Dharma Glimpses with Judy Lief
Episodes
286 episodes
Episode 139: Filters Frames and Blind Spots
[This episode originally aired on Sept. 19, 2023] In Buddhist psychology, a lot of emphasis is placed on the process of perception because the way we perceive —and misperceive — has tremendous consequences • in grade school we...
Episode 138: When You Lose Your Mind, Come Back
[This episode originally aired on June 28, 2022] The phrase, “When you lose your mind, come back” describes a lot of what happens in meditation: repeatedly losing our minds, and repeatedly bringing ourselves back • the m...
Episode 137: The Role of Discipline
[This episode originally aired on June 21, 2022] In the dharma a great deal of emphasis is placed on integrating meditation practice and study • interwoven throughout is the need for discipline, the need to apply our training...
Episode 136: Balancing Act
[This episode originally aired on June 14, 2022] Since we are the only ones who know what’s really going on during any session of meditation, or in life generally, we have a responsibility to be our own meditation instructors, worki...
Episode 135: Peacefulness in the Midst
[This episode originally aired on June 7, 2022] I used to carry around a cartoon that depicted a beautifully robed monk with a Japanese shoji screen behind him, everything perfectly in its place—and behind the screen everything was compl...
Episode 134: The Play of Emotions
[This episode originally aired on May 31, 2022] Emotions are a natural part of who we are • they can be powerful—even overpowering—or they can be subtle, almost an undercurrent • they can be very inspiring, or they...
Episode 133: Letting Go
[This episode originally aired on August 8, 2023] I recently had a problem with my computer—whatever I put in my "trash" would just stay there; I couldn’t empty it • I started thinking about how that could describe our personal “tr...
Episode 132: Eight Everyday Preoccupations
[This episode originally aired on August 1, 2023] The eight everyday preoccupations are eight ways we occupy our minds in order to avoid experiencing things directly • they act as a kind of a central filtering mechanism, separating ...
Episode 131: Genuine Effort
[This episode originally aired on July 25, 2023] Effort plays a very important part on the Buddhist path; it’s one of the three main components of discipline, meditation, and knowledge • effort is where the rubber meets the road; i...
Episode 130: Two Kinds of Bypassing
[This episode originally aired on July 18, 2023] Someone recently asked me, “Am I spiritually bypassing?” • I took that term to mean using one’s practice or spiritual path as an escape, or relief, from the responsibilities of regula...
Episode 129: Lighthearted Practice
[This episode originally aired on July 11, 2023] Today I’d like to explore the problem of becoming an adult • the world of children is filled with magic and fantasy and stories, with vivid perceptions and playfulness •&...
Episode 128: Simple Compassion
[This episode originally aired on July 4, 2023] The word “compassion” can seem so overwhelming in the face of all the suffering in the world that it can stop us in our tracks • while we’re imagining all the great gestures of compas...
Episode 127: Beginning and Ending with Kindness
[This episode originally aired on June 27, 2023] The attitude that’s encouraged whenever we embark on a spiritual journey is not to approach it simply as a means of self improvement, but to switch our normal way of operating so that we are thin...
Episode 126: Settling and Looking
[This episode originally aired on June 20, 2023] We are all familiar with meditation as a way to tame and quiet the mind • another important aspect of meditation is clear seeing, or insight: the power of meditation to reveal t...
Episode 125: Loneliness
[This episode originally aired on June 13, 2023] The feeling of loneliness, which is familiar to many of us, can be a very vulnerable and slightly threatening feeling • Trungpa Rinpoche emphasized the value of relating to loneliness...
Episode 124: Hub, Spokes, Rim
[This episode originally aired on June 6, 2023] There are many ways to look at the connection between spirituality and our everyday lives • in the Buddhist tradition, the basic components are very simple and straightforward: ...
Episode 123: Nobility
[This episode originally aired on May 30, 2023] When the Buddha spoke of being “a son or daughter of noble family,” what was he referring to? • in India, where the Buddha taught, there was a caste system with very clear distinction...
Episode 122: Optical Illusions
[This episode originally aired on May 23, 2023] Today’s topic is perception, how we see our world • each of us sees things a little bit differently, and optical illusions highlight this fact • in one well known opt...
Episode 121: The Wizard of Oz Sutra
[This episode originally aired on May 16, 2023] I find it inspiring to discover wisdom in the midst of so many ordinary stories, even simple children's stories • the Wizard of Oz is one such story • the main character i...
Episode 120: Enlightened Genes 4
[This episode originally aired on May 9, 2023] Buddha nature, or “enlightened genes,” isn’t something outside of us that we need to construct or to import • it is a force of awakening that is within us, and it is quite simple and q...
Episode 119: Enlightened Genes 3
[This episode originally aired on May 2, 2023] Today we are exploring four traditional methods or practices we can use to awaken our enlightened genes • the first method is cultivating loving kindness, or maitri, which is a key the...
Episode 118: Enlightened Genes 2
[This episode originally aired on April 25, 2023] In this episode we will be looking at the obstacles we might encounter in trying to awaken our enlightened genes, as well as situations that support their awakening • Trungpa Rinpoch...
Episode 117: Enlightened Genes 1
[This episode originally aired on April 18, 2023] Buddhists are always talking about awakening, but what does that actually mean? • Trungpa Rinpoche taught that what is being awakened are our "enlightened genes" — a term which impl...