
The One Open Door Podcast
Informal talks from DJ McKay about spiritual practice: how to live the teachings of the Buddha right here, right now, in this world we inhabit.
Episodes
15 episodes
The Five Centering Tools
Contains an overview of spiritual practice as I offer it and as I practice it myself. The podcast begins with a description of our fundamental effort in practice to reside in a place of simple being and pure awareness. I then go on to outline t...
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56:19

To Live in Peace in This Confused and Troubled World
Is it possible to live in peace in in this terribly confused and troubled world? Yes, it is--though that effort requires, for most people, a radical reorientation. In this podcast I explore that reorientation, and the one simple but diffi...
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47:21

Is Conditioned Mind a Real Thing?
In our practice we often talk about conditioned mind (the set of unconscious processes that create and maintain the illusion of a "self" that is separate from Life) in a way that implies it has real agency. We'll say stuff like "conditioned min...
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1:05:19

The Evolutionary Origins of Conditioned Mind (and Thoughts on the Future of Humanity)
How did it come to be that we, as individuals and as an entire species, have traded our innate capacity for joy, happiness, and connection for the survival system we call "conditioned mind"? What are the origins of the separate self...
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1:02:59

Towards a Healthy Relationship with Thinking
Is thinking useful? At first glance the question seems ridiculous, but if we look into the effects of our habitual ways of thinking on individual human happiness (really detrimental), and on our ability to live in harmony with each other and wi...
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43:37

An Interview with Rich Ray
An interview with Rich Ray: former monk, yogi extraordinaire, wise being, and all-around great guy. Rich tells us the story of his life before and during his time at the monastery (which I found to be very interesting and helpful), and he talks...
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1:03:50

The Enlighted Ego
About one of the trickiest and most subtle spiritual traps we can fall into. The basic work of our survival system is to create an identity to hide from Life within. It doesn't matter at all what that identity is, so long as we are being an ima...
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49:32

About Wanting, Having, and Bringing Children into this World
The Buddha taught that suffering is caused by "desire". But what does that mean, exactly? What is the trouble with wanting things? Is there a good and natural way to want? The question arises from a question someone had about bringing children ...
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1:03:08

How to Escape from the Battering Cycle (and Lose Weight at the Same Time!)
In this episode our friend Janet helps us explore the process tool we call "The Battering Cycle". We begin talking about Janet's work to lose weight (and so if you're someone who would like to lose weight--or would like to do anything healthy a...
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1:08:58

On the Ol' "Not Enough Time" Scam
About the classic and nearly universal conditioned mind scam that has us believe that "there isn't enough time". Over the course of this podcast I get into the relative nature of time, the difference between linear time and sacred time, and the...
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54:21

Compassionate Self-Discipline, Self-Love, and a Bit About Conscious Relationship
The title says it all. Enjoy!For information about the practice David facilitates, about the community, and about the supports for awareness practice that are available, go to:website: ww...
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1:06:28

Wu Wei: Being Life as It Unfolds
This podcast is something of a follow-up to the previous one. This time I go deeper into the ways in which we may live as Life Unfolding. The backbone of the podcast is some text from a book by Thomas Merton (the Jesuit monk, mystic, and writer...
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40:13

How to Make Conscious, Centered Decisions
About the art of making decisions from the place of consciousness and awareness. How to practice letting go of conditioned mind and follow the Guidance of Life moment by moment. For information about the practice David facilitates, abou...
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1:05:45
