Search
A Case of Mistaken Identity
Michael argues that “yoga citta vritti nirodha” can be interpreted as “the ending of our misidentification with the movement of consciousness” and that our attempts to ground or reify our self-identity lead to dissatisfaction and anxiety.
Stormy Sea and Heaven’s River
Using a Haiku by Basho as a jumping off point, Michael continues his exploration of Dogen’s essay The Time Being.
Best of Awake in the World: Not Picking & Choosing
This week we’re revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode. Michael uses an old Zen tale, a troubled story about him falling in love with his wife, and quotes from Shunryu Suzuki, to describe the practice of not-knowing
Best of Awake in the World: Seals, Owls, and Letting Go of Destructive Relationships
This week we’re revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode. Michael explores the sensitive topic of knowing when to pull out of relationships, kindness to one’s self, emptiness, love, and a story about appreciating that you and others
Whatever is Needed
Michael talks about dukkha, self-care, and activism. He also describes several kinds of burnout and some methods to prevent being afflicted by them.
Self-Portraits
Starting with Dogen’s Self-Portrait, Michael explores different ways of viewing self-hood and argues for a “useful” doubt in respect to the self (not the kind that leads to indecision, but the kind that opens us up to new possibilities).
The Whisk, the Staff, Three Heads and Eight Arms
In this talk Michael unpacks Dogen’s essay on The Time Being and argues that an unhealthy relationship with time can be one of our biggest discontents.
The Problem is the Wanting
Micheal explores the difficulty of being immersed in a culture of desire, our tendency to want to be something other than what we are, and our notion that practice is going to get us somewhere.
Anxiety & Meditation
This week we’re revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode. 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
The Center of the Storm is Calm
In this talk on the Yoga Sutra Michael highlights the fluctuations of consciousness, kaivalya, and four kinds of nirodha.
Best of Awake in the World: My Body is My Teacher Now
This week we’re revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode. How to not leave your body, even when it feels untrustworthy. We can always turn to the body in pain, grief, and even in altered states of consciousness.
Three Principles of Peacemaking
This talk explores Bernie Glassman’s guiding principles for taking practice into daily life: not knowing, bearing witness and taking loving action.
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.