Awake in the World Podcast
Michael Stone
Awake in the World Podcast is a library of talks on a wide-range of topics, including bringing mindfulness and meditation practice into daily life; personal and community issues regarding mental health; and social change. The podcasts were recorded at live events so you might hear coughing, airplanes, cars, sirens, laughter, and peoples’ questions—all part of the intimate experience. Michael Stone (1974-2017) was a Buddhist teacher, author, and mental health advocate. His legacy is stewarded by Carina Stone. Podcast funded by Patreon (patreon.com/michaelstone).
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 19, 2022 • 55min
Do People These Days Need Enlightenment?
Michael considers the final lines of the first pada of the Yoga Sutra through the lens of a Buddhist koan: Case 62 of the Book of Serenity. Recorded on May 25, 2010.
Jun 12, 2022 • 42min
What Can You Do About the World?
In this talk Michael looks at the five kleshas and their corresponding cultural samskaras through the practice of working with a koan–an exercise in not knowing. He also describes Bernie Glassman and Grover Gauntt’s street retreats and their three guiding principles: bearing witness, not knowing and taking loving action. Recorded on May 18, 2010.
Jun 5, 2022 • 1h 25min
Enter Here
This meandering talk starts with a story about “Entering the Way” and flows around asana practice, pranayama, the role of a teacher, the five kleshas and the importance of healthy doubt (the kind that comes with faith). Recorded on May 18, 2008.
May 29, 2022 • 1h 12min
Best of Awake in the World: Emptiness, Self, Depression & Narcissism
Michael gives a talk on the ways mindfulness meditation can help with the spectrum of mental illness and also some signs to watch out for as practice deepens. Part of a series of talks on Shantideva’s Guide to a Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. Recorded at Centre of Gravity in Toronto on April 23, 2013
May 22, 2022 • 1h 14min
Who Are You?
In this talk (on the first lines of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra) Michael explores the mistakes we make as we try to ground ourselves and construct identities based on stories, desires and fears. Recorded on May 17, 2008.
May 15, 2022 • 1h 28min
In that Lump of Flesh and Bones
In this talk Michael argues that yoga and mindfulness are best practiced via the body versus striving for the attainment of philosophical or intellectual concepts. He encourages trusting that the body is the natural world and listening with the heart, so that “knowing” or too much technique don’t become obstacles to intimacy. Recorded on May 16, 2008.
May 8, 2022 • 38min
Best of Awake in the World: Ahimsa (Non-harming)
This week we're revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode. Michael interviews Pat Smith, physician and abortion provider, on the precept of non-harming. Michael and Pat discuss ethics versus political ideologies, the relationships between how we are in the world, our belief system, and our values, and the influences of formal meditation.
May 1, 2022 • 46min
The Walls of the Mind
Michael explores the line in the Heart Sutra: “With no hindrance in the mind. No hindrance therefore no fear.” He covers the three “traditional” hindrances: karma, the kleshas and anaya, and talks about creativity, groundlessness and the importance of community. Recorded on May 5, 2009.
Apr 24, 2022 • 59min
To Stop the Estrangement Between Us
In this talk about the Heart Sutra Michael explains how it functions to counter what John Cage calls “the authoritarian structures” of our minds, including the tendency to create “frames” and contract around our sense of separateness. Recorded on March 31, 2009.
Apr 17, 2022 • 1h
Best of Awake in the World: Fear, Dread & Anxiety - The Buddha in the Forest
This week we're revisiting a favourite Awake in the World podcast episode. On retreat, Michael speaks about the Buddha’s instructions for practicing alone in the wilderness, how past actions haunt the body, how to turn towards anxiety, and a moving story about his son and autism. Wisconsin. Recorded on March 25, 2017.
