Buddha @ The Box Office

Serving as a modern mythology that inspires us towards our own greatness, FROZEN 2 presents us with a complex story about the relationship between human beings, the natural world, and the Divine. After discovering an imbalance in the forces of nature that threatens the wellbeing of their kingdom, Elsa and Anna must right wrongs from the past, discover the truth about their human and divine origins, and heal a broken world. In this episode, we discuss the ways in which we must all walk this same "hero's journey" in our own lives. We all must heal the imbalances in our world, come into harmony with the forces of nature, and discover our own divine inner nature. To do this, however, we must break free of the comfortability of the status quo, and embark on inner and outer journeys of discovery and transformation. With its timely message, FROZEN 2 offers us a map for individually and collectively bringing deep healing and balance into a world spinning out of control.

IS THIS A DREAM? This is the million dollar question raised in Christopher Nolan's INCEPTION and in the Buddhist practice of Dream Yoga. Like a good spiritual teaching, INCEPTION asks us to question our reality and explore the infinite potential of our minds to both create imaginary realities and to awaken from the dream of false realities. In this episode we explore the wild world of Nolan's cinematic phantasmagoria and draw fascinating connections to the ancient practice of Dream Yoga and the modern techniques and discoveries of lucid dreaming. Through this discussion we reveal that while much of Nolan's world and the dreaming techniques portrayed in it will forever remain in the realm of the imaginary, through applying ourselves to the practices of lucid dreaming and dream yoga, we can learn not only how to manipulate our dreams in nearly limitless ways, but we can also make deep discoveries about the dream-like nature of our waking reality.

What does it take to be one of the GREATS? Whether in Buddhism or any other field of practice, the pursuit of greatness almost always begins with a great teacher. WHIPLASH presents us with difficult questions about this teacher-student relationship and its role in shaping artistic genius or an enlightened disciple. Can a teacher go too far in his or her efforts to extract the student’s inner greatness, or is the highest master one who pushes beyond societal norms and acceptability in order to shatter the student’s conventional identity and bring forth the transcendent capabilities hidden beyond the thick walls of ego?

Are you the master of your emotions or do they master you? Disney Pixar’s INSIDE OUT offers an imaginative look at the most powerful force in our lives: our emotions. While we often have the sense that “we” are in control, according to Inside out and Buddhist philosophy, it is often our emotions that run the show of our lives. In this episode, we’ll take an in-depth look at exactly how emotions work, how they can transform our lives for better or for worse, and how the Buddhist understanding of “no-self” might actually be the key to profound emotional well-being.

JOKER provides a rich opportunity to examine some of the Buddha’s teachings up against a story that depicts the most unfavorable of life circumstances. Drawing on the life story of Joker-to-be, Arthur Fleck, we discuss karma and its role in shaping our inner and outer worlds, we discuss the way spiritual confusion and disconnect leads to false distinctions between self and other, and “in” groups vs. “out” groups. And we look at the way this tribalism and violence in the world finds its origin in an initial misapprehension of reality, and a fundamental disregard for the fact that from one perspective, even the Joker is a Buddha.

Meet the show's hosts, Joe and Alex Cadiff, and get a peek into the wild and enlightening world of Buddha @ The Box Office.