The Heart of Light Podcast

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2021.12.27

This is my talk from December 27, 2021, on the Presence of the Sacred.  This talk is a reflection on the Johannine I statements.  What is the nourishment we receive from the Sacred?  What is the nature of the guidance that the Sacred provides?  What is the combination of intimacy and unknowability found in mystic states? This talk was given on the Christian feast of St. John, Apostle & Evangelist.  

Here is the quote sheet.  

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2021.12.20

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on December 20, 2021, about accepting the outcast.  What is our relationship to the people and experiences we have pushed away?  What parts of ourselves have we rejected? How do we connect with the love & joy on the other side of pain & fear?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2021.12.13

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on December 13, 2021, about joy.  Why does our remarkable freedom to choose in each moment so often not result in joy?  How do our habits of attention affect our happiness?  How do we move our lives more toward the resonant depths of joy? 

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2021.12.06

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on December 6, 2021, about kindness.  What is kindness and what are its roots?  What do the edges of our kindness look like, the places where our kindness stops?  What practice would allow us to bring more heartfelt kindness into the world?   

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2021.11.29

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on November 29, 2021, about waiting.  When we wait, do we gorge ourselves on fantasies or make room in ourselves?  How do we cultivate hope without expectation?  How do we wait with joy?  This talk occurred on the first Monday of the Christian time of Advent.   

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2021.11.22

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on November 22, 2021, about gratitude.  How do we resist underestimating the pure simplicity of gratitude?  How do we avoid the tenacious poison of taking things for granted?  How does all of life, all joy and all suffering, transform when we look through the lens of gratitude?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2021.11.15

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on November 15, 2021, about right speech.  Are we always aware of which part of ourselves is speaking at any moment?  How do we discern when to challenge and when to make peace? How do we use our voice to unfold our deep authenticity further into Life?  

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2021.11.08

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on November 08, 2021, about peace.  What are the false refuges where we all regularly but vainly seek peace?  What habitual attitudes prevent us from finding real peace? What are the characteristics of genuine inner peace and how do we cultivate these? 

This is the quote sheet for the talk.

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2021.11.01

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on November 01, 2021, about internal boundaries.  How does healthy self-regulation differ from neurotic over-control?  What is the emotional tenor of our inner conversations?  How can we cultivate a joyous relationship with the energies that are inherently uncontrollable?    

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2021.10.25

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on October 25, 2021, about our mortality.  What valuable lessons does the awareness of death teach? How does death catalyze our apprehension of the preciousness of our life and our loves?  How does death sharpen our focus, enhance our compassion, and deepen our power?

This is the quote sheet for the talk.