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The "What Is?" series
by Don Oakley

This series of ten short (about five minutes each) video clips available on YouTube explore common questions that often arise during the spiritual search. These short talks are intended to suggest a direction of inquiry for the viewer rather than providing a pat answer to significant metaphysical questions.

Introduction to What Is? series

 

This short Introduction to the  What Is? series of 5 minute talks on YouTube explains the intent of suggested use of the talks......

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What Is Awakening?

 

Awakening is not an improved version of ourselves. It is a fundamental shift of identity. A shift from believing that we are separate from the rest of existence to discovering .......

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What Is Freedom?

 

From what are we seeking freedom? There is only one true freedom and that is freedom from the tyranny of ......

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What Is Meditation?

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Meditation practice can come in many flavors with concentration methods at one end of the spectrum and, at the other end, just .......

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What Is Spirituality?

 

Spirituality is often spoken of as being an aspect of our life. However, to do so divides the One existence into the spiritual and the world, when, in fact, life is ......

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What Is Creativity?

 

Creativity is often thought of as something you were born with or you weren't, but Creativity is really a learnable aspect of our deepest nature...

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What Is Ego?

 

Ego is often assigned the role of villain in the drama of the search for spiritual enlightenment. However, no autopsy has ever found an ego and when we go looking for it, it can be surprising difficult to pin down, primarily due to the fact that it doesn't actually exist. Sure, all the regrets and shames and hurts that are the debris....

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What Is Suffering?

 

Life seems to offer many opportunities to encounter painful circumstances - both physical and psychological. We often use the terms pain and suffering interchangeably. But they are different. Pain may be inescapable, but suffering.....

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What Is Acceptance?

 

Acceptance of our "shortcomings" is a matter of approaching our condition with the right perspective. It's not about learning to love our shortcomings. Much more transformative is to see unskillful behavior as.....

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What Is Love?

 

Transcendent, or uncaused, love is something entirely different from how the word is commonly used. This short video is an introduction to the vastly deeper meaning. 

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What Is Awareness?

 

In spiritual circles we hear a lot about “awareness” and “consciousness”. It’s important to have the direct experience of what that actually is. We’re all familiar with our five senses; they’re responsible for how this organism knows what’s happening out in the world. There’s also this sense of ...

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