The Heart of Light Podcast

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.03.07

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on March 7, 2022, about six temptations, those of Christ and Buddha.   What draws us away from the Path and makes us forget ourselves? What are the patterns that trap us, sometimes without our realizing it?  What does it mean to walk toward integration and wholeness?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.02.28

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on February 28, 2022, about radical simplicity.  Why is it such “gift to be simple”?  Why is it so hard to be simple?  What is the deep link between simplicity and intimacy?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.02.21

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on February 21, 2022, about control.  What are the unhealthy forms of control that drain us without serving us?  What is the deep inner dynamic of control and fear?  How do we find serenity with respect to the uncontrollable aspects of life, others, and our own nature?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.02.14

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on February 14, 2022, about a Buddhist take on romantic love.   Where did the ideals of romantic love originate and how attainable are those ideals?  What are the typical problems that arise in romantic connections? How can two people use their romantic attachment as a vehicle of spiritual growth and healing? This talk took place on Valentine’s Day. 

This is the quote sheet for the talk

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.02.07

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on February 7, 2022, about inclusion and exclusion.   How do we relate to those emotionally distant from us? How strong are our boundaries?  How do we relate to the places within us that received an a priori exclusion even before we could form our first thought? 

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.01.31

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on January 31, 2022, about sacred mystery.  How do we relate to the unknowable and uncontrollable aspects of what it is to be human? How well do we hold space for the mystery of our own being?  How can we enter into intimacy with the aspects of the Sacred that are forever beyond our grasp?  This talk was given the night of the Celtic holiday of Imbolc. 

This is the image cited.

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.01.24

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on January 24, 2022, about discipline.  How do we cultivate more self-discipline?   How does a discipline, such as meditation, bring us more freedom?  How does discipline align us with who we really are?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.01.17

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on January 17, 2022, about compassion and lovingkindness.  What are the ways in everyday life that we choose to move closer to or further away from the path of love? How willing are we to allow the world to touch the tenderness of our hearts? How can we align ourselves more deeply each day with compassion and lovingkindness, through our thoughts, words, and actions? This talk occurred on the Monday holiday for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. 

This is the quote sheet for the talk.

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.01.10

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on January 10, 2022, about states of entering & emerging.  How does old trauma emerge in times of peacefulness?  What are the various ego-trips in life that distract us but don’t heal us?  To what extent is early-life trauma rooted in karmic wisdom?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.01.03

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on January 3, 2022, about self-improvement vs. healing.  From what part of us do we allow the plan of our life to unfold?  Why do we believe that we can see and understand how we need to grow?  How does the logic of letting go and allowing resonate with the logic of healing?

This is the quote sheet for the talk.