Equanimity- Upekkha has an important place in many of the key Buddhist teachings. It's the fourth of the Divine Abodes, the seventh Factor of Awakening, the last step of the 16 Step teaching in the Mindfulness of Breathing and in the 10th of the Parami- the Perfections of the Heart. Doug and Jon discuss the various facets of this important quality. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Jul 07, 2024•29 min•Season 3Ep. 19
How can we work with our thirst for clinging and identification that seems unquenchable? We will discuss various aspect of letting go related to desire and thirst. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Jun 30, 2024•24 min•Season 3Ep. 18
We can't let go of letting go so we continue discussion from the prior episode. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Jun 23, 2024•23 min•Season 3Ep. 17
What is Insight (Vipassana) practice? Doug and Jon discuss its origins and how it orients our approach to the dharma. They also discuss some exciting potential developments with livestreaming the podcast. Book: Erik Braun, The Birth of Insight Our new YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8HnYof8CejuOkLsr86EjRQ Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
May 26, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Right Livelihood is one of the factors of the Buddha's Eightfold Noble Path. Of course, times have changed in the last 2500 years, so what does this mean today? Doug and Jon look at the teaching and do some head-scratching over certain parts of it. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
May 19, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 15
The refrain in the teaching on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness refers to contemplating internally, externally, and internally and externally. Jon and Doug talk about how they receive that part of the teaching, which doesn't appear in any obvious way in other suttas but is actually a very important part of mindfulness. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
May 12, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 14
What is free will? Do we have free will? What does it mean to be free, and what does this have to do with our ethical and karmic responsibility? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Apr 28, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Truthfulness is one of the Paramis or perfections of the heart. In this episode we dig into what it means to not only be factually true but how the truth finds expression in appropriate ways-- both in our external and internal speech. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Apr 21, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Buddha Nature: what is it and how is it a controversial concept in some understandings? Jon and Doug discuss this as well as concepts and words generally. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Apr 07, 2024•29 min•Season 3Ep. 10
The second noble points to the cause of dukkha—craving and clinging. It's also related to the uncertainty of life and the desire for it to be otherwise. Sometimes, the wisdom we gain, even after years of practice, seems to vanish when confronted with the inevitable change. Our discussion was sparked by Jon's pending move to Chicago and the dukkha this has manifested. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.co...
Mar 31, 2024•26 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Doug and Jon discuss the "Golden Rule" (do unto others as we would have them do unto us) and its role in Buddhist practice and the precepts. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Mar 17, 2024•29 min•Season 3Ep. 9
The recent death of Alexei Navalny sparked this discussion on courage. Navalny is one example-- similar to people like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Nelson Mandela. We see acts of courage from many daily but don't necessarily consider them in the same way. What is courage, and does it play a role in our practice? Can meditation and the dharma, cultivate and strengthen this quality? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https...
Mar 10, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 8
If one were to describe a word that illustrates the meaning of onomatopoetic, papañca fits the bill. There are a number of words in Pali that do this, but papañca which means mental proliferation, is one of the best. In this episode, Doug and Jon look at this familiar pattern of the mind and how to work with it. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Mar 03, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In our last few episodes, we've been discussing the Buddha's Noble Eight-Fold Path. The last three factors of the path are about meditation. It's always good to remind ourselves why we meditate and what meditation actually is. What meditations are presented in the early Buddhist teachings, and why are they important? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Feb 25, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Right Effort --one of the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path is an important aspect of the practice of meditation, and the teachings related to this are worth looking into. Jon and Doug discuss strategies and practices that may be useful for us to consider along the path. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Feb 18, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 5
The Rubin is an important institution in New York with a very significant collection and many special exhibitions of Tibetan and Himalayan art, specifically related to Buddhism and Buddhist culture in that part of the world. We received the sad news recently that they are closing the New York space and basically becoming a virtual and traveling museum. Jon and Doug discuss the closing and the nature of anicca-- impermanence. https://rubinmuseum.org/ Support the show Go to our website to leave a ...
Feb 11, 2024•25 min•Season 3Ep. 4
The Eightfold Path, the fourth of the Four Noble Truths, lays out a map to become free from suffering. In our last episode, we explore the second fact on the Right Intention. In this episode, we discuss Right View and how we generally hold views. After all, if you don't have the right view, if you don't know where you're headed, you'll likely get lost along the way. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com...
Feb 04, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 3
As we continue our wondering through the Noble Truths we discuss aspects of the Fourth Truth the 8-Fold Noble Path with a particular interesting Right Intention. This is the second factor, but who says we need to start with the first? Japanese Bowl, Poem by Peter Mayer VIdeo on the Art of Kantsugi Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Jan 28, 2024•31 min•Season 3Ep. 2
The New Year is a good time to return to the core teachings. And it's good to start with the Four Enobling Truths, from which much becomes clear. In this episode, we spend most of the time talking about the first two, Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Jan 21, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 1
In this episode for the last day of 2023, we look at concepts of time from a Buddhist perspective in the relative and absolute sense. It's a fun topic and seemed appropriate as we move into 2024-- at least in some calendars. George Carlin on TIme Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Dec 31, 2023•28 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Perhaps this is a perennial question, but it's always worth asking. What's so special about Buddhism and why have we chosen it as a guide for how we live? We speak about our personal experience ask questions that might be helpful for you. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Dec 24, 2023•26 min•Season 2Ep. 42
What is meant by re-birth?? Who is reborn and when? There are a number of interpretations and Doug and Jon explore some of them. More important is how our understanding of rebirth and death impacts the way we live now. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Dec 17, 2023•28 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Depending on your interpretation of what a miracle is, there are certainly times when miracles seem to happen due to our practice. In fact, one of the most-read books on Buddhism and mindfulness is Thich Nhat Hanh's classic Miracle of Mindfulness. Do you notice miracles happening? What did the Buddha have to say about this? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Dec 10, 2023•22 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Jon and Doug discuss how living ethically in the context of the five precepts is a considerable mindfulness practice. At first glance, the precepts seem rather obvious, but the more we look and the more we bring them into our moment-to-moment experience, the more we realize how much deeper we can go. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Dec 03, 2023•27 min•Season 2Ep. 39
Inspired by taking the side of peace, Jon and Doug look at taking sides and the Buddha's teachings on clinging to views and opinions. How does taking a side often exacerbate the problem of division and conflict? Is there another route? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Nov 26, 2023•28 min•Season 2Ep. 38
What do you have to be thankful for? How can a practice of gratitude impact your life for the better? Thanksgiving week is a good time to reflect upon such questions. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Nov 19, 2023•22 min•Season 2Ep. 37
What are some techniques we can use to develop a regular meditation practice? Doug and Jon's guest Bodhipaksa has taught a course on this and is in the process of writing a book about it. Lots of good advice in this episode! Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Nov 05, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 36
Doug and Jon have a spirited discussion with our guest, writer and Buddhist meditation teacher, Bodhipaksa, on Fake Buddha Quotes. How important is it to get the Buddha right? What is a "Fake Buddha Quote" anyway? Bodhipaksa's Websites: https://www.wildmind.org/ https://fakebuddhaquotes.com/ Book: https://fakebuddhaquotes.com/buy-i-cant-believe-its-not-buddha/ Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Oct 29, 2023•46 min•Season 2Ep. 35
Is there such a thing as collective karma? Doug and Jon will consider the picture of karma given in early Buddhism, and compare it to the idea of collective karma, or alternately to a notion of 'aggregate' karma. How does karma work among groups of people? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/...
Oct 22, 2023•27 min•Season 2Ep. 34
The world events of the past week, added, perhaps to our own personal challenges, may bring up the question of how to respond. Meditation is not meant as an escape from these challenges. Rather, when integrated with the teachings of the Dharma, it can set the groundwork for an appropriate response to arise within any circumstance. This week, Doug and Jon explore how this works for them in practical and and spiritual ways. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or...
Oct 15, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 33
