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The Discipline of Relationship w/ Norman Fischer
Norman Fischer talks on not speaking destructively, not criticizing the faults of others, and working with conflict. This episode is from our archive and was recorded March 16, 2014.
You Can’t Get Anywhere With Meditation! w/ Norman Fischer
Norman Fischer facilitates discussion about meditation, prayer, loss, compassion to oneself, and the liberation of sitting still even when it seems useless. This episode is from our archive and was recorded March 16, 2014.
Letting Go of Control (Diamond Sutra 5)
There are hungers we just can’t satisfy. So how can we open to desire without grasping? There’s no satisfaction at the end of the money or fame path. Meditation is controlling your posture and mind in order to let go
Life is Like a Funeral (Lotus Sutra 14)
Michael talks about the five kinds of fear, community and how it grows, a poem by Leonard Cohen, generosity, and then he reads his own poem about his mother.
Labeling Thoughts & Acknowledging What’s Present (Diamond Sutra 4)
Michael talks about wedding Vows in community, labeling our thoughts so we can honour them, and how generosity is about the way we give our attention. The most profound gift we can give others is our attention. It’s a form
Attuning to Ourselves & Others (Diamond Sutra 3)
The benefit of our practice must be wider than the benefit to our body. How wide do you draw the circle of self? Self-soothing. Michael talks about “a secure base” and how to manage reactivity that’s both inside and outside.
How Does a Buddha Stand, Walk & Control Thoughts? (Diamond Sutra 2)
What does being alive feel like? Michael tells the story of Subhuti and the questions he asks the Buddha about how to practice. Haven’t we been blessed with greatest of trusts? Aren’t we all blessed? Isn’t meditation learning how to
The Diamond of Practice (Diamond Sutra 1)
The first in a series of six talks on the Diamond Sutra. Michael speaks on the three aspects of ourselves we can let go of through practice: Possessiveness (This is mine); Conceit (This is me); and Beliefs about what the
Can You Return to the Breath?
As the breath becomes smooth and slow, the mind settles and we become less interested in wanting “an experience.” Be kind to yourself, cultivate an un-agitated heart, and live a life that connects. London.
Anxiety & Meditation
Michael explains how we can cultivate a field in which anxiety can arise and change, surrounded by spaciousness. We have forces of good inside us, we aren’t fated to live out our history, and we are loveable just as we
The World Is Its Own Magic
Michael talks about the magic mantra that ends the Heart Sutra. Transforming fear, cultivating compassion, not-knowing, how mantras work.
Labeling & Noting Thoughts
How to meditate when your are thinking a lot. Michael also explores language and emotions in children and how this gets internalized in adults. A very clear talk on mindfulness practices for transforming overthinking and identification with thoughts.
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.