Diggin' the Dharma

Jon Aaron and Doug Smith

Diggin' the Dharma with Jon Aaron and Doug Smith is a relaxed discussion of the Buddhist dharma between friends. Jon's interest centers around practice, while Doug's centers around scholarship of the early material, so their approaches balance practice with study. Their discussions will be approachable to a broad audience of Buddhists and those curious about Buddhism, and they welcome questions and comments. Jon is a teacher at Space2Meditate and NY Insight Meditation Center and a well known teacher and trainer of teachers of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Doug has a PhD in Philosophy and runs Doug's Dharma on YouTube and the Online Dharma Institute, where he gives courses on early Buddhism. Find them at: https://digginthedharma.com/

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161 episodes
Updated May 24

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Episodes161

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Apr 7, 2024 · 29 min
The Nature of Buddha Nature
Send us Fan Mail Buddha Nature: what is it and how is it a controversial concept in some understandings? Jon and Doug discuss this as well as concepts and words generally. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Mar 31, 2024 · 25 min
Moving Beyond Craving and Clinging
Send us Fan Mail The second noble points to the cause of dukkha—craving and clinging. It's also related to the uncertainty of life and the desire for it to be otherwise. Sometimes, the wisdom we gain, even after years of practice, seems to vanish when confronted with the inevitable change. Our discussion was sparked by Jon's pending move to Chicago and the dukkha this has manifested. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Mar 17, 2024 · 28 min
Buddhism and the Golden Rule
Send us Fan Mail Doug and Jon discuss the "Golden Rule" (do unto others as we would have them do unto us) and its role in Buddhist practice and the precepts. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Mar 10, 2024 · 27 min
The Heart Quality of Courage
Send us Fan Mail The recent death of Alexei Navalny sparked this discussion on courage. Navalny is one example-- similar to people like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Nelson Mandela. We see acts of courage from many daily but don't necessarily consider them in the same way. What is courage, and does it play a role in our practice? Can meditation and the dharma, cultivate and strengthen this quality? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Mar 3, 2024 · 27 min
Papañca! Exactly What it Sounds Like
Send us Fan Mail If one were to describe a word that illustrates the meaning of onomatopoetic, papañca fits the bill. There are a number of words in Pali that do this, but papañca which means mental proliferation, is one of the best. In this episode, Doug and Jon look at this familiar pattern of the mind and how to work with it. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Feb 25, 2024 · 27 min
Let's Talk More About Meditation
Send us Fan Mail In our last few episodes, we've been discussing the Buddha's Noble Eight-Fold Path. The last three factors of the path are about meditation. It's always good to remind ourselves why we meditate and what meditation actually is. What meditations are presented in the early Buddhist teachings, and why are they important? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Feb 18, 2024 · 29 min
Coming Back to the Core: Strategies of Right Effort
Send us Fan Mail Right Effort --one of the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path is an important aspect of the practice of meditation, and the teachings related to this are worth looking into. Jon and Doug discuss strategies and practices that may be useful for us to consider along the path. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Feb 11, 2024 · 25 min
Impermanence and the Closing of the Rubin Museum
Send us Fan Mail The Rubin is an important institution in New York with a very significant collection and many special exhibitions of Tibetan and Himalayan art, specifically related to Buddhism and Buddhist culture in that part of the world. We received the sad news recently that they are closing the New York space and basically becoming a virtual and traveling museum. Jon and Doug discuss the closing and the nature of anicca-- impermanence. https://rubinmuseum.org/ Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Feb 4, 2024 · 26 min
Coming Back to the Core: Knowing Right View
Send us Fan Mail The Eightfold Path, the fourth of the Four Noble Truths, lays out a map to become free from suffering. In our last episode, we explore the second fact on the Right Intention. In this episode, we discuss Right View and how we generally hold views. After all, if you don't have the right view, if you don't know where you're headed, you'll likely get lost along the way. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Jan 28, 2024 · 30 min
Coming Back to the Core: Are we Understanding Our Intentions?
Send us Fan Mail As we continue our wondering through the Noble Truths we discuss aspects of the Fourth Truth the 8-Fold Noble Path with a particular interesting Right Intention. This is the second factor, but who says we need to start with the first? Japanese Bowl, Poem by Peter Mayer VIdeo on the Art of Kantsugi Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Jan 21, 2024 · 27 min
Coming Back to the Core-- The Four Noble Truths (or 3 just now)
Send us Fan Mail The New Year is a good time to return to the core teachings. And it's good to start with the Four Enobling Truths, from which much becomes clear. In this episode, we spend most of the time talking about the first two, Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Dec 31, 2023 · 28 min
New Year's Episode: Time Present, Time Past, Time Future-- What is Time Anyway?
Send us Fan Mail In this episode for the last day of 2023, we look at concepts of time from a Buddhist perspective in the relative and absolute sense. It's a fun topic and seemed appropriate as we move into 2024-- at least in some calendars. George Carlin on TIme Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Dec 24, 2023 · 26 min
Why Buddhism?
Send us Fan Mail Perhaps this is a perennial question, but it's always worth asking. What's so special about Buddhism and why have we chosen it as a guide for how we live? We speak about our personal experience ask questions that might be helpful for you. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Dec 17, 2023 · 28 min
Again and Again. . . Rebirth ... and Death
Send us Fan Mail What is meant by re-birth?? Who is reborn and when? There are a number of interpretations and Doug and Jon explore some of them. More important is how our understanding of rebirth and death impacts the way we live now. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Dec 10, 2023 · 22 min
Miracles, Mindfulness and What the Buddha Said
Send us Fan Mail Depending on your interpretation of what a miracle is, there are certainly times when miracles seem to happen due to our practice. In fact, one of the most-read books on Buddhism and mindfulness is Thich Nhat Hanh's classic Miracle of Mindfulness. Do you notice miracles happening? What did the Buddha have to say about this? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Dec 3, 2023 · 27 min
Practicing the Precepts
Send us Fan Mail Jon and Doug discuss how living ethically in the context of the five precepts is a considerable mindfulness practice. At first glance, the precepts seem rather obvious, but the more we look and the more we bring them into our moment-to-moment experience, the more we realize how much deeper we can go. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Nov 26, 2023 · 27 min
Taking Sides
Send us Fan Mail Inspired by taking the side of peace, Jon and Doug look at taking sides and the Buddha's teachings on clinging to views and opinions. How does taking a side often exacerbate the problem of division and conflict? Is there another route? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Nov 19, 2023 · 21 min
Gratitude, Generosity and Thanksgiving
Send us Fan Mail What do you have to be thankful for? How can a practice of gratitude impact your life for the better? Thanksgiving week is a good time to reflect upon such questions. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Nov 5, 2023 · 38 min
Developing a Daily Meditation Practice with Guest Bodhipaksa
Send us Fan Mail What are some techniques we can use to develop a regular meditation practice? Doug and Jon's guest Bodhipaksa has taught a course on this and is in the process of writing a book about it. Lots of good advice in this episode! Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
Oct 29, 2023 · 46 min
"Did the Buddha Really Say That?" with Guest Bodhipaksa
Send us Fan Mail Doug and Jon have a spirited discussion with our guest, writer and Buddhist meditation teacher, Bodhipaksa, on Fake Buddha Quotes. How important is it to get the Buddha right? What is a "Fake Buddha Quote" anyway? Bodhipaksa's Websites: https://www.wildmind.org/ https://fakebuddhaquotes.com/ Book: https://fakebuddhaquotes.com/buy-i-cant-believe-its-not-buddha/ Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/