Well Being with Don Oakley
by Don Oakley
Latest episode
The Desire to Be Special
The Desire to Be Special
About this podcast
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.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 276 episodes
- The Desire to Be Special · 14 min · Episode 188"Feeling special is very appealing to the ego. But is separates us from others. It is based on a (false) belief that "I possess something that you don't." And the idea of a…
- Selfishness · 20 min · Episode 187The 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…
- Egoic Identification · 13 min · Episode 186In 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…
- Emptiness & Dependent Origination · 16 min · Episode 185When 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…
- Seeing Through Illusion · 15 min · Episode 184An 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…
- Is Everything Impermanent · 19 min · Episode 183Everything 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…
- Fear of Awakening · 15 min · Episode 182It 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…
- How to Work with desire · 17 min · Episode 181"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…
- Your Unborn Nature · 19 min · Episode 179Everything 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…
- The Only Obstacle · 22 min · Episode 178There 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…
- Just One Thing · 15 min · Episode 177Rumi 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…
- The End of Seking · 19 min · Episode 176Seeking 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…
- Resistance - The End of Effort · 16 min · Episode 175When 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…
- The End of Effort · 21 min · Episode 174Initially, 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…
- Volitioon and Personal Will · 22 min · Episode 173A 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.
- It's Not Personal · 13 min · Episode 172We 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…
- Presence and Absence · 19 min · Episode 171When 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…
- The Fog of Ownership · 19 min · Episode 170In 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…
- Three Mistakes Most Meditators Make · 4 minMany Meditators make these three mistakes which lead to frustration rather than spiritual evolution.
