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Not Picking & Choosing
Michael uses an old Zen tale, a troubled story about him falling in love with his wife, and quotes from Shunryu Suzuki, to describe the practice of not-knowing and not holding onto anything. He ends with a very interesting and
Seals, Owls & Letting Go of Destructive Relationships
Michael explores the sensitive topic of knowing when to pull out of relationships, kindness to one’s self, emptiness, love, and a story about appreciating that you and others are divine.
Moment To Moment Non-Stop Flow
On silent retreat Michael speaks about bowing, forms of practice, gratitude, extending meditation beyond the cushion, and appreciating the practice of others.
From Blame to Gratitude
Michael unpacks different kinds of blame, both inward and outward, followed by a description of projection and the link between blame and projection and how they cover over underlying feelings. Then he describes how we can make room for gratitude,
All Roads Run Right Through the Capital
Deep listening, wisdom, and the ability to do extraordinary things. Recorded on Salt Spring Island, BC, December, 2016.
Turning Things Around
Tibetan Buddhist Teachings for transforming what’s unpleasant, letting go of grasping, and the 3 treasures of awakening, reality and community. Recorded in Portland, Oregon on December 4, 2016.
Tonglen: Sending & Receiving Practice
A talk, followed by a guided meditation on inhaling suffering and exhaling peace. A practice of learning how to exchange your happiness for someone else’s suffering – how to train your heart to do what it doesn’t want to do.
Don’t Get Stuck on Peace, See Everything as A Dream
A lively discussion on meditation and the Tibetan Lojong Practices for Training in Compassion. Recorded in Portland, Oregon on December 3, 2016.
Not Giving Up On Ourselves & Fully Inhabiting Our Lives
What’s happening right now in our lives can be the raw material that shows us the path of awakening & compassion. In Portland, Michael teaches from the Lojong Training in Compassion. Recorded in Portland, Oregon on December 2, 2016.
Shame, Perfectionism, and the Pre-Cognitive Dimension of Trauma
Michael explores how mindfulness and meditation practice can heal shame and trauma and how these symptoms manifest in relationship.
I Saw You Fall. So I Helped.
This lecture is about offering our Bodhisattva spirit to others, no matter what. It’s about making a vow to serve others and then spending the rest of our lives trying to figure out how to make that vow a reality.
I Can’t Say, I Can’t Say
In Berlin Michael talks about Zen Case 55 of the Blue Cliff Record “Tao Wu’s Condolence Call.” He talks about the Yoga Sutra, not being afraid, and how an awakened person has a very wide palette of emotion, it’s just
About the Community Library
Michael was a great archivist and the Community Library was—and continues to be—a labour of love. Everything in the Community Library is available for free. Anyone, anywhere can have instant access to material that will help them deepen their practice and contribute to a culture of compassion and collaboration.
Libraries are places where we gather alone together. They are known to be places of refuge for seekers, as well as those who are marginalized. This library is no different. It helps us nourish our beautiful, international community without walls. Now, it will also help keep Michael’s legacy alive.