Episodes
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God is playing a game of hide and seek where he is hiding pretending to be you and I. This is an essential story in the Vedanta Philosophy, a central Eastern Spirituality Teaching.
Alan Watts was one of the main figures who introduced Eastern spiritual ideas to the West.
Join us as we try to decipher how to get out of the state of ‘hallucination’ as described by Alan Watts, and how to find who you really are behind your ego.
(00:00) Intro
(02:48) Who is Alan Watts?
(05:37) The Taboo Against Knowing Who We Are
(09:53) The Big Taboo is Spiritual
(16:39) The Spiritual Dimension and Inner Peace
(21:25) Who You Are Is Beyond Thought
(22:49) You Are It!
(31:20) Looking Through The Ego
(35:25) Contemplation and Being
(40:14) Outro
I have created 'My Bookshelf' intending to share the wisdom from books that have deeply influenced me. I believe that books like these contain the urgently needed transformational tools we are all looking for.
We analyze the books from a psycho-spiritual perspective. We approach it from the angle of: What can we learn from this? What lessons can we take with us, which when put into practice, will lead us to greater happiness, fulfillment and inner peace?
We focus on Mindfulness, Spiritual Growth and Personal Improvement.
#spiritualawakening #mindfulness #spirituality
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Finding one's soul is the essence of all Spirituality. 19th-century spiritual teacher G.I. Gurdjieff designed a training programme whereby he taught his disciples how to find the soul.
Published in 1945, 'In Search of The Miraculous' is nowadays one of the most in-depth records of Gurdjieff's spiritual teaching that we have.
Join us as we try to decipher how to get out of the state of 'inner slavery' that Gurdjieff describes as 'being lost in one's personality'. His advice is simple: Learn to Remember Your Self.
How can we do this?!
(00:00) Intro
(03:02) Book Intro
(06:03) The Fourth Way
(10:31) Inner Slavery
(18:11) Self-remembering
(28:11) Essence and Personality
(39:05) The STOP Exercise
(46:10) Summary and Outro
I have created 'My Bookshelf' intending to share the wisdom from books that have deeply influenced me. I believe that books like these contain the urgently needed transformational tools we are all looking for.
We analyse the book from a psycho-spiritual perspective. We approach it from the angle of: What can we learn from this? What lessons can we take with us, which when put into practice, will lead us to greater happiness, fulfillment and inner peace?
We focus on Mindfulness, Personal and Spiritual Growth.
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Missing episodes?
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The chief miracle of life is for a human to find their soul.
This is the message that comes to us from today's book, the great classic, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. In this video, we analyse the existential crisis of Levin, one of the main characters in the novel and a reference to Tolstoy himself. We learn how Levin finally overcomes his existential crisis by finding a deeper part of himself. The good news is that you can do this, too.
(00:00) Intro
(02:04) Today’s Book
(07:37) Who am I?
(12:38) Impermanence
(15:57) Finding the soul
(26:13) The Chief Miracle
(34:12) Outro
I have created 'My Bookshelf' intending to share the wisdom from books that have deeply influenced me. I believe that books like these contain the urgently needed transformational tools we are all looking for.
We analyse the book from a psycho-spiritual perspective. We approach it from the angle of: What can we learn from this? What lessons can we take with us, which when put into practice, will lead us to greater happiness, fulfillment and inner peace?
We focus on your Personal Growth, Spiritual Growth, and Mindfulness.
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If you want inner peace, do THIS: make time for introspection!...
This is the advice that a guy called Thomas from Kempis is giving us. Now long dead, Thomas, was a German monk in the Middle Ages, and he wrote a book that, ever since, has been a fundamental spiritual scripture for many people. What is the advice he gave in his book? It's a really simple one: make time for introspection... How do we do that?!
(00:00) Intro
(02:36) On Christian Terminology
(04:42) The Middle Ages
(08:07) Introspection
(10:55) The Voice In Your Head
(13:31) The Truth Teaching Inwardly
(15:09) Eternity
(16:40) Making Time
(19:31) Summary and Outro
I have created 'My Bookshelf' intending to share the wisdom from books that have deeply influenced me. I believe that books like these contain the urgently needed transformational tools we are all looking for.
We analyze the book from a psycho-spiritual perspective. We approach it from the angle of: What can we learn from this? What lessons can we take with us, which when put into practice, will lead us to greater happiness, fulfillment and inner peace?
We focus on your Personal and Spiritual Growth, and Mindfulness.
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Stop taking your thoughts so seriously!
This is the lesson that comes to us from the great novel 'Kafka on the Shore,' by Murakami. In this video, we analyse the behaviour of one of the characters in the novel, who is an embodiment of a set of spiritual values, that you too can put into practice.
What are these values? It starts with learning to trust in life and letting go of our preferences.
(00:00) Intro
(02:04) Kafka On The Shore
(04:24) Who Looks Inside Awakes
(10:30) Nakata and Hoshino at the Restaurant
(21:30) Across the Bridge
(29:12) At the Library
(34:08) Nakata Being Present
I have created 'My Bookshelf' intending to share the wisdom from books that have deeply influenced me. I believe that books like these contain the urgently needed transformational tools we are all looking for.
We analyse the book from a psycho-spiritual perspective.
We approach it from the angle of: What can we learn from this? What lessons can we take with us, which when put into practice, will lead us to greater happiness, fulfillment and inner peace?
We focus on your Personal Growth, Spiritual Growth, and Mindfulness.
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If you want happiness, do THIS: learn to reawaken!... What?... Learn to Reawaken.
In the spring of 1845, 27-year-old Henry David Thoreau went to the woods at Walden Pond and resided there for the following 2 years, completely excluded from society. He wanted to understand how exclusion from society could help him live the most fully.
In the following years after returning from the woods, he wrote his book, Walden, a masterpiece of life advice that is still very relevant.
His advice is simple: learn to reawaken, pay attention to what happens around you, and find your soul. How do we do that?!
(00:00) Intro
(02:18) Finding Life Lessons in Books
(05:10) Transcendentalism
(06:55) The Book and Its Context
(09:36) Meet Your Life
(14:22) Love Your Life
(16:26) Learn From Nature
(19:13) Life Near The Bone
(23:32) The Need For The Soul
(25:18) Wake Up!
(31:57) Summary
I have created 'My Bookshelf' intending to share the wisdom from books that have deeply influenced me. I believe that books like these contain the urgently needed transformational tools we are all looking for.
We analyse the book from a psycho-spiritual perspective. We approach it from the angle of: What can we learn from this? What lessons can we take with us, which when put into practice, will lead us to greater happiness, fulfillment and inner peace?
We focus on your Personal and Spiritual Growth.
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Today's teaching comes to us all the way from ancient china, form the mouth of one of the greatest philosophers to ever live: Chuang Tzu.
This is the advice that comes to us from this Spiritual classic: learn to let go of judgment, comparison and competition. Wisdom comes when you discover that deeper part of yourself that doesn't need protection.
Join us as we try to decipher what Chuang Tzu is telling us in this great classic scripture.
(00:00) Intro
(02:36) Different Spiritual Lenses
(06:37) The Tao
(11:53) Non-judgement
(17:19) The Principles of Heaven and Earth
(20:51) Wisdom
(26:52) Letting Be
(33:02) Outro
I have created 'My Bookshelf' intending to share the wisdom from books that have deeply influenced me. I believe that books like these contain the urgently needed transformational tools we are all looking for.
We analyse the book from a psycho-spiritual perspective. We approach it from the angle of: What can we learn from this? What lessons can we take with us, which when put into practice, will lead us to greater happiness, fulfillment and inner peace?
We focus on Mindfulness and your Personal and Spiritual Growth.
"Great and Small," by Thomas Merton, from THE WAY OF CHUANG TZU, copyright ©1965 by The Abbey of Gethsemani. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp.
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Today's book tells us that if we want to make good decisions, we need to start by doing this: learning to be at the front of the train of our awareness... What?!...
This is the advice that comes to us from this great 70's classic: learn to be at the front of the train of your awareness. Stop thinking and return to the present moment. Return to the real Universe. In this episode, we discuss how to do this.
Join us as we try to decipher what Robert M. Pirsig is telling us in his great classic 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'
(00:00) Intro
(02:14) Facts About The Book and Its Context
(08:03) Being Filled With God
(10:30) Gumption
(16:30) Internal Awareness
(18:27) Paying Attention To The Real Universe
(21:26) Making Decisions
(25:58) Repairing a Motorcycle
(27:57) Summary and Outro
I have created 'My Bookshelf' intending to share the wisdom from books that have deeply influenced me. I believe that books like these contain the urgently needed transformational tools we are all looking for.
We analyse the book from a psycho-spiritual perspective. We approach it from the angle of: What can we learn from this? What lessons can we take with us, which when put into practice, will lead us to greater happiness, fulfillment and inner peace?
We focus on Mindfulness and your Personal and Spiritual Growth.
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"How to be happy?" is a question we seldom ask consciously. This is because we have convinced ourselves that we already know the answer: I get what I want and I avoid what I don't want.
The lesson in today's book -- Awareness, by Anthony De Mello -- reminds us that happiness isn't at all about getting what you want or not, but rather about learning to live each moment fully. It's about finding the very essence of who you really are.
In order to overcome anxiety and drepression, we need to learn to let go of our pasts and futures.
(00:00) Intro
(05:37) Spirituality or Religion?
(08:12) Today’s book
(15:38) Self-observation
(22:00) You can be happy in your anxiety
(28:18) Awareness
I have created 'My Bookshelf' intending to share the wisdom from books that have deeply influenced me. I believe that books like these contain the urgently needed transformational tools we are all looking for.
We analyse the book from a psycho-spiritual perspective. We approach it from the angle of: What can we learn from this? What lessons can we take with us, which when put into practice, will lead us to greater happiness, fulfillment and inner peace?
We focus on your Personal and Spiritual Growth.
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Welcome to the second season!
Join Alex, a psychotherapist, as he shares nuggets of wisdom from books that have deeply influenced him. Books like these contain the urgently needed transformational tools that we are all looking for.
What can we learn from books like these? What lessons can we take with us, which when put into practice, will lead us to greater happiness, fulfillment and inner peace?
We focus on Personal and Spiritual Growth, Mindfulness, and the Quest for Meaning.
Release Date: 20/09/2024
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"It is not length of life, but depth of life." - Ralph W. Emerson
What an incredible journey this has been! Join us, as we close this first season with one last episode on the art of finding yourself.
I start this season finale by explaining why I have decided to make this one the last episode of the season. I argue that it is not more and more content what we need, but rather learning to trust our sense of intuition and allowing ourselves to be attracted by what, in our hearts, we feel is important; and returning to that over and over again. We use the analogy of a radar to explain how the human being can distinguish Truth through an internal intuition mechanism, which we need to learn to trust and develop.
This last episode isn't just about sharing more information, it's about personal transformation. It's about helping you to discover for yourself the realm of consciousness that you've been overlooking. We'll explore the concept of Being and its connection to our deeper selves, along with practical ways in which you can learn to reconnect to it again and again.
The secret ingredient to calming your mind is revealed: surrendering to life!
Thanks for listening! Don't forget to subscribe in order to be notified when the next season is released. Don't forget to rate the podcast, too.
You can find us online at https://www.truthfullytalking.com/ or on Instagram under truthfullytalking.
We offer this podcast free of charge and your support really makes a difference. You can support us by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/TruthfullyTalking. -
“Don't turn away. Keep your gaze on the bandaged place. That is where the light enters you.” - Rumi
This episode invites you on the journey of navigating the landscape of your emotions, as we unveil how they serve as catalysts for personal and spiritual growth. We start off by spinning a tale of a king on a quest for wisdom and balance, who after approaching a wise sage for guidance, receives the following teaching: "This Too Will Pass." The rest of the episode expands around the following question: How to approach emotions in a wise way?
We start with a poem by Rumi, followed by the teachings of other sages, all of whom emphasize the importance of attending to our emotions with patience, care, and attention. You will learn why suppressing emotions does more harm than good and how to create room for them, fostering healing, growth, and self-realisation.
We also discuss the balance needed when approaching your emotions more wisely. We don't want to disregard them as unimportant, nor do we want to fall into the trap of thinking they are something concrete. When we understand our emotions as fluid, like clouds in the sky, we come closer to our true identity -- in the words of Pema Chödrön: “You are the sky. Everything else – it's just the weather.”
You can find us online at https://www.truthfullytalking.com/ or on Instagram under truthfullytalking.
We offer this podcast free of charge and your support really makes a difference. You can support us by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/TruthfullyTalking. -
"Be strong then, and enter into your own body: there you have a solid place for your feet."
In this episode, we use a poem by the mystic poet Kabir to guide us deeper into ourselves and our understanding of the important questions of life: where can I find happiness? where can I find security? where can I find myself?
Kabir's poem takes us on a complete journey through the promises and perils of the spiritual journey. The first lesson we are reminded of is to disidentify from this 'wanting-creature' inside of us, and not to be led to the places where it convinces us happiness is to be found. We are reminded that the future doesn't really exist and that nothing lasting and truly fulfilling can be found there: 'Don't nest there!' is Kabir's advice to us.
'Where should we nest then?' is the inevitable question that arises. Kabir's response is simple and straightforward: 'Return to your own body!' for according to him, that's the only place of real safety.
How to do this is what this episode is all about. A guide to the art of body awareness.
You can find us online at https://www.truthfullytalking.com/ or on Instagram under truthfullytalking.
We offer this podcast free of charge and your support really makes a difference. You can support us by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/TruthfullyTalking. -
A Greek Philosopher by the name of Epictetus once wrote: "Don't hope that events will turn out the way you want; welcome events in whichever way they happen: this is the path to peace."
In this episode we explore the subtle art of surrender, which means acceptance of the present moment circumstances as they present themselves. We explore how letting go of our judgements and desires can open up the door for true peace and fulfillment to come into our lives.
We use the analogy of life as a river with a strong current. A wise person is the one who recognizes that the river has a current that cannot be altered. Once one knows this, one knows that the best way forward is to use the current of the river, rather than opposing it. In contrast, stands the foolish person, who ignores the fact that the river has a current and starts swimming against it.
We delve into the teachings of the Buddha, Jesus, Eckhart Tolle and Marcus Aurelius to accentuate the importance of accepting life as it unfolds and how this attitude of acceptance can help us on the path towards finding ourselves.
You can find us online at https://www.truthfullytalking.com/ or on Instagram under truthfullytalking.
We offer this podcast free of charge and your support really makes a difference. You can support us by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/TruthfullyTalking. -
Ram Dass once said: "Everything changes once we identify with being the witness to the story, instead of the actor in it." In this episode, we keep the focus of our attention on the ego and how it operates. We do this because we've learned that the most direct way of disidentifying with the ego is to observe it in operation. Where does it operate? In your field of consciousness: in your mind.
In the previous episode, we explored the nature of the ego and how it operates. In this episode, we'll explore how to deal with it. What can I do to free myself from ego? This is the question we'll try to answer. We'll use an excerpt from a Buddhist scripture called 'The Way of The Bodhisattva' to explore one simple practice for dealing with the ego.
We'll dive into how self-observation can help dissolve the ego, opening a deeper dimension within us. Our conversation extends to the transformative power of meditation and mindfulness, and how these practices can help us reconnect with our inner selves.
You can find us online at https://www.truthfullytalking.com/ or on Instagram under truthfullytalking.
We offer this podcast free of charge and your support really makes a difference. You can support us by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/TruthfullyTalking. -
The Tao Te Ching has an interesting line in it, which says "First realize that you are sick, then you can move toward health."
Have you ever wondered, "Who am I, really?" In this episode, this question becomes a catalyst for a detailed exploration of the complex realm of the ego. We argue that in order to find who you are, you need to first know who you are not!
What is the ego? How does it operate? This is crucial information because, as we will explore in the episode, familiarizing yourself with the working mechanics behind the ego, gives us a much better chance of being able to observe it as it plays its game in our field of consciousness. The analogy of a football player is used, who plays as a defender: when he is familiar with the way in which the opposing striker plays, let's say he knows that the striker is left-footed, then the defender stands a much better chance of defending. In the same way, the more we are familiar with how the ego operates, the better chance we have of detaching ourselves... by observing it.
The practice of self-observation remains crucial in this, for the only way we can deal with the ego in ourselves is by observing it as it gets triggered inside of us. When the observing presence is there, that's when you have one foot out of ego and closer to who you really are, which in this episode we describe as 'formless consciousness'.
These, among others, are the ego mechanisms that we will explore in greater detail: identification with body and things, unsatiable desire, resistance to the present moment, a feeling of isolation, complaining, and self-aggrandizement.
So, are you ready to unmask the ego for the imposter that it really is and thus embark on a journey towards your true essence? Let's journey together, there's no time to lose.
You can find us online at https://www.truthfullytalking.com/ or on Instagram under truthfullytalking.
We offer this podcast free of charge and your support really makes a difference. You can support us by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/TruthfullyTalking. -
"How often do you actually pay attention inside? If you're like most people, the answer is never at all!"
In this episode, we talk about the Hindu Philosophy of the Four States of Consciousness, listed as follows: dreamless sleep, dreaming sleep, ordinary wakefulness, and lastly, the so-called 'turiya', simply translated as 'the fourth state of consciousness'. In this episode, we pay most of our attention to the latter two. We describe the ordinary waking state as one of mind dominance and full of unconscious mental activity, while the fourth state is a state of presence, of alertness... of mental quietude.
We investigate how the practice of self-observation, of looking inside, can serve as a doorway to access this state of presence. We also explore how the simple urge of needing to google an actress' name that you forgot can distance you from this state of peace, and how to break free through intense alertness. Lastly, we talk about the 'great liberation', which is the liberation from your mind, and encourage you to stop taking your thoughts so seriously.
You can find us online at https://www.truthfullytalking.com/ or on Instagram under truthfullytalking.
We offer this podcast free of charge and your support really makes a difference. You can support us by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/TruthfullyTalking. -
Eckhart Tolle says that presence is a 'body state', not a 'head state'. An important part of our journey to find ourselves is to regain awareness of the aliveness, the life force that dwells in our bodies. What force heals your wounds? What intelligence orchestrates your digestive system, your immune system, etc.? One of the greatest tragedies in life is to lose touch with the energy that animates our bodies.
The body scan is a meditation technique in which we aim to recollect your attention and focus it on different parts of your body. The aim is to reconnect with the sense of aliveness that can be felt in your body when you pay attention to it. The intention here is to spend time with different parts of our body in turn, cultivating non-judgemental awareness of what is already there, but frequently overlooked. We want to let go of the tendency to want things to be different than how they are.
Simply follow the instructions as best you can. And when the mind wanders away, bring it back without giving yourself a hard time.
When doing this meditation, it's important to remember the Principles of Mindfulness that form the bedrock of successful meditation practice, as well as the attitudes essential for a fruitful practice. For a refresher on these, or if you are completely new to meditation, please refer to the two-part Introduction to Meditation course (Bonus Episodes I and II), where the basics of meditation are explained in a very simple and engaging way.
Make sure to check out the 15-Minute Mindfulness Meditation session (Bonus Episode III).
Thank you for listening! I look forward to welcoming you to another meditation tomorrow!
You can find us online at https://www.truthfullytalking.com/ or on Instagram under truthfullytalking.
We offer this podcast free of charge and your support really makes a difference. You can support us by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/TruthfullyTalking. -
Abraham Lincoln said: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” If we have the task of finding ourselves, meditation is a necessary tool to do that. I would like to encourage you to build a meditation routine where you meditate every day in the morning, before starting your day. I'm sure you can easily wake up 15 minutes earlier!
This is a 15-minute guided meditation. Very simple, all you need to do is sit down and press play. When doing it, make sure that you are not interrupted. Give your meditation practice the respect that it deserves.
As expected, distractions will present, pulling at your attention. But, amidst the flow of thoughts, memories, and worries, you will be gently guided and encouraged to return your attention back to your breath every time that it wanders away.
When doing this meditation, it's important to remember the Principles of Mindfulness that form the bedrock of successful meditation practice, as well as the attitudes essential for a fruitful practice.
For a refresher on these, or if you are completely new to meditation, please refer to the two-part Introduction to Meditation course (Bonus Episodes I and II), where the basics of meditation are explained in a very simple and engaging way.
Make sure to check out the Body Scan Meditation session in Bonus Episode IV. For better results, switch between the two every week.
Thank you for listening! I look forward to welcoming you to another meditation tomorrow!
You can find us online at https://www.truthfullytalking.com/ or on Instagram under truthfullytalking.
We offer this podcast free of charge and your support really makes a difference. You can support us by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/TruthfullyTalking. -
This is the second part of a two-part Introduction to Meditation course.
In this episode, we navigate the fundamental principles of meditation and mindfulness that form the bedrock of successful meditation practice, as well as the attitudes essential for a fruitful practice.
The principles introduced are the following: Patience, Presence, Non-judgement, Beginner's Mind & Acceptance. Each of these is introduced and explained thoroughly. How to cultivate each of these within our meditation practice is also discussed. We include stories and quotes from different readings and teachers that clarify and deepen certain points, such as the fascinating story of George Schaller, a field biologist who was the only one who managed to befriend a tribe of gorillas. He did this by using a little secret tactic...
Once you're finished with the two-part Introduction to Meditation course, you will be ready to jump into any of the 2 Guided Meditations that we've included as well. We invite you to take the first steps into building a meditation practice that has the promise to change your life entirely!
Thank you for joining us! Until next time!
You can find us online at https://www.truthfullytalking.com/ or on Instagram under truthfullytalking.
We offer this podcast free of charge and your support really makes a difference. You can support us by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/TruthfullyTalking. - Show more
