Buddhist Wisdom, Modern Life

Claire Villarreal, PhD•clairevillarreal.com

The Buddhist tradition began over 2,500 years ago, and its roots are even older. Over the centuries, countless people have benefited from these teachings. But are the beliefs and practices of Buddhism still relevant? Absolutely! If anything, we need this wisdom more now than ever as our world speeds up. In this podcast you'll find guided meditations, teachings on the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and some stuff just for fun. For a deeper dive on the Four Noble Truths, click here: http://bit.ly/Bddhist4NTs

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Episodes

Tong-len with part of yourself

Tong-len (meditation on taking and giving) has deep roots in Tibetan Buddhism.  For this practice, we imagine a version of ourselves -- or you could imagine someone else who's difficult to deal with -- and imagine relieving their suffering and offering them happiness instead.  For a deeper dive on this type of meditation and its capacity to help us cultivate compassion, see Pema Chodron's wonderful book The Places That Scare You .

Nov 04, 2020•18 min

Buddhist refuge: Remembering our sacred nature

In these stressful times, it's tempting to "seek refuge" in quick fixes that distract us from uncomfortable feelings of deficiency and vulnerability (like binging social media, losing ourselves reading or watching TV, doomscrolling, etc.).  But if we can remember that we contain a sacred, luminous core, that's our true refuge from life's uncertainties. This audio comes from a video you can find here: https://youtu.be/Enh8pWuBvds.

Oct 30, 2020•10 min

Guided walking meditation

Want to move your body and meditate at the same time?  This short, guided walking meditation track takes you through a timeless practice -- that makes a great break if you typically sit at a desk all day!

Oct 27, 2020•7 min

Guided meditation to soothe the nervous system: cozy cabin

This short practice is intended to help turn down your amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for the fear and stress response), helping you find a calm center in the middle of life's storms.  It's guided, with the sounds of rain on the roof of a cabin and a cozy fire inside to help turn our attention from the stresses of the world -- the rain -- to our internal resources -- the fire.

Oct 27, 2020•12 min

This is what we train for: putting meditation to use

f you practice the Buddhist path (Buddhadharma), it can be easy to fall into a rut and forget the real reasons we practice: to see into the nature of reality, to benefit all living beings, to throw the weight of our being against the systems that perpetuate suffering.  But times like we're living through now (Oct. 2020) remind us that spiritual practice isn't a hobby but a mission.   If you've been meditating for years but find yourself sometimes overwhelmed by what we're all living th...

Oct 15, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Labeling thoughts "past," "present," and "future"

This meditation helps you unplug from thoughts with a simple set of labels.  This one is great for a time when you're having trouble settling into meditation. For a free meditation mini-course, see: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/essential-tools-for-meditation Or visit my website: clairevillarreal.com

Sep 09, 2020•18 min

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