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My local book tour covered the San Francisco Bay Area: inaugural launch at Green Arcade, San Francisco; East West Books, South Bay; Copperfields, North Bay; Book Passage, Marin; and capped by a benefit for KPFA-fm (Pacifica) at the Hillside Club, Berkeley (Moe’s Books on Telegraph supplied copies).
For the latter, Maxine Hong Kingston generously donated her time to join in conversation. As a preview, we were guests of the Talkies show, moderated by Kris Welch, who also hosted our benefit evening. DVD’s/CD’s of the benefit event were later offered for December pledge drives for the listener-sponsored Pacifica network affiliates . (Pacifica was born in the peace movement surrounding World War Two, hence its name, referring to pacifism.
In our Talkies segment, we begin at [ 30 : 53 ].
The Metta Hour • Episode 95 – Beloved author & teacher Sharon Salzberg is a pioneer of Buddhism in the West. In 1974 she co-founded the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts with Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein. Her books on Lovingkindness Meditation ( Metta ) are foundational; lately, she’s been exploring themes that seem commonplace but making them come alive: Faith, Love, Happiness, Creativity, etc. She’s also a natural at hosting a podcast on the Be Here Now Network. I speak from humble experience as she made me, in particular, feel right at home in her inclusive uplifting luminous fellowship. Listen in as we fall into a conversation about my recent book … how I came to the practice of meditation … insight … the intersection of art, consciousness and social change … presence beyond words
My association with The Secular Buddhist podcast predates the book: here are all three episodes in which I fall into conversation with host Ted Meissner
At the time, Ted Meissner was a teacher of MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) at Jon Kabat Zinn’s Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, & Society in Massachusetts, where he managed online programming and community development. He also teaches MBSR online at his magnificent site Present Moment : Mindfulness Practice & Science. He writes:
Meditation is sometimes thought of as a passive relaxation technique. And I’ll admit, those three words together rub me the wrong way. Meditation is, to me, an active, alive way of being, and that is often far from relaxing, though of course it can be. But to think of the full breadth of contemplative practice as “a technique” is doing a great disservice to the change which can occur by realizing there is no distance between you, and living this very life.
A notable example of a “Nonsecular Buddhist” is Stephen Batchelor. A deep student of Tibetan Buddhism, then Korean Buddhism, he went on to formulate an agnostic Buddhism ( Buddhism without beliefs); his most recent books being Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist, and After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age.
Episode 299 • Pause Breathe Smile : Awakening Mindfulness When Meditation Is Not Enough [ 44:42 ] August 11, 2018.
Meditation is sometimes thought of as a passive relaxation technique. And I’ll admit, those three words together rub me the wrong way. Meditation is, to me, an active, alive way of being, and that is often far from relaxing, though of course it can be. But to think of the full breadth of contemplative practice as “a technique” is doing a great disservice to the change which can occur by realizing there is no distance between you, and living this very life.
Episode 175 • Pro-Active Sila [ 43:20 ] June 29, 2013.
Gary Gach speaks with us today about sila, the pro-social behaviors of Buddhism — Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood.
Recent events around radical, violent activities from Buddhist monastics in Myanmar have stirred some controversy about the validity of Buddhist practice. It seems that Buddhism isn’t really what it’s all cracked up to be if monks are encouraging violence, let alone enacting it themselves. But are they behaving according to the precepts of the tradition? This is a slippery slope as we run the risk of falling into the No True Scotsman fallacy — no real Buddhist would do these things! To really understand what is, and is not, acceptable action for someone identifying as Buddhist, it might help to learn a bit about sila, the ethical conduct portion of the Eightfold Path.
Episode 143 • Finding the New in the Mix [ 48:25 ] November 19, 2012.
With so many different ways of engaging with Buddhism in the West, it’s hard to not only find what resonates most for us, but to even tell what’s what. Is contemporary Western Buddhism a messy goulash, or wonderfully colorful and tangy salad? Are we really doing Rinzai, or is this particular practice Soto Zen? And frankly, does it matter as tradition evolves?
We see practices under various names like mindfulness finding their way into our culture. We see children being taught to rest their mind in the breath in public classrooms, and their parents benefitting from it in the workplace. This ever changing landscape provides a freshness to the practice that interests those who would otherwise not find it, but also opens up the doors to the social change that our traditional forms can help create.
Spirit Matters – with Dennis Raimondi & Philip Goldberg. We talk about my spiritual history, the secularization of Buddhism, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Pause, Breathe, Smile. The conversation then continues in a dialogue between Dennis and Philip.
Waking from the American Dream • Episode 144 – Kelly Pauses, Breathes, Smiles. American writer, actress, producer, monologist, radio / podcast host, and leader of the free world inside her head, Kelly Carlin candidly converses with artists, comedians, thinkers, and writers looking to discover how to stay a little more sane and grounded in 21st century America. ( Follow her on Twitter: @kelly_carlin – and on Patreon. ) In this episode – her first of 2019 – we fall into a free form conversation about new years, Zen, Alan Watts, and enlightenment.
New Dimensions Radio • Meditation: The Gardening of the Heart • Aired October 31 – November 13, 2018 & now available on-demand • Plus,
Mindfulness Is the Path is a free chat in the program’s Café series.[Tags: mindfulness, liberation, vulnerable, liberation, Mindfulness Fellowship, Tai Chi, Qigong, rhythmic breathing, swimming, Personal Transformation, Self Help, Meditation]
My episode is #3,469, reflecting how venerable this program is, broadcasting the good news since 1973. At lunch after the session, Justine & I found how interwined is our “crazy, twisted karma,” as they say. I remember the original New Dimensions pod, plus we discovered our mutual connections from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Being in conversation with Justine is like having an intimate session with your beloved guru. Such dialogue opens the heart and awakens the mind, clarifies purpose & vitalizes the spirit, & uplifts the soul.
The Secular Buddhist podcast • in conversation with Ted Meissner. August 11, 2018. [ 44:42 ]
Ted Meissner is a teacher of MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) at Jon Kabat Zinn’s Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, & Society in Massachusetts, where he manages online programming and community development. He also teaches MBSR online at his magnificent site Present Moment : Mindfulness Practice & Science. He writes:
Meditation is sometimes thought of as a passive relaxation technique. And I’ll admit, those three words together rub me the wrong way. Meditation is, to me, an active, alive way of being, and that is often far from relaxing, though of course it can be. But to think of the full breadth of contemplative practice as “a technique” is doing a great disservice to the change which can occur by realizing there is no distance between you, and living this very life.
A notable example of a “Nonsecular Buddhist” is Stephen Batchelor. A deep student of Tibetan Buddhism, then Korean Buddhism, he went on to formulate an agnostic Buddhism ( Buddhism without beliefs); his most recent books being Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist, and After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age.
Author 2 Author • Conversation with Bill Kenower, Editor-in-Chief, Author magazine, September 4, 2018
Bill started us out in spiritual openness & we fell into a conversation from there. When we both looked at the clock, a half hour later, we realized we’d barely scratched the surface together, and yet we covered a great deal of ground. [ 35:30 ]
Conscious Community • Janae Jean, Spencer Schluter, and I discussed “conscious” & “community,” on many levels – as well as kung fu, fundamentalist atheists, gender & smiling, & much more. Recorded September 4, 2018. ( 1:11.36 )
What Matters Most • Conversation with Paul Samuel Dolman, Recorded September 6, 2018. [51:09]
Student, seeker, and author of Hitchhiking with Larry David, Paul discusses a wide range of subjects with a stimulating, diverse group of people. One listener writes:
This was lovely; hearing men witness love with other men, & their fathers, being connected in such an intimate way … so grateful I heard this today.
Sit back, relax, and get conscious.
The Soul-Directed Life • Conversation with prayer artist Janet Conners, recorded September 13, 2018, Unity Radio. [ Video trailer ( 3:10 ) ]
Mindfulness: Good Medicine in Confounding Times • New Human Living, with Les Jensen, October 31, 2018. ( 1:00:15 )
Inter View at Contemplative Light with Clint Sabom
Unshakable Self-Confidence – with Bill Atwell
In the Spirit – with Gary Goldberg/ I was guest three or four times. There are no archives.
Insights at the Edge – my publisher Tami Simon selflessly offers this podcast wherein she talks with spiritual teachers, visionary writers, and living luminaries about their newest work and current challenges—the growing edge of their inner inquiry and outer contribution to the world. Her interview questions were the best, yet it was my “Dan Harris moment.” For reasons not worth going into here, I froze up. I do not list a link to my episode and prefer people skip over it. [ Thank you ]
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Marlene Trafas conducted a great interview for the excellent “Shout-Out” series on the home page for mindfulness-for-kids maven, Susan Kaiser Greenland; a primary excerpt of the book is included, with its key illustration. { Note: the series goes on to interview proponents of pushback against mindfulness, one from the left, one from the right – an exemplary hallmark of journalism ethics. }
Review in The Mindfulness Bell by Dr. Dzung Vo.
First thorough overview by Dr. Justin Whitaker, in his American Buddhist Perspectives blog at Patheos.
Thoughtful & lovely review by Leanne, in Goodreads, based on the audio edition. May 2019.
Review by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Practice. ( For more about S&P, here’s a spotlight by Paul Chaffee, in The Interfaith Observer, followed by an updated Part 2). I’ve been a fan of S&P since their inception, and it’s a great honor, indeed, to be recognized by them, for this book, and my previous work. In February, they included the review as part of their inclusion of PBS in their round up of 50 Best Spiritual Books of 2018.
Substantial review by Lynette Monteiro, PhD [clinical psychologist, co-founder of the Ottawa Mindfulness Clinic, and co-author with Frank Musten of Mindfulness Starts Here : An 8-week guide to skillful living] in 108zenbooks, November 11, 2018.
Review by Krysta Gibson, New Spirit Journal
‘Pause Breathe Smile’ a nifty primer on mindfulness. by Leslie Katz, in San Francisco Examiner, September 5, 2018
Community of Communities – Excerpt of freeform interview with Janae Jean & Spencer Schluter in October 2018 issue of Conscious Community focussing primarily on – what else!? — community!
Review by J Aisylnn D’Merricksson in San Francisco Book Review, November 2018
What Is Meditation? – by GG • excerpt, in Tricycle_Fall 2018_Brief Teachings, emailed to subscribers September 12, 2018
Selected in Spirituality & Health‘s 100 Books Round Up • chosen as 1 of 10 mindfulness titles
Excerpt in Kosmos Journal.
Practicing yoga, mindfulness, meditation – without including ethics (intentionality, conscious conduct, relationality) as an integral part of that practice can be like rowing a boat and wondering why one’s getting anywhere, only to discover the boat’s still tied at the dock.
Excerpt in The Utne Reader.
Full awareness of breathing doesn’t require taking deep, full breaths – just being conscious of each breath, as it is – – leading to awakening of full awareness. Here’s a summary of the traditional practice known as anapanasati, as taught by Thich Nhat Hanh.
