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In tonight’s talk, Michael suggests that cutting through the veils that hang between ourselves and Awakening involves getting beyond the inertia of habitual mind patterns. “Hal”, as is said in Sufiism, is the gift of Awakening. But “maquam” is what is earned on the way to the embodiment of this Awakening. Questions and comments deal with what the heavy lifting of embodiment looks like and how getting clever in relationship to practice can inhibit our growth; the difference of being fully present and totally indulgent; and how Awakening deprives us of our attachments to our dreams.

Click HERE 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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What happens when we confuse the map with the territory? In tonight’s talk, Michael suggests through the words of Suzuki Roshi, that our stillness practice is a “general housecleaning of our mind.” Questions and comments deal with identifying the stones that block the flow of life; personal enlightenment versus non-personal enlightenment; the suggestion that any awakening experience, or satori, is a map but not the territory of enlightenment; and the difference between sages and normal people.

Click HERE 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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Is ten minutes enough time to meditate in order to apprehend the Middle Way? How about twenty minutes? An hour? In tonight’s talk, Michael suggests through the words of Descartes, the Koran, and Mohammed, that we need to stay comfortable but not too comfortable with our stillness practice if transformation is to occur. Questions and comments deal with being available to Spirit; seeing one’s meditative practice just like a golf swing; having chutzpah as well as softness in one’s practice; and turning the heat up on your meditation in the way only you know how to do.

Click HERE 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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So how do we support an intimacy with the Infinite when we face a continual crash of the real world? In tonight’s talk, Michael offers us a brief description of the Buddhist version of what puts us in the direct light of Awakening. He breaks down the Eightfold Path into three sections and points out that our concepts of enlightenment are what keep us from enlightenment. Questions and comments deal with how we stay close to stillness; and meditative practice getting supported throughout the day.

Click HERE in order to listen to Michael’s talk.

To subscribe to this podcast, paste this address directly into a podcast aggregator. This will automatically download new discussions on a regular basis.

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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What happens when we have an experience of Awakening? In tonight’s talk, Michael offers us a description of those things that veil us from these events. He also points out how the process of opening ourselves to a meditation practice and the raw nature of the unfamiliar can turn us into an “Oscar the Grouch” of consciousness. Even so, studying this experience opens us to the Absolute. Questions and comments deal with the practice of not being “safe” all the time; and the sense of “stepping up to the plate” with total relaxation.