Shell Fischer's Podcast

In the Buddhist teachings, the Buddha urged us to very consciously be on the lookout for harmful qualities he called “The Near Enemies,” – qualities that all “pretend” to be the heart-qualities of ki…

The Buddha was once asked “what is the most important thing for us to practice?” And his answer was simple: patience (or khanti, in Pali). Happily, this vital quality is something we can learn to app…

In the Buddhist teachings it is said that there are 8 different “winds” or conditions that we either hope for, or fear - all of which are constantly blowing into our lives, just like the wind. These …

Whenever we think of the word “home” we often think of a kind of brick and mortar “place” where we can physically dwell. But in the Buddhist tradition, home or “refuge” is not something we find outsi…

Modern science has now shown us that what the Buddha was trying to tell us more than 2600 years ago is spot on: that by consciously choosing to incline our minds towards more joy, we can actually cha…

While the Buddha assured us that our meditation practice is the path to freedom, he also explained that in order for us to achieve a more profound happiness than we could ever find outside of ourselv…

Modern science has shown us that our words are not harmless: they have the very real power to not only affect our actual brains, but to either create more hurt and discord in this world, or more harm…

Apologizing is such a challenging skill that the Buddha himself said that learning to do it well is “THE essential factor in achieving purity in thought, word, and deed.” This new talk explores how w…

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that instead of focusing on everything that’s wrong with ourselves, other people, or the world … we should ask: “What’s NOT wrong,” as a way of practicing the incr…

The Buddhist teachings warn us of 5 main challenging and complicated mental states that block, confuse, or “hinder” our ability to more fully open our hearts and minds, and prevent us from discoverin…

A common expression among those who practice Insight Meditation is “don’t believe everything you think,” which points to the idea that in order for us to discover the truth – or any transformation or…

The Buddha taught that you can search the entire universe for someone more deserving of your love and compassion than yourself, and you will not find that person anywhere. And yet, so often for many …

As the Buddhist teachings show us, our deepest source of pain and suffering arises from our delusion that we are somehow separate from one another, and from Earth itself. Given this, one the most pro…

In the Buddhist teachings, we are asked to use our meditation practice as a way to reflect on the profound truth of anicca, or impermanence: the truth that everything – including ourselves, is always…

In the Buddha’s teachings on Wise or Right Livelihood, we are urged to shine a strong light on what we’re believing about our own worth, as well as our opinions about the worthiness of others, becaus…

One day, when the Buddha was just 8 years old and upset, he decided to offer himself both calm and compassion by very naturally sitting in what has been called “the first meditation,” and consciously…

The Buddha’s last words to us were said to be: “All conditioned things are impermanent; strive on with diligence!” In these difficult times we’re all living through, maintaining our practice, as well…

Whenever there seems to be a gap between what is, and how we want it to be – whether this means a situation, person, ourselves, or life itself – we tend to experience frustration, or anger. Yet, if w…

The Buddhist nun Pema Chodron suggests that we remember to ask ourselves one key question, every day: “Since death is certain, and the timing of death uncertain, what is the most important thing?” In…

In the Buddhist tradition we are asked to develop a quality called Noble Silence, which serves not only as a sacred vehicle for us, but is also in a very real way our destination. In essence, the mor…