Podcasts about brooklyn zen center

Recorded on December 11, 2025 during Rohatsu Sesshin—an intensive multi-day Zen meditation retreat commemorating the Buddha's enlightenment—at Boundless Mind Temple, Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!er ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Buddhist strategies for taming that nagging voice in your head. Ofosu Jones-Quartey, a meditation teacher, author, and musician hailing from the Washington DC area, brings over 17 years of experience in sharing mindfulness, meditation and self-compassion practices with the world. Holding a bachelor's degree from American University and certified by the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, Ofosu is a graduate of the Teleos Coaching Institute and is the male voice on the Balance meditation app, reaching over 10 million subscribers.  Ofosu leads meditation classes and retreats nationwide, having taught and led retreats at the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, The Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, Brooklyn Zen Center, Cleveland Insight, Inward Bound Mindfulness and more. As an accomplished hip hop artist under the name "Born I," Ofosu released the mindfulness-themed album "In This Moment" in 2021. Born I's most recent album, "Komorebi" (2025), has been hailed by listeners as "a missing piece in hip-hop," praised for its meditative flow and spiritual depth. The companion book, "Lyrical Dharma: Hip-Hop as Mindfulness" (Parallax Press), arrives with a foreword by Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker, further cementing Born I as a unique voice at the intersection of art and contemplative practice. Beyond music, Ofosu is an author, releasing his self-published children's book "You Are Enough" in 2020 and "Love Your Amazing Self" via Storey Publishing in 2022. He lives in Rockville, Maryland, with his wife and four children. In this episode we talk about: The relationship between self-compassion and a successful meditation practice All the reasons people resist self-compassion, and his rebuttals Whether self-compassion is selfish How to do self-compassion off the cushion, including practices like journaling, written reminders, establishing accountability partners, and simple questions you can drop into your mind when all else fails How to do self-compassion on the cushion, including practices like body scans, metta, and a check-in practice you can use at the very start of your sits And how to teach self-compassion to children   This episode was first aired in April 2024. Related Episodes: Think You Suck at Meditation? This Conversation Could Help. | Ofosu Jones-Quartey   Get the 10% with Dan Harris app here Sign up for Dan's free newsletter here Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok Subscribe to our YouTube Channel   To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris  

Recorded on December 10, 2025 during Rohatsu Sesshin—an intensive multi-day Zen meditation retreat commemorating the Buddha's enlightenment—at Boundless Mind Temple, Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded during Three Day Sesshin on October 25, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!er ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on October 11, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. Technical Note: Low audio levels at the very beginning and increases to normal levels after 30 seconds Resources Referenced in This Talk https://www.kairajewel.com https://www.normawong.com Joanna Macy, The Milling Exercise The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!er ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on October 6, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple, Brooklyn, NY. Technical Note: Low audio levels at the beginning and increases to normal levels after 90 seconds Resources Referenced in This Talk Bodhisattva Precepts Jewel Mirror Samadhi The Dogen story and quote from Shunryu Suzuki Roshi are from Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on September 20, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. Resources Referenced in This Talk Hospicing Modernity: Facing Modernity's Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism by Vanessa Machado de Oliviera Fierce Vulnerability: Healing from Trauma, Emerging Through Collapse by Kazu Haga "Death Doula to a Dying Empire" by Kazu Haga Published on One Earth Sangha "How I Became a Localist" by Deborah Frieze TED Talk In the Absence of the Ordinary: Soul Work for Time of Uncertainty by Francis Weller No. 92 of 108 by Norma Wong The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!er ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on September 6, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple, Brooklyn, NY. References mentioned in the talk: Abuse, Sex and the Sangha: a Series of Healing Conversations: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpxqAk60QqWrlqnlVVWr4IvLyv1GtBw5I Resilient Sangha Project: https://bostonzen.org/resilientsangha/ Buddhist Healthy Boundaries: https://www.buddhisthealthyboundaries.org/ "Sexual Ethics and Healthy Boundaries in the Wake of Teacher Abuse" by Ann Gleig and Amy Langenberg: https://www.lionsroar.com/sexual-ethics-and-healthy-boundaries-in-the-wake-of-teacher-abuse/ Book by Julie Seido Nelson, "Practicing Safe Zen: Navigating the Pitfalls on the Road to Liberation": https://julieanelson.com/2024/11/21/practicing-safe-zen/ The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on July 26, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. If these teachings have benefited your life, please consider supporting the program with a donation (suggested $2-7/episode, or whatever feels right for you!). You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on July 12, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. Please note: The first 50 seconds of the dharma talk is not audible due to technical issue. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on June 28, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on June 21, 2025 during the One Day Sit at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on June 7, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple, Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on April 27, 2025 at Millerton Zendo, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on May 10, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple, NY. Guest Speaker, Willie Mukei Smith gave a powerful talk on based on the Bearing Witness to Racism Retreats in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, asking what kind of people of "the way" are we going to be? We are honored to share a recording of his talk on our podcast Willie Mukei Smith is a Senior Student and Novice Zen Priest at The Village Zendo. He leads The People of Color Group at The Village Zendo and is a Member of the Buddhist Council NYC. Mukei is a Board Member of Zen Peacemakers International and leads Bearing Witness to Racism Retreats in Alabama. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on May 3, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The ground that we're on, all the time, is one that has wounds in it. There are bodies in it, there are stories in it, there are injuries in it, wherever we're moving.  The ground of our sangha has wounds in it. We're going along, we think we're fine, and then we trip, and there's a gash in the ground. Our country, this country, the ground of this country has wounds in it. Big holes, gaping gashes in it. (…) What if we become all about this? What if we become all about healing of these wounds in our sangha. What if that becomes the lighthouse? What if that becomes the compass?  The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

"Fields are greener in their description than they are in their actual greenness." - Fernando Pessoa "Yes, we want to clarify the stories that are keeping us separate and maybe causing harm for ourselves and others. That doesn't mean that we don't need stories that support community that keep us in touch with ancestors that help us make meaning of the world. I think Pessoa is talking about the power of our descriptive faculty, our imagination to make meaning of greenfield that we experience. So I want to lift up both of those aspects of stories." "I started thinking about what is the power of community at this moment, when there are so many forces that are driving us to isolation and being siloed. I enter into a situation with my own description of "the field" in a community like this where we share an intention, and I can have that description of the field bounce up and open up to your descriptions of the field. Simultaneously in those moments, I am shown how I create my own world and I can feel like the suffering of my own grasping onto my idea of the field. There's also a relief and wonder in the realization that I'm involved intimately involved in the creation and expression of worlds. And then collectively, I can imagine there's a field of possibility that gets plugged into the context of a community like this. That feels really necessary and powerful at this moment." Texts referred to: Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet. Genjokoan text from Dogen Zenji Recorded at Millerton Zendo in Millerton NY on April 6, 2025. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on March 16, 2025 at Millerton Zendo, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

The intersection of mindfulness and the Bodhisattva practice of patience, as a physical, somatic practice. Recorded at Millerton Zendo in Millerton NY on March 2, 2025. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on April 19, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple, Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on April 26, 2025 during the Three Day Sesshin at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on April 5, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on March 29, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on March 22, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple, Brooklyn, NY. "What is the ground of my life? What am I really here for? What is the ground of our life together with all beings? How do I care for this ground?" The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on March 8, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on March 1, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple, NY. "If we say there's a right, there must be a wrong? But if we say harmonious perspective, we can embody the middle path and we don't have to make others wrong. We have to figure out how we can be harmonious with other people that we interact with. It's a radically different approach. It's non-american, and if it's non-american, it means it's subversive. And if it's subversive, it means it could be transformative. And if it's transformative, it could be revolutionary." "Who are you? Are you who the society says you must be, or are you a miracle?" "I think Buddhism is at a crossroads. We can no longer sit on the sides and be observers of the pain of others. We must go into the marketplace with our truth: Causes plus conditions equals outcomes, impermanence, and shatter the illusions that have created destruction and hatred for generations." The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on February 22, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on February 23, 2025 at Millerton Zendo, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on February 15, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on February 8, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. "The whole point of Buddhist practice is so we can help people. That's the whole point. We clean up our mess a little bit, open up our heart, and then we can extend our hand out into the world that is utterly insane. And we can go into the world without needing to dominate because we understand that we're not separate and that everyone is suffering. This is the wellspring of joy".  The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on February 1, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on January 25, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on January 4, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on January 18, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. "The meaning of life is not something I can get, think, attain, gain, own or grasp. And until I'm totally here, in this moment, there is something really deep and important that I'm not really appreciating about being alive." The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on January 11, 2025 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on December 1, 2024 at Millerton Zendo in Millerton, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on November 23, 2024 at Ancestral Heart Temple in Millerton, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on December 6, 2024 during Rohatsu Sesshin at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on December 7, 2024 during Rohatsu Sesshin at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on November 23, 2024 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on November 17, 2024 at Millerton Zendo. Our practice is to turn around and welcome what hurts, and when we do that, that's healing—wholeness and healing. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on November 16, 2024 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded on November 6, 2024 at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY. A reading to launch two new poetry books by BZC friends and acclaimed poets: Granny Cloud by Farnoosh Fathi and Through a Window by Zoketsu Norman Fischer. BZC Administrative Director Ryan Lee Wong reads from a new short story and the three discuss Zen, poetics, and Eihei Dogen's “grandmotherly” or “parental” mind. The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

Recorded at Boundless Mind Temple in Brooklyn, NY on November 9, 2024. We're going to heal through a community that is grounded in our non-separateness, in our tender vulnerable, non-separateness. A community that values human life, period. A community that can grieve. A community that accepts that sometimes we're brokenhearted. A community that sees that the violence in our culture is not evenly distributed and that some of us are more vulnerable than others.  The BZC Podcast is offered free of charge and made possible by the donations we receive. You can donate to Brooklyn Zen Center at brooklynzen.org under ‘Giving.' Thank you for your generosity!

What you resist persists. Buddhist strategies for acceptance and equanimity.Ofosu Jones-Quartey, a meditation teacher, author, and musician hailing from the Washington DC area brings over 17 years of experience in sharing mindfulness, meditation and self-compassion practices with the world. Holding a bachelor's degree from American University and certified by the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, Ofosu is a graduate of the Teleos Coaching Institute and is the male voice on the Balance meditation app, reaching over 10 million subscribers. Ofosu leads meditation classes and retreats nationwide, having taught and led retreats at the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, The Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, Brooklyn Zen Center, Cleveland Insight, Inward Bound Mindfulness and more.As an accomplished hip hop artist under the name “Born I,” Ofosu released the mindfulness-themed album “In This Moment” in 2021. His most recent album is “AMIDA”, a spiritual, Lo-Fi Hip Hop album exploring life, death and his Buddhist faith.Beyond music, Ofosu is an author. His self-published children's book “You Are Enough” debuted in 2020 and his next work “Love Your Amazing Self” via Storey Publishing in 2022. Ofosu's latest book: “Lyrical Dharma: Hip Hop as Mindfulness” will be released in 2025 via Parallax Press. You can pre-order the book here.Ofosu lives in Rockville, Maryland, with his wife and four children.Cara Lai has worked as an artist, wilderness guide, social worker, and therapist before becoming a full time meditation teacher. She teaches teens and adults at Spirit Rock, Insight Meditation Society, and Ten Percent Happier.To find out more about what Cara does, you can go to her website, www.caralai.org – where she's got some online meditation classes, including one called Meditate Your Face Off. She also has a monthly class for parents, co-led by Ofosu Jones-Quartey.Speaking of podcasts, Cara also co-hosts a podcast called Adventures in Meditating (For Parents), along with Jess Morey and Jon Roberts.Cara lives in Vermont with her husband and their 2-year-old son.Related Episodes:The Upside of Desire | Cara Lai Can You Get Fit Without Self-Loathing? | Cara Lai Rewire How You Talk To Yourself | Ofosu Jones-QuarteyWhat It's Like To Do A Year-Long Silent Meditation Retreat—By Yourself | Cara LaiSign up for Dan's weekly newsletter hereFollow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTokTen Percent Happier online bookstoreSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular EpisodesFull Shownotes: https://happierapp.com/podcast/tph/cara-ofosu-848See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

GuestRyan Lee Wong is author of the novel Which Side Are You On, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. He lived for two years at Ancestral Heart Temple and is the Administrative Director of Brooklyn Zen Center.Some of Ryan's publications include:Which Side Are You On, his novel published in 2023. Every Past Life All At Once, a critical essay on the films Past Lives and Everything Everywhere All At Once on The AMP.The Buddha on TV: Nam June Paik's fraught relationship to Buddhism, on PBS: American MastersCheck out his website to read more and stay updated.IG: @ryanlwong 

GuestRyan Lee Wong is author of the novel Which Side Are You On, a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel. He lived for two years at Ancestral Heart Temple and is the Administrative Director of Brooklyn Zen Center.Some of Ryan's publications include:Which Side Are You On, his novel published in 2023. Every Past Life All At Once, a critical essay on the films Past Lives and Everything Everywhere All At Once on The AMP.The Buddha on TV: Nam June Paik's fraught relationship to Buddhism, on PBS: American MastersCheck out his website to read more and stay updated. IG: @ryanlwong Your HostREVEREND DANA TAKAGI (she/her) is a retired professor of Sociology and zen priest, practicing zen since 1998. She spent 33 years teaching sociology and Asian American history at UC Santa Cruz, and she is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies. 

Buddhist strategies for taming that nagging voice in your head.Ofosu Jones-Quartey, a meditation teacher, author, and musician hailing from the Washington DC area brings over 17 years of experience in sharing mindfulness, meditation and self-compassion practices with the world. Holding a bachelor's degree from American University and certified by the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, Ofosu is a graduate of the Teleos Coaching Institute and is the male voice on the Balance meditation app, reaching over 10 million subscribers. Ofosu leads meditation classes and retreats nationwide, having taught and led retreats at the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, The Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, Brooklyn Zen Center, Cleveland Insight, Inward Bound Mindfulness and more. As an accomplished hip hop artist under the name “Born I,” Ofosu released the mindfulness-themed album “In This Moment” in 2021. His most recent album is “AMIDA”, a spiritual, Lo-Fi Hip Hop album exploring life, death and his Buddhist faith. Beyond music, Ofosu is an author, releasing his self-published children's book “You Are Enough” in 2020 and “Love Your Amazing Self” via Storey Publishing in 2022. He lives in Rockville, Maryland, with his wife and four children.In this episode we talk about:The relationship between self-compassion and a successful meditation practiceAll the reasons people resist self-compassion, and his rebuttalsWhether self-compassion is selfishHow to do self-compassion off the cushion, including practices like journaling, written reminders, establishing accountability partners, and simple questions you can drop into your mind when all else failsHow to do self-compassion on the cushion, including practices like body scans, metta, and a check-in practice you can use at the very start of your sitsAnd how to teach self-compassion to childrenRelated Episodes:The Voice in Your Head | Ethan KrossSign up for Dan's weekly newsletter hereFollow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTokTen Percent Happier online bookstoreSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur favorite playlists on: Anxiety, Sleep, Relationships, Most Popular EpisodesFull Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/ofosu-jones-quarteyAdditional Resources:Download the Ten Percent Happier app today: https://10percenthappier.app.link/installSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Charlie Pokorney is now a teacher at the Brooklyn Zen Center, He and his wife Sarah were  head teachers  at the Stone Creek Zen in  Sebastopol, CA, for 8 years. He was at  the SFZC, mainly Tassajara and Green Gulch farm for12 years during which time he and Timothy O'Conner Fraser got Shunryu Suzuki lecture audio and transcripts up on the SFZC website. He teaches at the Inst. of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley - and he's done a lot more but you can get  at least some of that from the podcast.

In our latest installment of 2022 Debuts, we talk to Ryan Lee Wong, the administrative director of the Brooklyn Zen Center and now a novelist. He joins us to discuss his debut novel, Which Side Are You On, which tells the story of a young Asian man who wants to drop out of school to dedicate himself to the Black Lives Matter movement, and his mother, who has different opinions about activism and organizing.