In this episode we'll discuss anicca or change and impermanence, how it effects our lives. Doug's recent experience with a house fire will provide a good example!

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Dukkha: unsatisfactoriness, suffering, or just untranslated it's the difficulty that we find in our lives. We'll discuss how it's understood and experienced. How do you see it in your life?

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Doug and Jon start a conversation on one of the most misunderstood and yet probably the most important of the Buddha’s teachings.  The teaching of Anatta- usually defined as “non-self”.    Join us as we as we try to clarify without adding more confusion.

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We'll discuss how the practice and realization of non-self in Buddhism helps us see through We don’t know about you, but seems like most of us can take everything so personally.  This is an other form of suffering which the Buddha’s teachings attribute to clinging to self-view.  It’s seems unavoidable until we start to hold to who we think we are a bit more lightly.

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In the early Buddhist teachings there are many, many lists!  Quite a few of these provide different ways of exploring our experience.  They are maps to liberate the mind.  In this episode, we look at the some of these teachings and how they have helped our own practice. 

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In the Seven Factors of Awakening- one of the maps in the early teachings- Investigation is the second factor after Mindfulness.  Doug and Jon speak discuss what it is we are investigating.    What are the questions we can plant that bring insights into a new light.
 

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We'll discuss a recent example of self-immolation, as well as difficulties some of the Buddha's senior disciples had with serious illness. How do we face challenging situations in our personal lives and in society.  It's going to be a pretty deep episode, but worth spending time with.

Doug's YouTube episode Buddhism on Suicide and Euthanasia: https://youtu.be/a62ZgVWANz4

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The first of the Four Divine Abodes (Brahmaviharas) is Unconditional Friendliness (Metta) and for many this is a very challenging practice.  In this episode Doug and Jon explore how this has impacted their own practice,  various ways the practice can be done and how it becomes integrated into everything we do.

One translation of the sutta on lovingkindness by Bhante Sujato: https://suttacentral.net/snp1.8/en/sujato

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We both manage to make a living teaching dharma and meditation.   How  do we balance the ideal of "dana" - the practice of generosity -- with the reality of a western capitalist economic system.  

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Unlike the 10 Commandments in the Judeo-Christian traditions which tell you what not to do, The Buddhist Precepts are actually practices and while they can be read like commandments, that is really not the point. 
Doug and Jon speak to how they work with Five Practice Precepts in the early Buddhist teachings. 

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Desire can be the source of great Dukkha whether fulfilled or not.   Some desires, however are wholesome and these should be pursued, but even these can be a source of Dukkha.   Working with desires is an important part of practice.  Doug and Jon discuss their different approaches.

Books mentioned:
Anālayo, Compassion and Emptiness

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Compassion is one of the Divine Abodes.    Doug and Jon discuss whether this is an innate quality or one that needs to be learned.    How do we cultivate that quality and perhaps uncover what is already here.

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While it can be hard to believe, there is no limit to the amount of joy in the world.  Yet, at times it certainly feels that way.   Sympathetic Joy, or Resonant Joy is the third of the Divine Abodes and like the quality of compassion it has the capacity to weaken the boundary between self and other.  Doug and Jon discuss the role of the quality in their own lives.

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The Third Noble Truth says there is freedom from Dukkha.  We have experiences of this freedom often but don’t often recognize them for what they are.  It’s been said that “enlightenment is an accident and meditation makes us more accident prone”.  There is certainly some truth in this.  In this episode we look at Enlightenment from some different perspectives. 

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Our guest Upayadhi recently spent time at a fascinating conference on the topic of "the future of American Buddhism". We discuss the conference and some of her reactions to it. What's the future look like? Who's involved?

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In this episode we continue our discussion with Upayadhi on a recent conference she attended, where one topic involved the influence of the digital world on Buddhist dharma. We discuss  its current pluses and minuses and what the future holds.

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How do we deal with war If we are practicing the precept of non-harming (non-killing)? What are we supposed to do, and how are we supposed to feel about the situation in Ukraine? Eminent monastic scholar and practitioner Bhikkhu Bodhi has a recent article where he discusses this issue, with particular emphasis on the war in Ukraine. We discuss the article and the idea of warfare in Buddhism.

Link to the article:
https://www.lionsroar.com/buddhism-nonviolence-and-the-moral-quandary-of-ukraine/

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The Buddha taught that we don't hold to fixed views.   Politics often finds its way into spiritual context and can be a slippery slope.    Some of us may assume that all Buddhist have the same stance on particular issues but this is rarely the case.    Some political situations are important to bring up in a Buddhist context and a definitely place of investigation. How do we work with our own fixed views and the fixed views of others.   Our practice, may bring us to a place of softening such views which then might  create a place of common ground.

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In this episode Doug and Jon exploring the practice of taking refuge.  The Triple Gem refers to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.   This is considered a True Refuge.  A refuge that doesn't fade that is always there.  It is both a practice and a commitment and a very important part  of Buddhism.  We explore the different ways to interpret these gems as well as understanding the difference between this True Refuge and the false refuges we often seek.

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Is Buddhist practice only about attaining enlightenment, or are there other things it can help us with? If so, what would they be? Is it OK to focus on something less than the ultimate goal? We'll look at these questions and more.

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This special episode Jon and Doug take questions from Sorrell, one of their generous member-donors over at Buy Me a Coffee. They discuss having children in a Buddhist context, how thorough non-attachment can be in lay life, as well as Sorrell's experiences on deployment in the navy.

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Generosity is the first instruction the Buddha would give to laypeople, it's also one of the deepest and most helpful teachings in Buddhism. We will consider generosity, and how it can be manifest in our lives.

Buddhist Global Relief website:
https://www.buddhistglobalrelief.org

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Buddhism was originally practiced in the forests and it was evolving at a time when much of society was seeing itself as a separate from nature by trying to control it.   The Buddha, it is written, always went into the forest  when he took leave from his sangha for retreat.  In this episode, Doug and Jon explore the importance of reconnecting with the natural world as part of our practice.  What do we learn about ourselves and how the core teachings,  particularly around 'non-self'  are illuminated through re-connecting with the natural world. 

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People often think of Buddhism as a very austere and all about renunciation.  In this episode we discuss the difference between worldly and unworldly pleasures and perhaps can dispel some of these mis-understandings.  

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Turning toward death through various meditation practices can be transformative and liberative.   In this episode Doug and Jon discuss how they practice with this and the impact it has had on their lives.

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The Five Reflections are a teaching which confronts us directly with the realities of life.   These reflections are the great equalizer-- no matter your status in life,  your income, your age, your race,  your sex, or any of your identities, these Five Reflections are a reminder of what's really true.   
This podcast is a perfect follow-up to Dying before you Dye!

A link to the sutta in which the reflections occur:
https://suttacentral.net/an5.57/en/sujato

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Doug and Jon discuss the five hindrances that the Buddha had to overcome on the night of his enlightenment. We find them not only cropping up in our formal meditation practice, but in our everyday lives as well. How should we deal with them? We have lots of tips.

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The Buddha  became a pretty famous guy, but what did fame mean to him?   Did he even think about it?   Fame was not something he sought.  He just taught and became well known through his teachings.   If he had access to social media would he have used it?    Fame and renown is certainly not the secret to happiness but so many strive for it.  Join us as we discuss this interesting topic and what it means to us.

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With the upcoming election in the US we will look at politics and Buddhism. Should we allow our Buddhist ideals to influence our voting? What would the Buddha himself have said in the midst of so much partisanship and how do the teachings on "holding to fixed views" fit into our own political dialogues?  Jon and Doug have an animated discussion on this important topic without implying how you should vote.  But you should vote!

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Perception is one of the Five Aggregates of Clinging and critical to our understanding of self and the world we live in.   It is through mindfulness and our meditation practice that we start to see through the trap of our own perceptions.  We don't see things as they are, we things as we are" (attributed to Anais Nin).

Bhante Gunaratana's book is: Meditation on Perception.

Sutta:
https://suttacentral.net/an10.60/en/sujato 

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"Yet it is just within this fathom-long body, endowed with perception and cognition, that I declare that there is the world, the origination of the world, the cessation of the world, and the path of practice leading to the cessation of the world.”  In this quote from the Rohitassa sutta  the Buddha addresses the knowing  body.  All that we know  and experience is in this body.  
So embodied practice is not the practice of cognitive understanding (though this is important) but rather a result of our direct experience.   Embodied practice is when our actions are a result of  heartfelt wisdom.  Where the rubber meets the road.
Doug and Jon discuss what is meant by embodiment and how do we know when we know.

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As we record this episode, Elon Musk has recently purchased Twitter. His purchase raises all sorts of questions relevant to Buddhist practice, perhaps most importantly of Right Speech. What should be allowed online? How should we practice on Twitter or other social media platforms?  Does our written communication actually inline with our intent and do we have a sense of how it might land with others?  This is where our mindfulness practice truly makes a difference.

Someone is wrong on the Internet! https://xkcd.com/386/
Key and Peele Text Gone Wrong

Small Kindnesses

By Danusha Laméris

I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk
down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs
to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”
when someone sneezes, a leftover
from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.
And sometimes, when you spill lemons
from your grocery bag, someone else will help you
pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.
We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,
and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile
at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress
to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,
and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.
We have so little of each other, now. So far
from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,
have my seat,” “Go ahead — you first,” “I like your hat.”

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As we head out of the week of Thanksgiving we consider eating and food in the context of early Buddhist practices.   For those of who are used to eating three meals a day--a very western European way-- the notion of eating on the early Buddhist monastic schedule  of one basic meal a day before noon would seem rather strange if not impossible to hold to.  Of course, we don't go out for alms rounds to obtain our food and our daily schedules are quite different.   There is also the question of our attitude toward food and eating.    In this episode Doug and Jon explore eating as a practice and how meditation and Buddhism impacts (or not!) their food habits.

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For our listeners in the US, we are beginning Thanksgiving week. It's a perfect time to consider gratitude and how it integrates into our lives.  And if you're not in the US it's still a good time!  

As always, thank you all for listening, and for your continued support!

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Is our "Diggin' the Dharma" logo a problem? Doug and Jon react to some recent comments on a thread at Doug's YouTube channel that expressed the concern that the logo was offensive in depicting the Buddha with a shovel.   It's an opportunity to look at the teachings of "rites and rituals" as well as the concept of spiritual materialism.

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Jon has just got back from a long retreat, so we discuss his experiences, as well as offering a few book recommendations for the holidays and New Year. Go to our website for titles and some links!

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In our final podcast of 2022 we'll take another look at embodied meditation, following a retreat that Jon was just on.  As a special gift, Jon will lead us on a wonderful guided meditation illustrating how seeing this embodiment can work in our practice.

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For our first episode of the 2023,  we offer support just in case you've resolved to develop a daily meditation practice.

Maintaining a daily practice is difficult, so we hope these tips might help the process.

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One of the various lists of the Dharma is the 10 Fetters. In this episode, we discuss the first five of these and none of them will be a surprise because they are so common.  Despite being common that doesn't make them easy break away.  

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This episode will be aired the week Jon faces significant surgery.  It seems like an appropriate time to look into fear and how to work with it. 

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Some folks believe that Buddhism requires us to let go of all desires.  This is actually a misinterpretation of the teachings.  There are undoubtedly healthy and unhealthy desires, and if one desire turns into greed, we have crossed the line.  That line is only sometimes as apparent as we might think.   In this episode, we discuss what the Buddha says about this and how what we have to learn from these teachings.

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We'll discuss a fun early sutta where two ascetics, one practicing as a dog, the other as a cow, come up to the Buddha to ask for his opinion about the merit of their practices.  What does this show us about our own attitude to practice?

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As Jon returns from his heart surgery and recovery, we discuss the practice of patience, which is considered one of the Perfections of the Heart (Parami).    While heart surgery itself is miraculous, perfecting the heart by cultivating this quality of patience (among others) is no less so.  We look at ways to develop patience throughout our day.

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Metta--the quality of unconditional love is considered one of the boundless qualities of the heart.   We often have beings in our lives who embody this quality and have been there for us regardless of how we are, or what we have done.   These beings could be grandparents, an aunt or uncle, perhaps our parents (though most parents knowingly or not have conditions to their love), our 1st-grade teacher, or even a family dog.   Recalling these benefactors is of great help if we have trouble connecting with the kind of love. 
In this episode, we discuss the benefactors in our lives and how the impact they can have.

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With the hyper-driven developments in Artificial Intelligence, we wonder, is AI becoming sentient?  What is sentience anyway?  What are the determining factors? How do we hold these developments in the Buddhist context of Anatta, not self?  

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In Buddhist practice, direct experience is a key component of mindfulness and the development of wisdom.  Can AI actually have direct experience?   And if so, does it actually develop true wisdom?  

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The Seven Awakening Factors are a fundamental teaching in the early Buddhist Suttas.    In an active form, these factors can be a valuable antidote to any of the Five Hindrances.    In a passive way, as we meditate, they can act as signposts informing us both where we are and what is needed at any given moment.  Throughout our day, they can work in the same way.

Each of these factors warrants its own podcast, but here we discuss them as a whole.

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What are the Buddha's views about views?   How are the ways we hold opinions about politics, people, food, etc, different from clinging to spiritual views?   The Buddha had a lot to say about this but how do we put it into practice.  How does our clinging to views, most importantly views about ourselves,  impede our progress on the path?  

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The training called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in the late '70s and could be credited with the concept of "secular mindfulness."  It is taught worldwide by hundreds of teachers and has been the topic of well over 1000 scientific research papers.    Is it Buddhist? Is it effective?  Jon Aaron is one of the prominent teachers of this curriculum and a trainer of new teachers.  He and Doug talk about the Buddhist underpinnings of this curriculum as well as it's impact on the secular mindfulness movement.

Link to Jon's upcoming MBSR Classes
Receive a 10% discount using: MBSR10

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What is non-dualism all about?  Is it a practice? Is it a way of looking at the world?  Or is it just words?  Yes and. . . 

We'll discuss the dharma and practice of non-dualism. Was it found in the early texts?  How do we understand and use it?

Doug's YouTube video on the topic:
Non-Dualism and Early Buddhism -- https://youtu.be/43v6lLweukg

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"Not mine, not I, not myself" is a phrase that appears in various suttas.  It can be a useful reminder to let go.  We cling to material things, people, and of course ourselves. When we lose something or someone, or when that idea of who I am suddenly shifts, it can manifest in significant suffering. In this episode, Doug and Jon discuss how they relate to this sutta and how it can be a helpful reminder when we find ourselves in the jaws of dukkha.

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Recently we discussed a kind of secularized Buddhist practice with Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Today we discuss the topic of secular Buddhism. What do we mean by "secular" or "religious"?  How can such concepts (and they are just concepts)  be helpful or not?

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The Pāli word Sati literally means "remember' but also has the meaning of Mindfulness.  The question of memory in mindfulness practices is the starting point of our discussion in this week's episode.

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Doug and Jon discuss two natural abilities we have to skillfully maneuver through the world. The Buddha discussed them as "guardians of the world" (Iti. 42).

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A recent comment on our website prompted a discussion about whether certain  Buddhist practices (Lovingkindness for instance)  involve magical thinking.   

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In these days of divisiveness, it's easy to get into political arguments or, at the very least, think ill thoughts about some of our leaders.    The Buddha's words on wise speech can be a useful guide.  

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The present moment seems to come and go, but is that the case?  What is the present moment anyway?  This is a deep philosophical question and certainly a central point of Buddhist practice.   Doug and Jon look at the topic from a number of different points of view .  It's always a fun discussion!

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Buddha Nature is a concept that arises primarily in the Mahayana Buddhist teachings, though without using that language, specifically,  could certainly be interpreted within the early teachings as well.   The most famous Koan on this is "Does a Dog of Buddha Nature?"

Doug and Jon have a spirited and at times confusing discussion on this.  Join in with us!

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How do we negotiate the Buddha's teachings on craving and clinging with our deep love of family and friends?   What is the difference between true love and "attached love," and when does attached love lead to dukkha?   This is an ongoing question.  The Buddha did expect monastics to be celibate and to leave their families but he did not expect this of householders.   Later traditions had other options.   Still, the teaching asks us to beware of love based on attachment and clinging.

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The time we are living through just now has been termed a poly-crisis.  A combination of existential crises happening all at once.  Whether it's climate change, the war in Ukraine, pandemics, worldwide hunger, refugees, civil strive. . . we are experiencing it all directly or indirectly.   How can our practice help?  Does it help? Doug and Jon reflect on their own experience of this.

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In this listener Q&A, Doug and Jon answer two questions: teachers' roles in guiding their students in the dharma, and how our past trauma might influence our journey.   We don't pretend to have specific answers, but these wonderful questions elicited a wonderful discussion.

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Doug and Jon respond to three member questions on how to reconcile non-judgment in our practice with the role of ethics, as well as how we can best deal with personal criticism and even aggression from co-workers.

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Dealing with wildfires associated with global warming turns our mind to one of the Buddha's most famous and trenchant suttas, his third discourse, the Fire Sermon.

Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato:
https://suttacentral.net/sn35.28/en/sujato
Translation by Bhikkhu Bodhi:
https://suttacentral.net/sn35.28/en/bodhi
Doug's video:
https://youtu.be/dhTULnK8BWo

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Being in the present moment also means acceptance of the present moment whether we like it or not.  This is a key to Buddhist practice and a key to freedom.  It's also a challenge, mainly when what is present is unacceptable.  In this episode, we discuss how we practice (or not) acceptance.

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Exercise is important for our bodies and minds. How do we approach exercise as a meditation ? Can we exercise mindfully, and what would that look like?  In fact, any activity we do can be a meditation practice if we remember.

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There are many ways of investigating experience, including the six elements of earth, water, fire, air (wind), space, and consciousness.   In this episode, we discuss how these practices can lead to a direct insight into the nature of self.   

Playlist of Doug's Dharma videos on the elements:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0akoU_OszRhAhUt9nXmf4wfgkBdHRAfx

Book Recommendation: Living as a River, by Bodhipaksa 

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We decided this week to speak about the Two Truths-- the Relative and the Absolute, or the Mundane and the Ultimate.   Are they real or just another construct?  How did they find their way into the Buddhist teachings?  How can we practice with them today? Is there even something to practice?

Doug's Videos on the Two Truths:
The Buddhist Doctrine of Two Truths: Origins -- https://youtu.be/qL_sspJzQx8
The Buddhist Doctrine of Two Truths: Abhidharma and Nagarjuna -- https://youtu.be/yBKK1HvieqU
Is the Two Truths Doctrine a Problem for Early Buddhism? -- https://youtu.be/q5nHLz1xoSU

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Many folks with western religious upbringings find discomfort when faced, at least in a practice context, with a Buddha Rupa (statue) or other images and of course even more so when bowing or offerings are encouraged.   

In this episode we'll talk about Buddha images: their history, practices we might use with them, as well as discuss the show on display at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC on early Buddhist artwork.

Two of Doug's Videos:
Buddhism and Icons: Prohibition to "Idolatry" -- https://youtu.be/qRqxuxS1qUg
Tree & Serpent: New Exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum -- https://youtu.be/RG3VjmMe6tY

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Among the factors of the Eightfold Noble Path is Right Effort.  This is part of the meditation path, and for many, finding the right energy in our meditation practice is a big challenge.
Doug and Jon discuss how they approach this and hopefully give some useful tips.

Right Effort

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The world events of the past week,  added, perhaps to our own personal challenges, may bring up the question of how to respond.    Meditation is not meant as an escape from these challenges.  Rather, when integrated with the teachings of the Dharma, it can set the groundwork for an appropriate response to arise within any circumstance.

This week, Doug and Jon explore how this works for them in practical and and spiritual ways.

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Is there such a thing as collective karma? Doug and Jon will consider the picture of karma given in early Buddhism, and compare it to the idea of collective karma, or alternately to a notion of 'aggregate' karma. How does karma work among groups of people?

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Doug and Jon have a spirited discussion with our guest,  writer and Buddhist meditation teacher, Bodhipaksa, on Fake Buddha Quotes. How important is it to get the Buddha right? What is a "Fake Buddha Quote" anyway?

Bodhipaksa's Websites:
https://www.wildmind.org/
https://fakebuddhaquotes.com/

Book:
https://fakebuddhaquotes.com/buy-i-cant-believe-its-not-buddha/

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What are some techniques we can use to develop a regular meditation practice? Doug and Jon's guest Bodhipaksa has taught a course on this and is in the process of writing a book about it. Lots of good advice in this episode!

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What do you have to be thankful for? How can a practice of gratitude impact your life for the better? Thanksgiving week is a good time to reflect upon such questions.

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Inspired by taking the side of peace,  Jon and Doug look at taking sides and the Buddha's teachings on clinging to views and opinions.  How does taking a side often exacerbate the problem of division and conflict? Is there another route? 

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Jon and Doug discuss how living ethically in the context of the five precepts is a considerable mindfulness practice.  At first glance, the precepts seem rather obvious, but the more we look and the more we bring them into our moment-to-moment experience,  the more we realize how much deeper we can go.

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What is meant by re-birth?? Who is reborn and when? There are a number of interpretations and Doug and Jon explore some of them.   More important is how our understanding of rebirth and death impacts the way we live now. 

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Depending on your interpretation of what a miracle is, there are certainly times when miracles seem to happen due to our practice.  In fact, one of the most-read books on Buddhism and mindfulness is Thich Nhat Hanh's classic Miracle of Mindfulness.  Do you notice miracles happening?  What did the Buddha have to say about this?

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Perhaps this is a perennial question, but it's always worth asking.   What's so special about Buddhism and why have we chosen it as a guide for how we live?  We speak about our personal experience ask questions that might be helpful for you.

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In this episode for the last day of 2023, we look at concepts of time from a Buddhist perspective in the relative and absolute sense.    It's a fun topic and seemed appropriate as we move into 2024-- at least in some calendars.

George Carlin on TIme

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The New Year is a good time to return to the core teachings.  And it's good to start with the Four Enobling Truths, from which much becomes clear.  In this episode, we spend most of the time talking about the first two,

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As we continue our wondering through the Noble Truths we discuss aspects of the Fourth Truth the 8-Fold Noble Path with a particular interesting Right Intention. This is the second factor, but who says we need to start with the first?


Japanese Bowl, Poem by Peter Mayer

VIdeo on the Art of Kantsugi

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The Eightfold Path, the fourth of the Four Noble Truths, lays out a map to become free from suffering.    In our last episode, we explore the second fact  on the Right Intention. In this episode, we discuss Right View and how we generally hold views.  After all, if you don't have the right view, if you don't know where you're headed, you'll likely get lost along the way.

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The Rubin is an important institution in New York with a very significant collection and many special exhibitions of Tibetan and Himalayan art, specifically related to Buddhism and Buddhist culture in that part of the world.  We received the sad news recently that they are closing the New York space and basically becoming a virtual and traveling museum.    Jon and Doug discuss the closing and the nature of anicca-- impermanence.

https://rubinmuseum.org/

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Right Effort --one of the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path is an important aspect of the practice of meditation, and the teachings related to this are worth looking into. 
Jon and Doug discuss strategies and practices that may be useful for us to consider along the path.

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In our last few episodes, we've been discussing the Buddha's Noble Eight-Fold Path.  The last three factors of the path are about meditation.  It's always good to remind ourselves why we meditate and what meditation actually is.    What meditations are presented in the early Buddhist teachings, and why are they important?   

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If one were to describe a word that illustrates the meaning of onomatopoetic,  papañca fits the bill.   There are a number of words in Pali that do this, but papañca which means mental proliferation, is one of the best.  In this episode, Doug and Jon look at this familiar pattern of the mind and how to work with it.

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The recent death of Alexei Navalny sparked this discussion on courage.   Navalny is one example-- similar to people like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Nelson Mandela.    We see acts of courage from many daily but don't necessarily consider them in the same way.  
What is courage, and does it play a role in our practice?  Can meditation and the dharma, cultivate and strengthen this quality? 

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Doug and Jon discuss the   "Golden Rule" (do unto others as we would have them do unto us) and its role in Buddhist practice and the precepts. 

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Buddha Nature: what is it and how is it a controversial concept in some understandings? Jon and Doug discuss this as well as concepts and words generally.

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The second noble points to the cause of dukkha—craving and clinging. It's also related to the uncertainty of life and the desire for it to be otherwise. Sometimes, the wisdom we gain, even after years of practice, seems to vanish when confronted with the inevitable change. Our discussion was sparked by Jon's pending move to Chicago and the dukkha this has manifested.

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Truthfulness is one of the Paramis or perfections of the heart.  In this episode we  dig into what it means to not only be factually true but how the truth finds expression in appropriate ways-- both in our external and internal speech.

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What is free will? Do we have free will? What does it mean to be free, and what does this have to do with our ethical and karmic responsibility?

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The refrain in the teaching on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness refers to contemplating internally, externally, and internally and externally.    Jon and Doug talk about how they receive that part of the teaching, which doesn't appear in any obvious way in other suttas but is actually a very important part of mindfulness. 

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Right Livelihood is one of the factors of the Buddha's Eightfold Noble Path.  Of course, times have changed in the last 2500 years, so what does this mean today?  Doug and Jon look at the teaching and do some head-scratching over certain parts of it.

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What is Insight (Vipassana) practice? Doug and Jon discuss its origins and how it orients our approach to the dharma. They also discuss  some exciting potential developments with livestreaming the podcast.

Book:
Erik Braun, The Birth of Insight

Our new YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8HnYof8CejuOkLsr86EjRQ

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We can't let go of letting go so we continue discussion from the prior episode.

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How can we work with our thirst for clinging and identification that seems unquenchable? We will discuss various aspect of letting go related to desire and thirst.

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Equanimity- Upekkha has an important place in many of the key Buddhist teachings.  It's the fourth of the Divine Abodes, the seventh Factor of Awakening, the last step of the 16 Step teaching in the Mindfulness of Breathing and in the 10th of the Parami- the Perfections of the Heart.  Doug and Jon discuss the various facets of this important quality.

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The Buddha described humanity as tangled like string, knotted like a ball of thread.  This tangle is a result of not seeing clearly the dependent co-arising— paticca-samupadda-- of phenomena.   This is one of the most important of the early teachings.   It can be seen through the lens of individual dissatisfaction and of course, through social, political and cultural dissatisfaction.  

Doug and Jon explore the teaching and how we bring it into our practice. 

Dhivan Thomas Jones's book: This Being, That Becomes

Videos:
Playlist on dependent origination at Doug's Dharma: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0akoU_OszRjcEvO6Gt2MSKF-u7Y8XaNc

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