Continuing with the theme - The Self: Walking the Middle Way Path, we meet the 2nd Century spiritual genius, Nagarjuna, who is considered the father of the Middle Way school. Nagarjuna once paid homage to the Buddha, saying, "I prostrate to he who has abandoned all views." Looking into the topic of views, Elizabeth will take us on a fascinating quest.

The most intimate relationship you will ever have is the relationship you have with your SELF! Ironically, when looking for a singular, permanent or autonomous self, all we find is a myriad of dynamic, contingent relationships. In this episode, Elizabeth introduces us to the Buddha's most essential insight - dependent arising - and guides us through a classic Middle Way investigation, leading us to a deeper understanding of mind and its world.

Many of us can recall our earliest encounters with the quandary of death. As children, we possess a natural longing to make sense of the world; to find explanations for things that disturb or amaze us. Throughout our lives, we are continually confronted by the conundrum of existence and extinction. How do we straddle the tension between our longing to exist and our fear of extinction? Are these dualistic constructs an accurate framework? And what does it mean to either be or not be?

Our life - our world - can be rich…and it can also be a bitch. We walk the terrain of multiple - maybe infinite - grounds. We move in and out of these overlapping spaces.They are not geographical territories, but rather various ways we encounter our human condition as our mind and its world engage in the playful exchange we call, 'experience.'

What do you see when you think about the world? You might picture a rainforest or desert. You might envision a crowded subway terminal. You might imagine a household or a war zone. You might think: "the world is a mess," or feel touched by the beauty and the beings that inhabit it. Where exactly is "the" world? Is it conscious or material? Does it exist within our individual mind streams or outside of us? Is it cruel, mundane or sacred? Is it one or many? Is "the" world even findable?

In Open Question 303, Elizabeth explores the power of words and what it means to go beyond them in the tradition of Prajnaparamita.

The Buddha Nature teachings of Mahayana Buddhism reason that all beings possess natural intelligence. We can observe in ourselves and others that the instinct for wellbeing drives everything we do. We bend toward wellbeing like a plant bends toward the light of a sunny window. How is it then, that we create so much suffering? To bring our actions together with our true intentions requires discernment, or prajna. Prajna is our inherent resource—but unrecognized, it remains dormant. How do we wake it up?

Most spiritual traditions offer teachings on "sacred world"-the promise of a life beyond struggle-the search for a place of ease. This is a noble human quest. And yet, the "sacred" often seems to be a place other than where we find ourselves now. How do we reconcile the tension between the spiritual and temporal aspects of life? This is our conundrum

Marc Andrus is the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California. His leadership is focused on key issues related to peace and justice, civil rights, and the environment. Bishop Andrus has just released a new book: Brothers in the Beloved Community: The Friendship of Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King Jr. In this interview, Elizabeth and Bishop Marc discuss the powerful connection between spirituality and activism, the nature of interdependence, and bodhisattvas in our world.

In this episode Elizabeth shares her love of the most quintessential text of Mahayana Buddhism: The Heart Sutra. She weaves heartfelt commentary through a musical composition of the text, performed by Chime Mattis. This insightful and devotional presentation can be used as both practice and contemplation.