Shell Fischer's Podcast

As the teacher Gil Fronsdal has said, without a commitment to truth, there is no spiritual path. This is so important that we can safely say - as a kind of absolute truth in practice - that deceiving oneself or others is never acceptable.

Yet, so often, we tend to either ignore or suppress our own truth, or are fearful about expressing it.

During this talk, Shell explores this 7th parami (truthfulness) and how courageously allowing and nurturing this quality of heart – as well as living in and acting from our truth - can help us to release more joy and freedom in our lives.

(*This is talk #8 in a series of 11 talks on the 10 paramis, or 'perfection' - qualities of mind and heart that the teachings urge us to nurture in order to reduce our suffering, and discover more peace and ease.)

In the Buddhist practice, patience (khanti) involves three essential aspects: gentle forbearance, calm endurance of hardship, and acceptance of the truth.

As the teachings tell us, the more and more we practice and really get to know and understand the vast blessings of patience, the more effortless it becomes, and the more we can live from a mind and heart that is calm, kind, and filled with ease.

During this talk, Shell explores this 6th parami (patience). (*This is the 7th talk in a series of 11 talks on the 10 paramis, or perfections, which includes a summary talk.)

The root word for the Pali word ‘viriya’ is “hero” … and in the Buddhist tradition, when we start walking on the path of meditation, we are considered warriors.

This is because what we are doing as we practice is acting as ‘warriors’ against the great forces of greed, hatred, and fear in ourselves. We are also courageously facing and confronting our natural tendencies … which are to run away from ourselves and our problems, or to fight them, or to completely ignore them, drown them out, or pretend they aren’t there …

In this talk, Shell explores this 5th parami (energy) and how it can inspire us to become more dedicated to our path towards freedom. (*This is talk #6 in a series of 11 talks on the paramis, or "perfections" - 10 qualities of mind and heart that the Buddha tells us are essential to nurture in order to discover freedom from suffering.)

Along with being one of the 10 paramis (or primary qualities of mind and heart that we are urged to practice), wisdom (prajna) holds a special place in the teachings because it is also one of the three main major pillars of practice. (The other two are virtue, and meditative depthor absorption.) Of these three, wisdom is seen as most central, since this is exactly what we are cultivating during meditation to counter it’s opposites: delusion, confusion, and self-deception. During this talk, Shell explores this 4th parami. (*This is the 5th talk in a 10-talk series on the 10 Paramis)

There is often a mistaken belief that the practice of “renunciation” involves a type of strict repression, denial, or even punishment. But in the Buddhist tradition, it is none of these things.

In fact, the words most often used to describe the result of practicing renunciation (nekkhamma) are: release, freedom, and liberation. The idea is that when we practice letting go, instead of something being lost, something is actually gained.

And, our continued practice of renunciation can lead us to an even greaterhappiness … often called the “sacred dimension of liberation.”

Shell explores this 3rd parami or "perfection" in this 3rd talk in a 11-talk series on the paramis.

The Pali word sila (virtue, or morality) is derived from the word for “bed,” and is considered the bedrock - or foundation - upon which the rest of our spiritual practice is built. Yet, these ethical guidelines are less “though shall not do these things,”and more of a map to help us deeply investigate our own mind, body and heart to recognize which actions lead to suffering (for both self and others), and which lead to more joy and freedom. In this talk, Shell explores this 2nd parami, or "perfection." (This is talk #3 in a series of 11 on the 10 Paramis)

The Buddha taught that if we are really committed to discovering more peace and joy in our lives, the very first thing we need to practice is dana, or generosity, which involves a deep letting go – a release of our strong grip on greed, aversion, and deluded thinking. We also need to consider what we are offering … Are we “giving” others our patience, kindness, and understanding? Or, are we offering them something else? During this talk, Shell explores the 1st parami, or “perfection” – the rich practice of dana. (*This is talk #2 in an 11-talk series on the Paramis, or Perfections.)

“Wherever You Go, There You Are” – As the title of Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book tells us, our happiness doesn’t come from the things that we own, or where we live, or what we have in this life - it comes from the qualities of mind and especially of heart that we’ve cultivated.

In the teachings, the Buddha urged us to practice 10 of these qualities that he considered “priorities of supreme importance” on our path towards finding freedom from stress and suffering.

In this talk, Shell offers an overview of these ten - the “paramis” or “perfections” - in anticipation of a series of 10 talks on each of them.

Often during our practice we are asked to consider the question: “Who am I?” or “What is my real self?” To help us answer these questions, the teachings urge us to closely examine and contemplate what are called the 5 aggregates, or skandhas … things that appear to form the physical and mental continuum of an individual life, or … the way the Buddha describes the totality of what constitutes the “world” and the “self.” This talk explores these 5.

The teachings show us that setting healthy boundaries with others is an important skill that can help us to live with more joy and ease in our lives - but of course, this isn’t always easy. Students often ask: “The teachings point to the concept of annata, no-self … so, why is there a need for boundaries? The Buddha urges us to care for others like a mother might care for her only child … so, why do I feel selfish or cruel when I say no?” This talk explores what the teachings have to say about these questions and more as they relate to the question of protecting our limits.