Be Here Now Network Guest Podcast

Gil Fronsdal offers Buddhist wisdom on relating skillfully to our emotions and seeing them as messengers of our inner worlds.This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/insighthour and get on your way to being your best self.In this talk, Gil Fronsdal lectures about:Identifying emotions without getting lost in the storyThe necessity and benefits of feeling painKnowing what's happening as it's happeningHow most of us are driven by our desires and aversionsSimply knowing and how free our knowing can beMaking room for our experiencesHow our emotions let us know what we should pay attention toLearning how our emotions live in the intelligent system of our bodyHow reactivity blocks us from processing emotionsBeing in our body and allowing processes to unfold“One of the primary functions of emotions is to let us know something is important. They’re knocking on the door of our capacity to know. They are not accidents, they’re not incidental, they’re not annoyan

Professor and Investigator Dr. Quevedo is hosted by Jackie Dobrinska for a philosophical talk on interrelation and psychedelic therapies.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Dr. Sylvestre Quevedo and Jackie Dobrinska explore:The qualities of love within the heartHow the chemical components of MDMA aid in social bonding and heart-openingTouching into transcendent realms and the divineThe importance of our worldviewsNavigating difficult experiences when using plant medicineTurning to sacred texts to glean understandingRam Dass’ perspectives on psychedelicsHow the Bhagavad Gita can help usThe Indigenous 7 generation teachingThe efficacy of MDMA in PTSD treatmentAwareness and appreciation for natureThe importance of community and being in connectionThe uses of psychedelics beyond the medical modelThis conversation was recorded as part of the Ram Dass Explorer

In a stimulating talk on reincarnation, ego-death, and other dimensions, renowned Sufi teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee bridges this world and the next.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This week, teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee returns to explore:The unknowable essence of deathLessons and instructions from the UpanishadsDying to the ego before we die to this physical worldThe transcendent dimension of our own beingHaving choice in the afterlife if one transcends their ego in their lifeHow relationships with spiritual teachers can last lifetime after lifetimeReincarnation and unfinished spiritual lessonsJourneying through other dimensionsDeath as a friend and destinationHow easy it is to be caught in the distortions of the worldLearning the lessons of our individual soulsBeing surrounded by an all-embracing lightAbout Llewellyn:Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D. is a Sufi teacher in t

Describing writing as an act of faith, author Anne Lamott offers a workshop on connecting to our inner longing for creativity.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This week, Anne Lamott joins the BHNN Guest podcast to teach: Following our creative lives and childhood callingsMeeting our creativity half-wayHow all of us start at the beginningMaking time for writing in our livesFiguring out what it is we want to write and making a listOwning everything that was done to us and everything we have seenAccepting that our first drafts will not be wonderfulWhy we should not worship perfectionismFinding a writing partner or local writing groupTaking everything sentence by sentencePaying attention to ourselves and all that dwells within usTo read the poem Anne recites, Monet Refuses the Operation, click HERE.About Anne Lamott:Anne Lamott is the New York Times best-selling auth

Live from Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Trudy Goodman offers insight on skillfully working with the breath by infusing mindfulness with lovingkindness.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Buddhist teacher Trudy Goodman discusses:Keeping the breath company with our attention from start to finishThe breath as a rudder to navigate our inner experienceStaying attuned and connected to the movement of the breathFinding safety and relaxation in our breathAlternative practices for those with asthma or other breathing concernsStudying the birth and death of experienceHow the Buddha practiced mindfulness of breath during his great awakeningFeeling the breath within the breathReturning to the breath when our attention straysThis recording was originally published on DharmaseedAbout Trudy Goodman:Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and th

This week, Buddhist Teacher Gil Fronsdal explores our quality of well-being and how we can cultivate ease, happiness, and contentment on the path to inner liberation.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this talk on cultivating well-being through Buddhist practice, Gil touches on:Happiness as something we do not pursue, but cultivate by creating and recognizing conditions for itThe “three breath journey” meditation practice, which helps to shift perception and be presentDeveloping clarity and ease through mindfulness practiceTransforming challenging emotions and experiences by befriending them non-judgmentallyPhysical presence and awareness in the body as a part of cultivating well-beingExperimenting with different mindfulness techniques to find what brings you joy and ease“We create the conditions for happiness, and we learn to recognize the conditions that bring it forth. But

Describing the man-made wall between humans and divinity, Llewellyn reminds us of our own divine nature and how to access the light.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, returning guest teacher Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee discusses:“The Wall” between ourselves and the DivineThe spiritual merging of the lover with the belovedSeparation as a consequence of human consciousnessLlewellyn’s book, Darkening of the LightThe slow process of spiritual life and lifting the veilThe wall that has been built between humans and divineHow Christianity eradicated pagan beliefs and strengthened the wall between worldsCommunism and capitalism as the twin demons of the worldAccessing the light through our higher spiritual centersGoing beyond the world rather than dismantling itRe-learning how to be sincere, responsible, and openOur shared evolution and a better, possible futureAbout Llewelly

Reflecting on the inevitable truth of suffering, JoAnna Hardy explains what we do have jurisdiction over: our action, speech and mind.Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, JoAnna Hardy explains:Recognizing the first noble truth of suffering all around usBreaking down what we cannot control in lifeHow resistance toward the inevitable causes sufferingReflecting on our ability to control our internal world (priorities, attitudes, etc.)How our speech and actions are in our jurisdictionCultivating a wise, steady, and skillful heart and mindThe mind as our sixth senseThe way we latch on to the stories we tell ourselvesHow one mind-state can feed into anotherRetraining the phenomena of our habitsThe relief we can feel when we let go of what we cannot controlAbout JoAnna Hardy: JoAnna Hardy is an insight meditation (Vipassanā) practitioner and teacher; she is

Ram Dass taught that every moment is the perfect teacher. How is this possible when things are groundless – i.e. uncertain and constantly changing? How is this possible when we find ourselves anxious, angry, too tender, or even working with big traumas?In this episode, psychotherapist Ralph De La Rosa sits down with Jackie Dobrinska, Ram Dass Fellowship Director, to discuss these questions. Together they look at how we can combine the inner technologies of East and West in a way that allows us to heal and thrive and even find joy in the most challenging of times – by uncovering the boundless qualities of the heart. This conversation was recorded as part of the Ram Dass Fellowship’s regular online gatherings. To learn more about the Ram Dass Fellowship and sign up to join a fellowship gathering near you, visit RamDass.org/Fellowship.Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.About Ra

Focusing on Sila, Samadhi, and Prajna, Trudy Goodman explains how the Eightfold Path can carry us through all of our life experiences.In this episode of the BHNN Guest Podcast, Buddhist teacher Trudy Goodman offers a lesson on:The Eightfold Path as an expression and fulfillment of awakened lifeSila, Samadhi, and PrajnaEstablishing ourselves in goodness and the gift of fearlessnessThe bliss of blamelessness when we are free from guilt and regretHow committing to wise intention naturally improves our lifeNoticing what’s here in the present moment and gathering the fragmented pieces of ourselvesThe limitless portability and applicability of mindfulnessMindfulness as the steady and accepting love of grandparentsFalling in love with the miracle of our own beingBeing drawn into the practice and allowing it to carry usHaving receptivity to the unfolding of thingsThis talk was originally published on DharmaseedAbout Trudy Goodman:Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of&n

Gil Fronsdal discusses having confidence in what the Buddha represents within ourselves and being a refuge for all beings.This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal explains:How the Buddha defined confidence and fateInstructions from the Buddha on making oneself a refugeBeing a refuge and support for all beingsPersonal worth and finding yourself in communityThe benefit of having confidence in ourselves and in our practiceThe imperfections that stain the mindHaving confidence in that which the Buddha represents within ourselvesReflecting on the times when our minds are not caughtHow the dharma is visible here and now, not there and thenThe balance between responsibility and allowing natural unfoldingAbout Gil Fronsdal:Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He h

Jackie Dobrinska and Bruce Damer chat about insight into ourselves and outsight into the world in this recording from the Ram Dass Explorers Club.The Ram Dass Explorers Club is a free virtual group wherein members delve into pivotal movements within the psychedelic renaissance while paying homage to the enduring legacy of Ram Dass. Join HERE to embark on explorations of expanded consciousness, guided by the themes of awe, transcendence, union, and beyond.Today’s episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, host Jackie Dobrinska speaks with Bruce Damer about:Ram Dass’ work and how he continues to inspire othersHow Bruce came to know Ram DassThe way that Ram Dass hits on the center of thingsAlbert Einstein and thought experimentsEntering flows of connection and timeThe etymology of psychedelicsHow we create our own realitiesComing into embodied wisdom and the serpent of the int

Moving through the senses, JoAnna Hardy guides listeners in a meditation to acquire stillness of the mind.Today’s episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, JoAnna Hardy guides us through:The benefits of having clarity and a still mindThe breath-body central focusGaining self-trustPaying attention to the sounds and sights around us without assigning meaningWorking the muscle of awarenessReengaging with the breath when the mind gets busyThis recording is from the Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center: Mindfulness for Educators.About JoAnna Hardy: JoAnna Hardy is an insight meditation (Vipassanā) practitioner and teacher; she is on faculty at the University of Southern California, a meditation trainer at Apple Fitness+, a founding member of the Meditation Coalition, a teacher’s council member at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, a visiting retreat teacher at&nbs

Distinguishing commentary from direct experience, Gil Fronsdal helps us break free from the conventions and comparisons that the mind makes.Today's episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Gil Fronsdal speaks to listeners about:Paying homage to those who have purified their heartsDirect experience versus attempting to describe thingsThe way that comparison arisesSelf-image and appreciating our own suchnessResting in the part of ourselves that is not an idea or a conceptThe conditioning that can happen from societyWisdom from sitting with physical painLiving in the present moment instead of the stories we tell ourselvesLetting things be as they areSeeing God in our simple, direct experiencesComing back to the breath and practicing all throughout the dayThis 1998 talk was originally published on DharmaseedAbout Gil Fronsdal:Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditati

Nina Rao interviews Nani Ma about her deep devotion to serving her guru and her service work with Ganga Prem Hospice.If you are interested in donating to Ganga Prem Hospice, you can do so through a donation to End of Life Care International with a memo specifying you would like it to go to Ganga Prem.Today’s podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenowThis time on the Be Here Now Network Guest Podcast, Nani Ma shares with us:Her religious upbringing into ChristianityBeing pulled to India from a young ageSeeking liberation from suffering and painThe story of meeting her guru, BabajiThe beauty and power of the Ganges riverHer daily routine and how she meditatesHow to deal with difficulties by watching our breathReaching one-pointedness through chanting single-worded mantrasMoving through the physical death of a guruForming cancer clinics in India and Ganga Prem HospiceAbout Nani Ma:Nani Ma is

Guiding listeners through the seven factors of enlightenment, Trudy Goodman shows us the play of awakening in daily life.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenowIn this episode, Trudy Goodman holds a talk on:Loosening our grip on self-involvementLiving lovingly and joyfully in our daily livesThe seven factors of enlightenmentThe things that torment us and connect usHow nature offers metta to usRemaining poised amidst little catastrophesEquanimity and being balancedTrusting in the unfolding of realityAbout Trudy Goodman:Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats and workshops worldwide.This 2011 talk was recorded at Spirit Rock Meditation center and originally published on Dharma

Taking us on a pilgrimage through Buddhist teachings, Gil Fronsdal describes meeting the dharma in ourselves.This recording from Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on Dharmaseed.orgToday's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenowThis time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal teaches on:Meeting the dharma in ourselves through direct experiencesGoing into the world with a phenomenal capacity for non-harmingLooking at what really motivates and drives usThe story of the Kalama SuttaRecognizing what brings welfare vs. what brings harmBreath as a form of assurance and how our easeful, relaxed breath can be our teacherHindrances and what keeps us removed from ourselvesComing home to our selves, our bodies, our sensationsAllowing the flow of experience to move through usReleasing all of the things we hold ontoAbout Gil Fronsdal:Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insigh

In a dharma talk on relative and ultimate reality, JoAnna Hardy discusses how to hold the complexity of life.This lecture was recorded at the Insight Meditation Retreat for 18–32 Year Olds and originally published by Dharmaseed.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenowIn this episode, JoAnna Hardy offers a talk on:How and why we keep returning to our sufferingDominant paradigms and what is out of our controlThe way that the Buddhist experience introduces us to ultimate realityRelative reality and what is happening on the groundHow we are all invited to be free via the Four Noble TruthsThe ways we struggle with trying to control other peopleAnatta, identity, and the way we hold onto our self-hoodHow we show up in the world through our speech, actions, and thoughtsThe Eightfold Path as the things we can controlPaying attention to who we spend our time withAbout JoAnna Hardy:&nb

In this recording from the Ram Dass Fellowship, Jamie Catto describes surrendering to the power of Yin in our daily lives.To learn more and sign up for the Ram Dass Fellowship, visit RamDass.org/Fellowship. To support this free offering, please consider leaving a donation at RamDass.org/Donate.Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenowThis time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Jamie and Jackie explore:The difference between Yin and YangSurrendering to the flow of YinThe benefits of yin parentingListening receptively in love makingDancing as an example of YinCuriosity as a quality of YinThe power of Yin in allaying our overworking imaginationsOur culture’s avoidance of negative emotionsThe emotional plumbing system of the bodyForging paths through the forest of worry and anxietyEmbodying peace for the worldA guided mindfulness meditation from JamiePracticing loving awareness and self

Exploring mental constructs, Gil Fronsdal describes how we construct the relationships to our experiences.This recording from the Insight Meditation Center was originally published on Dharmaseed.orgOn this episode of the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal talks about these topics:A four line Buddhist chant in PaliThe impermanence of all constructed thingsMindfulness and the practice of noticingExploring one’s relationship to the present momentMoving our attention with a deliberate calmnessMeditation instruction as the antidote to relating negativelyOur attitudes and how they affect our experiencesNon-reactive awareness in order to avoid new constructionsIdentity and the stories we tell about ourselvesAllowing “I am” to stand by itselfAbout Gil Fronsdal:Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began tra