Be Here Now Network Guest Podcast

Joseph Goldstein, a leading insight meditation teacher, shares his journey of integrating spirituality into everyday life. Topics discussed include transformative moments, learning from the east, connecting with Ram Dass, teaching meditation classes, and embracing discomfort. The podcast also explores the importance of staying open to possibilities and adopting a 'yes mind' in mindfulness and meditation.

In this immersive episode, Sharon Salzberg shares the journey of her spiritual life with the host of Meditative Story, Rohan Gunatillake.This episode was originally aired on Meditative Story, a podcast that combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with the immediate, science-backed benefits of mindfulness practice – all surrounded by breathtaking and cinematic music. You can find Meditative Story on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!Sharon Salzberg shares her story:Sharon’s first trip to IndiaHow disappointments and discomforts can lead to self-discoveryBeing kind to ourselves and allowing slip-ups to happenThe initial meeting of Sharon Salzberg and Joseph GoldsteinGoenka’s non-verbal advice to Sharon and how laughter can release fear and angerReorienting ourselves when we veer off courseA guided meditation"It will take a while before I learn that the skillful response to feeling anger is to feel it, and then, even to take an interest in it. I don’t have to let it carry me into action that I may regret. I already feel the lesson that life is teaching me over and over again: we all face challenges. It’s how we become who we are. You don’t have to judge yourself all the time. Give yourself a break.” – Sharon SalzbergAbout Sharon Salzberg:Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness.Her forthcoming release, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom, is set for release in April of 2023 from Flatiron Books. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed five million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond.Learn more about Sharon and order your copy of her new book at www.sharonsalzberg.comAbout Rohan Gunatillake:Rohan Gunatillake is a writer, entrepreneur, and host of the podcast Meditative Story. By artfully crafting meditations to compliment each guest’s story, Rohan blends mindfulness with narrative to create a unique listening experience, encouraging listeners to use someone else’s transformative moment as the basis for their own. He’s also the founder of the best-selling app Buddhify, and author of Modern Mindfulness: How to Be More Relaxed, Focused, and Kind While Living in a Fast, Digital, Always-On World.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Facing the anxiety caused by climate change, Nina Rao, Allegra Lovejoy, and environmentalist Dekila Chungyalpa, come together to find solutions.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenowNina Rao, Dekila Chungyalpa, and Allegra Lovejoy spend this episode discussing:The source of rising global temperaturesClimate migrants and refugeesThe anthropocentric effect on the natural worldDekila’s conservation workHow the value of nature has been consumed by economicsLooking to India for answers on environmentalismThe validity of anxiety surrounding the environmental crisisReinforcing our communities for survivalContemplating our relationship with natureThe privilege of having access to natureCoping with Eco Anxiety through mindfulnessJoy as a means of increasing our resilienceKinship with the environment for a conservation strategyA brief practice in grounding and compassion for the earthAbout Nina Rao:Nina Rao is a devotional singer. She tours with Krishna Das, playing cymbals, singing, and acting as his business manager. Nina has two of her own albums, “Antarayaami – Knower of All Hearts” and “Anubhav”. Nina regularly leads kirtan, workshops, and retreats in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York and beyond. Keep up with Nina on her website.“I’m not saying this is the solution for everything, but set aside land for natural habitat and wildlife. We’ve forgotten how to actually live with wildlife so we have to re-learn that, so until we do, we have to give them that space.” – Nina RaoAbout Dekila Chungyalpa:Dekila is the founder and director of the Loka Initiative. She is an accomplished environmental program director, with 20+ years of experience in designing and implementing global conservation and climate strategies and projects. Known as an innovator in the environmental field, Dekila has expertise in faith-led environmental and climate partnerships, biodiversity landscape and river basin strategy design, and community-based conservation. She began her career in 2001 working on community-based conservation in the Eastern Himalayas and went on to work on climate adaptation and free flowing rivers in the Mekong region for the World Wildlife Fund in 2004.In 2008, she helped establish Khoryug, an association of over 50 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries implementing environmental projects across the Himalayas under the auspices of His Holiness the Karmapa. In 2009, Dekila founded and led WWF Sacred Earth, a 5-year pilot program that built partnerships with faith leaders and religious institutions towards conservation and climate results in the Amazon, East Africa, Himalayas, Mekong, and the United States. She received the prestigious Yale McCluskey Award in 2014 for her work and moved to the Yale School of Environmental Studies as an associate research scientist, where she researched, lectured and designed the prototype for what is now the Loka Initiative. Dekila is originally from the Himalayan state of Sikkim in India and is of Bhutia origin.Stay in tune with Dekila on Instagram and at The Loka Initiative“I really believe that if we can have these dialogues where we show the the ecological interdependence, the karma of climate change, if we can show how it has happened, what karmic actions brought us here, then one of the interesting outcomes of that is that we can connect what people are already doing to environmental and climate solutions.” – Dekila ChungyalpaAbout Allegra Lovejoy:Allegra Lovejoy is a multifaith chaplain and writer. She is currently completing her MDiv at Yale Divinity School and holds a Masters in Environmental Management from Yale School of the Environment. She earned her BA from Princeton University in International Affairs and Public Policy, concentrating in conflict studies in the Middle East and South Asia. Learn more about Allegra here.“We need both nature-based solutions and major reductions in emissions. That means the way we source energy, how much energy we generate and consume, how much stuff we generate and consume, how we grow food and how we travel.” – Allegra LovejoySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tuning into the sacred rhythms of earth, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee describes pathways to living a more conscious and connected life.In this episode featuring Stories from a Living Future, Llewellyn discusses:Our relationship to the earthThe Sufi path drawing us towards unionSpiritual responsibility in a time of global crisisListening to the earth with our heart, soul, and sensesAn ecology of consciousnessBearing witness to the forces in natureConnecting the threads between our inner and outer worldKeeping an awareness of patternsThe pandemic, war, and collapse of biodiversityWhat divisiveness is doing to our collective soulLove as the universal language of all peopleGlobal prospects for the future generationsThe unchanging sacred nature of creationFinding living stories that we can connect toExtinction, greed, and global warming“Today we no longer know how our individual life forms part of a living whole. We no longer have a center or a foundation. Yet, the ancient rhythm of creation still exists within our body and our psyche within every breath, even if it has been buried and almost forgotten.” – Llewellyn Vaughan-LeeAbout Llewellyn:Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D. is a Sufi teacher in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi Order. He is the author of Sufism, the Transformation of the Heart, and the founder of The Golden Sufi Center. Check out his new podcast Working With Oneness.----Discover the transformative practice of teaching mindfulness in a new FREE 30-page ebook by Senior Buddhist teacher and Emmy award-winning musician, David Nichtern. With its blend of humor, wisdom, and accessible approach, The Art of Teaching Mindfulness ebook is a must-read for anyone interested in sharing the life-changing practices of mindfulness with others.Already downloaded by over 15k people, visit dharmamoon.com/ebook to get YOUR free copy of The Art of Teaching Mindfulness!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gil Fronsdal talks about the importance of posture in our meditation practice and offers a bevy of suggestions for staying comfortable and pain-free both on the floor and in a chair.This dharma talk was originally published on Dharma Seed.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenowIn this episode, Gil explores:How posture can really help anchor us to the present momentBeing intentional with our posture in meditation versus giving into posture driven by emotions that arise during meditationWhy there is no perfect posture for meditation, only the posture that works best at this moment in timeTips and tricks for various meditation postures, from sitting on the floor to using a chair“And so the dharma posture is a posture that we can hold our sadness in, hold our grief, despair, whatever it might be, but without giving into it, collapsing into it. So it’s not denying it, but it’s also not getting entangled with it.” – Gil FronsdalSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Using poetry and story-telling, Trudy Goodman melds together present moment awareness and Metta in this beautiful ode to mindfulness.This dharma talk was originally published on Dharma Seed.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenowIn this 2008 talk recorded at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Trudy Goodman demonstrates:What mindfulness actually meansExperiencing metta as a byproduct of being mindfulNoticing we are lost as a sign of awarenessHaving Metta for ourselves when we veer off courseSelf-worth and our capacity for compassionBeing alive as our greatest achievementDeveloping strategies for painful emotionsThe practice of taking a step backMaking the shift into receptivityThe Zen tradition and calling out to yourselfThe contour of the Dharma and being in service of alivenessAppreciating our surroundings through the non-interfering presence of mindfulness“The beauty of our mindfulness practice is that it can go anywhere, that the quality of our attention when we’re mindful, it really doesn’t depend on the content of the experience.“ – Trudy GoodmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Delving into the power of meditation, Jackie Dobrinska and Sharon Salzberg tie together the skills of concentration, mindfulness, and compassion.Today’s episode was recorded as part of the Ram Dass Fellowship’s regular online gatherings. To learn more about the Ram Dass Fellowship and sign up to join a fellowship gathering near you, visit RamDass.org/Fellowship.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenowIn this episode from the Ram Dass Fellowship, we hear Sharon Salzberg and Jackie Dobrinska explore:The three skills of Concentration, Mindfulness and CompassionHow distractions waste our energyAlways being able to start overThe difference between what’s happening and the stories we tell ourselvesOpening our attention through lovingkindness practicesThe practical and transformational power of meditationInsight as the most precious gift of mindfulnessA guided meditation from SharonA Q&A from listeners on the subjects of meditation, coping, and more“We begin again all the time. That’s what resilience is. It’s that adjustment. It’s being alive to change, being able to move, being able to flow. That’s what we’re actually practicing in meditation when we get distracted, when we let go, when we begin again. – Sharon SalzbergSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Offering listeners the gift of receiving metta, JoAnna Hardy leads a guided meditation using The Awesome Book of Love.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenowIn this episode, JoAnna describes:The ways that love can be felt and expressedTouch deprivation and the power of a hugMātā Amritānandamayī, the hugging saintAllowing ourselves to receive kindness and loveThe generosity in letting someone giveThe Awesome Book of Love and the beauty of listening to storiesA guided meditation on love Ram Dass' Love Serve Remember Foundation and the Alan Watts Organization invite you to open your mind, open your heart, and tap into the living truth of Alan Watts and Ram Dass. Learn more about this special 4-week Virtual Course:"The Presence of the Way: The Dharma of Alan Watts and Ram Dass"About JoAnna Hardy: JoAnna Hardy is an insight meditation (Vipassanā) practitioner and teacher; she is on faculty at the University of Southern California, a meditation trainer at Apple Fitness+, a founding member of the Meditation Coalition, a teacher’s council member at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a visiting retreat teacher at Insight Meditation Society, and a collaborator on many online meditation Apps and programs.Her greatest passion is to teach meditation in communities that are dedicated to seeing the truth of how racism, gender inequality and oppression go hand in hand with the compassionate action teachings in Buddhism and related perspectives to social and racial justice. “Maybe the expression or experience of love, maybe it’s through the way that you feed your body, or the way that you eat, or the way that you exercise, or the way that you share a smile with a stranger when you’re walking down the street. Maybe it’s how hard you work and the care that you put into your profession. Maybe you’re a good friend. Maybe you’re a good listener. – JoAnna HardySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Pondering what it means to awaken spiritually, Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee examines the possibility of life beyond the illusions of ego that are fed by our distorted culture.Two cultural icons. Two unique perspectives... One understanding of the presence of the way.Ram Dass' Love Serve Remember Foundation and the Alan Watts Organization invite you to open your mind, open your heart, and tap into the living truth of Alan Watts and Ram Dass. Learn more about this special 4-week Virtual Course:"The Presence of the Way: The Dharma of Alan Watts and Ram Dass"In this episode, Llewellyn tells us his thoughts on:What a spiritual awakening can look and feels likeBeing here now for our individual self and the worldHaving an awareness for the distortions of our culturePerception versus what is presentCulturally created illusions and conditioningThe primal experience of life and creationThe relationship between humanity and the worldThe archetypal Garden of Eden and divine presenceWhen reality meets with our illusionsHow the ego manipulates our thoughtsThe non-existence of separateness in nature“A primary spiritual experience is to be awake in the moment, to experience life as it is. In this moment we experience life not through the patterns of the mind, or the illusions of the ego, but a simple, direct experience of life around us.” – Llewellyn Vaughan-LeeAbout Llewellyn:Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D. is a Sufi teacher in the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya Sufi Order. He is the author of Sufism, the Transformation of the Heart, and the founder of The Golden Sufi Center. Check out his new podcast Working With Oneness.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trudy Goodman, a renowned Vipassana teacher and Founding Teacher of InsightLA, shares her wisdom on navigating life's complexities. She discusses embracing impermanence and the interplay of personal and universal truths, highlighting the importance of mindfulness amid chaos. Trudy reflects on the transformative power of suffering for spiritual growth, using personal anecdotes to illustrate interconnectedness. She emphasizes mental health awareness, advocating for openness and the benefits of therapy in achieving balance and resilience.