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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.
The Four Tasks
The Four Tasks: 1. Embrace Life, 2. Let go of Craving, 3. Stop & See, 4. Act. Drawing on the academic work of Richard Gombrich and Stephen Batchelor, Michael gives a focused talk on the core concepts/memes of Buddhism as
How Do You Know If Your Practice Is Working?
Michael offers a practical list of psychological changes that happen when you practice: 1. self transience, 2. body becomes sacred, 3. resilience, 4. reliable self-esteem, 5. insight. 4th talk in a series.
Questions And Response Session On Meditation Practice
Michael talks about working with the breath, mantras, language, yoga, feelings in the body, releasing the sense of “me,” and the importance of collaboration in political change.
Craving, Love & Reflections on Suicide
Drawing on the Buddha’s first teaching, Michael talks on craving to be someone, craving to fill something, craving to not-exist, and craving for stimulation. He ties this to greed and the ability to open to frustration.
Summer Silent Retreat pt.4: A Block of Ice Makes A lot of Water
Michael explains Nirvana, the Deathless, Buddhist practice without religion, and a re-thinking of the core teachings of the Buddha. Michael draws on Stephen Batchelor’s idea of The Four Tasks that we can practice as the realization of Nirvana. Recorded at
Summer Silent Retreat pt.3
When you’re feeling Stuck. Michael gives a talk on the “killing” energy of Mara, the power of being blocked and unfulfilled. He talks about how the Buddha worked with being attacked by the hell realms. Waking up is always followed
Summer Silent Retreat pt.2
Michael Stone gives a focused and detailed thought about meditation technique and using your body to develop concentration. He goes through meditations on sound, the nostrils, the belly and approaching the objects of meditation with sthira (steadiness) and sukkha (well-being).
Summer Silent Retreat pt. 1
When you have imbalanced attention how can you live an intentional life? Michael talks about being on retreat, two categories of thought, introduces the Dvedhavitakka Sutta and talks about how deeply wanting to wake up is a delicate thing in
Guided Meditation
All your life, you’ve been searching, without knowing it, for exactly this moment. Michael Stone gives a guided meditation on the city, the body and the breath.
Hope Without Optimism
On Silent Retreat Michael Stone explores the Zen koan “Why Can’t the Tail Pass Through” along with thoughts on hope, optimism, and despair. He describes “mindfulness as a political tool” and how we don’t need a revolution, we need “embodied,
Waking The Political Body
Pascal Auclair co-teaches with Michael and explores the work of Joanna Macy and Aung San Suu Kyi and the work that reconnects.
Transforming Pain
Michael begins teaching on the Two Darts and explains how physical and emotional pain are connected and how when we feel physical pain (first dart) it’s followed by a mental response (second dart). Then Michael teaches a guided meditation that
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The Community Library will continue as long as we have supporters. The more support we have, the more we can ensure that the teachings Michael left behind can be available for free to anyone in the world.