It’s been six months since Qapel‘s passing, and we wanted to mark the occasion by sharing some stories from his students about how they experienced him and the impact he had on their lives. In the days immediately after his death, Qapel’s students recorded stories...
You may have already heard the recent sad news that Doug Qapel Duncan passed away suddenly on October 5th. Today we are sharing the last public teaching that Qapel gave, exactly two weeks before he passed away. The occasion was the 20th anniversary celebration for...
In this final regular episode of Season 4, we finish up our series on the 4 pillars of Planet Dharma’s approach to working with students with a look at Shadow Integration. In this excerpt from their online course, Beyond the Cushion, Doug Qapel Duncan and Catherine...
We hope you enjoy today’s soundbite in which Doug Qapel Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei answer a question about why they wear red hats when they teach. Theoretical understanding and food for thought are helpful inputs as we go about our daily life, but for deep...
In this third episode in our series on the 4 pillars of Planet Dharma’s approach to working with students, we will hear about Karma Yoga, also known as ‘the path of service’, or ‘meditation in action’. In this excerpt from their online course, Beyond the Cushion, Doug...
We hope you enjoy today’s soundbite in which Doug Qapel Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei give a brief introduction to the Tarot. In addition to looking at the deck’s origin and how it can be used, they give a short introduction to the first card, the Fool. ...
In this excerpt from their online course, Beyond the Cushion, Doug Qapel Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei talk about the value of meditation and the reason most of us find it so hard to maintain a solid practice. They also talk about their focus on ‘Meditating on...
We hope you enjoy today’s soundbite in which Catherine Pawasarat Sensei talks about how meditation works and why we need to value the experience of the practice and the insights we uncover. Sensei also talks about the importance of having guidance and a support...
We will finish this 4th season of the podcast with a series of four episodes that explore Planet Dharma's 4 pillars, the framework that Doug Qapel Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei employ to help people progress on the spiritual path. The 4 Pillars are Study,...
We hope you enjoy today’s soundbite in which Doug Qapel Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei respond to an insight shared by a participant after he had a breakout room conversation with other people in the class. Catherine Sensei will be leading a breathing...
In this interview, Qapel talks about the part the Western Mysteries played in his own path and how his teacher, Namgyal Rinpoche, employed these teachings. He also discusses the similarities and differences between the Western and Eastern esoteric teachings, and how...
We hope you enjoy today’s soundbite in which Doug Qapel Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei answer a question about how to stay fully engaged in wholesome and meaningful work without losing contact with the clear light mind of absolute reality. Catherine Sensei...
In today’s episode, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei and Doug Qapel Duncan introduce the topic of the Western Mysteries, or better named, the Divine Mysteries. They outline an overview of the main parts of the spiritual journey: the call, the initiation and the return. They...
We hope you enjoy today’s soundbite from Catherine Pawasarat Sensei on how goodness is misunderstood and undervalued and how much could be done collectively if we embraced its true power. Catherine Sensei will be leading a breathing retreat at the beautiful Clear...
In this episode, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei and Doug Qapel Duncan explore the dynamics of conscious love in relationships. They dive into how cultural and family conditioning influences how we relate to our romantic and life partners. Examining these patterns...
We hope you enjoy today’s soundbite from Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei as they give advice to a student about how to train the mind to be attentive to the details in their relative, day-to-day reality without losing contact with the absolute truth...
In today’s episode, Doug Qapel Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei explore the topic of The Clear Light of the Mind. They outline how our sense of reality is formed, including how early stimulation and imprinting create a sense of solidity in ourselves and our...
We hope you enjoy today’s soundbite from Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei as they introduce the 3 principles of Hua Yan Buddhist philosophy in preparation for their upcoming meditation retreat. You can learn more about the retreat at...
In today’s episode Doug Qapel Duncan gives an overview of the major arcana from the Tarot. He goes over all 22 of the cards from the Fool to the World, giving pithy summary statements about each one and brief comments on how you can use or work with them. The mandate...
We hope you enjoy today’s soundbite from Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei as they answer a question about how to balance staying absorbed in the bliss state during tantric deity practice while remaining attentive to the number of mantras recited. ...
Today’s episode is our third in a row exploring the topic of leveraging archetypes for our spiritual unfoldment. In this talk, Doug Qapel Duncan discusses archetypes specific to the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition: tantric deities. He talks about the representations of...
Today’s recording is bonus content from Sensei & Qapel’s audio course Conscious Love. The course explores many aspects of intimate relationships, including the unconscious patterning that influences them and how to turn partnerships into opportunities for deep...
In today’s talk, Doug Qapel Duncan continues to dive deeper into the topic of archetypes, which he introduced in the talk we heard in Episode 11. He explores how archetypes operate at the personal & psychological level, and why we are drawn to them in contexts...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei on how arising yoga sadhana practice can help us move to more responsive and liberating planetary models of being. If you are interested in learning more by doing a deep dive...
In today’s talk, taken from their course Beyond the Cushion delivered in the early days of the pandemic, Doug Qapel Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei explore the idea of the modern monastery. They explain what traditional aspects of the monastic model are being...
In this soundbite taken from his Enlightened Archetypes talk, Doug Qapel Duncan outlines the three levels of refuge. For many of us, just getting to the point where we are taking refuge in the buddha, dharma and sangha can feel like our biggest challenge, but it is...
In today’s talk, Doug Qapel Duncan introduces the topic of archetypes. He gives an overview of what archetypes are, how they operate in our lives and explains how to harness their power by making them conscious. In the talk, Qapel touches on the topic of refuge and...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan on the three forms of meditative absorption: kamma samadhi, upacara samadhi & appana samadhi. If you are looking to incorporate more activities into your life to support contemplation and introspection, I...
In today’s talk, Doug Qapel Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei go over 4 secrets that make up a core part of how we orient ourselves in the world. Drawing on material from their bestselling book, Wasteland to Pureland, Sensei and Qapel explain each secret, how they...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan on how to support loved ones through the dying process. For an extended look at death, dying, and rebirth, check out Episode 7 from this season, about 5 recordings back in the podcast feed. You can also watch...
In today’s talk, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei explores the topic of Women in Buddhism. She talks about her early years as a feminist, becoming an attendant for her male teacher, shifting views in the buddhist world around female rebirth & elevating female tantric...
In today’s talk, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei and Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan explore the topic of Buddha nature. They look at the various terms that are used to describe it and highlight the challenge of talking about Buddha-nature in a way that doesn’t fall into a conceptual...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei on how Buddhism worked with the shadow before modern psychology existed to name this aspect of our psyche. And a note of clarification: In the talk, you’ll hear Qapel and Sensei...
Today’s recording is a talk that Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan gave recently on the topic of death, dying and the bardos. In the talk, he explores how we really experience a death in every moment, and describes in detail the steps in the death process and how consciousness...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei on how to access higher states of consciousness through clearing the lower 3 chakras. Today’s bonus recording covers ideas that Qapel and Sensei explore in detail in their...
In this interview, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei talks about the impact our views of connection with - or disconnection from - our natural environment have on the quality of our lives moment to moment. She highlights the centrality of natural laws in the very essence of...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei on the folly of assigning happiness to objects and how happiness is actually a result of being in a good state. This bonus episode marks the 100th upload to the podcast feed! How...
In this episode, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei and Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan explore parts of our natal charts that are particularly connected to spiritual and personal transformation, including Chiron, Saturn, and North and South Nodes. They explain how these lenses can help...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Catherine Pawasarat Sensei and Doug ‘Qapel’ Duncan on the Buddha’s allegory of the ego being like a house on fire, inviting us to orient from the awakened state rather than the objects in our lives. If you find these teachings...
In today’s talk, Doug 'Qapel' Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei explore the topic of 'Spiritual Energy Traders' in more detail. (Season 3 Episode 22 introduces this material.) They look at the unwholesome aspects of capitalism and how it reinforces negative...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Catherine Pawasarat Sensei and Doug Qapel Duncan on the importance of actually seeing ourselves as an integrated part of our ecosystems. If you are looking to incorporate more activities into your life to support contemplation and...
Today we are introducing the first of what we hope will become a regular addition to this podcast: interviews with Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat. Given the pace at which the teachings can evolve and change, we thought it would be helpful to check in...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan on how we can best support loved ones through the death process. If you are finding the teachings of Planet Dharma resonate and are wondering how to explore them further, try the free online course called Wake Up: 4...
In order to truly understand what drives our unconscious behaviour we have to understand the core fears of the ego. If we don’t, we are doomed to repeat behaviour that we may even realize is unwholesome as we are impacted by the invisible hand of these forces. In...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on creating a harmonious relationship between absolute and relative truths through the cultivation of both a clear view and training. Did you know that Planet Dharma also has a library of...
In today's episode, Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat speak about what form the teachings will likely take in the 21st Century. Given how teachings of spiritual liberation have evolved through the millennia to speak to the cultural contexts in which they found...
Season 4 is launching soon! Today producer Christopher Lawley takes the opportunity to introduce himself and to talk a bit about how Planet Dharma operates. For more on karma yoga, visit www.planetdharma.com/what-is-karma-yoga/ For more on the practice of dana, visit...
In this talk Doug and Catherine discuss how the current capitalist paradigm that is so focused on the individual creates all sorts of conditions in our psyches that lead to suffering. They explore how a shift in view and behaviour would allow us to build a society...
Why retreat work is transformative We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on why retreat work is unparalleled in its transformative potential: it allows us to access higher states of consciousness, to see the interconnectedness of...
In this talk Doug and Catherine discuss how we attempt to manipulate and control our worlds in order to get what we desire. They explain the importance of making these actions conscious in order to integrate our shadow. Through harnessing the energy of our desires by...
Integrating Your Shadow In this talk, Doug and Catherine explore 'the shadow', the unconscious drives that keep us stuck in repetitive patterns and limited views of what’s possible. They discuss how integrating our shadow releases us from being held in its grip and...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on how much more is available to us when we go beyond mindfulness into deeper meditative practices that involve not just awareness but 'awareness of awareness'. Did you know that Planet Dharma...
In this talk from their Livestream Series, Enlighten Up, Doug and Catherine explore the difference between mindfulness and meditation, the power of retreat work and why people tend not to practice. They look at how meditation gives us the space to see how much of our...
COVID-19 Pandemic We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan’s recent response to a student during an online Office Hours call. The student expressed how scattered she felt by all the anxiety in the world around the current COVID-19 pandemic and asked for...
The three lowest chakras and the energies they manifest In this talk from their 2019 online course, Crazy Wisdom, Doug and Catherine discuss in detail the three lowest chakras and the energies they manifest. This recording is a continuation of an earlier introductory...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the most prevalent aspects of our society’s collective shadow and whether we can shift our collective actions to more wholesome patterns. Have you checked out any of Planet Dharma’s online...
Metaphors for Spiritual Awakening In this talk, Doug and Catherine discuss the question ‘What is Awakening?’ Known by many terms in various traditions, spiritual awakening or enlightenment is about waking up to our true nature. Doug and Catherine explore several...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on spiritual organizations and how they support our growth and unfoldment. During the talk, you will hear the term ‘quantum creativity’. If you’d like to learn more about that topic look for...
Stepping Outside One's Comfort Zone In this talk from their online course The Pearl Without Price, Doug and Catherine discuss the nature of the ego and how we can step outside the box of our comfort zone to experience greater degrees of freedom, bliss and peace. These...
Bonus Episode: Wisdom or Prajna Welcome to this Dharma If You Dare Bonus Episode. We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the sixth of the 6 Paramis: Prajna, usually translated as ‘wisdom'. If the paramis are new to you, you can...
In this talk Doug and Catherine discuss the Buddhist Common Foundations, also known as 'the four thoughts that turn the mind towards practice”. These are reflections that help us stay in contact with the urgency of continuing with our spiritual practice. In the course...
The Parami of Dhyana or Concentration. Welcome to this Dharma If You Dare Bonus Episode. We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the fifth of the 6 Paramis: Dhyana, usually translated as ‘concentration’ or ‘absorption'. If the...
In this talk from their online course, Crazy Wisdom, Doug and Catherine discuss the three lowest chakras and the energies they manifest. They look at the problems that are created in our lives when these energies are activated unconsciously and they explain the...
Perfecting Energy, Viriya We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the fourth of the 6 Paramis: Virya, usually translated as ‘energy'. If the paramis are new to you, you can hear an introduction and overview to the topic by finding...
In this talk Doug and Catherine discuss the topic of ‘monsters in the closet', a.k.a. the shadow. They look at how the ego is formed through early trauma, and how it calcifies through additional conditioning via the family and society-at-large, creating areas in our...
Welcome to this Dharma If You Dare Bonus Episode. We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the third of the 6 Paramis: Ksanti, usually translated as ‘patience'. If the paramis are new to you, you can hear an introduction and...
Free Yourself from a Life of B-Movie Reruns In this talk from their 2019 online course Riding the Dragon, Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat discuss how to free ourselves from "the B Movie of our lives”, the flat storylines caused by our attachment to the familiar....
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the second of the 6 paramis, sila, usually translated as ‘ethics’ or ‘morality'. If the paramis are new to you, you can hear an introduction and overview to the topic by finding Season 3...
We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the first of the 6 paramis, dana, usually translated as ‘generosity'. If the paramis are new to you, you can hear an introduction and overview to the topic by finding Season 3 Episode 4 in...
Basic elements of an astrological chart. In this talk on AstroDharma Catherine and Doug discuss some basic elements of our natal astrological charts and how they can be leveraged for our spiritual unfoldment. This excerpt from the talk is focused on the 3 most...
The distinction between submission and surrender We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Catherine Pawasarat and Doug Duncan on the distinction between submission and surrender and how they play out in the spiritual path. Don’t miss out on Doug and Catherine's next...
Karma Yoga: Awakening in Action In this talk, Doug and Catherine discuss Awakening Through Action, traditionally known as the practice of karma yoga. Karma yoga is a practice that transforms even mundane activities into paths of spiritual growth and awakening. In this...
Diamond clarity is our natural state of being. The Diamond Sutra explains how a clear and strong consciousness cuts through foggy or disillusioned mind states to reveal wisdom and ultimate truth. In this talk, Doug Sensei uses the metaphor of clothing to explain...
Crazy Wisdom In this talk Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat explore the topic of 'Crazy Wisdom'. Also known as 'Divine Madness’, these are energetic and unpredictable teachings that help shake students’ fixed views about their reality. The stuck nature of our egos...
In this talk Doug and Catherine discuss the Buddha’s First Ennobling Truth: that life is always in some degree of struggle. They explore how preferences and anti-preferences contribute to our self image and how the degree to which we suffer is tied to the degree to...
The perks of becoming more conscious. In this talk Doug and Catherine explore the process of spiritual awakening and its many benefits. They discuss how it leads to greater freedom and control in our lives, makes us less subject to old habits and conditioning, and...
In this talk, Doug and Catherine discuss the importance of bringing all aspects of ourselves into consciousness. Through integrating the shadow we can access greater and greater degrees of freedom and free up huge amounts of energy. Today’s episode featured a...
An introduction to the Paramis In this public talk Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat introduce the paramis, 6 aspects of consciousness that have been taught in the buddhadharma for more than two thousand years and allow practitioners to become their own inner and...
Quantum Creativity and Adaptive Creativity In this talk from the online course Riding the Dragon, Doug and Catherine explore the concepts of Quantum Creativity and Adaptive Creativity. They discuss how imagination springs forth from spaciousness and how it is the...
Information vs Lived Experience. In this talk Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat look at the pitfalls of our society’s tendency to value information over lived experience. They discuss ways to integrate knowledge and wisdom so we can live connected lives. Today’s...
Drawing on material from the first reflection in their book, Wasteland to Pureland, Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat explore the topic of personal vision and connect it to the concepts of absolute and relative truth. Today’s recording is a continuation of the...
Welcome to Season Three. This week is Doug Duncan‘s 70th birthday. We thought this was the perfect time to launch Season 3 of the podcast with its new title, Dharma If You Dare. The first episode of the new season will drop any day now, so stay tuned. Make sure to...
Why Awaken? Today's episode explores the idea of personal vision and how it relates to spiritual unfoldment. It's part of our celebration for the upcoming release of more podcast episodes from Planet Dharma. Season 3 will begin in mid-July to celebrate Doug Sensei’s...
Spirituality and economics: being vs having In this podcast, Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat are interviewed by Deborah Price, founder of the “The Money Coaching Institute” about their new book Wasteland to Pureland. Together they explore topics of...
What`s your most challenging growth edge? What sparks you? This lively, informal and interactive extract is from a class in our 2017 "Buddhas in Action" retreat at Clear Sky Retreat Center in B.C., Canada, with Achariya Doug Duncan, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei &...
Buddhas in Action: Karma Yoga In this new Planet Dharma episode, Achariya Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei shine light on the principle that “buddhas in action” (spiritual explorers waking up and growing through the path of selfless service) continually...
How do we heal the splits within? In this 5 minute podcast episode, Achariya Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei elaborate on this question. They share that complete or wholesome effort is when we are in the moment and not distracted by conflicting emotions or...
Study nature and consciousness to inform your vision and career Catherine Sensei begins this episode explaining, “The natural cycles of nature are in essence the same as the natural cycles of dharma, karma and consciousness." There's a natural wisdom and compassion...
Perfect generosity and all the paramis follow In this podcast, Achariya Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei expand on the six perfections (Paramis) of Generosity, Discipline, Acceptance, Effort, Concentration, Insight and share “If you can perfect generosity,...
Spiritual awakening requires becoming aware of the ego structure The first step in spiritual awakening is becoming aware of our ego structure -- actually perceiving the particular beliefs and images that we have identified with and taken to be true -- then dissolving...
In order for you to move to your next understanding -- the next stage of unfoldment -- how you position yourself in relationship to your world has to change. --- Spiritual unfoldment talk transcript: "The important message that I want to convey tonight is: for you to...
In order for you to move to your next understanding -- the next stage of unfoldment -- how you position yourself in relationship to your world has to change. --- Spiritual unfoldment talk transcript: "The important message that I want to convey tonight is: in order...
Paralyzed and Free! A quadriplegic man in the hospital for 25 years sees the spaciousness through which all manifestations can arise, including the mind. Was no longer obsessed with the arisings. --- Part two of the "Why Practice the Paramis?" podcast from Aug. 23,...
The paramis are qualities of character or "perfections" of heart and mind that can be developed to support the path of awakening--practices that develop wholesome activity, growth, and enlightenment. "It is so clear that the Teaching is the only refuge." --- What are...
Bliss is present because there is no one trying to do anything. Be very clear about this: bliss arises when you no longer try to do anything. --- A one-minute excerpt from a talk by Doug Sensei on the Diamond Sutra held at Zofukuji Temple, Miki, Japan, on Jan....
Not getting lost in phenomena Doug Sensei offers a suggestion on something to do for a New Year's resolution for 2013: "I undertake to train myself to refrain from getting lost in phenomena". Podcast Transcription: Qapel: I suggest this be your New Year's resolution...
Part 4: Q & A In this full talk, the "Map to Awakening" metaphor is a journey from west to east—in this case Kyoto to Tokyo—with the arrival point being the awakened state. --- The metaphor: Traveling west to east, from Nagoya to Shizuoka to Yokohama before...
Resisting the Urge to Escape the Pain through Addiction The nature of addiction is an attempt to escape the pain at the core of our being. Resisting the urge to give in rather than face the appetite or addiction takes patience and determination. --- In this...
The nature of addiction is an attempt to escape the pain at the core of our being. Resisting the urge to give in rather than face the appetite or addiction takes patience and determination. --- In the end, the nature of addiction is an attempt to escape the pain that...
The nature of addiction is an attempt to escape the pain at the core of our being. Resisting the urge to give in rather than face the appetite or addiction takes patience and determination. --- Part 3 of a public talk given in Winnipeg, Canada, in Sept. 2009 Podcast...
Addictions - an attempt to escape the pain The nature of addiction is an attempt to escape the pain at the core of our being. Resisting the urge to give in rather than face the appetite or addiction takes patience and determination. --- If you want freedom you have to...
The nature of addiction is an attempt to escape the pain at the core of our being. Resisting the urge to give in rather than face the appetite or addiction takes patience and determination. -- "If you look at the nature of your consciousness, you're always one step...
Part 3: You Cannot Let the Unwholesome Run You The real work is to pay attention to and recognize what's going on in inside -- our mental states. We cannot let ourselves be ruled by subconscious conditioning. --- In this last part of his talk, Doug Sensei gets down to...
Part 2: Why Wait for Spring? The real work is to pay attention to and recognize what's going on in inside -- our mental states. We cannot let ourselves be ruled by subconscious conditioning. --- It's the basics for awakening. Recognize the wholesome for the wholesome....
Part 1: Nobody's Perfect The real work is to pay attention to and recognize what's going on in inside -- our mental states. We cannot let ourselves be ruled by subconscious conditioning. --- "sabbe sankhara dukkha'ti" All conditioned phenomena are filled with...
Awakening is an upriver journey. Sensei talks about going against the flow by meditating, reflecting and taking on the challenge to let go, abandon, renounce, and give up the idea that samsara is resolvable. --- Doug Sensei says: "Your journey to awaken is upriver!...
A Rapid Outline of Buddhist Teachings - How to Awaken. Doug Sensei rapidly outlines the Buddhist teachings -- how to awaken -- giving life to them with direct commentary suited for people today. --- "You're not looking at suffering clearly enough. You're drugging it...
Part 3: Wake Up, Little Suzy Teachings based on the book "Gems of Dharma, Jewels of Freedom" by Gampopa. Your preferences are shaped, formed by conditioning. Ultimately everything is insubstantial and you need to see that. --- Your parents have done their job, but...
Transcend the constant seeking of satisfaction Teachings based on the book "Gems of Dharma, Jewels of Freedom" by Gampopa. We are constantly seeking satisfaction. Merely accepting the cycle of getting temporary satisfaction and then seeking again is switching off. You...
Teachings based on the book "Gems of Dharma, Jewels of Freedom" by Gampopa. --- The Four Impediments to Awakening Why don't you want to awaken? Get ready for impact. Talk given at winter retreat in Dec. 2009, Miki, Hyogo, Japan. Note: Quote attributed to Neils Bohr...
Some topics covered in this talk: skandhas (composites), the awakening experience, dealing with pain, "karma is cetana (will or decision)", being hurt and how to forgive https://www.planetdharma.com/
Are We Our Thoughts? Part 1 of 2 The mistake we make that hinders our spiritual development is that we take things personally, which feeds experiences back into the conditioned responses that we call the self. So what is the self? Our thoughts? Our emotions? Our body?...
Meditation is about seeing more clearly To meditate, you don't have to be "smart," says Doug Sensei. You just have to see clearly. --- In this edited talk excerpt, Sensei discusses "the Purification of View" (from the Abhidhamma) and provides a useful meditation...
The purification of virtue (sila). What does it mean to purify one's morality? --- In this short excerpt from a talk given in Calgary, B.C., Canada, Doug Sensei discusses "the purification of virtue (sila)" as part of the traditional "seven stages of purification" and...
Seven types of meditation A discussion on the seven types of meditation, includes the Sanskrit terms samatha, vipassana, and rupa/arupa jhana Full talk: Part 3 of 3 Sanskrit terminology used in this talk include: bardo and Tathagatagarbha....
A discussion on the seven types of meditation. Full talk: Part 2 of 3 --- Continuing with this discussion on the seven types of meditation, you’ll encounter the following Sanskrit terms: Tathagatagarbha, alaya-vijnana References are also made to Mahākāśyapa, the...
A discussion on the seven types of meditation. Full talk: Part 1 of 3 --- In this discussion on the seven types of meditation, you'll encounter the following Sanskrit terms: samatha, vipassana, rupa/arupajhana Talks are edited lightly to remove extraneous material....
You are both wave and ocean With the purification of consciousness, you realize that you are a wave and you are an ocean. In essence you are water -- all the same water. Water is the six senses in this metaphor. --- This talk was given for a retreat in Guatemala on...
Purification of the sense doors is probably the most important work you do on the path, leading to a body of radiance. --- This talk was given for a retreat in Guatemala on Feb. 26, 2004. Part 1 of 2. For more information on the activities of Doug Sensei, please...
Roots of the path. The root of the path is sila, samadhi and panna. 1. The Golden Rule works. 2. Concentration -- requires and effort that goes beyond your preference mind (you get bored). Important for right-hemisphere brain if mind is wandering around in the left...
The noting of unity. All the objects of your mind are impermanent. Liberation from suffering/Nirvana/Christ consciousness is a right-hemisphere experience but the left hemisphere is the hemisphere that knows about it. --- This talk was given in Kyoto, Japan, in...
When studying the mind, if you're busy with your thoughts, feelings and sensations, you're getting caught up with what's in the mind, not the nature of the mind itself. "M" Mind is aware, spacious, naturally luminescent and clear. --- This talk was given in Kyoto,...