Everyday Buddhism: Making Everyday Better

In this podcast, we'll look more closely at koans, poetry, koan practice in general ... and we'll see how to work with one koan, specifically ... to start your practice. Koan practice IS for everyday life! How can you use a koan in everyday life? How can you use a koan to break free from thinking ruts, hardened concepts, judgments?

Up for a fun challenge? In this podcast, I talk about my love of Zen Koans, as one of the rarest practices for 'messing with' your conceptual mind and shaking your false trust in the stability of what we think is 'knowledge.' Koans expose us to the fact that we are so stuffed with concepts and snared by thinking that we can't see what's right in front of us ... in the kitchen ... in the garden ... the desk ... out our window ... on a familiar walk. These are the place where koans leap from.

In this podcast, we'll look at how work is THE golden opportunity to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Practicing "Right Livelihood" means practicing Right Mindfulness. Do we honestly try to take care of our co-workers and customers? Or are we just doing our job?

Sometimes NOT speaking and NOT acting is the best possible action, he RIGHT Action. We don’t have to act immediately, just because we have an internal reaction. We can pause, not act, breathe. We can watch this urge to act irrationally arise, then let it go away. Sometimes that takes a few seconds, other times it means we should remove ourselves politely from the situation and let ourselves cool down before we respond.

Mindfulness has become mainstream, but it is still confusing or unreachable for some who try to begin a mindfulness practice. Meg Salter takes the "woo-woo" out of it. Mindfulness is not some magic light bulb that goes off and you're magically transformed, as Meg explains. You're still the same old person...only a slightly better version. It's not all about sitting cross-legged on a $200 cushion. Listen to Meg describe the "real benefit" of mindfulness: when you take it off the cushion.

Maybe "Right Speech" should be more like "No Speech." Talking. We're always talking. Even when we're listening we're talking ... mentally creating our responses. And, now, with endless social media forums and "drive-by" Twitter and Instagram talking, it's a constant stream of yap, yap, yap. Sharing our opinion of everything with everyone. Learn about the 4 practices of right speech ... Oh, and why Buddhas have big ears and small mouths, while emoticons have big mouths and NO ears.

In this podcast we're going to talk about "Right Intention" or how to be less of a jerk. This requires action ... not just thinking. We typically have trouble self-correcting, because we do things habitually or from a reactionary pattern. We never actually see ourselves doing them, until we complete the action. Being mindful is the process needed to accomplish change. Discover the "magic power" of equanimity and share Thich Nhat Hanh's 4 practices of right intention.

In this podcast I'm talking with Noah Rasheta of the Secular Buddhism podcast and author of the books: Secular Buddhism and No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners: Clear Answers to Burning Questions About Core Buddhist Teachings. Noah has a great story to share about a crisis of faith, existential angst, and a wondering if everything was falling apart. You won't be disappointed in his story of how he discovers how you can be comfortable in uncertainty through his exploration of Buddhist teachings and practice.

In this episode, I'm going to talk about "the Buddhist answer to everything. And the answer is: "Maybe." Buddhism is experiential. You must practice to find out the answer. You must apply it to understand it. You need to ask the questions of yourself and find your own answers. "Maybe" puts certainty on hold ... giving you time to find your own truth.

In this podcast, we'll look at the Buddhist concept of "No-Self". Where is your "self"? Is it something you can describe? It's hard to describe or identify as a discrete and non-changing thing, yet we sometimes cling to ideas of self that cause us to be stuck and miserable in life. In this episode, I offer 3 short mindfulness exercises that will allow you to slip away from yourself for a few minutes and feel how peaceful it is!

How do you feel about your life? Is it motivated by a big story, something bigger than yourself and your own little ego-driven, perceived wants and needs? The Buddha offered his followers an opportunity to become part of a big story. Being part of a big story is the answer to your WHY. It's a story of how our afflictions are met with a noble response.

In the first podcast episode of Everyday Buddhism: Making Everyday Better we'll talk about what it means to be an "insider." The Tibetan word for Buddhist is called Nangpa. Nangpa means “insider.” It is only in our looking inside will we discover answers to any of our questions or solutions to any of our problems. Change your mind; change your life.