Dharma Glimpses with Judy Lief

Episode 144: Possibilities

 [This episode originally aired on October 23, 2023]  Many classical Buddhist texts on meditation say that the best place to meditate or to practice is a quiet place in t

Episode 143 Small Thoughts, Big Consequences

[This episode originally aired on October 16, 2023] In Buddhist psychology, even large scale events and large emotional upheavals can be traced back step-by-step to simpl

Episode 142: Trading Places

[This episode originally aired on October 9, 2023]  The Mahayana path, the path of the Bodhisattva warrior of wisdom and compassion, has a great deal to do with how we re

Episode 141: An Outrageous Idea

[This episode originally aired on Oct. 2, 2023]  The Mahayana, or open path, is the path of the Bodhisattva — the enlightened warrior of wisdom and compassion  •  at the

Episode 140: In Praise of Inefficiency

[This episode originally aired on Sept. 26, 2023]  This period of history has been marked by incredible leaps in efficiency: things that used to take a great deal of time

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 mispe

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 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

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 h

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, everythi

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 und

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

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  • 

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,

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 p

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 an

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 tr

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

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 cl

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  •