Planet Dharma - The Launch Pod

In this talk from their online course The Pearl Without Price, Doug and Catherine discuss the nature of the ego and how we can step outside the box of our comfort zone to experience greater degrees of freedom, bliss and peace.    These ideas are explained in detail in their bestselling book, Wasteland to Pureland: Reflections on the Path to Awakening. The first section of the book is entitled The Pearl Without Price and covers a variety of topics, including spiritual awakening in the modern age, the four deep ego fears and freedom from trauma. If you’d like to explore these ideas further, you can visit planetdharma.com/purelandchapter to receive a free copy of the related chapter, entitled ‘Protecting Against Hurt Is What Hurts’.

Welcome to this Dharma If You Dare Bonus Episode. We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the sixth of the 6 Paramis: Prajna, usually translated as ‘wisdom'. If the paramis are new to you, you can hear an introduction and overview to the topic by finding Season 3 Episode 4 in the podcast feed.   To download a free paramis reference sheet and to access more resources on this topic, visit planetdharma.com/paramis.    If you find the teachings of Planet Dharma resonate and are wondering how to explore them further, we recommend our free online course called Wake Up: 4 Paths to Spiritual Awakening. This self-study course gives an introduction to the main approaches that Doug and Catherine employ with students to help them find their speediest path to spiritual awakening. You can learn more and register for free by visiting planetdharma.com/wakeup.

In this talk Doug and Catherine discuss the Buddhist Common Foundations, also known as 'the four thoughts that turn the mind towards practice”. These are reflections that help us stay in contact with the urgency of continuing with our spiritual practice. In the course of this talk Doug and Catherine also explain what samsara is and explore the nature of the ego and how to put it in its proper place.   This spring, Doug and Catherine will be offering more modern and practical takes on classical Buddhadharma in their online course, The Four Foundations of Mindfulness: The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta. This will be one of the 4 online courses that Planet Dharma will host over the course of the year, along with various in-person retreats and public teachings. To learn more about these events, visit planetdharma.com/2020.  

Welcome to this Dharma If You Dare Bonus Episode. We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the fifth of the 6 Paramis: Dhyana, usually translated as ‘concentration’ or ‘absorption'. If the paramis are new to you, you can hear an introduction and overview to the topic by finding Season 3 Episode 4 in the podcast feed.     To download a free paramis reference sheet and to access more resources on this topic, visit planetdharma.com/paramis.    If you find the teachings of Planet Dharma resonate and are wondering how to explore them further, we recommend our free online course called Wake Up: 4 Paths to Spiritual Awakening. This self-study course gives an introduction to the main approaches that Doug and Catherine employ with students to help them find their speediest path to spiritual awakening. You can learn more and register for free by visiting planetdharma.com/wakeup.

In this talk from their online course, Crazy Wisdom, Doug and Catherine discuss the three lowest chakras and the energies they manifest. They look at the problems that are created in our lives when these energies are activated unconsciously and they explain the benefits that flow when we integrate and balance them.    Today’s episode covers ideas that Doug and Catherine explore in detail in their bestselling book, Wasteland to Pureland. The third section of the book is entitled Crazy Wisdom and covers a wide variety of topics, including The Shadow, Tantra, and Money, Sex & Power. Podcast listeners can download a free chapter from this section of the book by visiting planetdharma.com/crazywisdom.

We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the fourth of the 6 Paramis: Virya, usually translated as ‘energy'. If the paramis are new to you, you can hear an introduction and overview to the topic by finding Season 3 Episode 4 in the podcast feed.     To download a free paramis reference sheet and to access more resources on this topic, visit planetdharma.com/paramis.    If you find the teachings of Planet Dharma resonate and are wondering how to explore them further, we recommend our free online course called Wake Up: 4 Paths to Spiritual Awakening. This self-study course gives an introduction to the main approaches that Doug and Catherine employ with students to help them find their speediest path to spiritual awakening. You can learn more and register for free by visiting planetdharma.com/wakeup.

In this talk Doug and Catherine discuss the topic of ‘monsters in the closet', a.k.a. the shadow. They look at how the ego is formed through early trauma, and how it calcifies through additional conditioning via the family and society-at-large, creating areas in our lives that we are unable to meet. They explain how we can address these unconscious blocks and the benefits of undertaking this work.  This coming spring Doug and Catherine will be in Europe. They will be spending the month of May in the UK, and will be teaching at Watkins Bookstore in London and will be running a workshop at the Body, Mind, Spirit Festival. They will also be leading a 10-day somatic retreat on the topic of Karma, Womb and Transcendence in Wales. For more details, visit planetdharma.com/2020.  

Welcome to this Dharma If You Dare Bonus Episode. We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the third of the 6 Paramis: Ksanti, usually translated as ‘patience'. If the paramis are new to you, you can hear an introduction and overview to the topic by finding Season 3 Episode 4 in the podcast feed.     To download a free paramis reference sheet and to access more resources on this topic, visit planetdharma.com/paramis. And to find out when you can join Doug and Catherine at an upcoming live teaching, either in person or online, visit planetdharma.com/events.  

In this talk from their 2019 online course Riding the Dragon, Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat discuss how to free ourselves from "the B Movie of our lives”, the flat storylines caused by our attachment to the familiar. They explain that when the ego is seen as a tool, rather than who we are, we are finally able to access true creativity.    This recording is a continuation of a talk on Quantum vs. Adaptive Creativity. To better understand those terms check out Episode 3 of Season 3. If you find the teachings of Planet Dharma resonate and are wondering how to explore them further, we recommend our free online course called Wake Up: 4 Paths to Spiritual Awakening. This self-study course gives an introduction to the main approaches that Doug and Catherine employ with students to help them find their speediest path to spiritual awakening. You can learn more and register for free by visiting planetdharma.com/wakeup.

We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the second of the 6 paramis, sila, usually translated as ‘ethics’ or ‘morality'. If the paramis are new to you, you can hear an introduction and overview to the topic by finding Season 3 Episode 4 in the podcast feed.   To download a free paramis reference sheet and to access more resources on this topic, visit planetdharma.com/paramis. And to find out when you can join Doug and Catherine at an upcoming live teaching, either in person or online, visit www.planetdharma.com/events.

We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat on the first of the 6 paramis, dana, usually translated as ‘generosity'. If the paramis are new to you, you can hear an introduction and overview to the topic by finding Season 3 Episode 4 in the podcast feed.     To download a free paramis reference sheet and to access more resources on this topic, visit planetdharma.com/paramis. And to find out when you can join Doug and Catherine at an upcoming live teaching, either in person or online, visit www.planetdharma.com/events.

In this talk on AstroDharma Catherine and Doug discuss some basic elements of our natal astrological charts and how they can be leveraged for our spiritual unfoldment.    This excerpt from the talk is focused on the 3 most important parts of your chart. The study of dharmic astrology obviously involves much more than this. You will hear Catherine and Doug refer to other elements such as houses, for example, which are not explained in detail in this recording. If you like what you hear and would like to learn more, you can find some free resources and a self-study course at planetdharma.com/astrodharma.   The self study course, Catherine’s Intro to AstroDharma: Awakening Through Astrology, covers all the major elements of dharmic astrology in a way that builds from module to module, all with the lens of empowering you to achieve spiritual breakthrough. A personal favourite are the exercises where you practice by analyzing the Dalai Lama’s natal chart. Visit planetdharma.com/astrodharma to learn more.  

We hope you enjoy this soundbite from Catherine Pawasarat and Doug Duncan on the distinction between submission and surrender and how they play out in the spiritual path.    Don’t miss out on Doug and Catherine's next online course, The Diamond Realization: Clarity in an Unclear World, starting soon. For more information, visit planetdharma.com/diamond.

In this talk Doug and Catherine discuss Awakening Through Action, traditionally known as the practice of karma yoga. Karma yoga is a practice that transforms even mundane activities into paths of spiritual growth and awakening. In this practice every moment is turned into an active meditation. It is an ideal spiritual path for action-oriented modern people, that takes us beyond our selves. In the talk you will hear them make reference to 'Buddhas in Action’. This is their 2-week intensive program on karma yoga that they are currently offering every second year. If you find the teachings of Planet Dharma resonate and are wondering how to explore them further, we recommend our free online course called Wake Up: 4 Paths to Spiritual Awakening. This self-study course gives an introduction to the main approaches that Doug and Catherine employ with students to help them find their speediest path to spiritual awakening. It includes a module on the path of Awakening Through Action discussed in today’s episode. You c

The Diamond Sutra explains how a clear and strong consciousness cuts through foggy or disillusioned mind states to reveal wisdom and ultimate truth. In this talk, Doug Sensei uses the metaphor of clothing to explain how conditioning and previous karma cover up the diamond clarity of our natural state of being.     The Diamond Sutra is also the focus of the first Planet Dharma online course of 2020, Diamond Realization: Clarity in an Unclear World. Taking place over 4 weeks in January, this course can be joined live or via recordings during that time. There are also optional Master Classes and an at-home weekend-long retreat available for a more immersive experience. You can learn more at planetdharma.com/diamond.   In 2020, Planet Dharma will be holding 4 online courses over the course of the year, along with various in-person retreats and public teachings. To learn more about these events, visit planetdharma.com/2020.    

In this talk Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat explore the topic of 'Crazy Wisdom'. Also known as 'Divine Madness’, these are energetic and unpredictable teachings that help shake students’ fixed views about their reality. The stuck nature of our egos requires a breaking through of the status quo in order to access a place of open spaciousness of possibility. Doug and Catherine also explore the paradox that we actually feel more in control and secure when we let go of our ego’s need to be in charge all the time.   Today’s episode covers ideas that Doug and Catherine explore in detail in their bestselling book, Wasteland to Pureland. The third section of the book is entitled Crazy Wisdom and covers a wide variety of topics, including The Shadow, Tantra, and Money, Sex & Power.   Podcast listeners can download a free chapter from this section of the book by visiting planetdharma.com/crazywisdom.   

In this talk Doug and Catherine discuss the Buddha’s First Ennobling Truth: that life is always in some degree of struggle. They explore how preferences and anti-preferences contribute to our self image and how the degree to which we suffer is tied to the degree to which we cling or can surrender this limiting view of ourself.     Did you know that Planet Dharma also has a library of articles covering a wide variety of topics? We have over 100 blog posts on our website offering dharmic perspectives on all sorts of issues of interest to awakening beings. You can check them out at www.planetdharma.com/articles.  

In this talk Doug and Catherine explore the process of spiritual awakening and its many benefits. They discuss how it leads to greater freedom and control in our lives, makes us less subject to old habits and conditioning, and allows us to bring all aspects of our self into consciousness.   If you find the teachings of Planet Dharma resonate and are wondering how to explore them further, we recommend our free online course called Wake Up: 4 Paths to Spiritual Awakening. This self-study course gives an introduction to the main approaches that Doug and Catherine employ with students to help them find their speediest path to spiritual awakening. You can learn more and register for free by visiting planetdharma.com/wakeup.   As always, you can learn more about Planet Dharma’s offerings at planetdharma.com/podcast.

In this talk, Doug and Catherine discuss the importance of bringing all aspects of ourselves into consciousness. Through integrating the shadow we can access greater and greater degrees of freedom and free up huge amounts of energy.   Today’s episode featured a recording from Riding the Dragon, an online course based on the ideas in Doug and Catherine's bestselling book, Wasteland to Pureland.   You can learn about upcoming online courses by visiting planetdharma.com/events and clicking on 'Online Courses'. You can learn more about Wasteland to Pureland, download a free chapter, or purchase your own copy by visiting planetdharma.com/pureland.

In this public talk Doug Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat introduce the paramis, 6 aspects of consciousness that have been taught in the buddhadharma for more than two thousand years and allow practitioners to become their own inner and outer works of art. They are qualities that we can grow to feel internally grounded and to act from a positive, wholesome place in our relationships with others.   To download a free paramis reference sheet and to access more resources on this topic, visit planetdharma.com/paramis.    If you are looking to take a deeper dive into this material, Doug and Catherine teach a long-weekend retreat called Becoming a Work of Art at beautiful Clear Sky Center in the British Columbia Rockies. For more information, visit planetdharma.com/paramis.   And as always, you can learn more about Planet Dharma’s offerings at planetdharma.com/podcast.