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Three Buddhist Practices For Getting Your Sh*t Together | Vinny Ferraro

Feb 4, 2026 1h 6m 14 insights
<p dir="ltr">Practical advice from a straight-talking former criminal and occasionally profane Dharma teacher. </p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://vinnyferraro.org/">Vinny Ferarro</a> has practiced insight meditation (vipassanā) since the mid-90s. He's the Guiding Teacher of the Big Heart City Sangha in San Francisco and has led a weekly sitting group for almost two decades.</p> <p dir="ltr">As a fully empowered Dharma Teacher through Spirit Rock/IMS, he has taught residential retreats at various centers and currently leads Spirit Rock's <a href="https://spirit-rock.secure.retreat.guru/program/a-year-to-live-yl7t26/?lang=en">Year to Live</a> course. </p> <p dir="ltr">This episode originally dropped in May of 2024, but we're re-posting it because it was one of our most successful episodes. </p> <p dir="ltr">In this episode we talk about:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr">Alignment</li> <li dir="ltr">Vinny's concept of "flashing your basic goodness"</li> <li dir="ltr">Noting practice</li> <li dir="ltr">The deep satisfaction in not seeking satisfaction</li> <li dir="ltr">Redirecting awareness</li> <li dir="ltr">Being an "empathetic witness" for yourself</li> <li dir="ltr">When to opt for distraction</li> <li dir="ltr">Not taking what's not yours </li> <li dir="ltr">Vinny's ancestor practice</li> <li dir="ltr">What is the connection between seeing our family patterns and not taking what is not ours?  </li> <li dir="ltr">How loyal have we been to our suffering?</li> </ul> <p><strong><br /> <br /></strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Related Episodes:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-be-okay-no-matter-what-kamala-masters/id1087147821?i=1000680036412"> How To Be Okay No Matter What | Kamala Masters</a></p> </li> <li dir="ltr"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vitamin-e-how-to-cultivate-equanimity-amidst-political/id1087147821?i=1000536756587"> Vitamin E: How To Cultivate Equanimity Amidst Political Chaos | Roshi Joan Halifax</a></p> </li> <li dir="ltr"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-happier-with-dan-harris/id1087147821?i=1000536756527"> Non-Preachy Ethics | Jozen Tamori Gibson</a></p> </li> </ul> <p><strong><br /> <br /></strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Get the 10% with Dan Harris app <a href="https://app.danharris.com/membership">here</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Sign up for Dan's free newsletter <a href="http://www.danharris.com/">here</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Follow Dan on social: <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J">TikTok</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Subscribe to our <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD">YouTube Channel</a></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong>Thanks to our
Actionable Insights

1. Daily Practice Beyond Thought

Make time every day to rest in a dimension deeper than thought, as this is the only way to maintain a connection to your inherent goodness and primordial awareness, preventing you from mistaking your thoughts for reality.

2. Align with Inner Wisdom

Regularly check in with your internal mind states, discerning the full menu of thoughts, fears, and conditioning, then consciously choose to align with and give life to what is wise, kind, and generous within you.

3. Self-Pardon, Compassionate Refusal

Offer yourself a pardon for your current state, acknowledging that your conditioning is not your true self, and approach self-correction with a ’no’ rooted in love and care, which is more transformative than one born from anger, fear, or shame.

4. Use Noting for Discernment

Employ noting practice by softly labeling internal experiences (e.g., ’thinking,’ ‘planning,’ ‘anger’) as they arise; this creates distance, breaks identification, and helps you discern what you are under the influence of, preventing you from getting lost in mental narratives.

5. Find Satisfaction in Not Seeking

Discover a deep satisfaction by not actively seeking it, recognizing that contentment and peace are often present when you stop the compulsive search for them and cease arguing with the present moment.

6. Redirect Awareness from Overwhelm

When experiencing overwhelming emotions like anxiety, redirect your awareness to a different part of your body, such as your feet touching the ground, to find a sense of fundamental okayness and titrate your experience, allowing you to tend to difficult emotions with care rather than being overwhelmed.

7. Be Empathic Witness to Self

When experiencing difficult emotions like anxiety, act as an empathic witness for yourself by creating a safe space, wrapping yourself in warmth and affection, and acknowledging your feelings with care, just as you would for a loved one.

8. Practice Not Taking What’s Not Yours

Apply the precept of ’not taking what’s not ours’ beyond literal stealing to include not taking things personally, and not taking on the suffering or intergenerational trauma of your family that does not belong to you.

9. Question Loyalty to Suffering

When observing intergenerational trauma or personal difficulties, question your loyalty to suffering and ask yourself if you are taking on more than is helpful, discerning what truly belongs to you versus what is an inherited pattern or personal identification.

10. Engage in Ancestor Practice

Cultivate an ‘ancestor practice’ by remembering that your ancestors are supporting you, viewing yourself as being at the ’tip of the spear’ to break unhelpful family cycles, and drawing strength from the intention to not pass on detrimental patterns to future generations.

11. Prioritize Sleep for Well-being

Make sure to get enough sleep, as it is crucial for upgrading your life, maintaining an even keel, and is considered the ‘apex predator of healthy habits’ because nothing good happens without it.

12. Meditate Without Striving

When meditating, avoid turning it into another goal or ‘becoming,’ such as trying to be a perfect meditator or judging your posture, to prevent it from becoming just another game to ‘get good at.’

13. Flash Your Basic Goodness

Remember and reflect your inherent goodness, especially when facing external judgments or internal doubts, because forgetting your own goodness can lead to desperation and unwholesome actions.

14. Distract When Overwhelmed

If you lack the inner resources to meet an overwhelming experience, it is acceptable to temporarily distract yourself, such as by taking a walk, to allow the difficult feelings to pass.