Buddhist Geeks

We’re joined again by meditation teacher and actress Stephanie Nash, this time to explore some of the striking parallels between the disciplines of acting and meditation. Stephanie shares how a month-long Shakespeare acting intensive was her gateway to the spiritual path and how at it’s core acting is about allow the flow of experience and emotion. She relates some of the Vajrayana practices to the techniques that actors use, and shares some of the ways that actors use the body to enter into an emotion. We conclude by discussing some of the ways that meditators might also learn from actors, especially when it comes to learning how to positively express emotions and stay embodied. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Chief Facilitator. Episode Links: www.mindfulnessarts.org

We’re joined this week by meditation teacher and actress Stephanie Nash, to discuss her experience of working with her Shinzen Young. Stephanie is one of Shinzen’s chief facilitators and has been working closely with him since the late 90s. She shares some of the key things she has learned in that process, including the practice of interactive meditation and radical experimentation. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, (airing next week). Episode Links: Mindfulness Arts ( http://www.mindfulnessarts.org ) Shinzen Young Interviews | YouTube Channel ( http://www.youtube.com/user/ShinzenInterviews ) Stephanie Nash & Other Teachers | YouTube Channel ( http://www.youtube.com/stephnashmeditation0 )

We’re joined again by Yoga and Buddhist meditation teacher Michael Stone, this time to look at Buddhism as a system. We speak about the interrelations between spiritual systems and the sociological, ecological, and cultural systems that also make up our lives. We also explore what it means for dharma to be in concert with its environment looking at how a systems view may support our motivations to really bring inner wisdom into the outer world. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Connections Between Yoga & Buddhism. Episode Links: Centre of Gravity ( http://www.centreofgravity.org ) The Ariyapariyesana Sutta ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html )

We’re joined this week by Yoga and Buddhist meditation teacher Michael Stone. We begin by finding out how Michael got into spiritual practice, which happened to be at an early age through a profoundly spiritual uncle who suffered from schizophrenia. During his time in the asylum, visiting his uncle, he learned to meditate, to contemplative the words of great masters from the past, and to develop his own ideas regarding the spiritual path. This early exposure and interaction informed Michael’s future journey, when he ended up practiced deeply in both the yogic and Buddhist traditions. We finish our conversation by exploring some of the overlaps and deep connections between these wisdom schools, paying particular attention to the similarities between Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the early sutras of Siddhartha Buddha. We also speak about the body practices of yoga and what they may have to offer to the mind practices of Buddhism, noticing that both schools are ultimately both mind and body practices. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, No System Exists in a Vacuum. Episode Links: Center of Gravity ( http://www.centreofgravity.org ) The Satipatthana Sutta ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.than.html ) Yoga Sutras of Patanjali ( https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Yoga_Sutras_of_Patanjali )

We’re joined again this week by organizational expert, and founder of HolacracyOne, Brian Robertson. Brian begins by describing the pit-falls of both strict hierarchy and consensus based organizational structures, pointing out that in both cases the systems are fused with the people. He contrasts that with the Holacracy structure, which employs several methods designed such that the value of both top-down and bottom-up wisdom can be incorporated into an organization. We then discuss the challenges of implementing a system like Holacracy, including the difficult “ego shock” that it can have on people who are used to being heroic leaders. We then speak about the notion of “organizational enlightenment”, which Brian speaks of as “the organization waking up to its own purpose in the world”. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Liberating the Soul of Organization. Episode Links: HolacracyOne ( http://holacracy.org )

We’re joined this week by Brian Robertson, founder of HolacracyOne, a company whose aim is to liberate the soul of organization. We discuss with Brian the main principles and practices behind Holacracy—a system that Brian helped develop as a new operating system on which businesses can run. He distinguishes between what he calls “predict-and-control” management practices and “sense-and-respond” processes, which are much more like the dynamic steering of a bicycle. We also look at the parallels between the practice of Holacracy and the practice of meditation. Brian’s description of Holacracy as a practice which encourages people to be ruthlessly present with current tensions and to not identify with the roles that they fill are two striking examples of meditative principles applied to business. We conclude our discussion by exploring what he calls “the tyranny of consensus”, seeing that even with a group of highly conscious individuals we may not have the collective skills to really give life to the organizations we’re a part of. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Organizational Enlightenment. Episode Links: HolacracyOne ( http://holacracy.org ) Differentiating Role and Soul ( http://www.holacracy.org/blog/differentiating-role-and-soul )

We’re joined again by a regular contributor of Buddhist Geeks and blogger at 21awake.com, Rohan Gunatillake. Rohan joins us to explore three areas in which the aesthetic of meditation could be improved. Specifcally these areas are: 1) language, 2) look & feel, & 3) delivery models. We then explore various ideas on how to meet these design challenges with design-specific solutions. Rohan suggests that taking a co-design approach to these challenges, including the users more fully into the design process, is a great first step. In addition he shares details on a project that he’s currently working on, a mobile application called Buddhify, which is a specific example of improving the aesthetic of meditation through technological and design innovations. Episode Links: www.21awake.com Edinburgh Festivals Innovation Lab ( http://festivalslab.com ) Buddhify ( http://buddhify.com )

This week we’re joined by Susan Kaiser Greenland a leader in bringing mindful awareness to children and teens. We explore the differences between mindful based approaches and Buddhist approaches, seeing in what ways they are mutually supportive and in what ways tensions exist between them. Susan then shares some of the methods she uses for introducing mindfulness to children in a natural way, while highlighting the importance of that teaching being truly embodied. Episode Links: www.susankaisergreenland.com www.MindfulnessTogether.net

We’re joined this week by Buddhist teacher and scholar Hokai Sobol to explore the broad, but crucial topic of Emergent Buddhism. As a preface to the panel that Hokai will be leading at the upcoming Buddhist Geeks Conference on “The Emerging Face of Buddhism,” he explores the nature of emergence in the history of Buddhism, pointing out that “everything that we call traditional now was at one point emergent.” Hokai also explores some of the his deepest questions regarding “Emergent Buddhism,” namely 1) What has emerged thus far, that has worked?, 2) What is emerging right now?, and 3) What do the coming decades hold? He explores the importance of each of these questions, while at the same time tackling some complex issues regarding the massive cross-pollination and convergence of multiple religious and secular traditions with Buddhism. Episode Links: www.hokai.info

“Photography and Buddhism share essential interests: both are concerned with clear seeing.” – Andy Karr & Michael Wood We’re joined this week by Buddhist teacher and photography Andy Karr. We explore some of the principles and practices behind the practice of contemplative photography, a unique method developed by Michael Wood. We also look into the overlaps between Buddhism and photography, with a special emphasis on the distinction of perception vs. conception. Finally we discuss the broader topic of art and creativity, exploring some of the ways that Chogyam Trunpa taught on this subject, the differences between Western and Eastern art, and the way that “basic nature” serves as the very source of creativity. Episode Links: The Practice of Contemplative Photography: Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes ( http://amzn.to/fPJWQc ) Contemplating Reality for the 21st Century ( http://contemplatingreality.blogspot.com ) The Miksang Institute for Contemplative Photography ( http://www.miksang.com )

Buddhist scholar and Chaplain Danny Fisher, joins us to explore various stories, or narratives, that run through the Buddhist world. There are a variety of different kind of stories in the Buddhist tradition, including those that are more traditional and those which are more modern. Included in those narratives are Buddhist hagiographies (traditional teaching stories about important figures), historical narratives, and more modern narratives. Listen in as we try and piece apart what some of these stories are, and find out how the stories that we believe in affect us as individuals and communities. Episode Links: www.DannyFisher.org University of the West ( http://www.uwest.edu ) A People’s History of the United States ( http://amzn.to/eytcyu ) How the Swans Came to the Lake ( http://amzn.to/gtQqvB ) Buddhism in America ( http://amzn.to/hu3UWV ) Luminous Passage ( http://amzn.to/fAWiDL ) After the Ecstasy, the Laundry ( http://amzn.to/dHxc2N )

We’re joined this week by Soto Zen teacher Zenkai Taiun Elliston. Along with the being the abbot of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center, Taiun is also a long-time professional designer, having trained and taught modern design. We ask him to share his perspective on the interplay and parallels between the two fields, which brings about a very interesting conversation about the aesthetic of simplicity, the importance of sensory engagement, and the nature of the medium we are exploring, whether it’s a physical medium, as in design, or the medium of consciousness itself, as in Zen. Episode Links: Silent Thunder Order ( http://silentthunderorder.org ) Atlanta Soto Zen Center ( http://www.aszc.org ) Bauhaus Design ( https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Bauhaus )

We’re joined this week by Rich Fernandez, who serves as the Head of Learning and Organization Development at eBay. Rich has a long history with meditation and eastern practices, and has been working to bring secular mindfulness practice into the workplace. He shares some striking early research into the experimental programs that he’s helping to implement at eBay and also explores a larger initiative that he’s working on, called the Wisdom 2.0 Architecture. Episode Links: Wisdom 2.0 ( http://wisdom2summit.com ) Taylorism ( http://www.answers.com/topic/taylorism ) Migration of Mindfulness: Cave to Corporate America ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbJZFb3ZTrY ) The Mindful Leader ( http://amzn.to/fAq35E ) Awake at Work ( http://amzn.to/fHxw2u ) George Mumford ( http://bit.ly/gXXzYx )

This week we have an intimate conversation with two young Buddhist practitioners. The first vignette is with Sophie McLaren, who practices in the Shambhala community and runs an organization dedicated to bringing Buddhism and mindful living to youth populations. The second vignette is with Wes Rosacker a Zen practitioner in the White Plum sangha and a training psychotherapist. We discuss how each of these young practitioners makes sense of their practice in terms of the rest of their lives, and how specifically they bring their practical understanding of Buddhism into their professions. Episode Links: Everybodhi : peace within, peace in the world ( http://every-bodhi.org ) Taizan Maezumi Roshi ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taizan_Maezumi ) Robert Kegan ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kegan )

We’re joined this week by mother, author, and Zen teacher Karen Maezen Miller. Maezen speaks directly to the need to see through the dualisms that we create in our lives, and speaks specifically about the dualism of being a parent and a practitioner. She shares advice on how to not make one part of our life battle with other parts, and explores an empowering understanding of what monastic forms have contributed to us. She also speaks about the misunderstandings that can plague our meditation practice, and where these originate from. Episode Links: www.KarenMaezenMiller.com Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life ( http://amzn.to/hwJwjh ) Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood ( http://amzn.to/gEA5Hc ) Hazy Moon Zen Center ( http://www.hazymoon.com )