45 episodes
Kitchen Sink Dharma Walter Young
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- Religion & Spirituality
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5.0 • 8 Ratings
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How ancient teachings help us to navigate modern life. Every week a new episode offers 15 minutes of sanity, drawing from early Buddhist teachings, designed to wake you up from your stress and misery.
It can be hard to believe that doing something as simple as practising mindfulness will free us, but it will. Don’t imagine that there are secret teachings out there somewhere that you need to go and find. The answer is much closer to home. You’ll find it right here in this very moment. It’s always here and it’s always available. If you’re too busy looking for transcendent experiences you’ll miss it. You can find it in the washing of a cup, the sound of a bird, a conversation with your son, your daughter, your mother, your friend. You can find it in the sensations in your body as you work and rest and live and breathe.
Just listen with your body, heart and mind.
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Taking Refuge
Our need for security shapes the way we live. Most of us take refuge in our own home, our possessions, our bank account and there’s nothing wrong with that. We can mostly rely on our home to keep us warm and comfortable, our car to get us where we want to go, but we can’t rely on these things for more than that.
They’re not going to offer us lasting peace and happiness. They’re not going to make us feel complete. If we put unrealistic expectations on anything, we’ll be disappointed.
This talk was offered to Insight North East in March 2024 -
Overthinking
If you notice that you’re lost in repetitive thinking, it’s not a bad thing at all. It’s a perfect opportunity to learn and grow. The instruction is simply to recognise, without judgment, what’s happening: ‘This agitation has arisen and, like everything, it’ll pass’.
And gradually, it loses its grip. -
Compassion and emptiness
We can take responsibility for our intentions and our actions. We can try to live ethically. But we can’t control everything that happens around us and neither can anyone else.
If we understand this, there’s no place for ill will, there’s no blame. The only thing that makes sense is compassion. -
Love not willpower
We can’t change the way we are through willpower alone. But we can patiently observe our experience, knowing that our essential goodness is there, watering it, nurturing it, giving it space to grow.
This takes us much closer to our deepest intentions than willpower ever can -
Letting go
The idea of ‘letting go’ comes up a lot in the Dharma. We’re taught that our suffering comes from our tendency to grasp and cling.
Letting go of suffering isn’t achieved through an act of will. It happens when we cultivate certain qualities, from which our suffering and stress start to fall away by themselves. -
Calm Yourself
Most of us get agitated many times during the course of a day. It’s part of being human.
We often respond to stress in ways that make it worse. If instead we practise reconnecting with the body and breath, we learn to release unhelpful patterns. We learn that it's possible to live with steadiness and openheartedness, no matter what happens to be going on around us.
Customer Reviews
Direct and relatable
I love how Walter delivers these apt insights into our inner and outer lives. The real world/ everyday examples he draws on really help me understand what’s going on in myself, my reactions, thoughts and feelings, put across in a secular way that’s accessible to everyone. He has a great voice and delivery !
Such a thought provoking, uplifting and easy listen!
Love Walter’s modest and delightful delivery of his deep wisdom and his knowledge of Buddhist practices.
Each episode offers clear understanding of current issues that affect us all - and gentle advice and encouragement on how to accept ourselves and our emotions. It’s like bite-size guidance on how to live well in the world.
A true teacher who definitely walks the walk and not just talks the talk!
So helpful
Calm and soothing at the same time as being provoking and helpful. Thank you Walter.