Shell Fischer's Podcast

Balancing Care for Self & Others: Buddha's Advise

A particularly difficult human challenge involves trying to balance a desire to be there for others – both those in our personal lives and in our society in general – and

The Buddha's 'Most Important Practice': Patience

The Buddha was once asked "what is the most important thing for us to practice?" He answered: patience (or khanti, in Pali) and assured us that this skill or quality is s

So Special/So Wounded: Navigating Our Hopes & Fears

We all tend to seek out and hope for gain, status, praise, and pleasure, and resist or fear loss, disgrace, blame, and pain – even though all are inescapable, and visit e

Just Thinking, Sweetie: Working With Busy Mind

Often during our meditation practice, we encounter a state known as "busy mind," which is when there's a kind of ongoing flow of anxious or repetitive mental chatter that

BREATHE: Right Now, It's Like This

During difficult times, allowing ourselves to pause, breathe, and come back home to the present moment is exactly how we can regain our footing, become more grounded, and

TRY SOFTER: Working With Change & Grief

An essential aspect of our meditation practice involves training ourselves to very consciously and compassionately navigate the truth of constant change, instead of allow

THIS IS IT: Now What?

Instead of resisting, denying, or trying to ignore a big change in our lives or in our world, the Buddhist teachings invite us to open up to it and deeply acknowledge: "T

CLAIM YOUR SEAT: Buddha's Teachings on Doubt

Our common experience of doubt – in ourselves, and in our ability to make good decisions for ourselves, especially - is actually the very last thing the Buddha himself st

Some Things Just Hurt: Allowing Our Pain

Whenever we experience pain or suffering, our common tendency is to believe that not only is the cause of our suffering in some way wrong, but that our own response to it

My Relationships: Medicine, or Poison?

The Buddha insisted that our relationships make up the "whole" of our spiritual life, and and urged us to use our mindfulness practice to become more aware of who we're c

Put Your Heart Into It Again: The Buddha On Determination

As opposed to the act of "striving," which involves a kind of unhealthy or stressful clinging to some sort of expectation, and typically arises from our more self-centere

Do No Harm/Take No Sh*t: A Buddhist Lesson on Boundaries

Whenever we perceive that some sort of harm is being done – either by another person, people, or even on a more national or global level - how can we best confront this w

What Would Buddha Do? Taking Refuge in the Beloved

This talk addresses the question: How can we flow between all the different roles, hats, or identities that we place on ourselves every day, and that kind, wise, compassi

It Takes A Long Time to Grow Young: Nurturing Contentment

Right before the Buddha's enlightenment, a single memory from his childhood apparently not only led him to nirvana, but to the profound teachings of the Middle Way – the

How To Work With Fear & Grief: Pause

The Buddhist teachings are continually calling our attention to the truth of what is called annica, or impermanence, because essentially, it's exactly what we tend to str

"It's All Yours" - Responding to Disrespect and Insult

As the Buddha's teachings remind us over and over, even though it's difficult, we never want to let another person's anger, disrespect, or cruelty harden our own hearts.

EMPTY OF EXPECTATION: Exploring "Beginner's Mind"

While the Buddha assured us that it's healthy to be aware of all our different intentions, he also suggested that once we've planted the seeds of our plans, our practice

Content in the Center: Exploring the Middle Way

When we practice what the Buddha called The Middle Way, we start to realize with more clarity that contentment resides at the center of our wanting and not wanting, our i

The Sacred Healing of Noble Silence

In order for us to practice well, we need to learn how to create and then dwell in a quality the Buddha called Noble Silence – something that is precious and multi-facete

What Am I 'Really" Offering Myself and Others?: An Exploration of Dana

In the Buddhist teachings, the practice of dana (or generosity) is considered the number one heart quality that we are urged to cultivate, in order to discover more joy,