Search
The 8 Limbs: Suggestions for Living Wisely
In this episode, Michael explores how the 8 limbs of yoga and their connections to everyday life form a continuous circle rather than a straight line. He explains that the Yamas are not commandments, but suggestions for how to live
Commitment: Embodied Perception
In this episode, Michael explores how our identities—shaped by body, gender, and culture—inform our worldview. He engages with experts and everyday thinkers to deepen our understanding of these complex topics, while also reflecting on how personal commitments and our own
The Human Parts Of Our Life
In this episode, Michael explores the intersection of personal experience and spiritual practice. He discusses the Bhagavad Gita, focusing on Chapter 10, where Arjuna faces an inner conflict as he sees his own kin on the opposing side of the
Best of Awake in the World: Free to be Nobody
In this Best of Awake in the World episode on freedom and discipline, Michael explores how genuine freedom is achieved by peeling away the deeply ingrained habits of self-creation, such as striving, intellectualizing, clinging, and storytelling. By becoming aware of
Best of Awake in the World: What Are You Going to Let Go Of?
In this Best of Awake in the World episode Michael Starts off with a poem by Hafiz about haggling with God, he offers insights about ways to simplify and deepen practice, giving and receiving, renunciation, and ideas we need to
Impermanent and Fragile
In the final episode of our series on the core teachings of the Buddha, Michael reflects on how to face life’s uncertainties without succumbing to fear. Drawing from the dying Buddha’s advice to his friend Ananda, Michael explores the importance
What Are You Going to Do with What You’ve Got?
In the seventh episode of our 8-part series, Michael explores the Buddha’s teachings on karma. Contrary to fate, karma is seen as the actions that define who we are. Drawing from key texts, Michael explains how karma is intertwined with
An Old Frog Goes Plop!
In the sixth episode of our series, Michael explores how meditation can facilitate a gentle openness to life. Drawing from Allen Ginsberg’s translation of Basho’s poetry and the Buddha’s teachings on “Conditioned Arising” and “Consciousness,” Michael delves into the interconnectedness
Original Face
In the fifth episode of our series on the core teachings of the Buddha, Michael challenges common interpretations of nirvana and The Four Noble Truths. Drawing from “The Noble Quest” in the Majjhima Nikaya, Michael presents nirvana as something subtle
Set the Raft Adrift
In the fourth episode of our series on the core teachings of the Buddha, Michael explores how to let go of rigid identities and ideologies. Drawing from Vedic culture and parables in the Majjhima Nikaya, Michael shows how to offer
Cracks in the Coverings
In this third episode in the eight-part series, Michael explores the Buddha’s teachings on transforming pain and uncovering truth. By exploring the parable of The City in the Samyutta Nikaya, Michael examines the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths,
The Original Fire
In this second episode on the core teachings of the Buddha, Michael delves into the Buddha’s Middle Way. Without absolute truths or a single path, how do we navigate life? Michael highlights the human aspect of the Buddha’s teachings, suggesting
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.