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| 5/11/13 Recorded original verse read by Joel Lesses from Odyssey of Autumn Breath: An American Collection and Life, his personal work of poems and letters. Recorded this day also are three poems written during the Writing and Well-being Workshop from the Mental Health Association of Erie County on May 11, 2013. 1. Great Forgiveness Prayer for All click here 2. Prayer: An Introduction click here 3. through the day click here 4. Childhood Remembered click here 5. Poem for A Friend Gone Away click here 6. tree mountain, mountain tree: a song of moments click here 7. Metaphysics of Today click here |
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| 4/18/13 to 4/21/13 Talks by Ryushin sensei: “How we suffer. How we stop our suffering.” Ryushin Sensei completed decades of monastic training and received authorization to teach from first generation American Zen Master John Daido Loori, Roshi in 2009. A native of Poland, a graduate of Yale University and the Albany Medical College, and a US Navy veteran, he began studying with Daido Roshi in 1987 and entered residency in 1992. Before becoming a resident, he worked as a pediatrician and a psychiatrist. Zen Mountain Monastery is a monastic training center providing traditional yet distinctly Western Zen training in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. For more information, visit their website. |
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| 1/10/13 Life and Death, Giving Space For Transformation Amy Gallagher, a poet, and and her brother, Cory James Gallagher, a professional singer, speak with Joel about the process of holding space for people's transformation from the body; the merging of the seen and the unseen in this world; and experiencing the rawness and poignancy of life, through keeping an open heart. Amy reads new original and beautiful verse, while Cory shares a moving song a cappella. Listen to this sacred conversation about this sacred topic. To experience some of Cory's music visit www.soundcloud.com/cory-j-gallagher to listen (57:58) or click here.....for direct link click here |
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| 5/10/12 Foundational Teachings of Buddhism: Samadhi, Sila and Prajna (Meditation, Moral & Ethical Teachings, and Realization) Konrad Ryushin Marchaj, Sensei Abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery conveys these series of lectures focusing on the most basic presentation of the Buddhist teachings into three distinct venues—Samadhi, Sila and Prajna. According to some, Samadhi is best understood as training of the mind and uncovering its inherent potential for perceiving reality in a direct and unobstructed way. Sila refers to moral and ethical guidelines that inform our lives, and to a life well lived, lived in accord with the nature of reality, and the necessity to attend to our way of acting within our lives. Prajna is the direct appreciation of the non-dual nature of reality, realization of the emptiness and selflessness of all phenomena, and interconnectedness of all things. Buddha repeatedly highlighted the need to engage all three of these areas of spiritual training. He also challenged us to study how these areas inform and augment each other, allowing us to deepen our appreciation of the nature of practice and the release from suffering that is accomplished in breaking through veils of illusion and living in accordance with how things truly are. Listen as Konrad Ryushin Marchaj expresses these teachings in this vital and spontaneous discourse.... To view the Zen Mountain Monastery website, click here. Part One (49:34) or click here, for direct download right click here |
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| 5/19/11 Konrad Ryushin Marchaj, Sensei Abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery In these talks, the Sensei discusses various aspects of Buddhism's Three Treasures (i.e, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), their interconnectedness, relation to individuals, family, and communities and the realization of each. Speaking out of his experience with Zen, the Sensei examines these topics and the questions they illicit fundamental to our human condition; breaking down obstacles and practices of perceiving the moment clearly. To view the Zen Mountain Monastery website, click here. Part One (49:34) or click here, for direct download right click here |
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| 6/17/10 a lecture by Konrad Ryushin Marchaj, Sensei – resident teacher and new abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery Due to the escalating uncertainty that pervades our modern times, many of us live in fear — fear of being alone, fear of losing control, fear of those unlike ourselves, fear of old age, sickness and death. But could it be possible to live our life without suffering from despair or anxiety? For 2500 years Buddhism as a religious practice has steadfastly addressed this question. As is true of Buddhism since its inception, the centuries old practice of Zen Buddhism has offered a way of finding complete peace and freedom amidst the very problems that seem to stand in our way. Yet Zen is not about promising us a gateway into some idealized version of this reality. But rather it shows us how this very reality can be the realm of freedom. This lecture addresses practical ways of engaging your stress-filled life. Sponsored by The Buffalo Zen Dharma Community. to listen to part one (52:51) or click here.....for direct link click here to listen to part two (44:35) or click here.....for direct link click here |
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| 2/7/10 Sacredness and Relationship: A Conversation With Joy Harjo Joy Harjo was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and is a member of the Mvskoke (Creek) Nation. Her seven books of poetry include She Had Some Horses, The Woman Who Fell From the Sky, and How We Became Human, New and Selected Poems. Her poetry has garnered many awards including a Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Award: the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas; and the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America. She has released three award-winning CD’s of original music and performances: Letter from the End of the Twentieth Century, Native Joy for Real, and She Had Some Horses. A song from her forthcoming CD, Winding Through the Milky Way, just won a New Mexico Music Award. to listen (54:40) or click here.....for direct link click here |
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| 1/31/10 The Nature of G-d and Man, A Practical Exploration of Kabbalah This is a must listen for anyone with a existential bent. Gedaliah Gurfein, a gifted soul from Jerusalem, explains many aspects of Judaism and Kabbalah including creation of the universe, the nature of G-d and man, reincarnation, time, the founder of the Chassidus movement, the Ba'al Shem Tov, and G-d's purpose for creation. to listen (50:35) or click here |
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| 11/1/09 Zen, Art, and the Spiritual Path with Sue Marie Horvatits In this episode, Sue Marie and Joel Lesses dialogue about her writings, Zen, life, and the spiritual path. Sue Marie reads from her new work of prose, a stream of consciousness, beginning with "Awake" and ending with "Realization." Past lives, the gift of awareness and its relationship to psychology were mentioned. Please listen as these two friends search for meaning and the purpose of existence. to listen (55:36) or click here |
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| 9/10/09 The Practical and Spiritual Lessons of Healing Punishment Joel Lesses and Chris Barbera dialogue about the current Federal findings and investigation about the Erie County Holding Center. Practical spiritual solutions were discussed - meditation, community organization, and giving voice to those in need. The topics ranged from restoration of the individual and the social order and the power of experiential wisdom giving birth to action were all included. Different religious methods and traditions were drawn upon to give insight to the solution. Institutions (i.e. the mental health system and the prison system) were deconstructed. Please listen... to listen (56:17) or click here |
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| 8/12/09 Science, Secular Humanism and Religion: An Examined Existence with Graham Sears Graham Sears was born in Buffalo, New York in 1953. His education includes The Nichols School and Liberal Arts at Hobart College, then the University of Buffalo. In 1984 and 1985 studied at the School of Fine Arts in Paris and have been working artist for 25 years. His work is shown in New York City (Robert Steele) and museums across the United States. Graham is a serious student of philosophy, science the history of ideas and the history of expression. Personally, Graham rejected utterly his Christian upbringing beginning around age of 12. He writes "Haunted by great poetry, music and literature. Life is beautiful, people are beautiful, love is beautiful. Religion is a tragic sexist delusion more responsible for human misfortune than any other single cause, it is niether the source of truth about man, origins or morality nor is it justifiable as a source of comfort despite its' factual absurdity it is in short completely unneccesary and dehumanizing..." to listen to Part 1 (33:49) or click here to listen to Part 2 (31:33) or click here |
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| 7/26/09 Tao of Meaning Making In this episode much territory is covered about the host and guest, their personal stories to the present and Israel, Ethiopian Jews, Repressed Memories, Quantum Theory, and the collective direction and responsibility of human beings today. Jeremy Joseph is a Ph.D. student in clinical psychology at the University of Wyoming. His area of research is posttraumatic stress disorder and meaning-making.As an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, he also majored in psychology. The 14 years in between were filled with volunteering in Israel, museum work, graphic design gigs, teaching design, t-shirt adventures, admin drudgery, and everything but psychology. Getting back into the world of academia took a combination of luck, dedication, and the willingness to do research and grief counseling for free for two years. Jeremy hopes to get a position with an international non-governmental agency doing refugee work once he has his Ph.D. He took the most round-about ways imaginable, but he’s glad to be right where he is today. to listen (60:00) or click here |
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| 5/24/09: Spotlight on Health: Tom McNulty interviews Joel Lesses (aired on May 24th, 2009 at 7am on WJYE, 96.1) Tom McNulty, President and CEO of the Mental Health Association of Erie County, interviews Joel David Lesses, MS CRC a counselor, poet, and writer about overcoming mental health issues and having hope for those with severe and persistent mental illness.The message Joel gives is one of hope. Going into the struggle with mental illness, and expecting difficult trials, one can through persistence overcome severe and persistent mental illness. The show is pertinent if you have a mental health condition or if a family member has a mental health condition, one wants to learn more about mental health, reducing stigma, and advocating for others with mental health concerns. The promotion of understanding reduces stigma and stereotypes of individuals with mental health issues, please listen. to listen (22:12) or click here |
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| 2/9/09 Mountains Walking, Faith Of A Mustard Seed In this deeply spiritual and reverent dialogue, Reverend Mary Masters and Joel Lesses discuss many aspects of Unity's Christianity and the purpose and potential of all religion, including Jesus and the metaphysical aspect of the parables, silence and listening, Gaza and Israel, the post 9/11 world and Barack Obama diplomacy, and the paranormal, and the nature of God to name alittle of this shows wide range in terrain. In this episode and conversation, the presence of Spirit is palpable. Rev. Mary E. Masters was installed as the minister of Unity in February 2003, after having been ordained as a Unity Minister at Unity Village, Missouri during 2002. Rev. Mary holds a Master's degree in Managerial Communications from Northwestern University in Illinois plus a Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, where she majored in political science and organizational behavior. Prior to entering the Ministerial Education Program at Unity School for Religious Studies, Rev. Mary worked in the field of collegiate athletics management. She held several positions in the Big Ten Conference in Chicago, Illinois for 18 years. Rev. Mary's roots in Unity go back to the 1980s, when she became a member of Unity in Chicago and was very active in that congregation. Click here for the Unity Church website. to listen (49:38) or click here |
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| 9/13/08 Radhe Radhe and Unraveling Religion, a collaboration Radha Govinda Swami and Joel Lesses discuss God, the nature of reality, the transmigration of the soul and verses from the Bhagavad-Gita in this episode. One correction by Joel - Rebbe Nachman is the grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, and not the other way around. to listen or click here |
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| 7/1/08 An Interview with Kerri Kannan Kerri Kannan lives in upstate, NY with her two beautiful daughters. She is a motivational speaker, self-love mentor and the author of the book, Uncovering the Divine Within – A Journey of Self-Love. Kerri is also the creator of the 30 day Love your Body and Love Your Life Transformation programs and has been host of her own internet radio program. You can order her book at Inner Circle Publishing or contact her directly by visiting her website. (55:23) to listen or click here |
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| 6/18/08 A General Introduction to Soto Zen Joel interviews Rev. Kyoki Roberts, a Soto Zen Buddhist priest and a founding member of the Order of the Prairie Wind. She is the senior ordained student of Rev. Nonin Chowaney, Head Priest of Heartland Temple and OPW. She has trained at Hokyoji Monastery in Minnesota, San Francisco Zen Center and Green Gulch Farm in California, and Zuioji and Shogoji monasteries in Japan. Kyoki received Dharma Transmission from Rev. Nonin Chowaney, OPW in June 2001. She was appointed to serve as Deep Spring Temple's first Head Priest. She serves on the Board of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association, and the Program Committee of the American Zen Teachers Association. (60:00) to listen or click here |
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| 3/25/08 Work, Love, Forgiveness and Serivce Joel interviews Chris Barbera, a man who sees spirituality as non-violent service to the poor. He currently is the acedemic dean at Jesus the liberator seminary, which provides the theological education for prisoners. (60:00) to listen or click here |
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| 2/28/08 The Interconnection of World Teachings Joel interviews Anjali Kumar. Anjali was raised on the principles of Yoga and recently went to the Bihar School of Yoga to learn yoga under the guidance of Swami Niranjananandaji (pron. "Niranjan-anandaji"-all as one but for readability). For about two years Anjali has been teaching adults and kids through Montgomerty county in Maryland, does Yoga therapy at hospitals, works with students at a correctional facility, in senior citizen communities, temples and churches. She has a broad perspective on religions and has a wide range of knowledge and experience. (60:00) to listen or click here |
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| 12/13/07 Interview of Joel Lesses at Club Diablo New to Think Twice Radio, Joel Lesses was interviewed by Jim Pray at Club Diablo about relationships, loss, spirituality and meditation. Here is an introduction to a little of Joel's spiritual perspective. (10:15) to listen or click here |
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| 11/14/07 What's It All For? Joel interviews Major Ragain, a poet and teacher of creative writing at Kent State University for almost 40 years. Join us to hear a rich, river-sipping experience when two old friends sit and chat about everything that comes to Mind. (60:00) to listen or click here |
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