Everyday Buddhism 115 - Unlocking the Heart with James Crews

Welcome to the second episode of the re-launch of my podcast, now called "Turning" (although still under an Everyday Buddhism subhead). In this episode I will be talking about the concept of "Grace" and how it signaled an obvious change in my spiritual lens and the beginning of my "Turning." According to the late Rev. Dr. Albert Bloom, "Grace is one of the most significant concepts or insights to emerge in the history of religion." Grace is how I understood the reason a bad fall on ice caused me to land on the other side of the gateless-gate I had built by grasping at fear. It wasn't self-effort that enabled me to finally let go. I tried before but could not let go. It was because of a web of nature's conditions, which were outside of my control, and possibly my lack of focus on what was under my feet that caused me to slip and fall. And that fall, and the subsequent injuries and medical events forced me to give up grasping at what wasn't and accept the consequences of what was. Grace as taught across most religions traditions—including Buddhism—emphasize the unearned nature of grace, a profound change in your life or your perspective that is not the result of human effort. The change initiated by grace is typically presented as a catalyst for transformation. The fall I took and the medical consequences that followed caused me to face my biggest boogeyman, the worst possible scenario I had imagined in my delusionary, fear-based reality. And those circumstances were given to me by grace, resulting in a profound transformation. I invite you to come along and explore with me as I take the first steps into my new transformed reality while looking back to see how I got here. I hope you join me on this road and explore the turning with me.

Welcome to the first episode of the re-launch of my podcast, now called "Turning" (although still under an Everyday Buddhism subhead). In this first episode, "Why Turning" I explain a bit about how "Everyday Buddhism" shifted into "Turning." I'm still Wendy Haylett and I'm still talking to you about Buddhism, but also about a personal transformation in my spiritual journey. You'll hear what can happen if you "keep going", a mantra from my teacher, Rev. Koyo Kubose that you've heard me talk about many times in this podcast. You'll hear what happens when you allow yourself to sit in the the questions and to live in the mystery and gradual revelation of what life is. All of this is part of journey I find myself on. I invite you to come along and explore with me as I take the first steps into my new transformed reality while looking back to see how I got here. I hope you join me on this road and explore the turning with me.

Another solo podcast! This time it's about my Everyday Buddhism podcast journey and how I lost my "why." If you want to hear more about how important understanding what your why is, I talked about that in my second podcast episode, "Everyday Buddhism 2 - What is Your WHY?" The podcast has been such a meaningful space for me: A way to explore, connect, and grow with all my listeners. But more recently, I've noticed that the creative spark that once fueled these episodes has started to dim. I feel myself evolving and being drawn toward a wider, more spacious range of ideas and conversations than the current podcast focus or title really allows. Listen to hear more about my next steps in how I will explore ideas that expand my philosophical range. I plan to explore perennial philosophy, consciousness studies, mysticism, and contemplative traditions more broadly, Buddhism will still be part of the conversation, but not the only lens.

It's been a long time since I've done a solo episode of this podcast and I've been getting requests for a bit more of those to include along with the guest episodes. And this episode is one of those. In this episode I reflect on the Fifth Realization from the sutra, The Eight Realizations of Great Beings. The Fifth Realization, as translated by Thich Nhat Hanh says: Ignorance is the cause of the endless rounds of birth and death. Bodhisattvas always listen to and learn from others so their understanding and skillful means can develop and so they can teach living beings and bring them great joy. My reflection includes a call for us not to try to "know" things but to listen. Plus, to try to help and serve others—and, ultimately, bring joy—by listening. If we don't feel or witness a lot of joy under the weight of the times, it's because there are so many of us talking and "knowing" what's right ... and not many of us listening. I end with a call to for us to help or offer positivity to at least one person every day ... to bring joy! Link (Amazon affiliate) to the book, The Eight Realizations of Great Beings by Brother Phap Hai: The Eight Realizations of Great Beings Links to the two-part episode about the Sutra on the Plum Village podcast, The Way Out is In:

It's a pleasure to share a conversation with Ani Lodro Palmo, an ordained Tibetan Buddhist nun and Director of the Vajra Vidya Monastery in Crestone, Colorado; and a spiritual teacher and author with more than three decades of monastic experience. Ani has devoted her life to spiritual practice and shares her understanding of the Dharma as an author of the books, All That Appears & Exists: The Buddha's Teachings to Awaken the Heart and Turn Suffering Into Joy and her most recent, The End of Suffering: Finding Love, Self-Compassion, and Awakening in a Chaotic World. As a recognized teacher of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and meditation, Ani Lodro's insights are deeply rooted in the unbroken lineage of Buddhist wisdom, through the Karma Kagyu lineage of The Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche. Although Ani has decades of monastic experience within Tibetan Buddhism, she teaches how the frustrations and dissatisfaction of our everyday lives can be understood and transcended through wisdom and compassion. She writes and speaks in an accessible way, with the gentle encouragement of a friend that is helpful to both new seekers and seasoned practitioners alike. Her teachings are available through retreats, online sessions, and publications. In the conversation we talked about a wide range things, including: How we tend to misunderstanding what suffering is.