Wild Heart Meditation Center

By Andrew Chapman, Mikey NoechelSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Spirituality Buddhism

Wild Heart Meditation Center episodes

October 28 Mindfulness of Mind - Summer of Love Retreat - 3rd Morning Instructions
This talk was given by Mikey Noechel during the Summer of Love Retreat in Sewanee, TN on July 15th-19th, 2025. Mikey offering the 3rd morning instructions on mindfulness of the mind. Enjoy!
WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? New Year's Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Matty Finn - Dec. 29th, 2026 - Jan. 2nd, 2027 in Bay St. Louis, MS - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2
THE UNIFICATION OF MIND: Cultivation of Samadhi Silent Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Andrew Chapman - Jan. 27th - Jan. 31st, 2027 in Sewanee, TN - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2-tz2zc
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
47 min
October 26Go see the Stars...Going on Retreat
Sean Coyle uses a story from a week-long retreat in dark-sky Colorado to explore how conditions shape meditation practice, attention, and everyday life. The stars become a metaphor for what may already be present but obscured by distractions and responsibilities. Sean connects the tradition of Buddhist retreat with the possibility of practicing at home. He reflects on balancing solitude with community, treating practice as self-care, and recognizing the role of supportive conditions in growth. He also names the privilege of retreat and encourages listeners to start where they are and keep going.
Sean’s Colorado retreat and the Milky Way as a metaphor for practice
How everyday distractions can obscure what is already present
The history of Buddhist monastic seclusion during the wet season
Balancing a wish for solitude with staying connected to community
The Satipatthana Sutta and reducing distractions to support mindfulness
Practice as self-care and a way of showing up for yourself
Wisdom and compassion as two doors into practice
The Buddha’s remembered experience of joy arising in seclusion
The tomato plant analogy: why growth depends on conditions
Samadhi as concentration and the gathering of energy
Walking meditation and loving-kindness practice
Generosity, community, and carrying retreat momentum into daily life
The privilege of retreat and the value of practice at home
WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? New Year's Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Matty Finn - Dec. 29th, 2026 - Jan. 2nd, 2027 in Bay St. Louis, MS - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2
THE UNIFICATION OF MIND: Cultivation of Samadhi Silent Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Andrew Chapman - Jan. 27th - Jan. 31st, 2027 in Sewanee, TN - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2-tz2zc
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
30 min
October 21 Compassion The Quivering of the Heart
Compassion gets thrown around as a soft word, but in this tradition it has a precise meaning. Karuna is the quivering of the heart in response to suffering. Not sadness. Not the compulsion to fix. Just the small, honest noticing that suffering is present.
In this third talk of the four heart practices series, Kojin works backward through the brahmaviharas from equanimity to appreciative joy and now to compassion. He maps compassion against its far enemy of cruelty and its two near enemies of pity and too much empathy, and he shows why the stable middle spot matters so much for anyone trying to live with less reactivity.
Along the way he draws on the story of the two arrows, Ajahn Chah on weeping deeply, Shinzen Young's formula that suffering equals pain times resistance, and Roshi Joan Halifax on standing at the edge without falling into empathic distress or burnout. The talk closes with clear instructions for the formal practice, including where to begin, which phrases to use, and how to work with whatever shows up in the heart space without judging it.
Key themes
Compassion as the quivering of the heart rather than an emotional overload. The far enemy of cruelty and the near enemies of pity and empathy. The two arrows and how compassion stops us from adding the second one. Strong back, soft front. Compassion as an unlimited resource we all already carry. The move from cushion practice to daily life.
Timestamps
00:00 Returning to the four heart practices series
01:51 Compassion as the quivering of the heart
03:00 Waking up from reactivity and the push pull of grab and push away
06:03 The far enemy of cruelty and the near enemy of pity
07:32 Empathy as the other near enemy and the risk of burnout
08:27 Ajahn Chah on weeping deeply
09:15 The story of the two arrows
12:50 Shinzen Young, suffering equals pain times resistance
16:53 Strong back, soft front
18:39 Compassion for the people and things we do not like
20:20 Compassion is already inside you, and the Kojin name
22:07 The formal practice
24:23 Starting where the suffering is
26:12 Working with the heart space without judgment
27:40 Extending compassion outward
30:09 Taking the practice off the cushion
31:10 Checking for pity, cruelty, and empathy in real time
32:58 Closing and opening to conversation
Quotes
"Compassion is a sort of stable spot in the middle. I see it, my heart is responding, and that can guide me to skillful action later."
"Oh, this sucks. That's the end of the sentence."
"Your ability to notice, your ability to feel, is unlimited. It's always available."

WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? New Year's Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Matty Finn - Dec. 29th, 2026 - Jan. 2nd, 2027 in Bay St. Louis, MS - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2
THE UNIFICATION OF MIND: Cultivation of Samadhi Silent Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Andrew Chapman - Jan. 27th - Jan. 31st, 2027 in Sewanee, TN - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2-tz2zc
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
36 min
October 19 Hatred Does Not Cease By Hatred
Hatred Doesn't Cease by Hatred
In this teaching, Andrew Chapman explores hatred, suffering, and how the mind constructs separateness through stories about ourselves and others. He explains why anger and hatred are not the same, how the Buddha frames them differently, and why understanding is a path out of suffering. Andrew draws on Buddhist teachings, recovery language, and real-world examples—including school violence and the story of Sunita the Sweeper—to show how compassion can interrupt the cycle of harm.
“Hatred never ends through hatred, but by love alone it is healed.”
“Anger is what happens to us. Hatred is something we keep doing.”

WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? New Year's Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Matty Finn - Dec. 29th, 2026 - Jan. 2nd, 2027 in Bay St. Louis, MS - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2
THE UNIFICATION OF MIND: Cultivation of Samadhi Silent Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Andrew Chapman - Jan. 27th - Jan. 31st, 2027 in Sewanee, TN - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2-tz2zc
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
43 min
October 13 Upekkha as an Ethical Practice
Equanimity, Ethics, and Letting Go of Righteous Indignation

Roy Wyman explores how ethical action can get tangled up with anger, ego, and the need to feel morally superior. He explains equanimity as a steadier, more spacious way of responding to the world—one that does not depend on clinging to pleasant feelings or pushing away unpleasant ones.
This talk moves from Buddhist teaching to practical meditation, showing how balance, acceptance, and awareness can support genuine care without the burnout of constant outrage. Roy closes with a guided equanimity practice for a neutral person, oneself, and a slightly difficult person.
4 of 4 in a series
This talk was given by Roy Wyman at Wild Heart Meditation Center in Nashville, TN.
Support Wild Heart Meditation Center here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Enjoy!
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? New Year's Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Matty Finn - Dec. 29th, 2026 - Jan. 2nd, 2027 in Bay St. Louis, MS - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2
THE UNIFICATION OF MIND: Cultivation of Samadhi Silent Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Andrew Chapman - Jan. 27th - Jan. 31st, 2027 in Sewanee, TN - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2-tz2zc
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
1 hr 10 min
October 07Gordon Peerman on the Body, Buddhism, Christianity, and Secure Attachment
Gordon Peerman on the Body, Buddhism, Christianity, and Secure Attachment
Peter Kastaris, WHMC Board Member, hosts this Wild Heart Meditation Center conversation with Gordon Peerman, an Episcopal priest, psychotherapist, and longtime contemplative teacher. They trace how Buddhist practice, Christian mysticism, and attachment theory can inform one another without flattening their differences. The episode also previews Gordon’s workshop, The Body Knows the Way, where he will guide participants through movement, stillness, and embodied approaches to emotion and thought.
Key topics
Gordon shares his Nashville upbringing in a progressive Methodist church and how early exposure to Catholic liturgy shaped his spiritual imagination.
He explains how Yale Divinity School, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, and Centering Prayer pulled him deeper into contemplative Christianity.
He describes discovering mindfulness through John Kabat-Zinn and Bill Moyers, then helping launch the first MBSR program in Nashville in 1997.
He names the core theme of the conversation as bridge-building between traditions, rather than choosing sides.
He distinguishes between exclusivist and non-exclusivist Christianity and argues that Jesus and the Buddha can both be seen as exemplars of awakening.
He responds to people carrying religious hurt by emphasizing validation first, before asking what actually helps in the face of suffering.
He frames the Buddha’s teaching as a medical model: diagnosis, cause, prognosis, and treatment, then parallels that with Christian language around sin, redemption, and trust.
He introduces attachment theory through Daniel P. Brown’s five markers of secure attachment and connects them to spiritual refuge.
He defines secure attachment as being at home in the body, while naming anxious, distancing, and disorganized attachment as insecure patterns.
He previews the workshop content: Tai Chi, Qigong, walking meditation, four somatic markers, poetry, and practical work with emotion and repetitive thinking.
Sign up for the Workshop October 17 here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? New Year's Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Matty Finn - Dec. 29th, 2026 - Jan. 2nd, 2027 in Bay St. Louis, MS - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2
THE UNIFICATION OF MIND: Cultivation of Samadhi Silent Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Andrew Chapman - Jan. 27th - Jan. 31st, 2027 in Sewanee, TN - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2-tz2zc
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
38 min
October 05 Mudita as an Ethical Practice
This episode explores the core Buddhist practices of ethical action, concentration, and insight, emphasizing how joy and ethics are interconnected. Roy Wyman discusses how mindfulness, compassion, and joy can transform our lives and support ethical behavior.
3 of 4 in a series
This talk was given by Roy Wyman at Wild Heart Meditation Center in Nashville, TN.
Support Wild Heart Meditation Center here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Enjoy!
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? New Year's Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Matty Finn - Dec. 29th, 2026 - Jan. 2nd, 2027 in Bay St. Louis, MS - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2
THE UNIFICATION OF MIND: Cultivation of Samadhi Silent Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Andrew Chapman - Jan. 27th - Jan. 31st, 2027 in Sewanee, TN - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2-tz2zc
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
59 min
September 28 Karuna as an Ethical Practice
This episode explores the profound practice of compassion, or karuna, and how it can transform our relationship with difficult emotions and others. Roy Wyman guides us through practical ways to cultivate strength, patience, and ethical interactions through mindful compassion.

2 of 4 in a series

This talk was given by Roy Wyman at Wild Heart Meditation Center in Nashville, TN.
Support Wild Heart Meditation Center here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Enjoy!
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? New Year's Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Matty Finn - Dec. 29th, 2026 - Jan. 2nd, 2027 in Bay St. Louis, MS - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2
THE UNIFICATION OF MIND: Cultivation of Samadhi Silent Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Andrew Chapman - Jan. 27th - Jan. 31st, 2027 in Sewanee, TN - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2-tz2zc
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
1 hr 11 min
September 23 Embracing the Difficulties - Summer of Love Retreat - 2nd Evening Dharma Talk
This talk was given by Andrew Chapman during the Summer of Love Retreat in Sewanee, TN on July 15th - 19th. Andrew offers the second evening Dharma talk. Enjoy!
WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? New Year's Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Matty Finn - Dec. 29th, 2026 - Jan. 2nd, 2027 in Bay St. Louis, MS - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2
THE UNIFICATION OF MIND: Cultivation of Samadhi Silent Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Andrew Chapman - Jan. 27th - Jan. 31st, 2027 in Sewanee, TN - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2-tz2zc
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
44 min
September 22 The Third Precept
In this talk, Jessica Gibbons explores the second Buddhist precept: I undertake the precept of being wise and careful with my sexuality.
3 of 5 in a series.
This talk was given by Jessica Gibbons at Wild Heart Meditation Center in Nashville, TN.
Support Wild Heart Meditation Center here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Enjoy!

WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN HEARTED? New Year's Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Matty Finn - Dec. 29th, 2026 - Jan. 2nd, 2027 in Bay St. Louis, MS - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2
THE UNIFICATION OF MIND: Cultivation of Samadhi Silent Meditation Retreat with Mikey Noechel and Andrew Chapman - Jan. 27th - Jan. 31st, 2027 in Sewanee, TN - Learn more and register here: https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/events/befriendchange2026-azgg2-tz2zc
Wild Heart Meditation Center in a non-profit Buddhist community based in Nashville, TN. https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org
DONATE: If you feel moved to support WHMC financially please visit:
https://www.wildheartmeditationcenter.org/donate
Follow Us on Socials!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WildHeartNashville/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildheartnashville/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wildheartmeditation
1 hr 2 min

About Wild Heart Meditation Center

From the publisher's feed

Wild Heart Meditation Center's podcast offers an assortment of talks given on topics as they relate to Buddhist practice. Wild Heart teachers Rev. Mikey Noechel & Andrew Chapman, along with other…