Best of Awake in the World: Ahimsa (Non-harming)

Michael sits down with physician and abortion provider Pat Smith for a thoughtful conversation on the principle of non-harming. Together, they explore the space where ethics meet politics, how our beliefs and values shape the way we move through the world, and the role formal meditation can play in clarifying ethical life choices. This excerpt comes from the second video in Michael’s nine-week online course, Embodying Ethics & Vows in Modern Life, which weaves Buddhist and yogic ethical teachings into the rhythms of everyday living. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more excerpts and “Best of” episodes centered on the Five Ethics: • Satya (Truthfulness): Speaking honestly as we perceive it, without deception. • Asteya (Non-Stealing): Cultivating contentment and taking only what is freely given. • Brahmacharya (Wise Use of Energy): Meeting all beings with respect and dignity. • Aparigraha (Non-Greed): Living generously and working skillfully with all that life offers. Join us as we explore how these timeless principles can support and ground us in modern life. To learn more or enroll in the full course, visit: edu-michaelstone.com/product/embody…n-modern-life/

In this week’s episode, we explore a deceptively simple question: How do you be interconnectedness? It’s drawn from the first video in Michael’s online course, "Embodying Ethics & Vows in Modern Life," a nine-week program weaving Buddhist and yogic ethics into the fabric of daily life. We are living in a time when people are asking big questions. Exhausted by the news and often feeling fear, sadness, or anxiety, we wonder: What do we do? How do we stay plugged into our values, and how can we be of service? For the next few weeks, we'll be posting excerpts and "Best of" episodes focused on The Five Ethics: • Ahimsa (Non-Violence): I will do no harm, recognizing that I am connected to all living beings. • Satya (Honesty): I will speak the truth as I perceive it and not deceive anyone. • Asteya (Non-Stealing): I will be satisfied with what I have and only take what is freely given. • Brahmacharya (Wise Use of Energy): I will encounter all beings with respect and dignity. • Aparigraha (Non-Greed): I will use all the ingredients of my life and practice generosity. Join us to learn how these ethical principles can ground you in modern life. If you’re interested in taking the full course, visit: https://edu-michaelstone.com/product/embodying-ethics-vows-in-modern-life/

In this talk, Michael explores anatta (not-self) and emptiness as lived practices rather than abstract ideas. He shows how our thinking is often shaped by storytelling and emphasizes the role of sitting practice in moving beyond language to directly examine the mental habits that cloud understanding. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Using the metaphor of time travel, Michael explores the inner journey described by the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th limbs of yoga. Rather than traveling through years or lifetimes, this “time travel” moves inward, through memory, identity, awareness, and ultimately into stillness. In this talk, Michael offers a clear and grounded exploration of the self, the ego, and the subtle emptiness of the things we cling to for stability. He examines how personality is something we continuously construct, often in an attempt to create a sense of permanence in a world that is constantly changing. At the core of this construction is a quiet resistance to impermanence: a desire to fix what is, by nature, fluid. Through the lens of yogic philosophy, the conversation invites listeners to notice how attention, concentration, meditation, and absorption gradually loosen our grip on rigid identities. What emerges is not loss, but freedom, a deeper understanding that we don’t need to solidify ourselves in order to exist meaningfully. Instead, by learning to rest in change, we begin to experience time, self, and awareness in a completely different way. Recorded in Stockholm on September 9, 2016. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

Michael invites the sangha to take a good look at the elephant in the room by sharing their habits, strong emotions, and patterns of reactivity while exploring the “Lookout Tower” and “Riding the Wave” practices. He makes a powerful connection between formal sitting meditation and everyday life, illustrating how what we practice on the cushion can help when things feel large and heavy. Michael also shares a personal story about navigating a month-long houseguest, setting boundaries, and doing his best to keep the balance-even when the situation starts to stampede. So what should we do with our anger? Trying to “let off steam” often turns out to be like stirring up a herd of elephants, it rarely calms things down. Explosive expressions of anger tend to increase emotional arousal, leaving us feeling more upset rather than relieved. Recorded March 5, 2013. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

In this podcast episode, Michael discusses the relationship in our daily lives between form and formlessness as it relates to creativity and karma. Wisdom is not separate from who we are. It’s like beads rolling on a tray: sudden, ready, uninhibited. Recorded in 2008. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

In this Best of episode, Michael discusses the relationship between awareness and morality or mindfulness and ethics. When we are faced with the unprecedented and unrepeatable complexities of this moment, the question is not, “What is the right thing to do?” but “What is the compassionate thing to do?” This question can be approached with integrity but not with certainty. Recorded in 2011. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

In this 30-minute guided meditation, Michael explores how to work with thoughts during sitting practice, focusing on the breath in a way that reduces clinging, reduces rejection. The breath doesn’t decide good or bad: it is kind to our body, our nervous system, our habits. Recorded April 23, 2010

Annual Poetry Evening. Erin Robinsong, Sarah Selecky, Michael Stone read from their favourite poems. A wonderful evening of words to support practice. Recorded Nov. 30, 2010. Image of Waves & Water: A Collection of Poems by Michael Stone. Photo by Andréa de Keijzer. The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.

In this Awake in the World podcast episode, Michael references the Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha, reads a koan from The Book of Serenity, and explores how Buddhist practice is radically simple and relates to the whole of our lives. Recorded April 26, 2010. Photo by Andréa de Keijzer, New York City The Awake in the World podcast is brought to you by the generosity of our amazing Patreon supporters, making it possible for us to keep Michael's archive of teachings available to the public. To become a patron, visit: patreon.com/michaelstone.