Infinite Smile Sangha

Michael points out, in this talk, how we  must be willing to let go of our old habits in order to develop new ones. As Joseph Campbell says, “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.” With this in mind, the issue of love and it’s fire unfold in the Dharma talk. Do we have the strength, so to speak, to truly let go; to allow for the Universe to have its way through us? A practice of stillness puts this question squarely in front of us and allows for the light from love’s fire to shine through us. ___ Feel free to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes. Click on the player below, in order to listen to Michael McAlister’s talk. Tweet

Zen-inspired spiritual teachings for those living busy 21st century lives.

It's about meeting every experience without avoidance or greed. In this radical honesty fearlessness will always reign.

Whether you are a beginning meditator or a seasoned practitioner, fear can be a useful tool in this work. Practicing, for example, in the midst of our fear shows us a path toward a new perspective where we no longer end up getting paralyzed by fear but instead are inspired by it. This may sound counter-intuitive but when we get to know our fear intimately, we are offered the chance to see through it. In these moments of transparency, we begin to recognize the temporary nature of fear as well as all of the clinging that leads to it in the first place. ___ Feel free to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes. Click on the player below, in order to listen to Michael McAlister’s talk. Tweet

Michael McAlister's secular, non-dogmatic, and often amusing Buddhist teachings work to inspire awakening in this lifetime.

Michael McAlister's secular, non-dogmatic, and often amusing Buddhist teachings work to inspire awakening in this lifetime.

Michael McAlister's secular, non-dogmatic, and often amusing Buddhist teachings work to inspire awakening in this lifetime.

Michael works with The Book of Serenity‘s, Case #76 as a way of describing the path of attainment. He also weaves into this description an application of how people come together and separate in relationships. By using the phrase, “The moon sets, midnight going through the marketplace,” he points toward the teaching that there is a peace underneath whatever tangle, or karma, that we might face. With this in mind, he then pushes forward into the realm of his own situation, where he and his wife are currently employing mindfulness in how they are working through their own separation. He speaks to this by reminding us that love is fearless and fear is loveless. ___ Feel free to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes. Click on the player below, in order to listen to Michael McAlister’s talk. Tweet

Michael McAlister's secular, non-dogmatic, and often amusing Buddhist teachings work to inspire awakening in this lifetime.

Michael McAlister's secular, non-dogmatic, and often amusing Buddhist teachings work to inspire awakening in this lifetime.

Michael McAlister's secular, non-dogmatic, and often amusing Buddhist teachings work to inspire awakening in this lifetime.

In this evening’s talk, Michael looks at the three components to truly letting go. He first begins with the aspiration for awakening. Secondly, he points to the appreciation of what we have been given in this life. Thirdly, he points to the need for there to be a resolve when it comes to practice itself. In this letting go, freedom, fearlessness and joy tend to arise of their own accord, even when situations might not be to our liking. Michael points to a deep unity that we can feel when we commit fully to walking the path. He suggests that this unity is the most fundamental sources of our felt sense of love and deep peace, and then asks how our lives might change if we knew that we had nothing to fear. The more there exists a recognition of this fearlessness and the more we see the permeability of the separation we typically feel between self and other. From this place we have an opportunity to deeply experience a congruence with living a life we’ve always wanted to live. ___ Feel free to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes. Click on the player below, in order to listen to Michael McAlister’s talk. Tweet

Michael McAlister's secular, non-dogmatic, and often amusing Buddhist teachings work to inspire awakening in this lifetime.

Michael McAlister's secular, non-dogmatic, and often amusing Buddhist teachings work to inspire awakening in this lifetime.

In this video, Michael discusses the idea of love as inspired by Paul’s letter to Corinthians, Chapter 13. He then compares the Christian version of love to a decidedly Buddhist interpretation, drawing on the idea that love can be seen as a simple, felt sense of the Infinite. Michael’s inspiration for this talk came out of a visit to his childhood church and a discussion he had with his friend and minister of this organization. ___ Feel free to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes. Click on the player below, in order to listen to Michael McAlister’s talk. Tweet