The Robert Beatty Podcast

In this episode, we gather in our electronic Dharma hall, commencing with a heartfelt prayer by Roshi Joan Halifax designed to navigate challenging times. The episode recounts the host's serendipitous encounter with Joan Halifax during an expedition around the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet, underscoring the themes of compassion and resilience. Highlighting spiritual insights, the discussion delves into perceiving life with open, spacious awareness, beyond fear and doubt, and embracing each breath as a sacred ritual of our interconnected existence. The episode reflects on the importance of mindfulness, the power of love, and the deep bonds we share with...

This episode delves into the profound concept of impermanence, inviting listeners to contemplate how every beginning inevitably leads to an end. Through the teachings of the Dharma and the wisdom of the Buddha, find inspiration to embrace the uncertainties of life and recognize the beauty in its transient nature.

From intimate human interactions to the vast tapestry of life's experiences, learn how to cultivate a mindful awareness that welcomes both joy and sorrow with open arms. Discover the courage to face life's inherent unpredictability, allowing it to liberate you rather than weigh you down.

Join...

LIfe is Remarkably imperfect. With mindfulness as our guide, we explore the wandering mind, the nature of presence, and the transformative power of intentional kindness and love. Through poetic insights and moments of stillness, discover the essence of anicca—impermanence—and awaken to the present moment, celebrating life's imperfections and mysteries.

Join Robert Beatty as he explores the truth of Anicca, or Impermanence beginning by a musical rendition of Jennifer Wellwood's poem the Dakini Speaks. Music by Saffire Bouchelion.   This concept of anicca is central to the teachings of the Buddha.  Ever since the moment of the Big Bang there has been nothing but change.  Most of our unnecessary suffering arises because we cling to things as they are and hope they will not change. 

A journey through meditation, self-awareness, and love, this episode invites you to relinquish the rigidity of clinging and to open your heart to a wor...

Beginning with a deeply wise quote about just sitting with all experiences from the most beautiful to the most painful this episode brings us into contact with the truth of impermanence. Unveiling the profound teachings of the Buddha and other spiritual masters, listeners are invited to sit in stillness, appreciating the impermanence of life and the interconnectedness of all living beings. This episode encourages embracing the present moment with compassion and mindfulness, highlighting our existence as both individuals and integral parts of the universe. May our shared practice bring peace to all beings.

Presented by R...

Join Robert Beatty, master meditation teacher, healer and spritual guide as he guides yu into direct experiences with the utter reality of impermanence and existence. This episode invites you to embrace the fleeting moments of life, understanding the three kinds of feelings: pleasant, painful, and neutral, and how they shape our human experience.

 Learn to cultivate love and compassion, embracing both the wandering mind and the present moment. This practice guide explores how the consistency of change invites discovery and acceptance, leading to a natural state of wakefulness and heartfelt gratitude.

Join the Robert Beatty Podcast in this captivating episode as we explore the profound beauty of "Aimless Love" by Billy Collins. We begin with a reflective walk along the lakeshore, immersing ourselves in the simplicity and depth of love without expectations. From nature's wonders to everyday objects, we dive into a deeper understanding of how love manifests in our surroundings.

The discussion then transitions into the realm of meditation and spiritual awakening, where we explore the concept of recognizing the aliveness within our bodies and the boundless awareness that surrounds us. Through a meditative presence, we invite...

This is an ancient Tibetan meditation practice. You begin where you are and embark on a meditative journey to a place of safety and peace.  You allow your imagination to transport you to a tranquil mountain meadow, a peaceful lakeside, or a familiar rocking chair by a warm fire. You make your way to a peaceful and vast mountain lake where you are joined by the Buddha, Quan Yin or whomever you wish. Together and with many other loved ones who come to join you, you engage in the practice of viewing the world and its inhabitants with deep c...

We begin with poems by Rumi and TS Elliot that speak of being fully awake and abiding in the stillpoint of the turning world.  This episode delves into the depths of mindfulness and the dance of impermanence, inviting us to embrace every moment with awareness and compassion.

It ends with a reading from Tales of a Magic Monastery by Father Theophane and a lovingkindness meditation that is luminous and vastly inclusive 

This episode invites listeners to embrace presence and mindfulness. The host shares the poem On Being a Person by William Stafford, inspiring reflections on being present and aware in our everyday lives. Amidst life’s fleeting experiences, the discussion highlights the beauty of mindfulness and the wonder of existence.

Listeners are encouraged tto realize that in love there is room for everything.  The Five Hindrances are described and understood to not be obstacles, but rather the very fabric of awakening.

A touching story about Kimberly Ransom’s remarkable life journey and contributions to art and music...

In this episode, listeners are invited to embark on a journey of self-discovery and compassion. Through a series of guided meditations and reflections, the episode explores the omnipresent awareness that requires no effort and the realization that each moment of awakening is perfectly timed and prepared for, possibly even across lifetimes. Listeners are encouraged to extend love and compassion to themselves and others, acknowledging the interconnections of all beings.

The narration invites listeners to imagine themselves at their own birth, welcomed with unconditional love and the wisdom of lifetimes. It challenges them to see the beauty in...

In this enlightening episode, we delve into the concepts of presence and mindfulness through the soothing words of Oriah Mountain Dreamer's poem 'Prelude'. Listeners are invited to explore how being fully present and compassionate in everyday interactions can transform their perception of life.

Join us as we discuss the essence of mindfulness as suggested in the Satipatthana Sutra, and how the integration of simple mantras with breathwork can enhance concentration and ease. Discover the liberating idea of 'doing nothing' as a mindful practice of unfolding into our true nature, leading to a life of contentment and grace. <...

In this episode, we are greeted with the serene backdrop of the Columbia River Gorge as the host introduces a theme that resonates deeply with the essence of human connection. Reading a heartfelt poem by John Fox, the speaker emphasizes the profound impact of being truly heard and understood.

Listeners are invited to explore mindfulness and love as intertwined practices. The host shares insights from personal experiences and teachings, including a powerful incantation from Atum Okane. This episode encourages embracing the present moment, allowing the body to breathe naturally, and cultivating compassion for oneself and others.

Join Robert Beatty of Portland as he recites "The Small Ruby" by Kabir.  Music created by Saffire Bouchelerion. 

The small ruby represents the central longing of all humans ,wholeness or completion which can only be found within.

This meditation is perfect if you want to sit for 10, 20 , or 30 minutes as there is a gong at ten minute intervals. 

Join us in this insightful episode as we delve into the profound teachings hidden within Shakespeare's timeless words, exploring life as a journey where every individual plays multiple roles. We uncover the mysterious wonder of our physical existence and the ever-present consciousness that witnesses this play.

Through the simplicity of breathing and present moment awareness, we learn to embrace and inhabit our bodies fully, acknowledging the vibrant life within. Discover techniques that can help anchor you in the now, from observing the breath to utilizing mantras and intentions for happiness and presence.

Learn how to...

This episode begins with a new poem by Hal McCartor read by Robert Beatty. It addresses in the simplest of language the experience of no-self so central to Buddhism. 

At 30 minutes Robert guides you in a meditation called the Garden of the Heart. You discover that there is a roadside garden with your name on the gate. All the kind and generous actions of your lifetime are blossoming here in an infinite display of flowers. you can pick bouquets for yourself and everyone else you wish to ext4end your love to. This is a practice you c...

Join Robert Beatty on a journey into mindfulness and awareness as we explore profound teachings and poetry that illuminate the nature of the mind. Delve into ancient wisdom from Lao Tzu and reflections on the impermanence of life. Discover how to dissolve mental vexations by embracing non-attachment and quiet acceptance, offering insights into finding peace and clarity within oneself.

This episode reflects on the teachings of the Buddha and the transformative power of staying rooted in the present moment. Learn about cultivating mindfulness, love, and compassion, as well as practical steps to nurture wholesome mental states amid...

In this episode, Robert Beatty guides us to explore the profound concept of 'allowing' as he begins with reading Dana Foulds poem  'Allow.' The following meditation guides us to embrace all of life's moments—painful, pleasant, weak, or fearful—and accept them for what they are. Through the practice of choiceless awareness, we learn the power of simply being present and the freedom it brings.

Join Robert in his meditation room and open to an intention to allow. He discuss the traditional strategies for awakening, such as focusing on the breath, and delve into the mystery of mi...

This Guided Meditation by Robert Beatty introduces the listener to the teachings of the Venerable Taungpulu Sayadaw.

Robert spent a week with Ven Taungpulu Sayadaw over 44 years ago.  Getting a one week visa to Burma was almost impossible at that time.  

Robert ordained as a novice monk and spent five days in intensive practice.  The practice was very different from that of usual Mindfulness teachings at the time.  Robert was instructed to spend every waking moment attending to one of the following:

Seeing 

Hearing

Sitting and Touching.

The fi...

Atum O'Kane was the founder and director of the Spiritual Guidance Wisdom School. He passed away recently. The first section of this recording is an invocation that came to him while sitting with his students in Padmasambhava's Cave in Bhutan.  

The central section of the recording is a teaching from the Buddha known as "The Five Daily Recollections.

The verbal presentation is offered by Robert Beatty.

The music was created by Saffire Bouchelion.

Both live in Portland Oregon. 

Robert Beatty performs this poem to the original music by Saffire Bouchelion

An exploration of life's constant and utterly out of control nature.

The poles of life alternate and contentment arises from acceptance. 

Robert Beatty leads this invocation and Reflection

The Invocation comes from Atum Okane who recently passed away. One day he sat with a group of students for a long time in Padmasambhava's cave in Bhutan.  The next day he shared with his students that this invocation had come to him in the cave.   

Drawing from the teachings of Buddha 2,600 years ago, we delve into the great mantra of truth, reflecting on the inevitable truths of human existence: aging, sickness, and death. This episode encourages us to intuitively embrace these truths, rather than intellectualize them, in ord...

In this enlightening episode, we delve into the essence of meditation, exploring the practice of being fully present in each moment. The episode challenges the common misconception that meditation is about self-improvement, offering instead a perspective of acceptance and awareness.

Listeners are guided through a reflective meditation, encouraging them to embrace their natural state of being awake to sensations, thoughts, and emotions. Drawing inspiration from the teachings of Ajahn Chah and the Buddha, the episode emphasizes the beauty of simply being and the spontaneous nature of awareness.

Through gentle guidance, the episode invites listeners to...

In this captivating episode, we delve into the life of Reverend Calvin Baumgartner, a passionate preacher whose Sunday sermons ignite the hearts of his congregation. Known for his heartfelt connection with God, Calvin is faced with a life-altering decision when representatives from the Evangelical Broadcasters Network offer him a platform to reach millions.

However, an unexpected visitor challenges Calvin's understanding of faith, presenting him with profound truths that transform his perspective on religion. As Calvin grapples with the weight of his newfound enlightenment, he must choose between the comfort of his established life and the radical path...

These clear and concise poems bring one to the brink of awakening. 

They point to the present moment and the realization that there is experience but no one experiencing. 

They are poems about freedom and being. 

This guided meditation will help the listener find relief from pain. It is particularly useful for pain that is chronic, or difficult to bear.  Using the recording teaches one how to approach the experience of pain and to learn how to suffer less and less. Becoming deeply intimate with the PAIN reveals itself as bare sensations that can become quite bearable.  

In this meditation, Robert takes the meditator on a guided tour of the various mental phenomena that populate the inner world in meditation; and he gently guides the meditator through an appreciation of the reality of those phenomena, and how to be with them in ways that will reduce suffering, increase understanding, and form the building blocks of lasting happiness. This meditation was offered on September 10, 2024.

In this meditation, inspired from a poem by the Indian Hindu sage, Ramana Maharshi, Robert skillfully guides the meditator through the steps of understanding the basic principles of anicca, dukkha and anatta, not as a matter of thought or intellect, but experience. We intuitively come to understand that we need do nothing more than accept what is here now.  He closes the meditation with the Buddhist parable:  The Two Brothers Wake Up.  This guided meditation was from September 16, 2024, with the Portland, Oregon Insight Meditation Community.

Love and mindfulness are synonyms. In both of them there is room for everything; nothing is excluded. With awareness of the present moment, it becomes clear that the past is a class of thoughts occurring in the present moment. This makes it possible to lie back in the arms of love, and allow the wounds of the past to be healed.

This guided meditation includes an inner journey back in time to your own birth and childhood.  "Let yourself imagine being present at your birth and being the first one to hold the baby.  What would you say? What are the words you have always longed to hear?"  The meditation traverses your entire life to the present, and onward to your death.  You can bring love and compassion into your most distant and faint memories, allowing love to replace fear, self-hatred, and holding back from life. This meditation was from a retreat on 6/24/24 at Breitenbush, Oregon.

All cultures have at their core an archetypal and powerful story, or myth. These myths are actually "true" in that they provide maps of the inner life that are relevant thousands of years later. The Buddha was an historical person, who actually walked the earth. His spiritual journey and awakening provide countless points of inspiration to anyone interested meditation and living life fully. Robert Beatty tells this story with inspiration in great depth, with humor and accompanied by varying rhythms on his hand drum, the Middle Eastern Tar. This Dharma talk was given at Breitenbush in Oregon on June 28, 2024.<...

Anicca, Dukkha and Anatta are known as the Three Characteristics of Existence.  Everything that occurs and "exists" since the Great Flash which was the beginning of our universe has these characteristics.  Of course this includes ourselves, our loved ones, our possessions, and achievements.  The Buddha suggested that we use the scientific method and carry out the experiment with ourselves as the object of study: Is anything permanent?  Does anything enduringly satisfy?  Can I find an enduring self? This quest sets us free from clinging and leads us to freedom and contentment. This Dharma talk was from a retreat held in Ju...

In this podcast, Robert Beatty explains in a simple, down-to-earth fashion, the Buddhist Five Precepts, which are the guidelines for a happy and successful life in the world. The guiding precepts are very simple and powerful understandings of how the world works, and how we can each create a more satisfying life for ourselves and others. This Dharma talk was given at the Portland Insight Meditation Center on July 7, 2024.

The Four Noble Truths provide the foundation of the entire Buddhist teaching. By becoming aware of suffering, its cause, its ending, and the way to its ending, we can set ourselves free. This is a very practical undertaking; not a philosophical endeavor.

This talk was given at Breitenbush Hot Springs, Oregon in June 2024.

This guided meditation by Robert from June 25, 2024, opens our awareness to the fact that consciousness is omnipresent.  One can awaken through seeing, hearing, touching and every sense experience.

The meditation concludes with a vast and all-inclusive loving kindness practice.  

Ajahn Sumedho, an elder Theravadan teacher of Robert says, "In love there is room for everything."

Robert  Beatty has been offering morning meditation gatherings since the first week of Covid. This guided meditation from June 24, 2024, invites you to be really awake, and to cherish your life. It begins with two poems: Our Jeopardy, by Thomas Carlile, and, Tomorrow We Are Bones and Ash, by David Budbill  As the meditation progresses Robert invites you to imagine finding a comfortable and inviting hammock in the woods. He guides you to allow your mind to rest as your body would;  an awake and comforting practice time.  

From June 18, 2024: This is a meditation emphasizing love. In love there is room for everything. Every breath sings the same song; every experience sings the same song. Everything is in constant change.

For more information, go to www.RobertBeatty.com

From June 17, 2024: Concentration and mindfulness are known as the "The Wings of Awakening." In concentration one emphasizes returning to the breath, and pays little attention to "the wandering mind," or other "distractions." Concentration does not require a gritting of the teeth, or tensing of muscles. Instead, awareness lands on the training object with the delicacy of a butterfly landing on a flower.  

For more information go to www.RobertBeatty.com.

Robert reads the poem "Oh Death," by Gina Puorro. He then guides a deep meditation on awareness and the experience of the wandering mind.

In this present moment it is possible to use the power of love and mindfulness to go back in time to your birth, and every moment of your life, to bring love compassion and kindness to yourself. You are not limited to the thoughts, feeling, memories and beliefs of this moment. You can help to re-write your history and create the happy present you are really longing for.