Episode 59 - The Heart’s Longing for Purity
The Buddha shared the teachings of insight and concentration to those people who were committed to living a virtuous life. The ego pursues different things from the Dharma than the heart. We don’t become receptive to a higher understanding that the Dharma points to until we have learned to restrain the more selfish aspects of our mind. The first part of the Buddha’s teaching is virtue.
Episode 58 - The Age of Individuality
When human consciousness is refined with kindness and respect and our hearts are pure, we are close to the divine. Our inspiration is to be close to that. But when humans get too self-absorbed, we are not moved by the divine. The general psyche is absorbed with itself and the pursuit of what it wants. We separate ourselves and cut ourselves off from the creative process. Individuality is a human obsession.
Episode 57 - Why The Buddha Taught the Dharma
When the Buddha taught the Dharma he hoped that beings would free themselves from suffering. We swing from periods of good fortune to misfortune. When we are fortunate, there is a danger that we run our life on karmic overdraft and our merit runs out. When this happens, a life of good fortune is no longer supported. A fortunate human life is the rarest opportunity to free yourself from suffering.
Episode 56 - When Your Buttons Get Pushed
How you are feeling now is a result of how you have reacted to what you have experienced in the past. The way we react is hardwired into us. It is a conditioned response. We each have a different stock of reactions that we have accumulated. If you change the way you react in the present, it will change how you will react in the future.
Episode 55 - The Time to be a Yogi
Giving back and breathing out can be an adventure. You have to put a significant amount of time and energy into your practice to see what you are truly capable of. Committing to a long retreat, for example, is an opportunity to change the make up of your mind in a permanent and enriching way that will serve you for the rest of your life. Burgs explains why now is the time to be a yogi.