The Heart of Light Podcast

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.11.07

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on November 7, 2022, about the Christian ideal of loving one’s enemies.  How is this seen through the lens of the Buddhist ideal of compassion? How does our relation to inner otherness limit how open we can be to external others? What is the work we can do to move beyond fear and moral disgust toward genuine love?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.10.31

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on October 31, 2022, about risk and safety.  Where in our bodies do we find a true feeling of safety?  Do we recognize and embrace risk as an irreducible part of all growth and all authentic connection? How do the tools of Buddhism help us to live with courage in an uncertain world? This dharma talk took place on the Celtic holiday of Samhain.

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.10.24

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on October 24, 2022, about patience, one of the paramitas of the Buddha.  What typical mind-patterns lead to impatience? What is the Buddhist perspective on impatience? How do we develop and deepen patience?

This is the quote sheet for the talk.

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.10.17

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on October 17, 2022, about the dynamics of pain.  How does emotional pain bamboozle the strategic rational mind? How do the dysfunctional inner bids for connection demand that we wisely reparent ourselves?  How do Buddhism and the other Wisdom Traditions offer us a treasure trove of healing possibilities?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.10.10

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on October 10, 2022, about impermanence.  To what extent do we understand ourselves as journeying through the temporary conditions of our life?  How do we relate to those parts of Life that are in uncontrollable flow? As we experience a world and a body that constantly change, and often not for the better, how do we continue to affirm love and joy? This talk took place on the first day of Sukkot. 

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.09.19

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on September 19, 2022, about facing darkness.  Darkness calls to mind what metaphors and what experiences?  How do we respond to those metaphors? What can we learn from reflecting on darkness?  This talk took place a couple days before the Autumnal Equinox.

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.09.12

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on September 12, 2022, about avoidance.  When is avoidance healthy vs. unhealthy? What do patterns of avoidance reveal about our boundaries and attachment style? How do we generate additional suffering when we try to avoid the unavoidable pain of life?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.09.05

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on September 5, 2022, about spiritual work.  How do we know that we are doing the Work at all? How rigorously honest are we with ourselves? How do we actively expand our capacity? How much do we act from true freedom?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.08.29

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on August 29, 2022, about control & anger.  What is our relation to the aspects of Life that are always in uncontrollable flow?  What is the core anger that arises when our control & independence feel threatened?  What is our fierce core resistance to the wisdom of surrender?

This is the quote sheet for the talk. 

Mike’s Dharma Talk, 2022.08.22

This is my dharma talk from the East Bay Healing Collective on August 22, 2022, about Story Stewardship.  What does it mean to listen well? How do we contribute to narrative trust in a relationship?  How do we hold the stories of others in a way that both affirms them as they are and invites their deeper growth? This dharma talk was Part 3 in a 3-part series on Brené Brown’s theory on Cultivating Meaningful Connections. 

This is the quote sheet for the talk.