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Dainin Katagiri Roshi speaks eloquently about authentic stillness in his work Returning to Silence. In this talk Michael, and his students, add commentary to the idea that even in great activity we can uncover a liberating and spacious silence and stillness. The Absolute and conventional levels of experience are addressed, as well as four egoic moves that keep us from this stillness. Questions and comments deal with not understanding anything Michael says; staying still as we deal with the laundry and chop vegetables; as well as recognizing that gratitude comes from stillness.

Click here or on the title in order to listen to Michael’s talk.

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The easiest option is to download the new iTunes software and subscribe to this podcast from the Buddhist and/or Philosophy sections of the Religion & Spirituality list.
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Recognizing that Awareness is not thought is one of the key steps that all practitioners must take on the Path to Awakening. In this talk Michael suggests that shifting our approach to day-to-day living from thought into Awareness allows us to lose our addiction to the carefully crafted mask of ego. The contemporary Zen-teacher Shunryu Suzuki was once described as being “nothing extra”. This lack of extra is the openness that practice supports. Apologies for the volume issues, but questions deal with “nothing extra” in contemporary living; and what the term “Infinite Smile” means.

Click here to listen to Michael’s talk.

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The easiest option is to download the new iTunes software and subscribe to this podcast from the Buddhist and/or Philosophy sections of the Religion & Spirituality list.
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Whenever the Infinite brushes up against that in us which is contracted we are given an opportunity to Awaken. Realigning our relationship with these “run ins” with the Infinite can bring about conscious participation with each of these spiritual earthquakes that help us along the path. In this talk Michael contextualizes our intentions behind our participation with others along the Path, and reflects upon both shallow and deep levels of consciousness. Questions deal with the realization that all things are Spirit; and the recent “60 Minutes” story about New York bodhisattva paramedics helping out in earthquake ravaged Pakistan.

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The easiest option is to download the new iTunes software and subscribe to this podcast from the Buddhist and/or Philosophy sections of the Religion & Spirituality list.
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Like all things, we have a limited amount of time. Or, as the African proverb says, “Two people shouldn’t argue when their house is on fire”. With this in mind, how should we use our time wisely? In this talk Michael reviews the essential nature of all things: all things are temporary, all things are interdependent, and all things are inherently empty. He then suggests that any authentic spiritual practice will support the recognition of these qualities, and in doing so we develop what he calls “Ultimate Relationships with Time and Mind”. From this place we cultivate appropriate responses to all circumstances, and see that no person, and no thing, can show us what we already know. Questions deal with the difficulty that successful people have in seeing past time and mind; the blathering mind as a reminder that ego will resist losing control, leading to the 3 stages of practice; and ego’s desire to define everything, including the indefinable.

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The easiest option is to download the new iTunes software and subscribe to this podcast from the Buddhist and/or Philosophy sections of the Religion & Spirituality list.
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Do authentic spiritual paths leave us without passion? And what does surrender feel like anyway? In this talk Michael suggests practices that support a deeper way of living where life’s joys are celebrated and cultivated in ways that wake us up rather than shut us down.

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The easiest option is to download the new iTunes software and subscribe to this podcast from the Buddhist and/or Philosophy sections of the Religion & Spirituality list.
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So what does it mean to have a felt sense of our True Nature? What does it mean to cut through the veils of delusion and have a felt sense of the Radiant Clarity of Emptiness? In this talk Michael suggests that we can uncover our deepest Freedom when we carefully study our relationships to our possessions, our circumstances, and our thoughts. In doing this we begin to see that our comparing mind, our addictions, and our convictions gain exposure to a Liberation that frees life. Questions deal with recognizing when it is best to leave a situation; how ritual can enhance and inhibit Awakening; and ego’s desire to define everything, including the indefinable.