The Windhorse Publications Podcast

The Dharma of overcoming addiction – an interview with Vimalasara

It’s always good news when one of our books starts selling well. But in this case, the popularity of Eight Step Recovery: Using the Buddha’s Teachings to Overcome Addiction points to the rise of compulsive and addictive behaviour and thought over lockdown and beyond. Dhammamegha sat down to talk with the book’s co-author, Valerie Mason-John (Buddhist Order name Vimalasara). 
Perhaps you’re aware of compulsion in yourself or others? In this podcast, Vimalasara and Dhammamegha talk about ‘stinking thinking’ and the difficult and beautiful path to sobriety of thoughts and feelings, putting something positive and wholesome at the centre of our lives. 
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Links: 
Order Eight Step Recovery online from your nearest independent bookshop or: 
Buy Eight Step Recovery (Europe)
Buy Eight Step Recovery (US & Canada)
Audio book edition
 
About Vimalasara and her website
FutureDharma Fund
Follow Windhorse Publications on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Beyond the known self – a conversation with Nagapriya

In this episode, Dhammamegha interviews Nagapriya, author of the forthcoming book: The Promise of a Sacred World: Shinran’s Teaching of Other Power. It is due out in early September 2022. 
Nagapriya encountered the writings of the Japanese Pure Land teacher Shinran at a point of crisis in his own spiritual life. After a decade of enthusiastic striving towards enlightenment, Nagapriya came up against the limits of self-directed practice. In that moment, Shinran and Other Power opened a different way of thinking about enlightenment and a life in the Dharma. 
I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with Nagapriya about his life and practice. In this generous and spacious interview – I found him warm and deeply thoughtful about what it means to be a Buddhist. Through reflection, mythic and poetic thinking, Nagapriya explores Shinran’s existential liberation, and the nature of connection, openness and encounter with something beyond the known self. 
Subscribe to our newsletter to get notified about the book’s release and launches
 
Links: 
Order online from your nearest independent bookshop or: 
Buy The Promise of the Sacred World (Europe)
Buy The Promise of the Sacred World (US & Canada)
About Nagapriya 
FutureDharma Fund
Follow Windhorse Publications on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The man who entertains cancer (how to deal with cancer) with Devamitra

In February this year, we published a memoir by a man diagnosed with life-threatening prostate cancer. The book is called Entertaining Cancer the Buddhist Way. That man is Devamitra, and his book covers his remarkable story of working with his mental states through diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
In this podcast Dhammamegha interviews Devamitra to learn more about the man behind the cancer journey, and finds out what conditioned his strength of character, and his Buddhist practice.
After a period of remission, Devamitra’s cancer has returned, and in this forthright and often unexpected conversation he talks about facing uncertainty, death and the beauty and love that can come from meeting ill health fully. It’s a longer listen than usual, so sit back and enjoy.
Trigger warning: This podcast deals with difficult topics such as cancer and death. Please be advised before listening.
Useful Links: 
Buy Entertaining Cancer (Europe)
Buy Entertaining Cancer (US & Canada)
Prostate Cancer UK
London Buddhist Centre
FutureDharma Fund
Follow Windhorse Publications on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Mindfulness and the suffering of the world with Bhikkhu Anālayo

In this episode, scholar-monk Bhikkhu Anālayo continues the conversation with Dhammamegha about two mindfulness books published by Windhorse Publications in 2019. 
The conversation covers the crucial question of the place of mindfulness of others in meditation, the importance of sangha or community, and the relationship between what happens on the cushion and our ways of being in the world. 
Getting closer to some of our collective challenges, Bhikkhu Anālayo talks about climate change and the Six Element Practice. We then move onto Bhikkhu Anālayo’s concerns about the dangers of going too far in deconstructing truth and morality in current culture, particularly in the USA, as well as the overemphasis of subjectivity. 
 
Links: 
About Bhikkhu Anālayo and Windhorse Publications 
https://www.windhorsepublications.com/product-category/authors/analayo/
https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/teacher/bhikkhu-analayo/
www.windhorsepublications.com
 
Links to audio resources: 
Elements meditation
Mindfully Facing Climate Change interview
 
Where to purchase the books:
Introducing Mindfulness: Buddhist Background and Practical Exercises
UK & Europe
US & Canada
Mindfulness in Early Buddhism: Characteristics and Functions
UK & Europe
US & Canada
Mindfully Facing Climate Change
UK & Europe
US & Canada 
Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions: A Historical Perspective
UK & Europe
US & Canada

Bhikkhu Anālayo and the Buddhist roots of mindfulness

In this episode of the new Windhorse Publications podcast, scholar-monk Bhikkhu Anālayo talks to Dhammamegha about two books we published in 2019, written for mindfulness practitioners interested in the Buddhist background to mindfulness. 
Along the way he talks about bare mindfulness and how it differs from mindfulness in the context of the Buddhist path. The interview covers the basic function of monitoring and acceptance to protect the mind, and the wisdom part of mindfulness practice. Anālayo talks about the importance of getting into the body and working with conditions as they are, opening the heart and bringing it all on the path.
Finally, our guest talks about studying early Buddhism – imagining the Buddha, how close we can get to imagining the historical Buddha, and the importance of relying on the Dharma.
 
Links for this episode:
Bhikkhu Anālayo's bio: https://www.windhorsepublications.com/product-category/authors/analayo/
Barre Center for Buddhist Studies: https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/
 
Where to purchase the books:
Introducing Mindfulness: Buddhist Background and Practical Exercises.
Europe - https://www.windhorsepublications.com/product/introducing-mindfulness-paperback/
US & Canada - https://bookshop.org/a/5803/9781911407577
Mindfulness in Early Buddhism: Characteristics and Functions.
Europe - https://www.windhorsepublications.com/product/mindfulness-in-early-buddhism-characteristics-and-functions-paperback/
US & Canada - https://bookshop.org/a/5803/9781911407553