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A Culture of Awakening
In the face of our global environmental crisis Michael argues that it’s not enough to only work with our individual greed, anger and delusion–we must create a culture of awakening that integrates individual practice, a cultural recognition of interdependence (deep
What Are You Going to Let Go Of?
Starting with a poem by Hafiz about haggling with God, Michael offers insights about ways to simplify and deepen practice, giving and receiving, renunciation, and ideas we need to let go of.
Form That You Can See Through
In this talk Michael covers balancing form and creativity in practice, the trouble with ideas of purity and accomplishment, and how the five koshas might be applied within asana practice.
Clouds in the Sky
This thirty-minute guided meditation focuses on noticing and letting go of commentary.
A Pilgrimage Inside Body and Mind
This talk, given to a group of clinicians, begins with a meditation practice (ending at [12:07]). What follows is a wide-ranging discussion about mindfulness techniques, their origin in the Satipatthana Sutta, and participants’ experiences and insights. The talk ends with
Best of Awake in the World: Buddha’s Last Word
This week we’re revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode. In the Zen tradition, there is a saying, “Reaching the mystery is nothing but breaking through and grabbing an ordinary person’s life. The mystical experience turns out to
Best of Awake in the World: Spiritual By-passing & Mindfulness of Thinking
This week we’re revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode. Michael integrates a discussion of spiritual bypassing (using practice to avoid dealing with painful feelings and unresolved emotional habits) with a teaching on using labeling to let go
I Had to Stop Reading
In this talk Michael explores anatta (not-self) and emptiness as strategies versus “things.”He argues that sitting practice is required to get beyond language and investigate the habits of mind that obscure our understanding.
Do People These Days Need Enlightenment?
Michael considers the final lines of the first pada of the Yoga Sutra through the lens of a Buddhist koan: Case 62 of the Book of Serenity.
What Can You Do About the World?
In this talk Michael looks at the five kleshas and their corresponding cultural samskaras through the practice of working with a koan–an exercise in not knowing. He also describes Bernie Glassman and Grover Gauntt’s street retreats and their three guiding
Enter Here
This meandering talk starts with a story about “Entering the Way” and flows around asana practice, pranayama, the role of a teacher, the five kleshas and the importance of healthy doubt (the kind that comes with faith).
Mindfulness & Social Action (e-Book)
This talk was given by Michael in Vancouver on January 28, 2015. He described it as a manifesto for how to talk about spirituality in a post-metaphysical age, used a PowerPoint presentation (the slides are included in the e-book) and
About the Community Library
Michael was a great archivist and the Community Library was—and continues to be—a labour of love. Everything in the Community Library is available for free. Anyone, anywhere can have instant access to material that will help them deepen their practice and contribute to a culture of compassion and collaboration.
Libraries are places where we gather alone together. They are known to be places of refuge for seekers, as well as those who are marginalized. This library is no different. It helps us nourish our beautiful, international community without walls. Now, it will also help keep Michael’s legacy alive.