Podcast
Diggin' the Dharma
Hosted by Jon Aaron and Doug Smith
Diggin' the Dharma with Jon Aaron and Doug Smith is a relaxed discussion of the Buddhist dharma between friends. Jon's interest centers around practice, while Doug's centers around scholarship of the early material, so their approaches balance practice with study. Their discussions will be approachable to a broad audience of Buddhists and those curious about Buddhism, and they welcome questions and comments. Jon is a teacher at Space2Meditate and NY Insight Meditation Center and a well known teacher and trainer of teachers of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. Doug has a PhD in Philosophy and runs Doug's Dharma on YouTube and the Online Dharma Institute, where he gives courses on early Buddhism. Find them at: https://digginthedharma.com/
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Episodes
- Mothers and the DharmaMay 10, 2026 · 31 minSend us Fan Mail This episode will be out on Mother's Day, so Jon and Doug discuss the complex role of mothers in the dharma, particularly the early dharma. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Practicing for WisdomMay 3, 2026 · 34 minSend us Fan Mail The first two factors of the Noble Eightfold Path are the wisdom factors of Right View and Right Intention. As we practice meditation and bring our practice to life, we gain “wisdom” which refines our view. But what is wisdom really and do we know when we have it? Jon and Doug have a lively and mostly wise discussion Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Practicing With Language, Languaging PracticeMar 1, 2026 · 27 minSend us Fan Mail Jon and Doug discuss how language can both help and hinder our practice. Doug's Dharma Video: A Poem That Isn’t: Buddhist Mindfulness and Rumi's "Guest House" -- https://youtu.be/1E79pU6GzNs Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Finding Humor in Our Practice and the TeachingsFeb 22, 2026 · 25 minSend us Fan Mail Sometimes we take ourselves (particularly our minds) too seriously. Jon is taking stand-up comedy classes in Chicago, so he and Doug discuss the role of humor in our practice. Doug's Dharma video: Playfulness on the Path: The Buddha and Humor -- https://youtu.be/toZ-U26iCbc The Late Wes 'Scoo' Nisker's - Crazy Wisdom Saves the World (again) Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Realms of ExistenceFeb 15, 2026 · 26 minSend us Fan Mail Jon and Doug discuss the idea of the "realms of existence" in Buddhism. What are they, and how can we work with them? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Engaging in Compassion: A Chat with Ben Connelly of the Minnesota Zen CenterFeb 8, 2026 · 33 minSend us Fan Mail How do we manifest peace and compassion in the face of state brutality? Jon and Doug discuss with their special guest Ben Connelly, guiding teacher at the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center. Books By Ben Connelly Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- How Much is Too Much . . . News! Guarding the Sense DoorsFeb 1, 2026 · 27 minSend us Fan Mail The news nowadays can be overwhelming. Jon and Doug discuss ways we can practice with it, and some tips from Buddhism that can help us with navigating today's media landscape. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Walking as Practice: The Buddhist Peace WalkJan 25, 2026 · 27 minSend us Fan Mail Jon and Doug discuss the Buddhist peace walk from Texas to DC that is underway now. How can it inspire us in our practice? Walk for Peace Blog Page Interested in taking a class with Jon? Check out: When the Sh*t Hits the Fan- Broken Heart Dharma Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Investigating InvestigationJan 18, 2026 · 29 minSend us Fan Mail Jon and Doug discuss the role of "investigation" in our practice, one of the key factors of enlightenment or awakening. What are we actually investigating and how does this investigation lead provide energy and even joy? Interested in taking a class with Jon? Check out: When the Sh*t Hits the Fan- Broken Heart Dharma Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Taking Refuge in a New YearJan 11, 2026 · 26 minSend us Fan Mail Refuge is an evergreen topic in our practice. How can reorienting ourselves towards refuge help in the new year? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Finding a Teacher, Relating to Teachers, Being a TeacherDec 7, 2025 · 29 minSend us Fan Mail In this episode, Jon and. Doug discuss different styles of teaching meditation and dharma; how to find a teacher, and what it means to be a teacher. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Practicing Kindness with Guest BodhipaksaNov 23, 2025 · 43 minSend us Fan Mail Jon and Doug discuss practicing kindness and elements of the other Brahmavihāras with their guest Bodhipakṣa, who has a new book out: The Heart’s Awakening: 108 Steps to a Life of Love . Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- The Secular-Traditional Divide Examined: Four Guys Talk Dhamma | Roundtable with Clear Mountain MonasteryNov 9, 2025 · 1 hr 1 minSend us Fan Mail This week is a special episode, recorded thanks to Ajahn Kovilo and Ajahn Nisabho at Clear Mountain Monastery . Our conversation touched on themes Secular Buddhism vs Traditional Buddhism, the sacred, belief in rebirth, saddhā (faith), Mundane Right View vs Transcendent Right View, attachment to views, and much more! Clear Mountain Monastery will release a video of this discussion on their YouTube channel in December. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Devas, Nagas, Yakkhas, a Halloween EpisodeNov 2, 2025 · 26 minSend us Fan Mail It's Halloween as Jon and Doug record their episode, so the discussion is about the supernatural beings in Buddhism, their history, how they reflect our own inner and outer states, and how we can practice with them. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Getting Lost in Our StoriesOct 26, 2025 · 28 minSend us Fan Mail Mental proliferation or "papañca" is one key way the mind works overtime to keep us agitated and stressed out. Jon and Doug discuss how we get lost in our stories, and how sometimes it's good to spend time figuring them out, and other times it's best to figure out how to let them go. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Knowing Equanimity Without Falling Into IndifferenceSep 28, 2025 · 27 minSend us Fan Mail In many respects our practice aims towards equanimity. But if we force it, we may end up in indifference instead. Jon and Doug discuss these very different states and how our practice can help us navigate through them. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Bringing Our Practice to the HospitalSep 14, 2025 · 30 minSend us Fan Mail Practice can often be most helpful when things in our life go sideways. Jon and Doug discuss practice in the context of doctors, dentists, and hospital visits. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Approaching MeditationSep 7, 2025 · 29 minSend us Fan Mail What are we doing when we "meditate"? It seems like there are so many different styles and approaches. Jon and Doug discuss ways to frame and understand the practices. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Many Paths, One Destination. . Working with Different TraditionsJul 20, 2025 · 31 minSend us Fan Mail There are many different approaches to practice within Buddhism, not to mention outside of Buddhism. How can we work with these different approaches? What are some of their key differences? Doug's Dharma Video: Do All Religions Lead to the Same Goal? -- https://youtu.be/moGPUNfO8no With One Voice - a film about different spiritual traditions lead to the same place. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- The Dharma of Independence (Day)Jul 6, 2025 · 26 minSend us Fan Mail With the US holiday of July 4th upon us, Jon and Doug discuss dependence, independence, what freedom really means, and how to practice towards it. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Gladdening the MindJun 29, 2025 · 23 minSend us Fan Mail The actual instruction to "gladden" the mind is sdd in the Anapanasati (Mindfulness of In and Out Breathing) Sutta, in the third tetrad about the Mind. What is the Buddha asking us to do here? Jon and Doug discuss what it means to gladden the mind in Buddhist practice, why it's important and how we can practice with this instruction. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Letting Go Is Hard to DoJun 22, 2025 · 26 minSend us Fan Mail The second noble truth addresses the cause of Dukkha (suffering) as our nature to cling to our desires (or push away that which we don't want). The opposite of this is letting go. Ajahn Chah, the venerable Thai forest monk and teacher to many of today's wonderful teachers-- would say often: Letting go a little brings a little peace. Letting go a lot brings a lot of peace. Letting go completely brings complete peace. And yet, letting go, is not always easy! Jon and Doug discuss this. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Practice as Refuge and RechargeJun 15, 2025 · 26 minSend us Fan Mail These are difficult times, and our practice can be a true refuge and an opportunity to recharge. However, it’s also possible for meditation to become a means of escaping or bypassing what’s happening in the world or our personal experiences. Ideally, true refuge recharges us and increases our capacity to face the world and with what Bhikkhu Bodhi calls “conscientious compassion.” Jon and Doug have a lively discussion about how our practice supports us in these times. Link to Bhikkhu Bodhi's Commentary on Protecting Human Dignity and the Threat of Moral Nihilism: https://www.lionsroar.com/commentary-protecting-human-dignity-from-the-threat-of-moral-nihilism/ Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Practicing AcceptanceJun 8, 2025 · 27 minSend us Fan Mail Jon and Doug discuss the Buddhist practice of acceptance. How would the Buddha have framed it? How can we work with acceptance today, and how might an attitude of acceptance make our lives better? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Guarding the Sense Doors and Practicing with Social MediaJun 1, 2025 · 29 minSend us Fan Mail The Buddha taught that guarding the sense doors is an essential part of practice. Of course, social media didn’t exist 2500 years ago. These days it’s so easy to get caught in the vortex of social media. Jon and Doug discuss how they guard (or not) the sense doors in the current media reality. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- The Role of Faith or Confidence in Our PracticeApr 27, 2025 · 28 minSend us Fan Mail Jon and Doug discuss the role of faith or confidence in Buddhist practice, how it can be useful and also how it can be misused. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Silence and SolitudeMar 9, 2025 · 27 minSend us Fan Mail Silence and solitude are two forms of Buddhist practice of great depth, but also some difficulty for many. Jon and Doug discuss how they appear in the early texts, and how we can practice with them today. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Finding Joy Through PracticeFeb 23, 2025 · 25 minSend us Fan Mail Joy is an essential aspect of Buddhist practice. And boy do we need joy right now! Jon and Doug discuss how joy can arise for us, and what attitudes and practices can help joy to arise. Jon's Talk on Joy for Tricycle Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Pilgrimage and Spiritual SeekersFeb 16, 2025 · 29 minSend us Fan Mail Jon has been on pilgrimage in India over the last few weeks. He reports in about all he's been experiencing at various Buddhist and other sites. Links: Jon's blog posts: JonAaron.net/musings Where Are You Going: Ajahn Sucitto and Nick Scott https://whereareyougoing.podbean.com/ Doug's video: King Asoka: Buddhism's Great Political Modernist -- https://youtu.be/V4894Ug8Y3c Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- It's About Time in BuddhismJan 12, 2025 · 27 minSend us Fan Mail How do we perceive time, and what can we learn from Buddhist teachings about it? How do we frame the past and the future, not to mention the present? Jon and Doug discuss this topic, inspired by the fact that Jon is currently in India, which is 9.5 hours ahead of the East Coast of the U.S., where Doug is. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Dharma Chat with Stephen Fulder-- Practicing in Challenging TimesDec 22, 2024 · 33 minSend us Fan Mail Jon and Doug have a wide-ranging chat with the dharma teacher and peace activitist, Stephen Fulder, founder of Tovana, the Israel Insight Society. We discuss his work in Israel and his new book, How to Thrive in Hard Times . You can find his book here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/How-Thrive-Hard-Times-Buddhist/dp/1915672740/ Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Refuge in Practice: Self or Sangha?Dec 15, 2024 · 27 minSend us Fan Mail What is the role of community in our practice? The sangha is one of the traditional three refuges or jewels of Buddhism. The Buddha also advised at the end of his life to hold the self as our island and refuge, with the dharma as our island and refuge. Jon and Doug discuss how we reconcile these ideals. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Investigation, Energy, and JoyDec 8, 2024 · 26 minSend us Fan Mail Three key aspects of the seven enlightenment factors are investigation, energy, and joy. What are they, and how can we touch them in our practice? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Conscious of ConsciousnessNov 24, 2024 · 34 minSend us Fan Mail The final aggregate in the set of five is consciousness. What is meant by consciousness/ As an aggregate of clinging, when does it get in the way? Jon and Doug discuss. Doug's Video: The Problem(s) of Consciousness -- https://youtu.be/W1Pn65QZiZs Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Sankharas, What Are They? Volitional Formations/Constructions/etc.?Nov 17, 2024 · 27 minSend us Fan Mail In Buddhism the root of karmic action is in sankharas, a word with many uses in the dharma. As we practice, we can see the sankharas taking shape and then realize we have choices. But even the choices are related to other sankharas and the "wow' of this mind. Jon and Doug discuss them and how we can view their role in our lives. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Bringing Our Practice to an Unwanted OutcomeNov 10, 2024 · 28 minSend us Fan Mail Two days after the US Election, Doug and Jon discuss how they are handling the results. They also discuss how our practice can support us as we look to the future political landscape in the US and the world. Jon offered this poem by Rilke as a support: Let This Darkness be a Belltower Rainer Maria Rilke Quiet friend who has come so far, feel how your breathing makes more space around you. Let this darkness be a bell tower and you the bell. As you ring, what batters you becomes your strength. Move back and forth into the change. What is it like, such intensity of pain? If the drink is bitter, turn yourself to wine. In this uncontainable night, be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses, the meaning discovered there. And if the world has ceased to hear you, say to the silent earth: I flow. To the rushing water, speak: I am. Doug's Video: No Local Meditation Group? Six Solutions -- https://youtu.be/-rEKVKsV2iU Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Talkin' 'bout feeling (Vedana)Nov 3, 2024 · 29 minSend us Fan Mail Feeling tone, the pleasure or pain we take in experience, is a central part of dharma. As an aggregate, a foundation of mindfulness, a link in the chain of dependent origination, appreciating, understanding, and directly experiencing Vedana is a key to experiencing freedom. Jon and Doug have a lively discussion on this topic. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- The Aggregate of Form: Body and WorldOct 27, 2024 · 29 minSend us Fan Mail Doug and Jon continue to explore the Five Aggregates of Clinging (to self) and this week explore Form. How do we cling to form and at what point, does this clinging become suffering? Are doesn't it? Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- "Things Aren't as the Seem , Nor are they Otherwise*"-- Perception and Mis-PerceptionOct 20, 2024 · 28 minSend us Fan Mail Jon and Doug discuss perception and how it's mediated by past experience and the stories we tell. How does it become misperception? How can we work with our perception to live more skillfully and fully? *this quote is attributed to the Roman poet Phaedrus but it is often used by various Zen teachers Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- The Fetter of ConceitOct 6, 2024 · 30 minSend us Fan Mail How does our concept of ourselves and others create suffering? What would it be like to soften this "conceit of self". Understanding and seeing through this conceit, is the last of the higher fetters, which needs to the released before awakening. Jon and Doug discuss how this comes up in practice. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Disenchantment: It's not really what it sounds like, or is it?Sep 29, 2024 · 24 minSend us Fan Mail The Buddhist attitude of "nibbidā" or "disenchantment"/"disgust" is central to the early teaching. What is it and how can it help us navigate our lives? Jon and Doug discuss. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- A Buddhist View on ForgivenessSep 22, 2024 · 28 minSend us Fan Mail Doug and Jon discuss what forgiveness means in the contact of Buddhism. Is it Buddhist? It's a powerful and important practice but it doesn't seem to appear anywhere in the teachings. Information on the Class offered by Jon: Watering the Seeds of Forgiveness Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- The Buddha in the Voting Booth 2024Sep 15, 2024 · 28 minSend us Fan Mail Doug has Covid, Jon has a bad microphone, but they're chatting about the Buddha and voting anyway, as well as Buddhist practice and voting. What does 2024 bring for us in the voting booth, and how should we frame our political choices? To register to vote, and check voter registration in the US: https://vote.gov/ Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Is Meditation Dangerous?Sep 8, 2024 · 26 minSend us Fan Mail A recent podcast series at the Financial Times discussed serious problems several meditators have had at one popular ten-day Vipassana retreat system. Jon and Doug discuss this and some important work by Brown psychology professor Dr. Willoughby Britton. Links: The Retreat — an investigative podcast into the perils of meditation [Financial Times] -- https://www.ft.com/content/b3ec8e57-5cf9-4f96-9267-56c3bcd9c102 The Hidden Risks of Meditation — Dr. Willoughby Britton | The Tim Ferriss Show — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdmvoX1RZWA Cheetah House: Help for Meditators In Distress -- https://www.cheetahhouse.org/ Book: Trauma Sensitive MIndfulness, David Treleaven Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- RenunciationAug 18, 2024 · 23 minSend us Fan Mail With Jon's impending move to Chicago Jon and Doug discuss the beneficial practice of renunciation. What do we really need? Video: George Carlin talks about "stuff" -- https://youtu.be/MvgN5gCuLac Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- The Value of SilenceAug 9, 2024 · 30 minSend us Fan Mail Silence is so important to Buddhist practice. Jon and Doug discuss how silence impacts practice as well as some of the early tradition around silence. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Experiencing Art and Entertainment in the Context of the DharmaAug 4, 2024 · 27 minSend us Fan Mail How do we bring our Buddhist practice into our relationship with the arts and entertainment? The early Buddhist teachings, in particular, seem to look askance at this area of life. Doug and Jon discuss this interesting topic and how they integrate practice into their own interests in the arts. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- The Bodhisattva IdealJul 28, 2024 · 27 minSend us Fan Mail The Bodhisattva ideal really blossomed in the Mahayana traditions but the idea of the Bodhisattva was certainly present in the earlier traditions. Perhaps not in name but certainly in expression. When the Buddha spoke about himself before his Enlightenment, he referred to himself as a Bodhisattva. And, of course, the fact that he taught for 40 years after his Awakening points to his desire to awaken all beings. But how is the ideal expressed in us? Two papers: Bhikkhu Anālayo, Genesis of the Bodhisattva Ideal — https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/5-personen/analayo/genesis-bodhisattva.pdf Bhikkhu Bodhi, “Arahants, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas” — https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/arahantsbodhisattvas.html Videos from Doug's Dharma: What is a Bodhisattva? -- https://youtu.be/bs1XtNrNXpM The Early History of the Bodhisattva Ideal -- https://youtu.be/ECI_3ytgxcQ Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- Steps Along the Path: The Four Stages of ProgressJul 21, 2024 · 29 minSend us Fan Mail Stream-entry, once returning, non-returning, and arahantship are the traditional four stages of progress along the Buddhist path. What do they mean? Are they historical? Are they necessary for us to know about? Jon and Doug dive into this topic, which always raises questions about the value and the pitfalls. Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/
- How We Become a SelfJul 14, 2024 · 24 minSend us Fan Mail The Buddha described humanity as tangled like string, knotted like a ball of thread. This tangle is a result of not seeing clearly the dependent co-arising— paticca-samupadda-- of phenomena. This is one of the most important of the early teachings. It can be seen through the lens of individual dissatisfaction and of course, through social, political and cultural dissatisfaction. Doug and Jon explore the teaching and how we bring it into our practice. Dhivan Thomas Jones's book: This Being, That Becomes Videos: Playlist on dependent origination at Doug's Dharma: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0akoU_OszRjcEvO6Gt2MSKF-u7Y8XaNc Support the show Go to our website to leave a comment, buy us a coffee, or see further notes and links: https://digginthedharma.com/