Buddhist Wisdom, Modern Life

This week, we're sharing the second of two episodes from Inner Cosmos that explore the neuroscience behind our sense of self. Host David Eagleman investigates why our bodies, composed of trillions of cells, feel like a single, unified "me." These episodes offer a compelling scientific perspective on the Buddhist concept of anatta (no-self), providing a fascinating bridge between ancient wisdom and modern neuroscience.Listen now to all of the wonderful episodes from Inner Cosmos: https://eagleman.com/podcast/

This week internationally renowned spiritual teacher and author Andrew Holececk about his new book, Reverse Meditation, in which he shares a powerful form of spiritual practice that can transform our relationship to unwanted experiences. In the process, we open more and more fully to the luminous, spacious true nature of the mind. Toward the end of the episode, he offers a guided contemplation you can use next time you feel the urge to complain. Andrew’s website: andrewholecek.com Check out his new book, Reverse Meditation, that offers instruction in both foundational practices like calm abiding meditations and open awareness practice, as well as the reverse practices you’ll hear about in this conversation. On Sound True: https://geni.us/revmedst On Amazon: https://geni.us/revmedam If you enjoy our conversation, please share this episode and subscribe! To learn more about Buddhism through my free courses, click here: https://geni.us/freecourses Or get my book for beginners, The Buddhist Path to Joy, here: https://geni.us/buddhistpathtojoy May you and all beings be well.

I used to think that Buddhism and trying to "manifest" what you want don't go together. But then I realized that actually Buddhist teachings on karma tell us how to put in place the causes for getting what we want. Mind blown! Want to learn more about the basic teachings of Buddhism? You can check out my book, The Buddhist Path to Joy, here: https://geni.us/buddhistpathtojoy And my free courses on Buddhist basics for beginners here: https://geni.us/freecourses May you and all beings be well.

To celebrate the Buddhist holiday of Vesak, which commemorates the birth and awakening of the Buddha, here’s a guided meditation on trusting and resting in our own buddha nature. You (yes, you!) are a buddha masquerading as a human, and the tragedy of human life is that we’ve forgotten we’re already everything we’re looking for. This meditation was recorded live as part of the Mind Body Spirit Institute’s Power of Community meditation series. To learn more and register (for free!), click here: https://geni.us/mbsipoc

The biggest challenge most meditators face is finding enough time to practice -- and the Pomodoro Timer method is my favorite way to get around this. In this episode, I’ll dive into the Pomodoro Timer method and show you how it can help you get more time to meditate. So if you’re a meditator who always wishes you had more time for practice, listen now and download my free time tracking spreadsheet! Get the free spreadsheet and future video trainings: https://geni.us/pom4meditators Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DHxnTE11ADU My favorite Chrome extension timer: https://geni.us/K1p1 The Pomodoro Timer method is a great way to get more time for meditation because it helps you break down your day into manageable chunks. Essentially, the Pomodoro Timer method works like this: you work for 25 minutes and then take a five minute break. After four “pomodoros” (i.e. working for 25 minutes and then taking a five minute break), you take a longer break of 15 minutes. If you use even a few of these breaks to meditate, you'll easy get 20, 30 or more minutes back from your day to nourish your spirit. Using the Pomodoro Timer method also helps you refresh your mind and finish the workday less mentally fatigued. And you can reconnect with a positive motivation for your daily work tasks. May you and all beings be well.

This is a meditation I led for the Power of Community program hosted by the Houston Jung Center’s Mind Body Spirit Institute. It was recorded live, so you might hear background noises. If you’d like to join the Power of Community for free weekly meditation sessions (in English and Spanish), you can register here: https://geni.us/mbsipoc Free courses on Buddhist basics: https://geni.us/freecourses My book for beginners on the Four Noble Truths: https://geni.us/buddhistpathtojoy May you and all beings be well.

Welcome, friends, in today’s episode I’ll speak a bit about meditating to benefit those who have died, and then I’ll guide a short practice using the mantra of Amitabha Buddha: OM AMI DEVA HRI. (See below for a short summary.) More on Amitabha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amit%C4%81bha If you enjoy this practice, please share this episode and subscribe! To learn more about Buddhism through my free courses, click here: https://geni.us/freecourses Or get my book for beginners, The Buddhist Path to Joy, here: https://geni.us/buddhistpathtojoy May you and all beings be well. _________________________________________________ With recent news about the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria (and so many other news events in which we hear about people dying suddenly), we have an opportunity to practice meditating for those who have died. You don’t have to be an expert meditator or know secret meditation practices to benefit folks in the state between death and rebirth, known in Tibetan Buddhism as the bardo state. Beings in the bardo state are said to be very sensitive to any thoughts directed toward them, which means that we can help them by directing love and compassion to them through meditation practice. In addition, the more we’re able to contemplate death and what comes after – which in Tibetan Buddhism is described as a time when our buddha nature naturally shines through since our ordinary self has been tripped away. So practicing for the dead helps them, and it helps us, too. There are many different ways to meditate for the dead, but one of the simplest is to use the mantra of Amitabha Buddha, whose name means “Infinite Light.” This mantra is a prayer for the departed to be reborn in the Pure Land, a paradise realm. The mantra is: OM AMI DEVA HRI. To use this mantra, simply sit in a comfortable position and repeat the Amitabha mantra either aloud or silently to yourself, picturing the infinite light of this buddha wrapping those who’ve passed in comfort, love, and peace. You can do this for as long as you like. You may find it helpful to practice this meditation regularly, especially if you are struggling with grief. It can be a very comforting practice, and it can bring you some peace of mind knowing that you are supporting the deceased on their journey.

We've probably all wished we had more time for spiritual practice, and you might have made a resolution to meditate (or journal, pray, etc.) more this year.    But what do we have to give up to make space for what's most important?   In this video, I share a big lesson from grad school that helps me prioritize what's most important... with some help from Marie Kondo!   Happy New Year.  :)   If you enjoyed these reflections, please share this episode and subscribe!   To learn more about Buddhism through my free courses, click here: https://geni.us/freecourses    Or get my book for beginners, The Buddhist Path to Joy, here: https://geni.us/buddhistpathtojoy   May you and all beings be well.

My friend Dent Gitchell, PhD, an educator, author, and meditation teacher in Arkansas, joins me today to bring a different perspective on reincarnation cases. After a childhood of being open to the unseen aspects of reality, Dent trained with Roger Woolger, a pioneer in past life regression therapy, which helps people recover from previous life traumas that are holding them back from healing and freedom in this life. Now, I’m not sure that all memories that come up in this form of therapy refer to actual previous lives, but many people find tremendous healing from it, and as you’ll hear, Dent found it helpful. This conversation also makes some connections between Buddhist teachings on karma and the previous lives Dent experienced. To learn more about Dent, to find his book, and to learn more about the psychotherapy he offers, check out his website: http://www.dentgitchel.com To find all my free courses on Buddhism, click here: https://geni.us/freecourses May you and all beings be well. Dent Gitchel is a therapist, educator and meditation instructor. He is a long-term meditator, primarily in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and has a strong interest in the intersection of traditional contemplative practices and modernity. He has formally trained in and been certified several meditation teacher training programs including Mindfulness Based Emotional Balance (MBEB) , Stanford's Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) and Dharma Moon's Mindfulness Meditation Teacher program. He is the author of Pursuing Purpose: Finding meaning Through Meditation.

Hi, friends, I’m excited to introduce you to Dr. Dent Gitchell, an educator, author, and meditation teacher – a guy with a lot of credentials and a lot of expertise. But what I recently learned about him is that he’s been a fan of The Grateful Dead since he was young, and along with that came a lot of consciousness-expanding experiences with psychedelics. In this conversation with Dent, we’ll dive into those early experiences and how they’ve shaped the wise and kind teacher he’s become. To learn more about Dent, who’s a psychotherapist living in Little Rock, Arkansas, check out his website: http://www.dentgitchel.com For a list of all my free courses on Buddhism, click here: https://geni.us/freecourses I hope you enjoy this conversation with Dent. May you and all beings be well. Dent Gitchel is a therapist, educator and meditation instructor. He is a long-term meditator, primarily in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and has a strong interest in the intersection of traditional contemplative practices and modernity. He has formally trained in and been certified several meditation teacher training programs including Mindfulness Based Emotional Balance (MBEB) , Stanford's Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) and Dharma Moon's Mindfulness Meditation Teacher program. He is the author of Pursuing Purpose: Finding meaning Through Meditation.

We’ve all heard of “enlightenment” in the context of spiritual practices like Buddhism. But in this episode, my colleague Deborah Eden Tull walks us through the equally important practice of “endarkenment” and other wonderful explorations from her new book, Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown. I very much enjoyed reading this book and appreciated her invitation to explore the realms of mind outside of our “daytime” consciousness as we practice receptivity and learn to be more comfortable as we encounter what’s unknown to us.   Buy the book today on Shambhala’s site: https://www.shambhala.com/hello-darkness.html  Or find it on Amazon: https://geni.us/5cqQ  Read the transcript here: https://www.clairevillarreal.com/post/luminous_darkness May you and all beings be well.

Y'all, I'm so happy to share a conversation I had with Emily Anchia, the Digital Manager at my home sangha, Dawn Mountain. Her degree is in personal finance, so we talked money stuff, and she comes at the topic from a more spiritual angle that reminds me of Marie Kondo more than the finance bros on YouTube.   If you'd like to learn more about the basics of Buddhism, please see the links below to my free courses for beginners and to my favorite comprehensive intro courses on Buddhism and Buddhist meditation.   Emily is the manager of all things digital and broadcast at Dawn Mountain Buddhist Temple. She facilitates spreading the dharma as a profession, but she also has a passion for spreading financial literacy! She loves the art of storytelling in every form and especially all things spooky.   You can find her on a Dawn Mountain livestream: dawnmountain.org   Free mini-courses on Buddhist basics: https://geni.us/freecourses  Great intro to the Buddhist traditions: https://geni.us/BSO101  Similarly great intro to Buddhist meditation: https://geni.us/BSO102  May you and all beings be well.