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
Nov 24, 2016 • 41min
You Can't Get Anywhere With Meditation! w/ Norman Fischer
Norman Fischer facilitates discussion about meditation, prayer, loss, compassion to oneself, and the liberation of sitting still even when it seems useless. This episode is from our archive and was recorded March 16, 2014.
Nov 13, 2016 • 22min
Letting Go of Control (Diamond Sutra 5)
There are hungers we just can't satisfy. So how can we open to desire without grasping? There’s no satisfaction at the end of the money or fame path. Meditation is controlling your posture and mind in order to let go of control. Spirit Loft, Toronto, 20 min.
Nov 11, 2016 • 58min
Life is Like a Funeral (Lotus Sutra 14)
Michael talks about the five kinds of fear, community and how it grows, a poem by Leonard Cohen, generosity, and then he reads his own poem about his mother. This talk is from our archive and was recorded in May 31, 2011.
Nov 7, 2016 • 29min
Labeling Thoughts & Acknowledging What's Present (Diamond Sutra 4)
Michael talks about wedding Vows in community, labeling our thoughts so we can honour them, and how generosity is about the way we give our attention. The most profound gift we can give others is our attention. It’s a form of love. Spirit Loft, Toronto, 30 min.
Oct 31, 2016 • 33min
Attuning to Ourselves & Others (Diamond Sutra 3)
The benefit of our practice must be wider than the benefit to our body. How wide do you draw the circle of self? Self-soothing. Michael talks about “a secure base” and how to manage reactivity that’s both inside and outside. Spirit Loft, Toronto, 30 min.
Oct 23, 2016 • 29min
How Does a Buddha Stand, Walk & Control Thoughts? (Diamond Sutra 2)
What does being alive feel like? Michael tells the story of Subhuti and the questions he asks the Buddha about how to practice. Haven’t we been blessed with greatest of trusts? Aren’t we all blessed? Isn't meditation learning how to trust? Spirit Loft, Toronto, 28 min.
Oct 17, 2016 • 55min
The Diamond of Practice (Diamond Sutra 1)
The first in a series of six talks on the Diamond Sutra. Michael speaks on the three aspects of ourselves we can let go of through practice: Possessiveness (This is mine); Conceit (This is me); and Beliefs about what the self is (This is what I am). He connects this to both meditation practice, daily life, and the teachings of the Diamond Sutra. Mental states are not inherently fixed, and you can hold them much lighter than you are now. Recorded at Spirit Loft in Toronto, June 2016.
Oct 9, 2016 • 41min
Can You Return to the Breath?
As the breath becomes smooth and slow, the mind settles and we become less interested in wanting “an experience.” Be kind to yourself, cultivate an un-agitated heart, and live a life that connects. London, 50 min.
Oct 3, 2016 • 56min
Anxiety & Meditation
Michael explains how we can cultivate a field in which anxiety can arise and change, surrounded by spaciousness. We have forces of good inside us, we aren't fated to live out our history, and we are loveable just as we are. London, 55min.
Sep 25, 2016 • 57min
The World Is Its Own Magic
Michael talks about the magic mantra that ends the Heart Sutra. Transforming fear, cultivating compassion, not-knowing, how mantras work. London, 1 hour.
