Season 5
SNEAK PEAK
at Season 6: Going to Boston!
How do human beings transform and become what we’re meant to become? Thomas is taking this question to graduate school at Harvard University to ask some of the best minds in the world what practices can support us in living the good life.
26
Bonus Episode: Yoga Nidra with Kelly Boys
Kelly is a mindfulness trainer and author of The Blind Spot Effect: How to Stop Missing What’s Right in Front of You. She has developed mindfulness trainings in diverse places from the United Nations to San Quentin Prison.
25
MOTHER OF ALL BEINGS
In our season finale, Thomas pays tribute to the recently deceased dharma master, Dr. Daniel Brown. Brown’s work is a superb example of Eastern practice meeting the psychological sophistication of the West. In this episode, taste what it means to re-parent the self, what it means to become the Mother of all beings.
24
EARTH DAY
It’s common in the modern world to speak of the need to “return to nature.” But from a contemplative perspective, we are Nature. We cannot leave nature, but we can forget who we are. When we remember our nature, we naturally take better care of ourselves, and better care of the planet that sustains us all.
23
FEARLESSNESS
So often in life, we tell ourselves that fear is a problem—that fear stops us from doing the things we most want to do. What about the wisdom of fear, though? Thomas shares a story of his friend who has made a living of encountering his fear everyday for over 40 years now. The result? Not a lack of fear, but the courage to act with fear fully present. Fearlessness.
22
Hosts, Hostages and Vagrants
What did the early Buddhists of China mean when they said, “Be the host of every situation”? In this episode, Thomas explores a sutra that likens mindful awareness to a “host” allowing innumerable “guests” to come and go through the inn.
21
The Moving Target of Unknowing
The experience of “unknowing” is inescapable. What if, instead of spending all our energy avoiding the discomfort of unknowing, we opened up to it? What if unknowing is a gateway leading us to a new way of being human?
20
GIVING IS RECEIVING
From an ordinary point of view, giving and receiving are opposites. In the “real world,” you give a little in order to get a little. Not so on the path of transformation. From a deeper perspective, giving and receiving are one reality, one movement.
19
Divide & Conquer
n this episode you can deepen your learning on the classic practice of “divide and conquer”: notice where the most overwhelm is occurring, make skillful adjustments, and you’re back in the game. For anyone serious about not suffering, this episode is a boon.
18
Hearing the Cries of the World
When we open up to the suffering on the planet, we soon realize that we, the “small self”, are not nearly big enough to contain it all. To really hold suffering in our heart and help to relieve it, we must get bigger—a move from the relative to the Absolute.
17
building heaven
At a time in the not-so-distant past, you might have been involved in the building of a cathedral that took so long to complete, you would have never seen the finished product of your labors. Nevertheless, your participation was absolutely vital. This is a fascinating metaphor for the new reality humanity is giving rise to moment by moment. Thomas calls it “building heaven.”
16
hold stroke
When life throws challenges at us, it tests our capacity to be open, clear and present. Thomas recounts his glory days as a high school swimmer in this episode to point out a helpful technique for practicing when the going gets tough. If we’re clear where our mindful awareness tends to break down, we can “train to remain” in a more intelligent way.
15
no gaining idea
If you think about virtually everything you do in a given day, you may come to a realization: “I do what I do because I want to get something out it.” We work to earn money, we exercise to stay fit, we meditate to feel good…it seems harmless enough. But there is a more subtle path available to us as human beings. In Suzuki Roshi’s words, we can live our lives with “no gaining idea.” When we have no gaining idea, we taste what it means to express our true nature—to be truly alive.
14
effectively selfish
It’s not often you call someone “selfish” and mean it as a compliment. But prepare to be liberated from your misconceptions about what healthy selfishness actually is! In this episode, Thomas offers insights from the field of developmental psychology and coaches you on how to be the best kind of selfish in your life. You’ll be glad you listened. Interested in learning more about development? For information about an opportunity to join Thomas’s cohort program, go to www.lowerlightswisdom.org/spectra.
13
Who am i? an interview with dr. terri o’fallon
One of Thomas’s great pleasures in hosting Mindfulness+ is the opportunity to introduce listeners to some of the teachers who have changed his life. On today’s show, Dr. Terri O’Fallon shares a few of the dazzling delights from the field of human development. Terri is a renowned expert in this area, known for her spiritual depth, vision, and kindness. She ultimately points us to the great mystery, “who am I?” Learn about her latest offerings at stagesinternational.com. For information about an opportunity to join Thomas’s cohort program, go to www.lowerlightswisdom.org/spectra.
12
sit like a mountain
If you’ve been practicing meditation for some time, you may have heard the instruction somewhere along the way to “sit like a mountain.” But what does that mean? Is it just a nice metaphor? Thomas takes us right to the heart of our mountain nature in this episode, where there is always, right here, an abiding peace, stillness and stability.
11
Metalineage
Spirituality and human transformation are taking exciting turns in the 21st century. Never before have so many traditions been intersecting, influencing and evolving one another. How can we meet this moment with courage and curiosity? Thomas lays out a vision of “metalineage” in this episode—a way in which all of humanity can realize greater fullness and freedom. For a deeper dive, check out this immersive online experience, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the 21st Century.
10
”only phonies don’t get enlightened”
Mindfulness practice is simple as it is difficult: we need to be willing to feel what we’re actually feeling. Easier said than done! In this episode, Thomas shares the experience of his grandmother’s recent passing, all that he wasn’t willing to feel, and what came on the other side of being honest with himself.
09
new, gone
In this episode, Thomas offers an extended, beginning-of-the-year meditation, inviting you to appreciate what has already passed—what is gone. The more fully we learn to welcome the “gone”, the greater the birth of something new in our lives.
08
on being complete
To be a human being is to be incomplete—in process. No matter where we are in this moment, we are undoubtedly on our way to becoming something else, something new. How, then, do we manage the anxiety of being “in suspense and incomplete”? Thomas points to the part of us that is already complete in this episode, even as we are becoming something more.
Also, check out this new online course, Gospel Meets Dharma: The Dance of Buddhism and Christianity in the 21st Century.
07
WHAT survives
For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, we’re right on the other side of the winter solstice. Traditionally, this is a time when we hunker down, take an inventory on our lives perhaps, and sense into what survives the enveloping dark. When we pay close attention, we’re comforted to discover the light that the darkness never overcomes.
06
Stop lying
The path of waking up and growing up can be excruciating, even as it can be gentle and forgiving. We continue the meditation on Advent in this episode with a reading from the Gospel of Thomas. “Stop lying”, Yeshua says. What could this mean? Is there a truth we haven’t been willing to hear, or speak?
05
extraordinary happiness
In the Buddhist tradition, we make the distinction between “ordinary” and “extraordinary” happiness. Extraordinary happiness, simply put, is a happiness beyond conditions. Thomas shares about this teaching in the context of Advent, a time when we can bring more awareness to our “distorted values” and let in greater Light.
04
sons and daughters of infinity
What does the “+” in “Mindfulness+” mean again? Thomas takes us even deeper into the territory it points to in this episode. Drawing from the words of Aurobindo, he invites us beyond the “surface mind’s” idea of reality into something altogether Unnameable.
03
Lessons from a healer
In this episode, Thomas invites his very first meditation teacher, David Timpson, to share about his meditation practice, his medical practice, and the profound power of the intentions of our heart. The conversation is a beautiful window into how mindfulness can transform us over the decades. Prepare to be inspired!
02
your basic goodness
We take a quantum leap on the spiritual path when we learn to really trust our basic goodness. The challenge: layer after layer of socialization, education, and shame tend to obscure our connection to this goodness. What can we do? Listen to today’s episode for insights and practices to “return to innocence.”
01
Waves of impermanence
We’re back! Thank you for joining us for a brand new season. Thomas kicks off the festivities with a close reading of a timeless text from the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. In this episode you can learn to relax your inner control freak (okay, for some of us it’s more like an outer control freak) and let go more fully into the natural ebb and flow of life.