In this talk, Michael answers a question from a listener in Venezuela and in the process addresses the issues that arise when we live a life that is rooted in personal gain and loss. From here, Michael articulates the way we can consciously get off of this cycle of circumstance and into the more expansive realm of Ultimate Living.

We begin this talk by discussing Hue Neng’s discussion of the present moment in the Platform Sutra. This leads us into the realization of Knowing, which leads to Action that comes not from an egoic contraction, but from the recognition of the deep Singularity of Being. Living from this Knowing and this Action is like dancing a tango along the razor’s edge.

ISmile46 - Tango Along the Razor’s Edge [ 35:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (16)

In this first installment of Commuter Zen, we discuss what it means to face our lives. We discuss how stillness leads to wisdom which leads to compassion, and how ultimately, these three components to a spiritual practice support eachother.

Know that posted comments and questions will be addressed in future installments as time permits.

In this talk, we discuss how Spirit is that which you’ve never been seperated. It is the aspect of you that never moves, and can never be attained, especially by someone who is seeking It. As a result, our approach to practice needs to be informed by Undoing rather than doing. We discuss meditative states and how they settle into becoming aspects of our being as long as we practice witnessing our experiences meditatively. Once this begins to happen, we come to rest in the Freedom that is our True Nature; something that is beyond the bounds of space and time; beyond the bounds of the constructs of mind. We then have an opportunity to recognize that all things arise into the witnessing awareness, and that nothing is outside of its scope. It’s all One. It is all Infinity. It is all Spirit. And you are Spirit.
Note: Please excuse the sound quality. We’re still working on smoothing out our rough edges.

ISmile45 - Great Undoing [ 35:00 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (21)

In the talk Still Being, we discuss what it means to bring stillness into our day-to-day lives. Michael explores the differences between the small self and the Big Self, as well as the various moves of the ego in order to prevent stillness such as convincing us that there is “a problem”, that “something needs to be changed”, and our need “to understand”.

ISmile44 - Still Being Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (25)