In many respects our practice aims towards equanimity. But if we force it, we may end up in indifference instead. Jon and Doug discuss these very different states and how our practice can help us navigate through them.

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Practice can often be most helpful when things in our life go sideways. Jon and Doug discuss practice in the context of doctors, dentists, and hospital visits. 

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What are we doing when we "meditate"? It seems like there are so many different styles and approaches. Jon and Doug discuss ways to frame and understand the practices.

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There are many different approaches to practice within Buddhism, not to mention outside of Buddhism. How can we work with these different approaches? What are some of their key differences? 

Doug's Dharma Video: Do All Religions Lead to the Same Goal? -- https://youtu.be/moGPUNfO8no

With One Voice- a film about different spiritual traditions lead to the same place.

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With the US holiday of July 4th upon us, Jon and Doug discuss dependence, independence, what freedom really means, and how to practice towards it.

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The actual instruction to "gladden" the mind is sdd in the Anapanasati (Mindfulness of In and Out Breathing) Sutta, in the third tetrad about the Mind.

What is the Buddha asking us to do here?    Jon and Doug discuss what it means to gladden the mind in Buddhist practice, why it's important and how we can practice with this instruction.

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The second noble truth addresses the cause of Dukkha (suffering) as our nature to cling to our desires (or push away that which we don't want).  The opposite of this is letting go.   Ajahn Chah, the venerable Thai forest monk and teacher to many of today's wonderful teachers-- would say often:
Letting go a little brings a little peace. Letting go a lot brings a lot of peace. Letting go completely brings complete peace.
And yet, letting go, is not always easy!  Jon and Doug discuss this.

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These are difficult times, and our practice can be a true refuge and an opportunity to recharge.  However, it’s also possible for meditation to become a means of escaping or bypassing what’s happening in the world or our personal experiences.  Ideally,  true refuge recharges us and increases our capacity to face the world and with what Bhikkhu Bodhi calls “conscientious compassion.”  Jon and Doug have a lively discussion about how our practice supports us in these times.

Link to Bhikkhu Bodhi's Commentary on Protecting Human Dignity and the Threat of Moral Nihilism: https://www.lionsroar.com/commentary-protecting-human-dignity-from-the-threat-of-moral-nihilism/

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Jon and Doug discuss the Buddhist practice of acceptance. How would the Buddha have framed it? How can we work with acceptance today, and how might an attitude of acceptance make our lives better?

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The Buddha taught that guarding the sense doors is an essential part of practice.  Of course, social media didn’t exist 2500 years ago.  These days it’s so easy to get caught in the vortex of social media.  Jon and Doug discuss how they guard (or not) the sense doors in the current media reality.

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