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Religion & Spirituality

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/

  • 161 episodes
  • Updated May 24

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Episodes161

  • Nov 13, 2022 · 25 min

    Things are Not as they Seem. . . Working with Perception

    Send us Fan Mail Perception is one of the Five Aggregates of Clinging and critical to our understanding of self and the world we live in. It is through mindfulness and our meditation practice that we start to see through the trap of our own perceptions. We don't see things as they are, we things as we are" (attributed to Anais Nin). Bhante Gunaratana's book is: Meditation on Perception. Sutta: https://suttacentral.net/an10.60/en/sujato 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 6, 2022 · 30 min

    The Buddha Walks into a Voting Booth. . .

    Send us Fan Mail With the upcoming election in the US we will look at politics and Buddhism. Should we allow our Buddhist ideals to influence our voting? What would the Buddha himself have said in the midst of so much partisanship and how do the teachings on "holding to fixed views" fit into our own political dialogues? Jon and Doug have an animated discussion on this important topic without implying how you should vote. But you should vote! 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 30, 2022 · 29 min

    Musk, Twitter, and Right Speech

    Send us Fan Mail As we record this episode, Elon Musk has recently purchased Twitter. His purchase raises all sorts of questions relevant to Buddhist practice, perhaps most importantly of Right Speech. What should be allowed online? How should we practice on Twitter or other social media platforms? Does our written communication actually inline with our intent and do we have a sense of how it might land with others? This is where our mindfulness practice truly makes a difference. Someone is wrong on the Internet! https://xkcd.com/386/ Key and Peele Text Gone Wrong Small Kindnesses By Danusha Laméris I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you” when someone sneezes, a leftover from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying. And sometimes, when you spill lemons from your grocery bag, someone else will help you pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other. We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot, and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile at them and for them to smile back. For the waitress to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder, and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass. We have so little of each other, now. So far from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange. What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here, have my seat,” “Go ahead — you first,” “I like your hat.” 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 23, 2022 · 28 min

    Is Fame a Route to Happiness or Suffering?

    Send us Fan Mail The Buddha became a pretty famous guy, but what did fame mean to him? Did he even think about it? Fame was not something he sought. He just taught and became well known through his teachings. If he had access to social media would he have used it? Fame and renown is certainly not the secret to happiness but so many strive for it. Join us as we discuss this interesting topic and what it means to us. 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 16, 2022 · 27 min

    The Usual Suspects-- the Five Hindrances

    Send us Fan Mail Doug and Jon discuss the five hindrances that the Buddha had to overcome on the night of his enlightenment. We find them not only cropping up in our formal meditation practice, but in our everyday lives as well. How should we deal with them? We have lots of tips. 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 9, 2022 · 27 min

    The Great Equalizer--the Buddha's Five Reflections

    Send us Fan Mail The Five Reflections are a teaching which confronts us directly with the realities of life. These reflections are the great equalizer-- no matter your status in life, your income, your age, your race, your sex, or any of your identities, these Five Reflections are a reminder of what's really true. This podcast is a perfect follow-up to Dying before you Dye! A link to the sutta in which the reflections occur: https://suttacentral.net/an5.57/en/sujato 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 2, 2022 · 29 min

    Dying Before You Die

    Send us Fan Mail Turning toward death through various meditation practices can be transformative and liberative. In this episode Doug and Jon discuss how they practice with this and the impact it has had on their lives. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Sep 25, 2022 · 30 min

    All of the Pleasure, None of the Clinging

    Send us Fan Mail People often think of Buddhism as a very austere and all about renunciation. In this episode we discuss the difference between worldly and unworldly pleasures and perhaps can dispel some of these mis-understandings. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Sep 18, 2022 · 25 min

    Buddhism in the Natural World

    Send us Fan Mail Buddhism was originally practiced in the forests and it was evolving at a time when much of society was seeing itself as a separate from nature by trying to control it. The Buddha, it is written, always went into the forest when he took leave from his sangha for retreat. In this episode, Doug and Jon explore the importance of reconnecting with the natural world as part of our practice. What do we learn about ourselves and how the core teachings, particularly around 'non-self' are illuminated through re-connecting with the natural world. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Sep 11, 2022 · 26 min

    Generosity- it's more than just giving

    Send us Fan Mail Generosity is the first instruction the Buddha would give to laypeople, it's also one of the deepest and most helpful teachings in Buddhism. We will consider generosity, and how it can be manifest in our lives. Buddhist Global Relief website: https://www.buddhistglobalrelief.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/

  • Sep 4, 2022 · 38 min

    Q&A with a Listener and Member: Children, Non-attachment, and the Military

    Send us Fan Mail This special episode Jon and Doug take questions from Sorrell, one of their generous member-donors over at Buy Me a Coffee. They discuss having children in a Buddhist context, how thorough non-attachment can be in lay life, as well as Sorrell's experiences on deployment in the navy. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Aug 28, 2022 · 24 min

    What Are the Goals of Practice?

    Send us Fan Mail Is Buddhist practice only about attaining enlightenment, or are there other things it can help us with? If so, what would they be? Is it OK to focus on something less than the ultimate goal? We'll look at these questions and more. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Aug 21, 2022 · 28 min

    The Triple Gem and the Refuge it Provides

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode Doug and Jon exploring the practice of taking refuge. The Triple Gem refers to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. This is considered a True Refuge. A refuge that doesn't fade that is always there. It is both a practice and a commitment and a very important part of Buddhism. We explore the different ways to interpret these gems as well as understanding the difference between this True Refuge and the false refuges we often seek. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Aug 14, 2022 · 28 min

    Dealing with Politics in the Buddhist Context

    Send us Fan Mail The Buddha taught that we don't hold to fixed views. Politics often finds its way into spiritual context and can be a slippery slope. Some of us may assume that all Buddhist have the same stance on particular issues but this is rarely the case. Some political situations are important to bring up in a Buddhist context and a definitely place of investigation. How do we work with our own fixed views and the fixed views of others. Our practice, may bring us to a place of softening such views which then might create a place of common ground. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Aug 7, 2022 · 27 min

    Bhikkhu Bodhi and the War in Ukraine: Lessons for Buddhists?

    Send us Fan Mail How do we deal with war If we are practicing the precept of non-harming (non-killing)? What are we supposed to do, and how are we supposed to feel about the situation in Ukraine? Eminent monastic scholar and practitioner Bhikkhu Bodhi has a recent article where he discusses this issue, with particular emphasis on the war in Ukraine. We discuss the article and the idea of warfare in Buddhism. Link to the article: https://www.lionsroar.com/buddhism-nonviolence-and-the-moral-quandary-of-ukraine/ Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Jul 17, 2022 · 29 min

    "Digital Dharma" one of the topic from The Future Of American Buddhism with Special Guest Upayadhi

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode we continue our discussion with Upayadhi on a recent conference she attended, where one topic involved the influence of the digital world on Buddhist dharma. We discuss its current pluses and minuses and what the future holds. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Jul 10, 2022 · 31 min

    The Future of American Buddhism? With Special Guest Upayadhi

    Send us Fan Mail Our guest Upayadhi recently spent time at a fascinating conference on the topic of "the future of American Buddhism". We discuss the conference and some of her reactions to it. What's the future look like? Who's involved? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Jul 3, 2022 · 29 min

    What is Enlightenment Anyway?

    Send us Fan Mail The Third Noble Truth says there is freedom from Dukkha. We have experiences of this freedom often but don’t often recognize them for what they are. It’s been said that “enlightenment is an accident and meditation makes us more accident prone”. There is certainly some truth in this. In this episode we look at Enlightenment from some different perspectives. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Jun 26, 2022 · 27 min

    Finding Joy in the Joy of Others!

    Send us Fan Mail While it can be hard to believe, there is no limit to the amount of joy in the world. Yet, at times it certainly feels that way. Sympathetic Joy, or Resonant Joy is the third of the Divine Abodes and like the quality of compassion it has the capacity to weaken the boundary between self and other. Doug and Jon discuss the role of the quality in their own lives. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/

  • Jun 19, 2022 · 26 min

    Compassion-- Is it a quality we are born with?

    Send us Fan Mail Compassion is one of the Divine Abodes. Doug and Jon discuss whether this is an innate quality or one that needs to be learned. How do we cultivate that quality and perhaps uncover what is already here. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/