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Well Being with Don Oakley

Don Oakley

A weekly presentation on the spiritual journey and awakening to our true nature by Don Oakley, Founder of Well Being Retreat Center in Tazewell, Tennessee.

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24 episodes
fortnightly
Avg 15 min
English

Episodes 24

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#187
Wednesday · 19 min
Selfishness
The spiritual journey can feel like a selfish endeavor: tuning out the world and looking within. And it may be that for a while, but that is not where it leads. Where it leads couldn't be more inclusive.
#186
October 10 · 12 min
Egoic Identification
In spirituality, there is a lot of talk about trying to get rid of ego as if it were a fixed internal entity opposed to our awakening. But other than a believed thought, where is it exactly? When we look for it, we can find ideas, memories, regrets, hopes, fears, opinions and so on, but no ego? This session will address how to work with this troublesome concept.
#185
September 18 · 15 min
Emptiness & Dependent Origination
When we hear the word "emptiness" used in spirituality, it can be thought to mean void, non-existent, utterly devoid of life and other such scary concepts, but hat is not what it means at all. It is a very subtle but essential concept with no real equivalent in western spiritual traditions.
#184
September 3 · 15 min
Seeing Through Illusion
An Illusion is when we believe something that is not true. When we see a mirage in the desert, the image is real (we do see an image), but the image is not what it appears to be. This discourse will cover how to recognize illusions and how to dispel them.
#183
August 19 · 18 min
Is Everything Impermanent
Everything we can see, taste, touch, hear, think or feel is always in a state of flux, always changing. Every living being comes with an expiration date. We might ask, "In a world where nothing is permanent, where can our true identity be found?" Is there anything that abides?
#182
August 6 · 15 min
Fear of Awakening
It seems odd that fear can arise as we approach spiritual awakening. It would seem that we would feel glad that all our efforts were finally paying off. Although fear is common, it is not inevitable. It depends a lot on how tightly we are holding onto our identity.
#181
July 23 · 16 min
How to Work with desire
"As we proceed into this investigation as to who we really are, fear may arise. This is a common, but not inevitable, passage. It mostly depends on how tightly we are holding onto our current reality. It is curious when we find ourselves longing to discover our deepest nature and repelled from doing so. This discourse will explore this challenging, but vital, territory."
#179
June 18 · 18 min
Your Unborn Nature
Everything you ever experience has existence in this world of form. Trees, birds, clouds, memories, feelings and ideas all have certain characteristics: a flavor, color, size, shape or duration. Except there is one "thing" that has never been born into this world of form. So, it is sometimes called "the Unborn." If it is unborn, it is undying. It is who you are.
#178
June 4 · 21 min
The Only Obstacle
There is only one obstacle to discovering your awake nature. However, what nearly everyone believes themselves to be is what we wake up FROM. The challenge is that what we take ourselves to be is the only instrument we possess in our seeking. This session will be about finding the exit to this house of mirrors.
#177
May 21 · 14 min
Just One Thing
Rumi wrote: “There is one thing in this world you must never forget to do. If you forget everything else and not this, there's nothing to worry about, but if you remember everything else and forget this, then you will have done nothing in your life." This one thing and its significance will be the topic of this session.
#176
May 8 · 19 min
The End of Seking
Seeking ends when you find what you are looking for. The difficulty in spirituality is that we don't know what we're looking for. Of course, we think we do and we give it names like enlightenment or spiritual awakening, but we don't know and can't know until we stumble upon in a moment of non-striving. The challenge is that this person who wants to wake up is what we wake up from, which is as difficult as your own tongue trying to lick itself.
#175
April 24 · 15 min
Resistance - The End of Effort
When we oppose what Life is offering in the moment, we can feel justified and empowered. But it is precisely this opposition that creates the personal sense of self. Not opposing Life does not mean that we condone or even like what is happening; it only means that we acknowledge the fact that it is what is happening. That acknowledgment free us to act as we understand the need to act.
#174
March 19 · 20 min
The End of Effort
Initially, this spiritual journey almost always requires effort, that is, a sincere, deliberate and intensive search for your true nature. But once that is discovered, seeking from a sense of lack ends. There is still more to learn. Much more. But too much concerted effort at this stage can be counter-productive.
#173
March 5 · 21 min
Volitioon and Personal Will
A question spiritual teachers frequently get asked is about free will. Do we humans have free will or not? This is not a simple yes or no answer.
#172
February 19 · 13 min
It's Not Personal
We may get into spirituality for personal reasons: "I just want to find some peace" or "I want to quiet my busy mind." And that's fine. But as it is explored more deeply, one day we might find that it isn't necessarily about what we want. Something more, far more, is being asked of us. We discover that we are being asked (nicely at first) to surrender to life.
#171
February 6 · 19 min
Presence and Absence
When we gaze outward, there is astonishing diversity; an incredible multitude of life forms. Where there are differences there is separation. But what about that which is aware of this diversity? Is that not singular? So, which is fundamental? The seen or the unseen?
February 1 · 2 min
Is Life Unjust?
Is Life fair and just? By whose standards? Is that fair?
#170
January 23 · 18 min
The Fog of Ownership
In current western culture, the right of ownership is deemed to be fundamental. When we say, "I have a body," it is a claim of ownership, with "me" being in control. In turn, body/mind organisms claim ownership over other things, whether it be a car or some other country's natural resources. But where does this "I" entity reside? Where exactly? When we search intensively for this "I," what do we find? This Zoom session will investigate such questions.
January 13 · 4 min
Three Mistakes Most Meditators Make
Many Meditators make these three mistakes which lead to frustration rather than spiritual evolution.
#169
January 9 · 19 min
Faith and Doubt
Doubt is typically considered to be the enemy of faith, but unexamined faith has a weak foundation. And mindless doubt, just keeps us on the sidelines. Used correctly, doubt can lead to sincere inquiry that can deepen our understanding. And ultimately, both concepts are stand-ins that are meaningful prior to our realization of that which lies beyond both.

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