Shell Fischer's Podcast

"If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence." ~ George Eliot

This talk explores how we can cultivate a deeper sense of sustained silence and presence through meditation practice, and how, more and more, as this silence deepens, we can begin to let go of words and concepts and preconceived notions, and go right to direct experience.

During a recent "Noble Silence" night at Shell's meditation class, she was asked to record the metta (loving-kindness) meditation that she offers. This recording includes a brief explanation, followed by the meditation. Enjoy!

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom." ~ Victor Frankl

In this talk, Shell explores how, through our mindfulness practice, we can better access what has often been called "The Sacred Pause," to create more calm, ease, and grace in our lives.

"Listen to Sadness. Sadness is important. Sadness has something to teach you. It stands in opposition to an entire culture that tells people that happiness is the highest, best, and sometimes only permissible emotion, and that sadness is an obstacle to being happy, and that we should concentrate all of our emotional and cultural energy on trying to eradicate sadness so that everyone can be happy." ~ Roger Ebert

During this talk, Shell explores the great importance of allowing ourselves to be sad, and points to the truth of the saying "the way out is through."

As the Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh tells us, "Suffering is not enough." Yes, the First Noble Truth tells us that there is suffering, but our practice is not to live and dwell there; it is to cultivate a kind of lightness, joy, and ease in our lives, so that we'll be better able to deal with the inevitable suffering. One of the easiest ways to practice this is to nurture and cultivate a strong sense of gratitude. During this talk, Shell explores how we can access even more thankfulness and joy in our lives through our practice.

In this talk, Shell dives into the idea of "humility" - a word fraught with shame in the English language - and explores how, through the teachings and the practice, we can start to view humility more and more as a pathway to love, genuineness, reverence, and connection.

Traditionally, realms and states of deep consciousness have been described in mystical and spiritual literature as having been achieved through the art of concentration – which is exactly what we're trying to cultivate in our Vipassana practice. As we develop a more refined and skilled awareness, this in turn offers us access to even deeper levels of understanding and insight. This talk explores how we can use our practice to train our minds to become more focused, steady, and clear.

Mindfulness is whole-body-and-mind awareness of the present moment. When we are mindful, we are fully present, without judgment, with exactly what's happening, right now. We're not lost in the past or future … not tangled up in daydreams, anticipation, indulgences, or worry. We are right here, witnessing our bodies and minds and whatever is present. During this talk, Shell explores this essential component of our practice and path.

In his teachings about how we should go about investigating the nature of our minds and hearts, the Buddha continually emphasized the words diligent, ardent, and resolute.

If we really want to experience more joy and freedom in our lives, we need to apply a more sustained and wise effort to our practice in order to discover more clarity - or insight - into which mind states lead us to happiness, and which ones lead us towards more suffering.

In this talk, Shell dives into what this "wise effort" looks like in more detail.

In anticipation of an annual Refuge Ceremony, Shell offers this talk on what it means to Take Refuge (find sanctuary) in what are called the 3 Jewels of Practice: 1. Buddha: (who we are not worshiping in any way, but honoring as an example of what is possible within ourselves.) 2. Dharma: Here we are agreeing to take a deep look within ourselves, through the teachings, and discover for ourselves what is true, and what leads us towards freedom. 3. Sangha: Here we are honoring the support and encouragement we find in the community of us who meet weekly to practice together, as well as the larger community (the maha-sangha) of like-minded people who are also courageously looking within their own hearts, bodies, and minds to discover more peace and freedom.