn’t something we can control. There is not one path that will lead to everything being perfect. I think, as the Buddhists would say, the suffering is in the attachment to that outcome. And so, to me, it really plays out. If I’m gripping so tightly to control, thinking I can somehow make the right choice, and then everything will always be great, it feels so dysregulating when it doesn’t happen that way, when I’ve tried so hard, and then the mark has been missed. Again, that goal that we talked about a little bit earlier. If instead, I’m just open and curious, and greeting things as they come, be them obstacles or gifts, with the same open energy, I can stay regulated, and I can find the growth available to me in all of those areas, in both, in obstacles and the beautiful gifts of life. And that’s where I got to the place that you mentioned. The epiphany for me was seeing how well we worked together, how we survived whatever came our way. We had tools to get through it, and that doesn’t take away the sting of disappointment or loss when it happens, because it still can sting. But our relationships were solid. Nothing felt shaky there. And from that foundation, the bumps felt more manageable. So, instead of the acrobatics of trying to miss the bumps, my focus was on strengthening our connection and our communication, so that we could roll over the bumps together. That was something that I could actually influence. Attempting to stop the bumps never worked, no matter how hard I tried. It’s outside of my control, and it ends up taking me out of the moment, and I’m actually not using the time or energy to strengthen my relationships. I’m over here juggling and trying to do something perfectly. And I think this can be really hard at first, though, because we really have been taught that there are answers, that things fit nicely into good and bad and right and wrong. And so, when something so widely accepted, like school, isn’t working for your family, it can feel very intense. We become invested in finding the next right answer, but it’s not about that. Life is about nuance, growth, exploration. It’s messier and more unpredictable than that. But again, I think once we embrace that and understand what we can control, which is basically just how we show up and who we are, there is a freedom, a release that happens. It opens you up to see the beauty in all of it, the beauty and the value in all experiences. So, back to the theme. ERIKA: I love that, and I know it feels hard sometimes, because it really does feel like maybe I can control everything, and then I’ll know how it’s going to turn out, and it’ll all turn out perfectly. But life shows me that it doesn’t work like that. But that’s not failing. That’s just life. And so, I can connect with other people, because we all are sharing this human experience of all of these parts. Life has it all. And if someone in my life seems unable to see that for themselves, I know that’s just where they are on their own journey. I don’t have to pull them to where I am. Life has it all, the ups and the downs, and we’re just going to roll with it. If someone’s not ready for that, I can’t get them there. It’s one of those things that I think just has to click for us in time, and I guess that’s why we’re calling it the epiphany here. So, yeah, I love that. PAM: It has to click for us. I love that. I love that. And, okay, so this last aspect that we want to dive into is embracing the value of time. And just imagine, time is what we’ve been talking about to see how good and bad are actually linked together, and they don’t need to be judged. They’re things that happen. They’re things that have happened, and this led to this and maybe to this. Anyway, I had mentioned earlier that I think the key shift for me in understanding this stage of the journey was really in your mantra, Anna, there’s plenty of time. This is the piece that I wanted to bring out because there’s two aspects of time for me that came to me. One was giving moments more time and space to unfold. That’s what we’ve been talking about. Most often, we don’t need to solve moments, right? I don’t need to ride the high of good as long as I can, and I don’t need to fix the bad as fast as I can. That is just something that fades alongside the urge to judge them, that this is what comes with the epiphany. But the other was more time to ponder things. There’s a deeper level of understanding that comes with continuing to poke and prod our thoughts, to look at our ideas from this way and that way, up close, far away, sideways. Giving myself that time and space allowed me to see how seemingly good and bad moments actually weave together. It’s just the up and down and in and out of playing with things. It’s like, oh, it was so useful to me to recognize when I get stuck in something, right? I need to change how I’m looking at something. And truly, if you are persistent, you will reach deeper levels of understanding, moving from the comprehension, if this is kind of your first engagement with these kinds of ideas, that makes some sense to experience. Then you see these ideas in action. So often for us, it’s seeing them in action with our kids, right? And then to the truth, you’ve seen them play out multiple times in multiple circumstances, and you’re starting to see how they might actually apply to you as well. And this stage is just a great example of this. If discovering the truth around learning and parenting in the last two stages was akin to adding new landmarks to your map, this stage was about taking the time to explore them more fully, eventually revealing like the secluded trails that connect them. We also get our first taste of the fruits of this inner journey. Releasing that need to be constantly judging things is just so freeing. I mean, the curiosity that bubbles up from that, it was just life changing for me. Time is a priceless and integral part of both our journey to understand and embrace unschooling, but also the practice of unschooling itself forevermore. We’ve gone from intellectually understanding that life encompasses good and bad moments to experiencing the learning about the world and about ourselves that is found in both kinds of moments, to embracing the truth that all moments, good, bad, and all manner in between moments have value in our lives. We are learning through the ups and downs, through the good and bad. This is life or as Campbell describes it, which I thought was cool, the nature of being. Yeah, that lands for me. ERIKA: That’s beautiful. I love that. I can definitely find myself clinging to time when things are feeling good, and just wishing it would slow down. But really the only way to slow down time that I’ve found is to get really present, and take note of all the things that are happening in this moment. There are all kinds of feelings, experiences, things to see, people to be with. And so I don’t typically wish away time even when things are hard. I think it’s a human impulse to do that though, like I just wish this day was over. But I think my personality specifically tends to cling to time rather than hope it goes by faster. But I have found there’s plenty of time to be just such a soothing phrase. It’s a reminder for me to just relax, let go of my intensity about finding that solution or getting to a certain place. I mean, even physically getting to a place, we have to get to whatever, get to the party on time. And I love how we all hear Anna’s voice in our minds with that reminder. It really helps me move out of that kind of tunnel vision and to a more grounded place where I can see what’s actually in front of me and make decisions about what to do next. And even just taking a breath can be so helpful too, just to settle down my nervous system. There’s plenty of time. We’ve got this. And just let me be present in this moment. ANNA: Yeah. Oh my goodness. How many times do we remind each other that we’ve got this during any given week and that there’s plenty of time?! It really does calm my nervous system and sometimes it feels cheesy to type or hear. But it also calms my nervous system every time because it’s true because we have a history of having gotten it. And so I know we will keep doing it, but I do think it’s fun to think about time. It’s just such an interesting concept and it can drive so many feelings and behaviors, or I guess maybe more accurately our reactions and interplay with time drives the feelings and behavior, but understanding that helps us see the choice, right? So time can seem to be crawling and then it can fly by in a blink and can often feel out of our control. But I like the pieces that have been pulled out, like the idea of giving space to a moment, not needing to rush in with solutions or move quickly through it. I think we do that sometimes because we don’t like to sit in discomfort. But that discomfort has messages for us. It’s not a scary place. It can be a place of growth and we miss that if we’re rushing through it, just like we miss the joy present in those small moments, as well, if we’re always rushing ahead to the next thing. And the unfolding became such an important concept to me. I was a planner. I still am, but with a lighter, more playful grip. Allowing moments and days to unfold, I started to see this organic flow that was always present, a flow I had really missed in my tightly controlled timelines. And I started to feel a real difference in my body. The tightness that I was literally carrying as I was trying to plan and control all the things versus the softness, the openness in my body when we just allowed a day to unfold. And that learning could happen in a moment when I stopped talking and observed. These things were not easy for me. That is why ‘there’s plenty of time' is such an important mantra for me, because I could feel myself relax with that reminder. And it is not my natural state of being. I am wanting to do, do, do, maximize, go, do. There’s not enough time. But boy, it really helps ground me. And then the part you mentioned, Pam, about time to ponder, that was also really critical. I had to slow down and trust in the time to find the deeper layers, to better understand myself and the people around me. And it doesn’t happen overnight. It happens with an intentional commitment to take the time to feel the feelings, to dig into the layers, to understand the connections, the reactions, the context, the ideas that we’re holding on to. I don’t think you can grow, have growth without time to be in that space. And so what I learned about myself was that my kind of go, go, tight control and planning was really me trying to outrun some past trauma pieces and things I didn’t want to look at about myself, and maybe even about the world and the things around me. And slowing down felt really scary. But I really allowed myself space to feel the feelings and understand how my patterns from childhood were showing up now. And that was really the only way I could make changes and show up in new ways to be the person I wanted to be for my kids. So that shift is kind of what you’re talking about Pam, the ideas, they feel great, this kind of intellectual understanding. But it took me doing this slowed down work to really get to feel it in my bones and be able to act on it from my bones versus just this intellectual understanding. PAM: Yeah. Oh, and just to wrap things up, as I was writing the book and really thinking about the phases. I could see how those three ideas came together. That’s why I love choosing Kali, here’s a goddess who is time, creation, and destruction, those three things good, bad and unfolding, are just so integral to growing as a human being to understand what’s going on at some level. There are always more layers, as we talked about, but it’s just fascinating for me to see how these things so beautifully weave together as part of this tapestry. I love that image, too. Okay, so thanks so much to everyone for joining us. We hope you enjoyed this dive into the third stage of the de-schooling phase of our journey, as we explored the idea of accepting the value of all experiences. And we invite you to join us in the Living Joyfully Network to continue this conversation because we love talking about this stuff. It’s a warm and welcoming online community of like-hearted parents, a non-judgmental space where you can steep in these unconventional unschooling ideas, and just start to explore and talk about what they might look like day-to-day in your uniquely wonderful family. Your first month is free, so you can get a sense of whether the community is a good fit for you. We are excited to welcome you. To learn more and join us, just follow the link in the show notes or go to livingjoyfully.ca and choose Network in the menu. Wishing everyone a lovely day. Thanks so much, you guys. Bye.
Will AI take our jobs? Kill us? This episode provides both fact-checking and a psychological survival guide. Cal Newport is a Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, where he is also a founding faculty member of the Center for Digital Ethics and the inaugural Director of the Computer Science, Ethics and Society academic program. He is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including, most recently, Slow Productivity, A World Without Email, Digital Minimalism, and Deep Work. Newport is also a long-time contributing writer for the New Yorker and the host of the Deep Questions podcast. Matthew Brensilver, MSW, PhD teaches retreats at the Insight Retreat Center, Spirit Rock Meditation Center and Insight Meditation Society. Before committing to teach meditation full-time, he spent years doing research on addiction pharmacotherapy at the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine. Each winter and summer, he offers a four-month online Buddhist Psychology Training through Spirit Rock integrating Buddhist wisdom with modern psychotherapy. Matthew is the co-author of two books about meditation during adolescence and continues to be interested in the unfolding dialogue between Buddhism and science. In this episode we talk about: What really happened when an AI agent hacked a company while running a test Why one Silicon Valley belief system may be fueling AI panic more than the tech itself Why senior programmers are quietly going back to writing code by hand Where Cal draws the line on using AI to help you write versus write for you Why Matthew worries AI could quietly replace the ordinary, unfinished parts of daily life Buddhist advice on being with this unprecedented moment How stabilizing your mind makes acceptance possible, and how to do it Why calming the sense of emergency doesn't erase uncertainty, but makes it easier to face Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Additional Resources:This episode is sponsored by: Tonal: Right now, Tonal is offering our listeners $200 off your Tonal purchase at tonal.com with promo code HAPPIER. To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris
This talk was given by Mikey Noechel during the Summer of Love Retreat in Sewanee, TN on July 15th-19th, 2026. Mikey offers the second afternoon instructions on compassion meditation. Enjoy! Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.orgDONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donateFollow Us on Socials!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
Self-care podcast exploring Benefits of Meditation Practice, Why We Fear Silence & Ways to Support Our Nervous System Through Change With Elena Brower. TOPICS:: ** Benefits of Meditation Practice (10:17). ** Why We Fear Silence (17:06). ** Ways to Support Our Nervous System Through Change (23:47). NOTES:: Show notes: amberapproved.ca/podcast/688 Leave me a review at amberapproved.ca/review Email me at info@amberapproved.ca Health Practitioners sign up for the Body Freedom Certification Waitlist: https://amber-romaniuk.mykajabi.com/body-freedom-certification-waitlist Take the NEW Free Hormone Imbalance Quiz here: https://amberapproved.ca/hormone-imbalance-quiz Subscribe to newsletter: https://amber-romaniuk.mykajabi.com/newsletter-sign-up SHOW LINKS: Click below to schedule a 30 minute Complimentary Body Freedom Consultation https://amberapproved.ca/body-freedom-consultation/ Take my free Emotional Eating Quiz here: http://amberapproved.ca/emotional-eating-quiz Listen to Episode 668 about what it's like to work with me here: https://amberapproved.ca/podcast/668 Follow me on Instagram www.instagram.com/amberromaniuk Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@amberromaniuk/ ABOUT MY GUEST: Mother, mentor, poet, artist, volunteer, bestselling author, and podcast host, Elena Brower is a celebrated international yoga and meditation teacher on Glo, guiding transformative practices since 1999. Her new book, Hold Nothing, was published by Shambhala Publications in November 2025. Her column on Substack by the same name, Hold Nothing, supports girls and women, through On The Inside, Girls on Fire Leaders, Women for Women, and Free Food Kitchen. Her debut book, Art of Attention, was published in 2012 and has been translated into seven languages. Her bestselling journals Practice You and Being You, her collection of poetry entitled Softening Time, along with courses, classes, and talks, explore stages of studentship, practice, life, and listening. She hosts the acclaimed podcast Practice You, a series of deep, compassionate conversations with teachers, artists, and thinkers, intended to support you through life's transitions, encouraging presence, care, and openness. Offering new virtual classes weekly on Glo.com, Elena weaves body, breath, art, and contemplative mindfulness into practice. Bridging ancient yogic precision with creative depth and emotional intelligence, she serves individuals in cultivating resilience and inner alignment. In 2023, she received Jukai (lay Buddhist vows) from Roshi Joan Jiko Halifax at Upaya Zen Center, and is a student in Upaya's Chaplaincy Training. As part of her service, she volunteers in hospice and penitentiary settings. https://elenabrower.com/holdnothing | https://instagram.com/elenabrower MY PARTNERS: Designs For Health Blood Sugar Bundle! One of the hardest parts of overcoming my emotional eating was the INSANE SUGAR and carb cravings. It was the intense sugar and carb cravings. That's why I created my Blood Sugar Bundle with Designs for Health to support your body while you work on emotional eating and breaking binge patterns. It includes chromium for blood sugar balance, L-glutamine to help curb cravings fast, a high-quality probiotic for gut health, and a clean Pure Paleo protein powder to keep you full and stable. I only recommend Designs for Health to my clients because they are third-party tested, family-owned, and use the highest quality ingredients. Quality matters when it comes to truly supporting your body and getting results. Get 30% off The Blood Sugar Bundle in USA and Canada automatically applied at checkout below! Canada Blood Sugar Bundle here for 30% off! USA Blood Sugar Bundle here for 30% off! You can also get 30% off any Designs for Health supplements anytime, it's my gift to you. Canada: www.designsforhealth.ca (code AMBER30) USA: www.designsforhealth.com (code AMBER88) MY PARTNERS: HERBAL FACE FOOD Stubborn eczema, red spots, aging spots, or acne on your face, chest, arms, or back from hormones or hard water damage? I have something SO amazing for you. Our mineral-heavy water started impacting my skin the moment we moved, and I had never experienced eczema or skin issues in my life. Hard water can strip natural oils, disrupt the microbiome, and weaken the skin barrier — leaving you inflamed, reactive, and stuck in flare-ups. That's exactly what happened to my neck, and within almost two weeks of using Herbal Face Food, my eczema is almost gone. This stuff is legit — and I only share my favorite things that actually work. Their formulas are made with ultra-potent, organic, whole-plant botanicals rich in antioxidants, polyphenols, and phytonutrients that calm inflammation, rebuild the skin barrier, and fight visible signs of aging instead of masking symptoms. The Cure is their most targeted antioxidant treatment designed to visibly improve stubborn concerns like eczema, melasma, rosacea, scarring, sun damage, and deeper signs of aging. The Cream is a deeply hydrating, ultra-potent botanical moisturizer that firms, smooths, strengthens the skin barrier, and helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles. The Soap gently cleanses without stripping, using powerful plant concentrates to protect, nourish, and support healthy, youthful-looking skin on both the face and body. If your skin has been struggling from hormones, environmental stress, hard water damage, or premature aging, I'm sharing exactly what I'm using and why it's working. Shop through my link in the show notes or visit https://herbalfacefood.com/?ref=AMBER88 and use code AMBER88 at checkout for 30% off your entire order.
Episode 0956 - Wisdom & Momentum on the Path (RA) (Click on the above link, or here for audio.) Commentary on Ra's comment in Session 77 (77.24) about the "momentum based upon the characteristics of wisdom when applied to circumstance." Love-wisdom balance in 7-chakra energy development and 7-density evolution; correlation with Buddhist first fruit Sotapanna, Lucy-film's 20% brain activation
Ben, also know as "Sleepless in San Francisco" hasn't been able to get a good night's rest for over a decade. He's tried noise machines, medication, vodka, even eating cheese -- but nothing has worked. In this episode of How To!, we bring in Andy Puddicombe, a former Buddhist monk and co-founder of the meditation app Headspace, to help Ben hit the hay. Plus, some new information from the frontiers of sleep from your host, Charles Duhigg! Learn more about Sleep at Charles Duhigg's newsletter, The Science of Better! You can find it here: https://charlesduhigg.substack.com/p/the-science-of-sleep-how-to-slay Do you have a burning question or a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at charles@charlesduhigg.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
This conversation brings together four practitioners from Sufi, Christian, and Buddhist traditions to examine how the values of spiritual ecology are embedded within their different faiths. Drawing upon the themes within Remembering Earth, the new book by Emergence founding editor Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, they explore how restoring embodied practices of ecological reverence can help us cultivate a space where divinity becomes expansive.Read the transcriptDiscover Remembering Earth: A Spiritual EcologyImage Credit: Amy Woodward / Connected Archives
Love is complex in our culture, tied up with finding a single person to satisfy our huge list of needs and dreams, whom we then grant the exclusive gift of our affection. But love—loving-kindness from the Buddhist perspective—is simpler, free from attachment. It's wishing others to be happy.Episode 25: What Is Love?If you'd like to practice with others and bring these ideas into your life, join our weekly meditation community with Scott.
Two Old Bitches: Stories from Women who Reimagine, Reinvent and Rebel
How did mindfulness become part of everyday life in America? Mirabai Bush has been at the center of that story for more than 50 years. A longtime collaborator of Ram Dass, co-founder of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, and co-creator of Google's Search Inside Yourself program, she shares how a trip to India in 1970 led her to Ram Dass, Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein, and other pioneers who helped bring Buddhist meditation and contemplative practice to the West. Mirabai reflects on introducing mindfulness into nonprofits and companies like Google, where emotional intelligence became just as important as technical skill. She shares insights about compassion, leadership, activism, and why contemplative activism could shape how we live and the choices we make.Her words and spirit offer a beautiful merger of wisdom and love. At 86, Mirabai has valuable perspectives on aging, friendship, legacy, and death. Drawing from a lifetime of teaching and her memoir Almost Home, she shares what she's learned about looking within, living with intention, and making peace with life's final chapter. Connect with Mirabai: Website: https://mirabaibush.com/ Instagram: @mirabaibush Facebook: www.facebook.com/MirabaiBushteacher Credits & Sound Clips: A Long Way - SergePavkinMusic Inspiring Cinematic Music - Tunetank Delicate Cinematic - Dmitrii Kolesnikov Order Almost Home by Mirabai Bush at: https://shop.ramdass.org/products/almost-home Visit www.twooldbitches.com Follow us on Instagram @twooldbitches, Twitter @TwoOldBitches, Facebook @TwoOBPodcast Created, Produced and hosted by Joanne Sandler & Idelisse Malavé
The Man Who Was Fired Five Times How Letting Go of Blame Can Transform Your Life Hosts: Kevin Cornelius, LMFT Dr. David Burns What if the biggest obstacle to your happiness isn't your depression, your anxiety, or even the difficult people around you? What if it's the belief that everyone else needs to change first? In this powerful episode of the Feeling Good Podcast, Dr. David Burns and host Kevin Cornelius, LMFT, discuss one of David's favorite therapy stories from his recent Psychology Today article, "The Man Who Was Fired Five Times." What begins as the story of a brilliant computer programmer who can't keep a job becomes an unforgettable lesson in overcoming resistance, building meaningful relationships, and discovering the extraordinary power of humility. This episode is packed with practical TEAM-CBT techniques, fascinating therapy demonstrations, and one of the most inspiring recovery stories you'll ever hear. In This Episode A Brilliant Man Who Couldn't Keep a Job David introduces us to "Bhagwant" (a pseudonym), an exceptionally gifted computer programmer who sought treatment after being fired five times in just two years. Although he initially came to therapy complaining of low self-esteem, David quickly noticed something much deeper. Bhagwant believed: His coworkers were conspiring against him. His bosses failed to appreciate his intelligence. Other people were the source of nearly all his suffering. Despite his obvious brilliance, his habit of blaming others had become the greatest obstacle to both his career and his happiness. Why David Didn't Try to Help Him...At First Instead of immediately offering therapy techniques, David did something surprising. He told Bhagwant that perhaps they shouldn't work together. Why? Because therapy would require Bhagwant—not his coworkers—to do all of the changing. Rather than arguing with Bhagwant or trying to convince him he was wrong, David used one of the most powerful TEAM-CBT methods: Dangling the Carrot By joining Bhagwant's resistance instead of fighting it, David completely changed the emotional dynamic. Instead of saying: "You're the problem." He essentially said: "You're right—it seems terribly unfair that you'd have to do all the work when everyone else is causing the problem." That paradoxical response immediately dissolved Bhagwant's resistance. Moments later, he admitted something he had hidden from David: He hadn't merely been placed on probation. He had already been fired—for the fifth time. Why Specificity Matters One of the central themes of the episode is David's insistence on working with specific moments instead of vague labels. Rather than treating "low self-esteem" as the problem, David asks: What happened? Where were you? What time was it? What exactly were you thinking? This "fractal" approach allows therapy to target the real thoughts creating emotional suffering instead of treating abstract diagnostic labels. As David explains, problems can only be solved when they're connected to a real moment in time. Recovery Begins with Practice Once Bhagwant committed fully to treatment, he became an extraordinarily dedicated student of TEAM-CBT. He learned to: Identify cognitive distortions Challenge negative thoughts using Externalization of Voices Master the Five Secrets of Effective Communication Replace defensiveness with curiosity and empathy At one point, David actually had to limit Bhagwant's therapy homework because he was spending six to eight hours a day practicing. The Job Interview That Changed Everything Eventually Bhagwant received a job offer from a company in Florida. David gave him one final piece of surprising advice: Ask your new employer to agree to criticize you every single week. Specifically, David suggested requesting regular meetings where supervisors would openly point out mistakes so Bhagwant could practice using the Five Secrets and the Disarming Technique. The company agreed. The results were astonishing. Within weeks: He had developed excellent relationships with coworkers. He won Employee of the Month. He received multiple promotions. His salary doubled. Years later, David received a Christmas card that brought tears to his eyes. Bhagwant had become CEO of the very company that hired him. The Disarming Technique Much of the second half of the episode explores one of the most challenging—and most transformative—TEAM-CBT skills. What Is Disarming? Disarming means sincerely finding the truth in criticism, even when the criticism seems exaggerated or unfair. David explains what he calls the Law of Opposites: Defending yourself often convinces others the criticism is true. Agreeing sincerely with whatever truth exists often causes the criticism to lose its power. This simple paradox can dramatically transform difficult conversations. Live Role-Playing Kevin and David demonstrate the Disarming Technique through several live role plays. David criticizes Kevin as being: Fake Inexperienced Pretending to know more than he really does Kevin practices agreeing with the truth in the criticism instead of defending himself. David then coaches Kevin to go even deeper—not by problem-solving or trying to improve himself immediately, but by becoming genuinely curious about the other person's experience. Later, the roles reverse, and Kevin criticizes David for being: Cranky Impatient Insensitive David demonstrates how quickly criticism melts away when someone responds with humility, openness, and genuine curiosity. These demonstrations beautifully illustrate why the Disarming Technique is often one of the hardest TEAM-CBT skills to master—and one of the most powerful. Why Resistance Matters Throughout the episode, David explains that resistance is not an obstacle to therapy. It's the doorway into effective therapy. Rather than pushing people toward change, TEAM-CBT first helps people understand why changing feels difficult. Once resistance melts away, motivation naturally appears. Enlightenment and the "Death of the Self" The conversation concludes with a reflection on one of David's favorite philosophical themes. Drawing from Buddhist psychology, David discusses how learning to accept criticism requires what he calls "the death of the self"—letting go of pride, defensiveness, and the constant need to protect one's ego. Rather than seeing criticism as an attack, we can learn to experience it as an opportunity for connection, growth, and deeper understanding. Resource Mentioned Dr. David Burns' Psychology Today article: "The Man Who Was Fired Five Times" Memorable Takeaways The biggest obstacle to change is often our resistance—not our symptoms. Therapy becomes far more effective when it focuses on one specific moment instead of broad labels. Defending yourself usually strengthens criticism; finding the truth in it often dissolves conflict. Humility builds stronger relationships than winning arguments. Learning to respond differently to criticism can transform not only your mood, but your career, your relationships, and your entire life. Whether you're a therapist, a parent, a leader, or simply someone who wants healthier relationships, this episode offers practical tools and inspiring hope that lasting change is possible—even after years of frustration and failure. Listener Survey We'd love to hear from you! Your feedback helps shape future episodes and allows us to create content that is as helpful and meaningful as possible. Please use this link to take the feedback survey and share your thoughts with us about this episode. Your voice matters—and as David points out in this episode, sometimes the most important conversations begin when we're willing to express what we're really thinking and feeling. Thank you for listening to The Feeling Good Podcast! Contact Information Kevin Cornelius, LMFT is a Level 5 Certified Master TEAM-CBT Therapist and Trainer and the Clinical Director of Feeling Good Institute--Silicon Valley. He specializes in the treatment of trauma, anxiety, depression, relationship problems and insomnia. You can reach Kevin at kevin@feelinggoodinstitute.com and visit his website at www.tools4change.me. You can reach Dr. Burns at david@feelinggood.com. Feeling down in these turbulent times? Take a ride on our Feeling Great app. Feeling Great feels wonderful! You owe it to yourself to feel GREAT! Give the Greatest Gifts of ALL--Love and Happiness!
Days after narrowly surviving a catastrophic flood, meditation teacher Delson Armstrong joins Michael Taft to consider what remains when spiritual ideas fall away. Their conversation explores primal awareness, the spiritual ego, and Delson's forthcoming collection of Sanskrit aphorisms—a “love letter to the exhausted seeker” synthesizing Buddhism, Vedānta, Yoga, Sāṃkhya, and Tantra. They also discuss paraconsciousness, karma and divine play, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Śrī Vidyā and Lalitā, and the challenge of teaching with authority without taking the role of guru too seriously.Delson Armstrong is a meditation teacher whose work brings together Buddhist, yogic, and tantric traditions. A teacher of Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation, he is known especially for his expertise in the jhānas and other deep meditative states. He is also authorized to teach all seven stages of Lahiri Mahasaya's Kriya Yoga and practices in the Śrī Vidyā and Trika lineages. Delson teaches internationally, offering retreats, workshops, and individual guidance focused on awakening, freedom from suffering, and translating ancient contemplative methods for modern practitioners.Learn more about Delson Armstrong here.You can support the creation of future episodes of this podcast by contributing through Patreon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This talk was given by Sean Coyle at Wild Heart Meditation Center in Nashville, TN. Spiritual bypassing looks like peace — but sometimes it's just avoidance in a softer outfit. This is your reminder that mindfulness isn't meant to numb you; it's meant to help you see clearly and act with care. Enjoy! Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.orgDONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donateFollow Us on Socials!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
Links For The Occult Rejectshttps://linktr.ee/theoccultrejectsOccult Research Institutehttps://www.occultresearchinstitute.org/Substackhttps://substack.com/@theoccultrejects?r=7auau0&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-pageCash Apphttps://cash.app/$theoccultrejectsVenmo@TheOccultRejectsBuy Me A Coffeebuymeacoffee.com/TheOccultRejectsPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/TheOccultRejectsBibliographyRepetition, Fluency, and BeliefBacon, Frederick T. “Credibility of Repeated Statements: Memory for Trivia.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory 5, no. 3 (1979): 241–252.Begg, Ian Maynard, Ann Anas, and Suzanne Farinacci. “Dissociation of Processes in Belief: Source Recollection, Statement Familiarity, and the Illusion of Truth.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 121, no. 4 (1992): 446–458.Dechêne, Alice, Christoph Stahl, Jochim Hansen, and Michaela Wänke. “The Truth About the Truth: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Truth Effect.” Personality and Social Psychology Review 14, no. 2 (2010): 238–257.Fazio, Lisa K., Nadia M. Brashier, B. Keith Payne, and Elizabeth J. Marsh. “Knowledge Does Not Protect Against Illusory Truth.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 144, no. 5 (2015): 993–1002.Hasher, Lynn, David Goldstein, and Thomas Toppino. “Frequency and the Conference of Referential Validity.” Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior 16, no. 1 (1977): 107–112.Reber, Rolf, and Norbert Schwarz. “Effects of Perceptual Fluency on Judgments of Truth.” Consciousness and Cognition 8, no. 3 (1999): 338–342.Unkelbach, Christian. “Reversing the Truth Effect: Learning the Interpretation of Processing Fluency in Judgments of Truth.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 33, no. 1 (2007): 219–230.Zajonc, Robert B. “Attitudinal Effects of Mere Exposure.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 9, no. 2, part 2 (1968): 1–27.Memory, Spacing, and RetrievalCepeda, Nicholas J., Harold Pashler, Edward Vul, John T. Wixted, and Doug Rohrer. “Distributed Practice in Verbal Recall Tasks: A Review and Quantitative Synthesis.” Psychological Bulletin 132, no. 3 (2006): 354–380.Ebbinghaus, Hermann. Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology. Translated by Henry A. Ruger and Clara E. Bussenius. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University, 1913. Originally published 1885.Karpicke, Jeffrey D., and Henry L. Roediger III. “Repeated Retrieval During Learning Is the Key to Long-Term Retention.” Journal of Memory and Language 57, no. 2 (2007): 151–162.Roediger, Henry L. III, and Jeffrey D. Karpicke. “Test-Enhanced Learning: Taking Memory Tests Improves Long-Term Retention.” Psychological Science 17, no. 3 (2006): 249–255.Tulving, Endel, and Donald M. Thomson. “Encoding Specificity and Retrieval Processes in Episodic Memory.” Psychological Review 80, no. 5 (1973): 352–373.Whitehouse, Harvey. Modes of Religiosity: A Cognitive Theory of Religious Transmission. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2004.Semantic Satiation and Verbal TransformationBalota, David A., and Sarah Black. “Semantic Satiation in Healthy Young and Older Adults.” Memory & Cognition 25, no. 2 (1997): 190–202.Jakobovits, Leon A. Effects of Repeated Stimulation on Cognitive Aspects of Behavior: Some Experiments on the Phenomenon of Semantic Satiation. PhD diss., McGill University, 1962.Kounios, John, et al. “On the Locus of the Semantic Satiation Effect: Evidence from Event-Related Brain Potentials.” Memory & Cognition 28, no. 8 (2000): 1366–1377.Pilotti, Maura, John S. Antrobus, and Monica Duff. “The Effect of Presemantic Acoustic Adaptation on Semantic ‘Satiation.'” Memory & Cognition 25, no. 3 (1997): 305–312.Ströberg, Kim, Lau M. Andersen, and Stefan Wiens. “Electrocortical N400 Effects of Semantic Satiation.” Frontiers in Psychology 8 (2017): 2117.Warren, Richard M. “Illusory Changes of Distinct Speech upon Repetition—The Verbal Transformation Effect.” British Journal of Psychology 52, no. 3 (1961): 249–258.Warren, Richard M. “Illusory Changes in Repeated Words: Differences between Young Adults and the Aged.” American Journal of Psychology 74, no. 4 (1961): 506–516.Speech, Song, and Musical RepetitionDeutsch, Diana. “The Speech-to-Song Illusion.” Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 134, no. 5 (2013): 4241.Deutsch, Diana, Trevor Henthorn, and Rachael Lapidis. “Illusory Transformation from Speech to Song.” Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 129, no. 4 (2011): 2245–2252.Jakubowski, Kelly, Sebastian Finkel, Lauren Stewart, and Daniel Müllensiefen. “Dissecting an Earworm: Melodic Features and Song Popularity Predict Involuntary Musical Imagery.” Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts 11, no. 2 (2017): 122–135.Margulis, Elizabeth Hellmuth. On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.Marjieh, Raja, Pol van Rijn, Ilia Sucholutsky, Harin Lee, Thomas L. Griffiths, and Nori Jacoby. “A Rational Analysis of the Speech-to-Song Illusion.” Preprint, 2024.Vickhoff, Björn, Helge Malmgren, Rickard Åström, Gunnar Nyberg, Seth-Reino Ekström, Mathias Engwall, Johan Snygg, Michael Nilsson, and Rebecka Jörnsten. “Music Structure Determines Heart Rate Variability of Singers.” Frontiers in Psychology 4 (2013): 334.Breath, Vocalization, and Autonomic PhysiologyBernardi, Luciano, Peter Sleight, Gianfranco Bandinelli, Simone Cencetti, Lino Fattorini, Jacek Wdowczyc-Szulc, and Andrea Lagi. “Effect of Rosary Prayer and Yoga Mantras on Autonomic Cardiovascular Rhythms: Comparative Study.” BMJ 323, no. 7327 (2001): 1446–1449.Lehrer, Paul M., and Richard Gevirtz. “Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback: How and Why Does It Work?” Frontiers in Psychology 5 (2014): 756.Shaffer, Fred, and J. P. Ginsberg. “An Overview of Heart Rate Variability Metrics and Norms.” Frontiers in Public Health 5 (2017): 258.Zaccaro, Andrea, Andrea Piarulli, Marco Laurino, Erika Garbella, Danilo Menicucci, Bruno Neri, and Angelo Gemignani. “How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 12 (2018): 353.Meditation, Chanting, and NeuroscienceFox, Kieran C. R., Matthew L. Dixon, Savannah Nijeboer, Manesh Girn, James L. Floman, Michael Lifshitz, Melissa Ellamil, Peter Sedlmeier, and Kalina Christoff. “Functional Neuroanatomy of Meditation: A Review and Meta-Analysis of 78 Functional Neuroimaging Investigations.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 65 (2016): 208–228.Kalyani, B. G., G. Venkatasubramanian, R. Arasappa, N. P. Rao, S. V. Kalmady, R. Behere, H. Rao, M. Vasudev, and B. N. Gangadhar. “Neurohemodynamic Correlates of ‘OM' Chanting: A Pilot Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.” International Journal of Yoga 4, no. 1 (2011): 3–6.Travis, Fred, and Jonathan Shear. “Focused Attention, Open Monitoring and Automatic Self-Transcending: Categories to Organize Meditations from Vedic, Buddhist and Chinese Traditions.” Consciousness and Cognition 19, no. 4 (2010): 1110–1118.Ritual, Attention, and Embodied PracticeBell, Catherine. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.Hobson, Nicholas M., Juliana Schroeder, Jane L. Risen, Dimitris Xygalatas, and Michael Inzlicht. “The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework.” Personality and Social Psychology Review 22, no. 3 (2018): 260–284.McCauley, Robert N., and E. Thomas Lawson. Bringing Ritual to Mind: Psychological Foundations of Cultural Forms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.Rappaport, Roy A. Ritual and Religion in the Making of Humanity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.Xygalatas, Dimitris. Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living. New York: Little, Brown Spark, 2022.Also want to remind people about the website, if you're into reading we have tons of information by multiple contributors, and we got t-shirts up on the site if you're interested. Fun fact, the art is all based on the eyeball.
On the auspicious occasion of Jyeshtha Purnima, Mahabodhi Mahavihara hosted Sadhguru in Bodh Gaya – the very place where Gautama Buddha realized his ultimate nature over 2,500 years ago. In an insightful interaction beneath the sacred Bodhi Tree, Sadhguru answered the Buddhist monks' deepest questions and spoke about the essence of the Buddha's life and methods for inner transformation. Conscious Planet: https://www.consciousplanet.org Sadhguru App (Download): https://onelink.to/sadhguru__app Official Sadhguru Website: https://isha.sadhguru.org Sadhguru Exclusive: https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/sadhguru-exclusive Inner Engineering Link: isha.co/ieo-podcast Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Japanese true crime and Japanese folklore, one candle at a time.In June 1981, a Japanese literature student in Paris asked a Dutch classmate to come to his apartment and help him with his German pronunciation. Renée Hartevelt was twenty-five. She said yes because she was the kind of person who noticed when somebody was sitting on their own.Issei Sagawa confessed within days. He was never convicted, never imprisoned, and never spent a single night in a cell. He spent the next thirty-six years being interviewed, published, booked and paid — and at one point, employed as a restaurant critic.This episode pairs his case with the jikininki: the Buddhist hungry ghost, cursed to devour the dead every night through a throat too narrow to swallow anything at all. A creature no court can touch, no prison can hold, and no executioner can reach — one that ends only when somebody finally decides to stop feeding it.Two stories about an appetite that was never the crime.It was the sentence.⸻Contains: graphic violence, cannibalism, sexual violence (referenced, not depicted), and detailed discussion of a real victim. Listener discretion advised.Chapters 00:00 The Lighting 02:40 The Priest at the Hermitage 15:30 Renée 20:40 The Woman in the Ground-Floor Apartment 27:30 The Eleventh of June 36:00 The Hole in the Law 40:00 The Godfather 43:30 The Rite 50:00 The Ones Who Keep The Candles Lit⸻There is an old Japanese game. A hundred candles are lit in a windowless room. Every story told puts one out. Nobody agrees on what arrives when the last one dies — only that you should not be there to see it.This is Candle 001.Ninety-nine to go...
On the auspicious occasion of Jyeshtha Purnima, Mahabodhi Mahavihara hosted Sadhguru in Bodh Gaya – the very place where Gautama Buddha realized his ultimate nature over 2,500 years ago. In an insightful interaction beneath the sacred Bodhi Tree, Sadhguru answered the Buddhist monks' deepest questions and spoke about the essence of the Buddha's life and methods for inner transformation. Conscious Planet: https://www.consciousplanet.org Sadhguru App (Download): https://onelink.to/sadhguru__app Official Sadhguru Website: https://isha.sadhguru.org Sadhguru Exclusive: https://isha.sadhguru.org/in/en/sadhguru-exclusive Inner Engineering Link: isha.co/ieo-podcast Yogi, mystic and visionary, Sadhguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Melvin McLeod, editor of Lion's Roar, shares his new vision of mindfulness as a complete way of living, from cultivating concentration and awareness to understanding our place in the universe.Check out Melvin's podcast series, The Complete Path of Mindfulness, where he talks with leaders in the field about a groundbreaking new advance in mindfulness practice. Melvin and his guests explore mindfulness as not only a helpful meditation technique, but as a complete, transformative path of life. This time on Mindrolling, Melvin and Raghu explore: Looking into what this life and universe is all aboutLeading happier and more meaningful livesSeeing mindfulness as a complete path of lifeMelvin's four identified keys of mindfulness Inspiration from Thich Nhat Hanh, one of the most important spiritual teachers of this ageDeveloping the power of concentration Following a path without adopting a formal religion Recognizing our deep, intimate connection with all thingsInvestigating the nature of awarenessTaming the mind and the RAIN method taught by Tara BrachBe Here Now: Inhabiting the moment with loving-awarenessMelvin's interview with Joanna Macy, renowned Buddhist thinker, environmental activist, and authorAbout Melvin McLeod:Melvin McLeod is the editor-at-large of Lion's Roar, the largest media organization in the English language devoted to Buddhist meditation and mindfulness, and co-founder of Mindful magazine. He has been practicing for more than 40 years and is a well-known and respected authority on mindfulness and meditation. His ground-breaking teaching on the Complete Path of Mindfulness has been praised by leaders in the field as an important advance in how mindfulness is defined and practiced. Check out his new book to learn more about this innovative work: With a Single Breath: The Complete Path of Mindfulness. “When mindfulness is seen not simply as a helpful meditation technique but as a complete path of life, it can offer the same powerful tools for personal and societal transformation traditionally only offered by religion in an evidence-driven, common-sense format, for all of those people who are not especially interested in following a capital ‘R' religious path.” –Melvin McLeodSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
After two years since his last podcast, Champ shares his story of returning back to California to be with his mother during her passing, and the Buddhist dharma methods he learned from masters that allowed him to see all things in peace and equanimity. If you enjoyed this show, please show support by visiting GreatAwakeningMap.co and purchasing Champ's posters and t-shirts or make a donation. Thank you for your love and support. Instagram @DzogchenYogi @5D_Awakening_Consciousness PayPal: greatawakeningmap@gmail.comGreat Awakening Map, Buddhism, Dharma, Dzogchen, Mahamudra, Meditation, Nondual Mind, Enlightenment, Consciousness, Metaphysics, David Wilcock, Dark Night of the Soul, Cancer, UFO, Rainbow Body of Light, Happiness, Joy, Peace
Vince Horn, Emily Horn, and Brian Newman talk through the design of their Insight Chord Retreat in Western North Carolina—why everyone will start with a single “go-to move” (of their choosing) for the first 3 days, what Brian learned about reintegration after doing daily multiplayer meditation on retreat, and how to maximize individual choicemaking on the retreat while having a solid community of practice to fall back on, including qualified teachers & dedicated peers.
Plus: Why you're a "mystic" even though you don't know it, how to find the "magic" in meditation, and the power of simple apologies (and cleaning the dishes). Susan Piver is a 30 year student of Tibetan Buddhism, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of The Open Heart Project, an online meditation community with close to 20,000 members. Her latest book is Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics. In this episode we talk about: Why meditation's real payoff can't be explained The crucial difference between mindfulness and awareness Why you can't think your way into oneness The seven daily habits of a modern "mystic" Why boundaries are essential to a spiritual life Susan's unglamorous trick for building real confidence Why trying to fix yourself backfires The secret to attracting inspiration Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel This episode is sponsored by: Square: Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/happier! #squarepod Skylight: Go to MySkylight.com/HAPPIER for $30 off your 15 inch Calendar. iRestore: Right now, you can save on customer favorites like the iRestore Elite helmet and the Illumina Face Mask. Just head to iRestore.com and use code HAPPIER. To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris
Patrick explores emotional numbness and overstimulation, drawing a line from Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s warnings in the 1950s straight to today’s digital frenzy, where attention splinters and quiet moments get drowned out by endless screens and urgent voices. Short videos, distracted reading, the endless scroll—Patrick connects these threads while offering listeners solace in the steady presence of Relevant Radio, where faith punctuates the noise and daily stories bloom. Gratitude, practical advice, music, and real-life encounters intertwine as Patrick brings listeners to the core of spiritual resilience and the subtle challenge of tuning out what numbs the soul. Audio: Fulton Sheen diagnosed emotional numbness in 1956 – 1min -https://x.com/relevantradio/status/2089821360558080263/video/1?s=46 (27:01) Mike (email) - Bless you both for cueing & reading my email on air. It was inspired by the holy Spirit as usual of your labor of love! The illness has kept me in and resting for months. I can definitely see the benefit of keeping up social contact. I will take your suggestion and consult my doctor closely. You made my day. (16:59) Maryanne - I've been to the Episcopalian church, and their liturgy is exactly like ours. Are their bishops apart of our bishops who make the liturgy? (18:37) Cindy - I wanted to thank Patrick and Relevant Radio for such wonderful radio. It is an escape into holiness or refuge for me. (27:11) Steve (Substack comment) – I’m a devout atheist listener with Buddhist leanings (45:10)
This talk was given by Andrew Chapman during the Summer of Love Retreat in Sewanee, TN on July 15th-19th, 2026. Andrew offers the second morning instructions on feeling tone meditation. Enjoy! Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.orgDONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donateFollow Us on Socials!Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
Allyne Betancourt, a member of the Dr. Joe Dispenza healing community, joins Dr. Tara Perry to share one of the most extraordinary healing stories on the show to date: how she was diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer, cured it holistically before ever undergoing surgery, and then — after surgeons removed most of her rectum anyway — used meditation and visualization to regenerate the organ back to nearly full size. Allyne walks through her refusal to "own" her cancer, the alternative protocols she combined with traditional treatment, the devastating aftermath of a surgery she now believes was unnecessary, and the dark night of the soul that led her to Dr. Joe Dispenza's work. The conversation closes with the medical documentation of her regeneration, the forgiveness work that made healing possible, and her hard-won belief that anyone — not just the exceptional — has this same capacity for the impossible.KEY TAKEAWAYS(00:02:38) Diagnosed with advanced T3 colorectal cancer and told surgery and a permanent colostomy bag were her only option — and her calm, immediate decision to refuse(00:05:37) "This is not my cancer" — why Allyne refused to own her diagnosis from day one, and how that mindset carried through seven months of treatment(00:10:01) Combining traditional treatment with alternative approaches: organic-only foods, raising her own grass-fed beef, and daily Buddhist chanting for hours at a time(00:11:54) Fasting five days before each chemo treatment — and the unusually severe reactions her oncologists had never seen before(00:19:27) The pressure to have surgery despite inconclusive scans, and her repeated request that doctors simply look before cutting(00:28:06) Waking up from surgery and instantly knowing she'd made a mistake — while the surgeon celebrated how well the procedure had gone(00:30:13) The physical toll of losing 8-10 centimeters of colon and most of her rectum: nonstop urgency, incontinence, and a dehumanizing new reality(00:36:04) Getting the lab results back — no cancer found anywhere in the tissue that was removed(00:37:15) Five months of worsening depression and a devastating conversation with her husband about not wanting to live like this anymore(00:39:50) The turning point: "I'm either going to live like this, or I have to grow another rectum"(00:46:04) Starting Dr. Joe Dispenza's meditation practice while running to the bathroom every 45-50 minutes, and the first sign of change after two months(00:52:16) Confronting the surgeon who performed the operation — and learning she had no idea Allyne never had cancer to begin with(00:59:50) The visualization practice Allyne used to dissolve scar tissue and "stretch" her remaining rectal tissue back toward full size(01:10:18) The colonoscopy that documented her rectum had grown from 3 centimeters to 10 centimeters, with no trace of scar tissue(01:15:46) Her message on breaking "the habit of being yourself" and why she believes healing the impossible isn't reserved for exceptional people(01:18:09) How Allyne has learned to meet life's setbacks with curiosity and trust instead of fear — even in the face of her husband's deathIf you're ready to take your healing to the next level, schedule your free consultation with Dr. Tara at: https://ConsultTara.com/book
What if something you can't see is affecting how you feel every single day? Philipp von Holtzendorff-Fehling, founder of Leela Quantum Tech, joins us to explore energy, consciousness, and the nervous system—and why he believes modern life may be pulling us further from our natural state. From EMFs + 5G to the energy we absorb from the people + environments around us, Philipp challenges us to question what we've normalized. We dive into coherence, intuition, the biofield, and the possibility that there's a better way to support your body, your energy, and your nervous system. Philipp also shares the experiences that completely changed the trajectory of his life—from corporate executive to energy + consciousness pioneer. If you've ever felt disconnected from yourself, struggled to hear your intuition, or sensed there was something more going on beneath the surface, this episode will make you look at your everyday world differently. We also talk about: Why Philipp believes EMFs may be impacting our bodies + nervous system What happens when we're constantly surrounded by electromagnetic signals The connection between coherence, intuition, and feeling like yourself again How to recognize when an energy, environment, or relationship feels expansive or contracting Philipp's powerful experience at a Buddhist monastery in Thailand The moment he realized he had completely disconnected from his own intuition What the biofield is + why Philipp believes it matters How Leela Quantum Tech came to be + the technology behind it Why Philipp believes we can access more of our consciousness than we realize The idea that your purpose reveals itself when you start moving toward it Resources: Upgrade your energy, harmonize your EMF exposure, and elevate your wellness with Leela Quantum Tech's science-backed quantum technology and get 10% off at leelaq.com when you use code ALMOST30 at checkout. https://www.instagram.com/philipp_vhf/ https://www.instagram.com/leelaquantum/ https://www.instagram.com/quantumupgrade.io/ Sponsors: Square | Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/almost30! #squarepod Smileset | Go to https://smileset.com/almost30 to get 35% off. BetterHelp | This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Sign up and get 10% off at https://BetterHelp.com/almost30. Hero Bread | Hero Bread is offering 10% off your order. Go to https://hero.co and use code A30POD at checkout. Naturium | Give your skin the affordable, luxurious glow up it deserves. Go to https://Naturium.com/ALMOST30 for 10% off your first purchase today. The Absorption Company | Start taking supplements your body can actually absorb. Go to https://absorbmore.com and enter ALMOST30 at checkout for up to 35% off your first order. Ritual | Don't settle for less than evidence-based support. Save 25% on your first month at https://Ritual.com/ALMOST30. Upwork | Visit https://Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. To advertise on this podcast please email: partnerships@almost30.com. Learn More: Get your copy of Almost 30, A definitive guide to a life you love for the next decade and beyond. https://almost30.com/book Listen to Morning Microdose! A quick trip into higher consciousness - https://almost30.com/morning-microdose Watch on YouTube - https://youtube.com/Almost30Podcast Join our community - https://www.facebook.com/Almost30podcast/groups Follow: https://instagram.com/almost30podcast https://tiktok.com/@almost30podcast Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: almost30.com/disclaimer.
For years I have wanted to do a proper deep dive on Reiki and I finally made the space to do it. Reiki traces back to a specific man on a specific mountain in a specific year. In the spring of 1922, a broken and starving Japanese seeker named Mikao Usui completed 21 days of fasting alone on Mount Kurama north of Kyoto, and something entered him from above. A great light. Symbols poured into him faster than thought. He came down able to heal a torn toenail with his bare hands, and by the following year he had walked into the smoking wreckage of the Great Kanto earthquake and treated the wounded for weeks alongside his students. He gave the practice a name — Usui Reiki Ryoho — and it has now spread to cancer wards, hospitals, and hospice rooms across the entire planet. ⠀ In this episode I walk you through everything. The mountain itself. The being called Sanat Kumara that Japanese Buddhist tradition says arrived on that summit from Venus six and a half million years ago. The five precepts Usui called the secret method. The four symbols the tradition guarded so fiercely for a century. The Reiju attunement ceremony that opens a lifelong channel in a human being. The laboratory evidence — Bernard Grad's healed mice at McGill, William Bingston's dozen cancer cure experiments across six labs, the 140 peer-reviewed papers, the sham Reiki controls that isolated the effect from expectation. The extraordinary story of Hawayo Takata smuggling this Buddhist practice into the West during World War Two by rewriting Usui as a Christian minister. And the full Hatsurayo daily practice you can start tonight — 10 minutes that opens the channel in your own hands and stays open for the rest of your life. This is a consciousness technology and every part of it is available to you.
These are anxious times with schools closing and communities taking action to slow down the spread of the coronavirus. Is the anxiety getting to you? In this special episode, Hunter talks to two meditation teachers, Oren Sofer and Emily Horn about how to deal with our fear and become a stable center of peace for our families. Takeaways: The choices we make affect one another. Our choice to take care of ourselves matters. We don't need to be afraid of fear—it's just energy moving through. We can be peaceful and anxious at the same time. Emily Horn is an authorized dharma teacher through Spirit Rock Meditation Center & Insight Meditation Society. She's also a Certified Mindfulness Teacher via the International Mindfulness Teacher's Association. Oren Jay Sofer teaches mindfulness, meditation and Nonviolent Communication in both secular and Buddhist contexts. He's the author of the book Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication, a practical guidebook for having more effective, satisfying conversations. ABOUT HUNTER CLARKE-FIELDS: Hunter Clarke-Fields is the host Mindful Parenting Podcast (Top 0.5% podcast ), global speaker, number 1 bestselling author of “Raising Good Humans” and “Raising Good Humans Every Day,” Mindfulness Meditation teacher and creator of the Mindful Parenting Course and Teacher Training. Find more podcasts, Hunter's books, blog posts, free resources, and more at MindfulMamaMentor.com. Discover your Unique-To-You Podcast Playlist at mindfulmamamentor.com/quiz/ We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on our website: /mindfulmamamentor.com/mindful-mama-podcast-sponsors/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tonight, Phoebe is sleeping in her childhood bedroom for the last time. Tomorrow she boards a flight to Paris, where she's starting college six thousand miles from the house she grew up in. In this episode, Jeff walks through Phoebe's final night at home: cooking dinner together one more time, scrawling Buddhist maxims onto sticky notes for her nightstand, and quoting T.S. Eliot on beginnings and endings while she packs in the next room. He traces what it actually feels like to practice non-attachment when it stops being a concept from a book and starts being your own daughter leaving for good — and why the same lesson about breath and letting go that he learned the night she was born, eighteen years ago, turns out to be the hardest one to relearn now. This is the tenth episode of Diaries of a Dance Dad, an audio memoir series in Jeff's own words. It spans the full arc of parenthood: the inhale of birth and early chaos, the grind of no sleep and travel with kids, the gut-punches of failure, and the slow exhale of letting go. Order Diaries of a Dance Dad audiobook & hear the tales that bookend my paternal journey from cradle to empty nestdom at onecommune.com/dancedad. This episode was made possible by: CocoaVia: Use code COMMUNE2026 for 25% off at CocoaVia.com LMNT: Get a free 8-count Sample Pack of LMNT's most popular drink mix flavors with any purchase at drinklmnt.com/commune. Stemregen: Get 20% off your first order at stemregen.co/commune with the code COMMUNEPOD Vivobarefoot: Try Vivobarefoot risk-free with a 100-day return guarantee, and get 25% off your order at vivobarefoot.com/commune. Stripes: Visit stripesbeauty.com and use the code COMMUNE20 for 20% off our entire product line.
Could your skin be revealing what's happening inside your gut?In Episode 149 of The Dr. Haley Show, Dr. Michael Haley sits down with Dr. Jonathan Carp, a board-certified dermatologist, lifestyle medicine expert, and founder and CEO of Miracle Noodle, for a fascinating conversation about the gut-skin connection, inflammation, metabolism, nutrition, mental imagery, and taking a more active role in your own health.Dr. Carp explains why he has always viewed the skin as a window into the body and shares the story of a patient with severe lupus whose unexpected improvement changed the direction of his medical career.That experience led him to explore nutrition and lifestyle medicine more deeply while continuing to practice conventional dermatology.The conversation also explores acne and insulin, psoriasis and metabolic health, the gut microbiome, mental imagery, and the idea that different people may have very different “80/20” factors influencing their health.Later, Dr. Carp tells the story of traveling to Japan and eating a bowl of konjac noodles at a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant outside Kyoto. That experience eventually led him to create Miracle Noodle, now sold in thousands of stores nationwide.Dr. Carp explains what konjac and glucomannan are, why glucomannan is considered a soluble prebiotic fiber, how Miracle Noodle fits into low-carbohydrate and ketogenic diets, and the difference between the company's traditional konjac noodles and its newer egg-white noodles.In This EpisodeWhy the skin can provide clues about internal healthAcne, insulin, hormones, and metabolic healthHow gut health may influence inflammatory skin conditionsThe lupus patient who changed Dr. Carp's approach to medicineMental imagery and the work of Dr. Gerald EpsteinWhy Dr. Carp views the gut and skin as closely connected systemsMetabolic health, inflammation, and the microbiomeThe difference between a disease-reversal diet and a long-term dietWhy whole, minimally processed foods remain central to Dr. Carp's approachThe Japanese meal that inspired Miracle NoodleKonjac, glucomannan, and soluble prebiotic fiberMiracle Noodle for low-carb, keto, and gluten-free dietsHow to prepare konjac noodlesMiracle Noodle's high-protein egg-white noodlesWhy Dr. Carp wants people to become their own authority in healthThree pieces of advice that helped shape his lifeEpisode Chapters00:00 Your Gut Is an Extension of Your Skin00:49 Meet Dermatologist Dr. Jonathan Carp03:04 The Skin as a Window Into Internal Health06:26 Acne, Insulin & Gut Health08:50 The Lupus Patient Who Changed His Practice12:16 Mental Imagery and Healing15:08 How Dr. Carp Uses Healing Visualization19:29 The Gut-Skin Connection Explained23:10 Metabolism, Gut Health & Inflammation27:09 The Four Pillars and the 80/20 Rule30:23 Disease-Reversal Diet vs. Long-Term Diet33:00 How Miracle Noodle Began in Japan34:45 Glucomannan: The Fiber Behind Miracle Noodle35:50 Keto, Satiety & Fasting-Mimicking Diets38:10 Gut Benefits of Konjac and Glucomannan40:46 How to Prepare Miracle Noodle41:44 Egg-White Noodles: A High-Protein Alternative43:11 Fiber, Regularity & the Microbiome45:21 Where to Find Miracle Noodle46:24 Becoming Your Own Authority in Health48:22 The “Power Words” That Shaped Dr. Carp51:41 Final ThoughtsResourcesFull show notes and transcript:https://drhaley.com/gut-skin-connection-jonathan-carp/Watch the video interview on YouTube:https://youtu.be/RDLizF7_QgwMiracle Noodle:https://miraclenoodle.com/Healing Visualizations by Gerald Epstein, M.D.Mentioned by Dr. Carp as a resource for learning the mental-imagery techniques discussed in the episode.Radical Remission by Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D.Mentioned during the discussion of people who have experienced unexpected improvement from serious illness.The Dr. Haley ShowDiscover more interviews and health conversations at:https://drhaley.com/Haley NutritionLearn more about Haley Nutrition and its raw Aloe vera products at:https://haleynutrition.com/Podcast listeners: Listen during the episode for the current Haley Nutrition coupon code and exclusive listener offer.If this episode made you think of someone dealing with skin problems, gut issues, metabolic health challenges, or chronic inflammation, please share it with them.Subscribe to The Dr. Haley Show wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss future conversations about gut health, nutrition, longevity, lifestyle medicine, and unconventional ideas worth exploring.Disclaimer: This podcast is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Statements made by guests represent their own views, experiences, and interpretations. Always consult an appropriately qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or changing medications, supplements, diet, or other healthcare practices.
129. Psychedelics for Seniors: Aging & What's NextA live Salon panel on psychedelics after 60: set and setting, medication interactions, integration circles, and what aging can offer instead of loss.Episode SummaryThe psychedelic renaissance gets covered like a young person's story, executives microdosing before board meetings, twenty somethings on retreats. But the fastest growing population interested in this medicine right now is confronting retirement, widowhood, the death of parents, the question of legacy. This episode is a live Salon recording built around psychedelics for seniors, with filmmaker Scott Paul Wright, writer Abbie Rosner, and naturopathic physician Dr. Emily Whinkin. We get into set and setting, medication contraindications, ketamine versus psilocybin, and what integration actually looks like once the journey is over. Abbie's research on 36 older adults turns up something worth sitting with: most of them called later life the happiest, most meaningful stretch they've had.
Amma Thanasanti first encountered the Dharma in 1979 and was a Buddhist nun for 26 years in the Ajahn Chah Forest Tradition. She has been teaching intensive meditation retreats internationally since 1995, combining the precision and rigor of the Forest Tradition with compassion, pure awareness practices, and a passion for wholeness. Her teaching emphasizes deep listening, authenticity, inquiry, and presence while supporting people from diverse communities in cultivating belonging and connection. Through Awakening Truth, Amma integrates meditation with trauma-informed approaches, encouraging people to pause, inquire into the present moment, and foster personal growth and healing. In This EpisodeAmma Thanasanti's WebsiteIntroduction to Integrated MeditationAwakening TruthAwakening Truth on YouTubeBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.---Thank you to our Sponsors: Jane App - use code GUY1MO at https://janesoftware.partnerlinks.io/ngvcwcxqt2jx-4afv8i (https://jane.app/book_a_demo)Beducated - Complete the quiz for one month free https://beduc.at/pd2633-traumatherapist
For Part Two in our Continual Learning mini-series, Dr. Nadav Amir of The University of Ottowa joins me and guest co-host Dr. Adam Safron of Tufts University for a trialogue on the fundamental role of goals in intelligence.Nadav draws on behavioral neuroscience, Buddhist philosopher Dharmakirti, control and information theory, and John Vervaeke's work on “relevance realization” to formally articulate what many wisdom traditions have argued for millennia: what you take to be “reality” — your world and self — is a function of goal-based representations, state descriptions and reward functions create each other, and “what is” and “what do I care about” are two sides of the same thing. You can't separate what you want from what you experience and what you are capable of. But this means that if you change your goals your reality will shift, and your sense of self with it. The opposite is also true: change the way you organize the the ineffable structure of reality into a conceptual framework, and you'll care about very different things. Thanks to the pace of change we're living through this kind of transformative experience now, so it's a good time to ask:If selves are a kind of falsification, why do we have them in the first place? Does AI need goals of its own in order to be truly intelligent?And perhaps the deepest question we ask in this episode:How if at all can we develop better frameworks for deciding what we want our intelligent machines to become — and who we want to become alongside them?Thanks to the Survival and Flourishing Fund for their support of this mini-series. If you'd like more of this kind of work in the world:✨ Support my research, writing, and podcast with a tax-deductible donation✨ Become a founding member to access my online courses, including Jurassic Worlding and How To Live In The Future✨ Hire me for public speaking or advisory work with your organization✨ Browse and buy the books we mention on the show at Bookshop.org✨ Stream and download my tunes at artist-owned music co-op Subvert.fm✨ Continual Learning theme song: “Substrate Dynamics” by Neon Chameleon✨ Learn more about how we're applying these ideas at Atlas Research Group, my team building sovereign infrastructure for collective intelligenceChapters0:00:00 Teaser0:01:48 Intro0:05:42 Who is Nadav Amir?0:08:15 Why we can't separate goals from descriptions0:15:32 The Ugly Duckling Theorem & why taxonomy is not reality0:25:07 Evolution, karma, and non-conceptual awareness0:31:04 If selfhood is wrong, when is it practical?0:34:14 Suffering without a self & the value of wrong descriptions0:38:14 Non-conceptual experience & active inference0:41:07 Multiple nested hierarchical descriptions in minds & economies0:46:07 What's missing from current approaches?0:50:09 Does greater agency mean better optimization or greater adaptability?0:57:04 Empowerment-based causal learning without a ground truth0:59:06 Intermission0:59:58 Transformative experiences & multiple levels of granularity1:05:19 No fixed models, no fixed environments1:10:55 Fundamental tradeoffs1:16:57 Reverse-engineering the centered self1:19:54 Does AI need goals to be intelligent and can we control AI if it has them?1:26:47 Does Nadav's framework pertain for all possible minds?1:32:37 Mind as a property of collectives & goals as embedded in environments1:41:33 How can Nadav's framework improve AI governance discourse?1:48:59 OutroMentioned ResourcesA Dharmakīrtian Model of Relevance Realization in Cognitive Agentsby Nadav Amir & John DunneAn exchange of letters on the role of noise in collective intelligenceby Daniel Kahneman et al.Cognitive glues are shared models of relative scarcities: the economics of collective intelligenceby Michael Levin & Benjamin LyonsReverse-Engineering The Centered Selfby L.A. Paul et al.Agency and Experience: Buddhist and Cognitive Perspectivesa Yin Cheng Conference @ PrincetonKnowing and Guessingby Satosi WatanabeOntological Laughter: Comedy as Experimental Possibility Spaceby Timothy MortonSelves as Perspectives: From Biological Life to Superintelligence and a Bodhisattva Projectby Thomas Doctor et al.What The Frog's Eye Tells The Frog's Brainby J. Y. Lettvin et al.The Center for the Study of Apparent SelvesExplore the entire open-access special issue here:And whether you read the papers or not, be sure to check out this illuminating interactive discourse map by Van Bettauer of Ideoscopic to help you navigate where these researchers agree, disagree, and point toward future study:(Long-time fans will also want to check out his re-imagined interface for AskFutureFossils.com, complete with simulated debates between my guests!) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michaelgarfield.substack.com/subscribe
Jonathan Feuer earned his Ph.D in Asian Languages and Cultures from UCLA in 2023. His current book project is entitled Buddhist Militarism, Violence, and Religious Freedom: The South Korean Buddhist Military Chaplaincy and his research interests include Buddhist modernity, South Korean history, and religion and violence. On this episode, we discuss Buddhist military chaplaincy in detail and preview what readers can expect with his forthcoming book! You can find his work at https://jonathancfeuer.com/. Visit Sacred Writes: https://www.sacred-writes.org/
Amy Chavez talks to Don Weiss, currently mid-way through the Shikoku Pilgrimage — Japan's 1,300 km Buddhist route that has been walked for almost as many years. Pilgrims share their journey with Kobo Daishi, patron saint of the 88-temple circuit and founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan. Don explains his "gratitude pilgrimage," what it means and why he is undertaking it. Along the way, he speaks with fellow pilgrims and priests at a number of temples to assess the experience for international visitors. While the 88-temple route faces challenges — from local depopulation to overtourism — Don finds common ground in conversations with priests about how overseas visitors might help keep the tradition alive, and what temples can do in turn to make the route more welcoming to those coming from abroad. Don's book Echoes of Incense, about his first trip around the ancient pilgrimage route decades ago, is available as an e-book on Amazon in English and Japanese. You can follow Don on his gratitude pilgrimage via his You Tube Channel: Just Walk The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press . Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island, and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Amy Chavez talks to Don Weiss, currently mid-way through the Shikoku Pilgrimage — Japan's 1,300 km Buddhist route that has been walked for almost as many years. Pilgrims share their journey with Kobo Daishi, patron saint of the 88-temple circuit and founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan. Don explains his "gratitude pilgrimage," what it means and why he is undertaking it. Along the way, he speaks with fellow pilgrims and priests at a number of temples to assess the experience for international visitors. While the 88-temple route faces challenges — from local depopulation to overtourism — Don finds common ground in conversations with priests about how overseas visitors might help keep the tradition alive, and what temples can do in turn to make the route more welcoming to those coming from abroad. Don's book Echoes of Incense, about his first trip around the ancient pilgrimage route decades ago, is available as an e-book on Amazon in English and Japanese. You can follow Don on his gratitude pilgrimage via his You Tube Channel: Just Walk The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press . Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island, and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies
Amy Chavez talks to Don Weiss, currently mid-way through the Shikoku Pilgrimage — Japan's 1,300 km Buddhist route that has been walked for almost as many years. Pilgrims share their journey with Kobo Daishi, patron saint of the 88-temple circuit and founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan. Don explains his "gratitude pilgrimage," what it means and why he is undertaking it. Along the way, he speaks with fellow pilgrims and priests at a number of temples to assess the experience for international visitors. While the 88-temple route faces challenges — from local depopulation to overtourism — Don finds common ground in conversations with priests about how overseas visitors might help keep the tradition alive, and what temples can do in turn to make the route more welcoming to those coming from abroad. Don's book Echoes of Incense, about his first trip around the ancient pilgrimage route decades ago, is available as an e-book on Amazon in English and Japanese. You can follow Don on his gratitude pilgrimage via his You Tube Channel: Just Walk The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press . Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island, and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography
On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast, Hank answers the following questions:Can we have a conversation with God? Marge - Fresno, CA (0:57)What do you know about Joseph Prince and his teaching on radical grace? Don - Sioux City, IA (2:35)What about Russell Humphrey's theory on time speeding faster further from Earth, which supports a young universe? David - Wichita, KS (4:09)Are there some predestined to hell without ever a chance to be saved? Greg - Nashville, TN (15:13)What's the Biblical view of immigration? Andy - Lincoln, NE (18:12)How can we know if God is speaking to us through dreams? Ernest - Edmonton, AB (20:35)How do I witness to a Buddhist? Mary Ellen - WI (21:42)
Download the Buddhability AppApple iOSAndroidBuddhability 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 money and our relationship to it. To ask a question about the basics of Buddhism, you can email us at connect@buddhability.org Resources:Becoming People of True WealthThe Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, p.40.Interview with ShermanDownload the Buddhability App Apple iOSAndroid
Challenging our perceptions of reality, Samuel Bercholz and Raghu discuss loosening the ego's grip through meditation and opening to the humor beneath it all.Click HERE to preorder Samuel's upcoming book, Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist PathThis time on Mindrolling, Samuel and Raghu explore: Dipping a toe into all religions and learning how to meditateThe humble beginnings of Shambhala PublicationsAddictions to ego and so-called reality Witnessing the beautiful emptiness within Chogyam Trungpa RinpocheHow Ram Dass moved within many different spiritual circlesEntering the mind of Buddha through meditation Stepping out of the bureaucracy of egoNot being too serious / blending love and humorAbout Samuel Bercholz:Sam Bercholz is a senior teacher in the Nyingma and Kagyu lineages of Tibetan Buddhism and the founder of Shambhala Publications. He was a close disciple of Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and was empowered by them to teach and given the title Acharya (religious instructor). He has taught extensively in North America, Europe, and Australasia. He was particularly empowered by Kyabje Thinley Norbu Rinpoche to teach from A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar. “What I've learned through Buddhist practice and being with great teachers is that the fixed ideas of reality and viewing the world were 180 degrees off. We experience things exactly backwards. Our habit of reality is so skewed that it makes all perceptions backwards. We choose our realities, and we become addicted to keeping that reality going.” –Samuel BercholzSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Nutrition Nugget! Bite-sized bonus episodes offer tips, tricks and approachable science. This week, Jenn is talking about what's in your cup, the mindset story that's been sitting with her all week. As Salad With a Side of Fries starts to celebrate its seventh anniversary, this week's Nutrition Nugget centers on a simple question a Buddhist monk once asked his students, one that Jenn says stopped her in her tracks the moment she heard it. It starts with a spilled cup of coffee and ends somewhere much deeper, touching on stress, community, and the parts of ourselves we don't always notice we're carrying until life gives us a bump. Jenn ties it back to two themes she returns to on the show, but this time with a twist that feels personal. So what is in your cup? And more importantly, what spills out when someone bumps into you? Jenn has thoughts that will likely change how you move through the rest of your week. Like what you're hearing? Be sure to check out the full-length episodes of new releases every Wednesday. Have an idea for a nutrition nugget? Submit it here: https://asaladwithasideoffries.com/index.php/contact/RESOURCES:Become a Happy Healthy Hub MemberJenn's Free Menu PlanA Salad With a Side of FriesA Salad With A Side Of Fries MerchA Salad With a Side of Fries InstagramJenn Trepeck, Nutrition Nugget, Salad With A Side Of Fries, Health Tips, Wellness Tips, Mindset, Stress, Emotional Resilience, Mindset And Stress Management, Community, Connection, Purpose, Buddhist Monk, Coffee Cup Story, Emotional Resilience, Self Care, Personal Growth, Compassion, Kindness, Empathy, Love, Anger, Jealousy, Fear, Greed, Joy, Peace, Generosity, Health, Wellness, Vitality, Longevity, Healthspan, Sexspan, Podcast, Perspective Shift, Emotional Wellbeing, Mental Health, Reaction Vs Response, Inner Peace, Positive Mindset, Stress Response, Self Reflection, Gratitude, Mindfulness, How To Manage Stress With A Positive Mindset, What Is In Your Cup Mindset Story,
Exploring the gifts hidden within our most difficult emotions, Jack Kornfield shares how anger, judgment, and despair can be transformed into compassion, courage, and selfless service.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.This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield shares:The path of selfless serviceA meditation on kindness and loving awarenessMeeting anger without judgment or fearThe care and passion hidden beneath angerMoving from despair toward imagination and possibilityActivism rooted in stillness, wellbeing, and loveMoral beauty and compassionate courageTransforming judgment into tenderness and metta“Do you know why you're so angry? Because you care. Because you care that much. And when you start to tune into the fact that you do care, that's the fuel.” –Jack KornfieldThis teaching was originally recorded during a live session for Jack's Living the Dharma in a Troubled World yearlong program. Join these monthly livestream Q&A sessions here. As a special offer for Heart Wisdom listeners, use code Dharma10 or Dharma10p (payment plan) at checkout for 10% off this program.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.“We're learning how to be free as human beings—not to skip over being human, but actually to have a big enough heart to say, ‘Yes, this is part of our legacy.'” –Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
If you wish to support our podcast, please follow this link. Thank you! Welcome to a new episode of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives. In this episode, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach Jo Confino are joined by special guest Pham Minh Huong, businesswoman and spiritual practitioner, to discuss integrating Buddhist teachings into the business world. Pham Minh Huong shares her journey from being a successful but lonely CEO to one who prioritizes trust, mindfulness, and community in her companies – by adopting practices like servant leadership and consensus-building, and by creating a culture of compassion and collaboration. She emphasizes the importance of presence, authenticity, and the power of mindfulness in navigating crises and maintaining a balanced life, but reflects also on the challenges of integrating spirituality into a business world dominated by metrics and competativeness. Brother Phap Huu shares his own experience as the abbot of Upper Hamlet, while Jo reflects on writing about sustainable businesses for The Guardian and on his current work as leadership coach. The conversation highlights the potential for businesses to be a source of meaning, connection, and positive change when guided by spiritual principles. Ms Pham Minh Huong has nearly 30 years of experience in the finance and banking sector. Having previously served as Head of Treasury and Financial Markets at Citibank N.A., she was among the first members to contribute to its operational growth. She is a visionary leader and a pioneer in introducing new products to the market. Her significant contributions to the securities community and her personal professional reputation have established her as a highly respected leader in Vietnam’s financial market. Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/ And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/ With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/ List of resources Sister Chan Khonghttps://plumvillage.org/about/sister-chan-khong Brother Phap Unghttps://plumvillage.org/people/dharma-teachers/brother-chan-phap-ung Interbeinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing Plum Village Traditionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum_Village_Tradition The Way Out Is In: ‘The Three Jewels (Episode #89)'https://plumvillage.org/podcast/the-three-jewels-episode-89 Order of Interbeinghttps://plumvillage.org/community/order-of-interbeing ‘The Four Dharma Seals of Plum Village'https://plumvillage.org/articles/the-four-dharma-seals-of-plum-village The Way Out Is In: ‘Space, Time, and the Ultimate Dimension (Episode #54)'https://plumvillage.org/podcast/space-time-and-the-ultimate-dimension-episode-54 The Art of Powerhttps://plumvillage.org/books/the-art-of-power Quotes “Now I have a path, there is nothing to fear.” “When I first came to Plum Village, I saw that things were very organized, but I didn’t see leaders. And when I asked, people said, ‘That’s because of Yidma.' Yidma, in Buddha's teaching, is about consensus. But, at that time, I couldn't believe that we could run a business in a slow way and build democratic governance as per Thay’s vision.” “Good teacher, good methodology, and good friends.” “If everything is important, then, actually, nothing is important.” “What Buddhism and what the Buddha and Thay offer us is another dimension of really asking the question, ‘What is happiness? What is success?'” “Engage, trust – and then there’s cooperation. And when there is cooperation, there is power and the result will come. We have to trust in that.” “Sometimes it’s via absence that people recognize their love. If you’re always there, there's not always the opportunity for that.”
Life transitions have a way of shaking everything you thought you knew, but they can also become the catalyst for your greatest transformation. In this episode of Spiritual Fitness, Eric Bigger sits down with former Buddhist monk Seth Monk to explore the three stages of every major life transition and share practical wisdom on navigating identity shifts, embracing the unknown, and finding clarity through meditation, surrender, and vision.About Seth MonkSeth Monk is a former Buddhist monk, author, and spiritual teacher who has spent more than a decade exploring the intersection of consciousness, psychology, and human transformation. After years of monastery life, silent retreats, and studying with renowned meditation masters, he now helps people release unconscious patterns, heal emotionally, and step into greater clarity, purpose, and inner freedom.Website: https://sethmonk.comBook: Buddha's Cake https://a.co/d/05okwGO5Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sethmonk/Check out Miracle Season's collection: https://itsmiracleseason.co/collections/frontpageWork with me: https://www.ericbigger.com/workwithme?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=work_with_m...Connect with Simplified Impact: https://hubs.ly/Q02vvMJ90
In this episode, I explore a fascinating idea about near and far enemies and how it links to leadership and the tendency for even the best leadership tips, tools and advice to accidentally get used in the wrong way. This episode dives deep into the deeper parts of ditching the drama that leaders may feel they are coaching well on moving people past the key sources of drama - lack of accountability, ego-based behaviors such as venting, resisting change and lack of alignment to decisions - but missing massive opportunities because they are labeling too soon behaviors from their team as simply "sources of drama". Understanding the near enemy or the patterns that look like drama, but may actually be real nuanced concerns coming from your team will allow you to take your leadership to the next level and continue to modernize how you lead. Episode Highlights: 00:01:16 – Setting up the topic: why good leadership advice can accidentally create bad leadership 00:01:33 – Introducing the Buddhist concept of "near and far enemies" 00:02:41 – Client call story: bringing up "structure" with a fast-scaling, innovation-driven team 00:04:22 – Near enemy example #1: empathy vs. sympathy 00:05:42 – Near enemy example #2: discipline vs. rigidity 00:06:56 – The Olympic athlete "no noise after 8pm" story 00:08:06 – Back to the client: renaming "structure" to get buy-in 00:08:58 – Connecting the pattern to Reality Based Leadership's four sources of drama 00:10:04 – Near enemy example #3: shutting down venting vs. shutting down real concerns 00:11:47 – Near enemy example #4: wholehearted buy-in vs. conditional buy-in 00:13:04 – Near enemy example #5: drama-free culture vs. drama-avoidant culture 00:14:16 – Near enemy example #6: accountability vs. overfunctioning/burnout 00:15:32 – How We Could book plug and Mel Robbins endorsement 00:17:30 – Real session story: a team member's "conditional buy-in" moment and the negative brainstorming tool 00:22:58 – Closing reflection: spotting your own near enemies over the next two weeks
What if the greatest performance upgrade isn't another productivity hack—but learning how to pause Peloton instructor, former Buddhist monk, and author Sam Yo to unpack the principles behind The Monk's Mindset. We explore why stillness has become one of the most overlooked skills in modern life, how creating intentional "mindset moments" can reduce stress and anxiety, and why true peace isn't something you escape to—it's something you learn to carry with you. Follow Sam @yoiamsamyo Follow Chase @chase_chewning ----- 00:00 Introduction 00:47 Why We React Instead of Respond 03:55 Audible Sponsor 05:03 Creating Mental Space Between Moments 06:09 What Is The Monk's Mindset? 08:08 Building Daily Structure Through Stillness 09:08 Why Stillness Is the Ultimate Life Optimization Tool 11:14 Can Contentment Kill Ambition? 13:06 Technology Can Either Distract or Support Your Peace 14:06 Service, Purpose & Finding Meaning 16:11 Lessons Learned Living in a Monastery 18:02 Integrity When Nobody Is Watching 19:14 WHOOP Sponsor 20:27 Reflection: The Most Underrated Daily Practice 22:04 Sam Yo's Daily Monk Mindset Protocol 24:31 Handling Stress Without Losing Yourself 27:38 Staying Present During Success 29:14 Can Mindfulness Become Selfish? 30:10 What Happens When Self-Improvement Changes Your Relationships? 32:02 LMNT Sponsor 33:23 A Monk's Perspective on War 35:16 One Practice to Stay Calm During Uncertain Times 36:20 Creativity Through Stillness 38:03 Rapid Fire Questions 42:02 What Ever Forward Means to Sam Yo 43:08 How Social Media Steals Your Peace 43:42 Where to Connect with Sam Yo ----- Episode resources: FREE 30-day trial of Audible, my favorite audiobook platform 1-month FREE and FREE app for WHOOP activity tracker FREE variety sample pack with any purchase of LMNT elecrtroytes Watch and subscribe on YouTube
It's our anniversary! We're celebrating nine years of Two Girls One Ghost with a two-part deep dive into one of the most mysterious places on Earth: the Grand Canyon. In Part 1, we explore the ancient history, sacred beliefs, and legends surrounding this massive natural wonder before diving into one of the wildest mysteries ever reported. In 1909, a newspaper claimed an explorer had discovered a hidden underground cavern filled with hieroglyphics, mummies, ancient artifacts, and a mysterious idol blending Egyptian and Buddhist imagery. But if the discovery was real, why was the cave never found again? As researchers search for answers, they uncover suspicious place names, restricted areas, and alleged government cover-ups. Watch the video version here. Have ghost stories of your own? E-mail them to us at twogirlsoneghostpodcast@gmail.com New Episodes are released every Thursday and Sunday at 12am PST/3am EST (the witching hour, of course). Corinne and Sabrina hand select a couple of paranormal encounters from our inbox to read in each episode, from demons, to cryptids, to aliens, to creepy kids... the list goes on and on. If you have a story of your own that you'd like us to share on an upcoming episode, we invite you to email them to us! If you enjoy our show, please consider joining our Patreon, rating and reviewing on iTunes & Spotify and following us on social media! Youtube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Discord. Edited and produced by Jaimi Ryan. Original music by Arms Akimbo! Disclaimer: the use of white sage and smudging is a closed practice. If you're looking to cleanse your space, here are some great alternatives! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices