The Ten Fetters with Kevin Schanilec

Dec 5, 2024

Kevin Schanilec, a seasoned Buddhist practitioner from Seattle, dives into the intricacies of 'The Ten Fetters' that cloud our perception and cause suffering. He sheds light on the 4th and 5th fetters: desire and ill will, revealing how our emotional reactions are often rooted in misconceptions about ourselves. Through guided introspection, Kevin encourages a transformative practice of observing our impulses without immediate reaction. His insights advocate for a profound freedom, allowing us to break free from the emotional rollercoaster and cultivate a more fulfilling existence.

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Intro

00:00 • 4min

Understanding the Ten Fetters

04:24 • 10min

Navigating Emotional Triggers

13:58 • 29min

Exploring the Illusion of Self: Fear and Self-Inquiry

42:34 • 4min

Exploring Desire, Meditation, and Enlightenment Progress

46:23 • 5min

Exploring the Fetters and Accessible Practices

51:23 • 2min

Well, this one is cool. It may change your meditation practice and – if you stay with the inquiry – your life. You’d hardly know how ambitious it is though, from our guest Kevin Schanilec’s humble, deadpan delivery.

Kevin is a long-time Buddhist practitioner from Seattle who has formalized a process for seeing through what Buddhists call “The Ten Fetters.” The fetters are fundamental (mis)beliefs we hold about how the self and world exist. Most of us don’t even realize they are beliefs – we are unconsciously inside them, which causes us to suffer in all the usual human ways.

What’s wild is that we don’t have to live according to these beliefs. With practice and commitment, we can learn to let go of each one and experience a corresponding drop in suffering and an increase in fulfillment. And Kevin shows us how…

For the purposes of this episode, we focus on the 4th and 5th fetters: desire and ill will – aka, our human compulsion to act on our various likes and dislikes. Kevin’s guided practice tries to show us that in our present experience, there is actually no inevitable reason to react to anyone, or anything.

If we are quiet and open and curious, we can follow the chain of reactivity back, and find out, as weird as it may sound, that nothing in our direct experience actually kicked it all off. We don’t have to react to anything. For Kevin, this is a freedom worth cultivating. In his words, “we get off that rollercoaster of extreme highs and extreme lows,” and start to respond to life in a more sane, effective, and compassionate way.

We get into all this and so much more! Kevin has such a refreshing perspective on the normalcy of the whole self-realization process.

Jeff says: “I now do this practice all the time – maybe more than any other Mind Bod Pod practice – and it works for me, every time. I have less reactivity in my life in general, and I consider this practice central to that.”

So give it a shot! You can also find other inquiries on Kevin’s website.

LINKS:

* Kevin’s site: simplytheseen.com* liberationunleashed.com

The Afterparty (go to www.mindbodpod.com to watch!)

In this Afterparty, Tasha and Jeff talk about how Kevin’s logical style of spiritual inquiry can be a great fit for the Western mind. They also talk about how there are many other ways and paths. And then they talk about what it means to be your own teacher: How we need the traditions and experienced guides to go deeper, but ultimately we are the ones taking care of ourselves and directing our path.

Then, to quote the AI they asked to summarize this Afterparty, “Tasha and Jeff conclude with a lighthearted reflection on the elusive and omnipresent nature of enlightenment.” 😅