Shell Fischer's Podcast

While the Buddha assured us that our meditation practice is the path to freedom, he also explained that in order for us to achieve a more profound happiness than we could ever find outside of ourselves, we first need to take an honest, courageous look at all the ways that we create more suffering for ourselves. This talk explores the many different types of dukkha (suffering) that we experience, and how shining a light on them through our practice can help soften and even dissipate them.

Modern science has shown us that our words are not harmless: they have the very real power to not only affect our actual brains, but to either create more hurt and discord in this world, or more harmony and connection. This talk explores some of the Buddha’s rich teachings on Wise Speech, and how we can use our meditation practice to train ourselves to become more aware of our unconscious habits of communication, and better understand what we're creating in our lives and in our world through our speech.

Apologizing is such a challenging skill that the Buddha himself said that learning to do it well is “THE essential factor in achieving purity in thought, word, and deed.” This new talk explores how we can use our mindfulness practice to become better at this, and also how we can better discern whether we are either receiving or giving a real apology - or not. It includes a 15-mintue meditation at the end, designed to help us  accept when an apology we expected was either lacking, or maybe caused more harm than the original hurt.

Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that instead of focusing on everything that’s wrong with ourselves, other people, or the world … we should ask: “What’s NOT wrong,” as a way of practicing the incredibly transformative quality of gratitude. This quality of thankfulness is so powerful, in fact, it’s considered 1 of 2 main antidotes to our experience of fear. It also represents the very fruit of our practice, or Equanimity. In this talk, Shell explores how we can use our mindfulness practice to access this quality more and more often, so that eventually, we can live from a place of thankfulness, rather than from a place of complaint.

The Buddhist teachings warn us of 5 main challenging and complicated mental states that block, confuse, or “hinder” our ability to more fully open our hearts and minds, and prevent us from discovering freedom from suffering. In this talk, Shell explores how we can use the practice of energy (or viriya, in Pali) to more clearly recognize these five mental states, and eventually loosen our grip on them in order to discover more joy, freedom, and ease in our lives. It includes a 15-minute meditation aimed at helping us overcome the pain of desire.

A common expression among those who practice Insight Meditation is “don’t believe everything you think,” which points to the idea that in order for us to discover the truth – or any transformation or release from suffering in our lives - we first need to take a good look at what we’re believing, then courageously question the validity and/or benefits of these beliefs. In this talk, Shell explores the crucial practice of Investigation (or vicaya), which is considered the 2nd Factor of Awakening.

The Buddha taught that you can search the entire universe for someone more deserving of your love and compassion than yourself, and you will not find that person anywhere. And yet, so often for many of us, it seems much easier to offer our care, compassion, and even forgiveness to others than to ourselves. We tend to beat ourselves up, or give ourselves an unnecessarily hard time for our "perfectly human" emotions and imperfections. This talk from Shell explores how our meditation practice can help us learn how to offer more of our love, care, and forgiveness to the person we spend the most time with - ourselves. It includes a 10-minute meditation at the end.

As the Buddhist teachings show us, our deepest source of pain and suffering arises from our delusion that we are somehow separate from one another, and from Earth itself. Given this, one the most profound practices we are offered to dispel this delusion is by exploring what is called Mahabhuta, or The Great Elements contained within our bodies. This talk explores not only why this practice is essential, but how we can use our meditation practice to investigate it. It includes a 15-minute meditation at the end.  

In the Buddhist teachings, we are asked to use our meditation practice as a way to reflect on the profound truth of anicca, or impermanence: the truth that everything – including ourselves, is always and forever in a constant state of unfolding … along with the truth that if we can learn to trust that flow, and let go of needing to control it, we can truly live with much more joy, freedom, and ease in our lives. This talk investigates how we can learn to live in and even as that constant unfolding. It includes a meditation at the end.

In the Buddha’s teachings on Wise or Right Livelihood, we are urged to shine a strong light on what we’re believing about our own worth, as well as our opinions about the worthiness of others, because these assumptions touch, shape, and affect almost everyone and everything in our lives – individually, culturally, and even globally. This talk explores how we can use our practice to take a closer look at these beliefs so that, ultimately, we can take actions that will lead to more joy, compassion, and connection.

One day, when the Buddha was just 8 years old and upset, he decided to offer himself both calm and compassion by very naturally sitting in what has been called “the first meditation,” and consciously nurturing a quality called Passaddhi – a Pali word translated as serenity, composure, or tranquility. In this new talk, Shell explores how we can follow the Buddha’s wise example, along with his instructions on how best to develop the same calming, soothing effect through our practice.

The Buddha’s last words to us were said to be: “All conditioned things are impermanent; strive on with diligence!” In these difficult times we’re all living through, maintaining our practice, as well as our sense of hopefulness, can often be challenging. In this new talk, Shell explores the quality of aditthana - a Pali word meaning “determination” or “resolve” - and offers us ways to “strive on with diligence” to help us strengthen not only our commitment to our practice, but to ourselves.

Whenever there seems to be a gap between what is, and how we want it to be – whether this means a situation, person, ourselves, or life itself – we tend to experience frustration, or anger. Yet, if we can allow ourselves to let go of our strong expectations, our suffering can often drop dramatically. In this new talk, Shell offers us some tips – both classic and modern – for how we can use our practice to slowly loosen our grip, and discover more freedom, joy, and ease.

The Buddhist nun Pema Chodron suggests that we remember to ask ourselves one key question, every day: “Since death is certain, and the timing of death uncertain, what is the most important thing?” In this talk, we explore what the Buddha calls The Five Remembrances, or, 5 essential truths about our lives, ourselves, and our loved ones which, when contemplated daily, can help us discover more joy, ease, and freedom in our lives.

In the Buddhist tradition we are asked to develop a quality called Noble Silence, which serves not only as a sacred vehicle for us, but is also in a very real way our destination. In essence, the more we can create the space of Noble Silence, and live and practice within it, eventually, it is what we BECOME. In this talk, Shell explores this multi-layered topic of silence, and how we can use it to become more joyful, awake, and at ease in our lives.

The Buddhist teachings offer us numerous ways of praying, yet people often ask: in this non-theistic tradition, what does it mean to do this? Or, what is it that we are aspiring to, when we place our hands together and bow our heads in prayer? In this talk, we explore how we can use this powerful form of aspiration to not only direct and open our hearts, but heal our deepest source of pain – which is a sense of a separate self.

The teachings show us that setting healthy boundaries with others is an incredibly important skill that can help us to live with more balance, joy, and ease in our lives - but of course, this isn’t always easy. Students often ask: “The teachings point to the concept of annata, no-self … so, why is there a need for boundaries? The Buddha urges us to care of others like a mother might care for her only child … so, why do I feel selfish or cruel when I say no?” In this talk, we explore what the teachings have to say about these questions and more as they relate to learning how we can more wisely and compassionately know and protect our limits.

One of the most essential teachings of the Buddha can be found in a single and famous line of advise from him, which is,  “Be a lamp unto yourself; be a refuge to yourself; take yourself to no external refuge.” In this new talk, we take a deep dive into the Acrobat Sutra, a story and teaching that points to the importance of caring for yourself FIRST, by becoming the source of your own refuge - which in turn transforms into an offering of care for others. It includes a meditation at the end.

According to the Buddhist teachings, one of the main ways that we suffer is by trying to hold onto or even control that which is inherently impermanent – including everything and everyone in our lives, as well as our ourselves. Our practice, then, becomes a bit of a paradox: in order to discover more freedom and ease in our lives, we need to learn to let go, and start viewing all phenomena as new – especially ourselves. This new talk from Shell investigates the truth of anicca (impermanence) and how we can learn to live in as even AS that flow of change. It includes a meditation at the end.

In order for each of us feel understood, and cared for, it’s important that our hearts are both seen, and heard. And while our listening skills are absolutely essential for this, so many of us don’t know how to do this well. This new talk from Shell explores how we can practice the art of Mindful Listening, and nurture our skills to not only connect more with others, but also with ourselves.