This podcast touches upon a section in my book, “Be Nobody,†that explores what it looks like to lose yourself in action. Selfless action is extolled in many religious traditions. In the Bhagavad Gita, for example, we are given instructions on “karma yoga†– action done without attention to the “fruits†of action. This is Read More
Category: blog post
Four Illusions About the Self
This podcasts reviews some of the arguments found in Buddhist texts as to why the self we think exists has to be just an illusion. Although the “I†seems so tangible and obviously present, when we try to put our finger on it we come up empty handed. We have a sense that there must Read More
The Where’s Waldo From Hell
This podcast comes from a talk given on a hot, sultry night in Brooklyn last summer at Ava Gerber’s Lucky Lotus Yoga Studio. It really cuts to the chase when it comes to the Big Question: Who the hell am I? When we go looking for the self we thoroughly believe exists – an unchanging, Read More
Tips on How to Be Less of a Somebody
This is an excerpt from the conclusion of a talk I gave at a group retreat we led near Buellton, California, in September of 2013. I wanted to provide some useful take-aways as people prepared to re-enter their lives after the retreat. And so I picked up on some of the material found toward the Read More
Breaking the Chains Workshop
Melbourne: “Breaking the Chains: A Workshop On Freedom.†March 15-17, 2013 With Lama Marut and Cindy Lee. Join Lama Marut and Cindy Lee in this workshop that will focus on an analysis of the “12 links of dependent origination,†using a chapter from Nagarjuna’s “Root Verses on the Middle Way” as the foundational text. MELBOURNE: March Read More
Not Your Mama’s Lama Interview
From a live interview on Body Mind Spirit Radio on Wed, June 13, 2012 with Lama Marut and Annette Rochelle Aben (radio host). Introduction from radio interview: A perfect combination of warmth and wit, renowned American Buddhist monk, Lama Marut, leads the revolution for true and lasting happiness. After all what else would the son of a 2ndgeneration Read More
The Qualities of Spiritual Maturity, Part 3: Patience
Quality #3: Patience ~ Patience, like kindness, is a quality that characterizes the spiritual life from beginning to end. But it too takes on different nuances as one gets some years under one’s belt and begins settling in for the long run. Patience, as the direct antidote to anger, is a crucial part of a practitioner’s foundational efforts Read More
Why I’m Not in Robes
Lama Marut explains his decision to begin teaching in street clothes and not in the robes of a Buddhist monk. From a teaching giving in Melbourne on May 18, 2012. Download MP3 Now > NoRobes Read More
Using Failure in Your Spiritual Path
Lama Marut answers a student’s question about how to transform failure into something spiritually positive and useful. From a teaching over Skype to a group in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on April 4, 2012. Download MP3 > Spiritual Use of Failure Read More
The Qualities of Spiritual Maturity, Part 1: Nonidealism
At the end of his modern spiritual classic, A Path With Heart, Jack Kornfield reviews ten qualities that he thinks characterize someone who has “come of age†in their spiritual life. The ten traits Kornfield identifies have inspired me to write down some of my own thoughts about each of them. Quality #1: Nonidealism When Read More