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The joke used to be that every time Michael opened his mouth what he said was archived here. We couldn’t be more grateful for that now because it is one of the best ways Michael’s teachings will live on.
The Awake in the World Podcast is the heart of the Community Library. Talks are on a wide-range of topics, including: bringing mindfulness and meditation practice into daily life; personal and community issues regarding mental health; and social change.
This podcast has been created so that anyone can have instant access to Michael’s teachings. It has been made possible due to generous donations from members of the community. In the six years that the podcast has been available, over half a million people have pressed play as a way to be more—like the name says—awake in the world.
Each podcast is between 30-60 minutes long. As always, you’re encouraged to follow along weekly as part of your practice. The podcasts were recorded at live events so you might hear coughing, airplanes, cars, sirens, laughter, and peoples’ questions—all part of the intimate experience.
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
Before Buddhism: The Buddha’s Early Teachings on Liberation
In this first episode of an eight-part series, Michael explores the teachings of the Buddha before the rise of Buddhism as a religion. How was the world created? Is there a soul? Are the body and mind separate? These timeless
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