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The Middle Path & The Basics of Buddhism
Michael gives a talk on the core teachings of the Buddha and how they relate to being a self, letting go, repeating the past, investing too much in the future, and being stuck.
Yippie! Sit Buddha! (Heart Sutra 6)
Michael continues discussing The Heart Sutra. Our practice helps others’ practice. Emptiness is everything, just as it is right now. Dukkha is restlessness — we want more or we don’t want. The Heart Sutra as magic, incantation, voodoo. Advice from
Radical Open-ness
A riveting talk on animals and non-violence by guest speaker, Dr. Lauren Corman, given during a 12-day intensive at Centre of Gravity.
Feel the Fear (Heart Sutra 5)
Michael Stone discusses The Heart Sutra, nirvana, worry and fear. The Buddha lists five fears. Fear is a trance state. Some of the worst things in my life never happened. During sitting meditation, feel the stable knowing behind fear and
Give Yourself a Break (Heart Sutra 4)
The Buddha talks about the All. What is taste? Bukowski has a bluebird in his heart. Michael Stone continues discussing The Heart Sutra — self-liberation, thoughts without a thinker, spiritual air miles, three kinds of burnout, and more. A talk
Vacuum Cleaner (Heart Sutra 3)
Michael Stone continues discussing The Heart Sutra — form and emptiness, the Buddha’s troubles, making families in Toronto, bathing in Japan. What is underneath language in sitting practice is self-acceptance. Avalokiteshvara and Shariputra are both in you. Waves are the
Why Other People Suck (Heart Sutra 2)
Michael Stone discusses The Heart Sutra during a 12-day intensive at Centre of Gravity in Toronto. Emptiness is not place or process. Mistaking emptiness is like catching a snake from the wrong end. Moving out of stories in order to
Seeing the Background (Heart Sutra 1)
Beginner’s mind threatens the part of us that wants to control experience. Knowing before knowing. Hakuin: “Wisdom is not separate from you. It’s like beads rolling on a tray: sudden, ready, uninhibited.” We all want to be more comfortable, and
I’m Dying, What Can I Do For You? (Notes on Dying 2)
The mind makes snapshots and creates categories, our patterns contain the world keeping us small and separate, mindfulness is the new Tylenol, dying as generosity, perhaps practice means simply catching up to what you actually feel, instead of living in
Throw Up and Bow (Beginner’s Mind 6)
How do we bow? Everything becomes your teacher. Throwing up dualistic ideas. Teachers are heavy, students are feathers. The pain of panic wakes you up to what hasn’t grown up. Sincerity. The sense of something else gets in the way
How to Sit is How to Act (Beginner’s Mind 5)
Michael discusses Shunryū Suzuki’s book, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. People who practice Zen are always asking: what is this all about? Whatever you do, Buddha is in that activity. Becoming the breath. Hitting the pillow. Occupy the wall. Suck your
Mountains & Rivers, Part 7
Don’t ignore what your life actually is… Practice tattoos us. Life stains us. Your life carves your face all the time. Michael reads section 17 of Dōgen’s essay, Mountains & Rivers. Every action you do carves your life. So, how
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.