This week is a special episode, recorded thanks to Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho at Clear Mountain Monastery. Our conversation touched on themes Secular Buddhism vs Traditional Buddhism, the sacred, belief in rebirth, saddhā (faith), Mundane Right View vs Transcendent Right View, attachment to views, and much more!

Clear Mountain Monastery will release a video of this discussion on their YouTube channel in December.

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It's Halloween as Jon and Doug record their episode, so the discussion is about the supernatural beings in Buddhism, their history, how they reflect our own inner and outer states, and how we can practice with them. 

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Mental proliferation or "papañca" is one key way the mind works overtime to keep us agitated and stressed out. Jon and Doug discuss how we get lost in our stories, and how sometimes it's good to spend time figuring them out, and other times it's best to figure out how to let them go.

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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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