Awake In The World Podcast

Michael continues his month-long discussion about masks and how they shouldn't stick to your face. He gives the sangha some homework. Recorded Oct 11, 2010.

Michael introduces Case 12 of the Mumonkon, "The Master". He ties waking up with social action and the teachings of the Burmese Monks who visited the evening prior. A funny and lively talk with practices you can use in your life. Recorded Oct 5, 2010.

Michael tells the story of Angulimala, a murderer who met the Buddha and changed his ways though was still stoned to death. This teaching illustrates how we are never free of karma and that our conduct always shapes our lives. Recorded Sept 28, 2010.

Jen Whitney investigates a favourite koan of hers and relates it to the passing of Michael and how the community can move forward from here. Recorded at the Eight-Day Silent Meditation Retreat in France, August 2017.

Part two of Michael describing how to "enter the path of practice" and become a committed student at Centre of Gravity. Recorded Sept. 15, 2010.

Jen Whitney explores the famous saying by Seigen Ishin, integrating the wisdom of poet David Budbill. Recorded at the Eight-Day Silent Meditation Retreat in France, August 2017.

Book Launch at the Shambhala Centre on Freeing the Body, Freeing the Mind: Yoga and Buddhism. Recorded Sept. 9, 2009.

Jen Whitney discusses working with ideals, expectations, and perfection, and turning towards it with love. Recorded at the Eight-Day Silent Meditation Retreat in France, August 2017. Jen Whitney teaches yoga and dharma with a small sangha in Brooklyn. She studied with Michael for many years as part of his mentorship program and is currently pursuing her MA and Ph.D. in Psychology at The New School.

During a weekend retreat in Michael's honour, Carina Stone speaks about how practice shows up as both a scaffolding for loss and as the path forward. She responds to the questions what do we do now and why do we practice in light of his unique struggles and death. Recorded in Victoria, BC on Oct 8, 2017.

Caitlin Lambstrom remembers Michael and what he taught her: that practice is not a way to transcend our humanness, but to embrace it.  Awakening is not an end goal, but a possibility that exists in each moment - even the painful ones. Recorded on retreat in Victoria, BC on Oct 7, 2017. Caitlin Lambstrom has studied with teachers in the Vipassana, Tibetan, and Zen traditions, and has received teacher training from Shambhala and the Interdependence Project in New York. She worked closely with Michael Stone since 2015 as part of his mentorship program and assisted him in teaching meditation on silent retreats and workshops, as well as working with students one-on-one. She currently lives in Chicago with her husband Nathan and their dog Basho.

A discussion and talk Michael gave at the Yoga Festival Toronto with local teachers and studio owners. Toronto, Ontario. Recorded August 21, 2010.

Michael Stone provides a reflection on the retreat with Stephen & Martine Batchelor. He speaks to making a practice of our lives where all our roles, our actions are interconnected. Michael examines the end of the first chapter of the Yoga Sutra. Recorded March 30, 2010, at Centre of Gravity, Toronto, ON.

Martine Batchelor explains and explores ceremonial offerings in Korean Zen practice. Recorded March 28, 2010, at Centre of Gravity in Toronto, Ontario. Martine Batchelor, a former Buddhist nun, studied Zen Buddhism under the guidance of Kusan Sunim and is the author of several books.

Gifted school teacher Kristie Burnett offers a funny and brilliant presentation on how she brings meditative practices to kids. She describes class plans, games, managing emotions, rethinking the role of a teacher, collaboration, problem solving, and how to model mindfulness with young people and why. Toronto, ON. Recorded May 4, 2017.

In meditation we need “initial application of attention,” then “sustained application” so that we cultivate a spacious field in which thoughts and sensations can come and go. Sometimes blessings are all over the place and we miss them. Toronto, Ontario. Recorded May 3, 2017.

More people are afraid of uncertainty than they are of physical pain. If we do something about our own pain, we can connect with the pain of others. 50% of our practice should be inward and 50% in our environment. Green Bay, Wisconsin. Recorded March 28, 2017.

Stephen Batchelor reflects upon secular Buddhism and revisits the Four Noble Truths, primary Buddhist ideals, assumptions and dogmas. Centre of Gravity, Toronto. Recorded March 28, 2010.

Describing how the Buddha met fear, Michael maps out how concentration practice unfolds, then offers a mind-opening view of rebirth and reincarnation. Wisconsin. Recorded March 26, 2017.

An 8-minute guided meditation with Martine Batchelor. Centre of Gravity, Toronto. Recorded March 28, 2010.

How to meet others who are in fear or anxiety, how to help anxious kids, how to validate the feelings of other people without exacerbating what’s going on for them, and how to develop concentration (jhana) practice. Wisconsin. Recorded March 26, 2017.