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Tejopala likens the current global climate crisis to a village with a fire that threatens everyone in it and asks what a community of monks living in such a village might do in such circumstances. He also draws on the advice given by Urgyen Sangharakshita in his talk given in 1984 called 'Buddhism, World Peace and Nuclear War' as to how Buddhists should act to address an overwhelming existential threat, in which Bhante urges civil resistance. This talk was given at the Melbourne Buddhist Centre as part of Buddhist Action Month, 2019. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967
Cambridge anthropologist David Sneath is in Mongolia to find out how Buddhism continues to make a comeback after years of persecution under Communism. David tells the story of how a young Mongolian boy has recently been recognised as the new reincarnation in a lineage of major Buddhist leaders, once known in the country as ‘Holy Emperor'. The 10-year-old boy will, when formally enthroned, be considered the 10th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu in a lineage stretching back centuries. The Jebtsundamba Khutughtu (widely known to Mongolians as the “Bogd') is a leader of the Gelugpa School within the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and the young boy was officially recognised by the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan religious leader. David meets the boy's mother, religious leaders and leading cultural figures to find out what is in store for the young Bogd. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to spirituality from around the world.
This summer, we're answering your questions about Buddhism and how to apply it to your life! For the next two weeks you can send us any questions you have about Buddhist practice or share a topic you'd like us to cover in an upcoming episode.How to submit your question:1. By voice: Send a voice message to our Instagram DMs @Buddhability or call us at (646) 580-8763. 2. By text: Instagram DM us @Buddhability or email us at connect@buddhability.org.Please send your question by July 4th, 2025. We may select an assortment of voice messages to share on an upcoming episode, so please submit that way only if you are comfortable having it shared on the podcast.
Kill sin or it will be killing you. This is the battle plan for every Christian. It's violent. It's personal. And, it's everyday. This discipleship for dads panel discusses what this killing sin business looks like in the average Christian's life. What is this plucking out eyes and cutting off arms that Jesus recommends? How does this begin in the heart? This program includes: 1. The World View in 5 Minutes with Adam McManus (Will 56 Worldview listeners give $45,000 TODAY?, Buddhists poison 3 kids of Christian couple in Laos, Iran's ballistic missiles hit Israeli hospital) 2. Generations with Kevin Swanson
Send us a textIn this conversation, Monsignor Roger Landry speaks with Father Basil Fernando, the National Director for the Pontifical Mission Societies in Sri Lanka. They discuss the challenges faced by the Catholic Church in a predominantly Buddhist country, the impact of the 2019 Easter bombing, and the ongoing missionary work in Sri Lanka. Father Basil shares insights into the economic conditions affecting families and the church, the importance of community support, and the spiritual resilience of Sri Lankan Catholics. The conversation highlights the need for assistance and prayer for the church in Sri Lanka.Click here to learn more about supporting the Pontifical Missions Societies:https://pontificalmissions.orgFollow us on socials!https://x.com/tpms_usahttps://www.instagram.com/tpms_us/
Fed up with their own inadequate and expensive care systems, many elderly Westerners are choosing to retire to Thailand, where care is cheaper and often better. Many say Thailand's Buddhist culture and respect for the elderly means Thais are naturally caring. It's a booming sector, and is only likely to grow as we all live longer. But the decision to move can be complex, particularly when it involves retirees with dementia. People have been accused of dumping their sick relatives in Thai care homes, far from family. Is this exploitation – rich Westerners taking advantage of Thailand's low wages? And what does it mean for local health systems, as care workers are lured away to look after foreign residents?If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Gideon Long(Picture: British retiree Liz Jackson, now living in Chiang Mai.)
This Teisho was given by the Reverend Karen Do'on Weik Roshi at the Buddhist Temple of Toledo on March 20, 2024. In this talk Do'on Roshi finishes her discussion on the 41st case from the Mumonkan (aka The Gateless Gate) known as Bodhidharma Puts the Mind to Rest. If you would like to learn more about the Buddhist Temple of Toledo or to make a donation in support of this podcast please visit buddhisttempleoftoledo.org. Part of Reverand Do'on's Teisho on the Mumonkan series.
Many wonder if they're "stuck" in a pattern or if healing and growth are possible.Join George Haas as he explores the intersection of attachment theory and meditation, and the path to live a more meaningful life. If you're interested in meditation-based attachment repair for long-term healing, this is for you.Like this? Grab our free video resource called
One of the contradictions of modern environmentalism is that a concern for ‘nature' embodies a separation between humans and the living world. Ketumati develops a profound critique of our usual assumptions and a revised version of holistic thinking. Excerpted from the talk From the 'Nature' Delusion to the Wisdom of the Earth given at Adhisthana as part of the series Wisdom of the Earth: Philosophy and the Climate Crisis, 2023. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967
This week on DANGER CLOSE, Jack Carr is joined by military historian and national security expert Dr. Mark Moyar.Dr. Moyar is the Director of the Center for Military History and Strategy at Hillsdale College, where he holds the William P. Harris Chair of Military History. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard with a Ph.D. from Cambridge, he served in the Trump administration as Director of Civilian–Military Cooperation at USAID and has advised across government and military institutions. He is the author of eight books, including his most recent and widely discussed work, TRIUMPH REGAINED: THE VIETNAM WAR, 1965–1968.In this episode, Dr. Moyar and Jack explore the Vietnam War through the lens of revisionist history, challenging the conventional wisdom that has shaped public perception for decades. From the early influence of French colonialism and the flawed assumptions that guided U.S. foreign policy, to the critical decisions of Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon, Moyar offers a clear-eyed reassessment of America's involvement.They examine the Domino Theory, the role of media figures like David Halberstam and Neil Sheehan, and the controversial legacy of the Phoenix Program—often mischaracterized in pop culture and politics alike. The conversation also delves into the 1963 Buddhist protests, the assassination of President Diem, and the missed strategic opportunities that could have changed the trajectory of the war.Dr. Moyar draws compelling parallels between the U.S. exit from Vietnam and more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, connecting lessons from history to modern military and diplomatic challenges. He also speaks to the cultural forces—films like JFK and distorted media narratives—that continue to shape the American understanding of Vietnam to this day.This is a powerful discussion about the weight of history, the cost of misinformation, and the importance of revisiting the past with intellectual honesty.FOLLOW MARKX: @MarkMoyarWebsite: https://markmoyar.com/FOLLOW JACKInstagram: @JackCarrUSA X: @JackCarrUSAFacebook: @JackCarr YouTube: @JackCarrUSASPONSORSCRY HAVOC – A Tom Reece Thriller https://www.officialjackcarr.com/books/cry-havoc/Bravo Company Manufacturing - BCM Stock MOD3:https://bravocompanyusa.com/bcm-stock-mod-3-black/ and on Instagram @BravoCompanyUSATHE SIGs of Jack Carr:Visit https://www.sigsauer.com/ and on Instagram @sigsauerinc Jack Carr Gear: Explore the gear here https://jackcarr.co/gear
Sharing deep spiritual secrets of love and attachment, Jack transforms our unhealthy attachments into Wise Relationships through vulnerability, inner joy, and shared humanity.Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.“The secret is, the opposite of attachment is not detachment, but love. Because true love does not seek to possess or control, it doesn't separate or fear what is there. True love is the ability to be present without grasping. From this place, love offers its blessings.” – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Transforming unhealthy clingings into Wise AttachmentNot getting stuck in our ideas and views The global price of collective addiction and attachmentMoving past our attachment to our sense of separatenessThe big spiritual question—who are we really?His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and keeping a healthy curiosity around deathLowering our defenses and helping others lower their defenses around usParenting with trust and connection rather than clinging and controlThe good side of attachment—connection, well-being, mirroringTransforming low-self-esteem and the body of fear into self-confidence and opennessUsing spiritual practice to open to a love that includes our full humanityFinding the true possibilities that the spiritual path offersResting in our being—how not to seek and chase, and how not to run away and hideTouching our incompleteness, our brokenness, with compassionExpanding our heart and connecting with our shared humanityUncovering within us our inner knowing, The One Who KnowsHow to be true to yourself, and make a light of yourselfMeditation as an invitation into vulnerabilityMoving from unhealthy attachment into Wise RelationshipHow Being Here Now, our capacity to be present, transforms our lifeNirvana as the absence of struggle with the world as it asPlease help support Jack's daughter Caroline's Oasis Legal Services in their mission to help persecuted LGBTQ+ Asylum Seekers gain citizenship and safety in the U.S.“We want to be loved, we want to be held, and it's so hard to be vulnerable. Meditation is an invitation to that vulnerability, the rawness and openness of the heart. Not because it's good for us, but because it moves us back to the truth that we are held. If we can sit and open, we'll discover that this universe that has given birth to us really does hold us.” – Jack KornfieldThis episode recorded on 03/08/1993 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed. “Nirvana, which is the absence of suffering, doesn't mean that the world goes away. Nirvana is the absence of struggle with the world as it is.” – Jack KornfieldAbout Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack's entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Are you caught in a loop of overthinking, over-planning, or playing it too safe? In this episode, Megan sits down with acclaimed psychologist, author, and TEDx speaker Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona (Dr. Z) to explore how high achievers can break free from anxiety, over-analysis, and the relentless pursuit of perfection.This conversation is a must-listen if you're ready to untangle old patterns, create more ease, clarity, and alignment in your life, and finally trust yourself to navigate uncertainty.Quick Note: This episode is part of an unintentional mini-series! If this topic resonates, be sure to check out Episode 317: Unlearning Overworking (solo episode on why rest feels uncomfortable for high achievers) and Episode 318: The Real Reason You're Questioning Everything (with guest Laura Gassner Otting, on identity shifts and trusting intuition). Each offers a unique perspective on burnout, identity, and self-trust.What You'll Learn in This Episode: ✅ How anxiety and fear-based responses shrink our lives – and how to expand beyond them ✅ The surprising truth about perfectionism in high achievers (it's not just about academics!)✅ Why "just drop your standards" is an alienating message for people who deeply care ✅ The subtle yet crucial difference between "doing your best" and "doing good enough" ✅ Why your inner critic is paradoxically trying to protect you – and how to respond to it ✅ The unhelpful cycle of responding to thinking with more thinking (and how to break it!) ✅ Common psychological traps that keep us stuck in chronic indecision ✅ The power of making "workable" choices instead of chasing "perfect" ones ✅ Why self-trust doesn't mean the absence of self-doubt, but the willingness to act with it ✅ The deepest fear for high achievers (and how to identify what's truly driving your actions) ✅ How to tap into your innate wisdom amidst the noise of constant doing and hustlingAbout Dr. Patricia Zurita Ona (Dr. Z):Website: https://www.thisisdoctorz.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.z.passionatebehaviorist/Episode Timestamps:00:03:50 – Dr. Z's personal journey with anxiety and the pivotal panic attack00:05:00 – How anxiety shrinks our lives and stops us from living authentically00:06:10 – Megan's experience as a professional worrier turned wedding planner00:08:36 – The hidden perfectionism of high achievers and why they can't "do mediocre work"00:10:49 – Why "dropping your standards" creates resistance and an alienated message00:12:07 – Dr. Z's story of being told to "stop working so hard" and its impact00:13:22 – Navigating generational shifts: "Practice makes perfect" vs. "Practice makes progress"00:14:57 – The radical acceptance of being an overachiever and learning to discriminate00:17:37 – Preparing for the guilt and remorse that comes with "good enough"00:18:11 – Distinguishing what's "good enough" in different life buckets (business, motherhood)00:19:31 – The role of self-compassion and humility in making tough choices00:23:15 – The value of pausing and processing (watching your mind)00:24:34 – Responding to yourself with gentleness and kindness when guilt arrives00:25:11 – The never-ending background noise of the inner critic00:26:24 – Understanding the inner critic's purpose: It's trying to protect you00:29:49 – Why you can't win a "mind chess game" with your inner critic00:31:17 – Making decisions from values vs. fear (avoiding or gaining something)00:32:28 – Navigating big life decisions without spiraling into overwhelm00:33:53 – Why humans hate uncertainty and how it impacts decision-making00:35:43 – The Buddhist parable of the monkey and the lotus (attachment to "how things are supposed to be")00:37:03 – Thinking biases: black and white thinking, hypervigilance, fear of regret00:37:55 – Our ability to adapt: every decision is a bet on the future00:38:26 – Maximizers vs. Satisficers: Understanding your decision style00:41:01 – Giving ourselves permission to make a workable, not perfect, choice00:41:51 – The crucial role of self-trust in navigating what comes next00:42:40 – Psychological flexibility: being flexible with the world inside and out00:44:54 – Overthinking as a coping mechanism to avoid emotions00:46:43 – The deepest fear of high achievers: the fear of failure00:47:50 – Checking in: What is really driving your "go, go, go" mode?00:48:40 – Cultivating your inner wisdom (it's soft and tender, not demanding)Today's episode is brought to you by The Planner's Vault—your go-to resource for wedding pros who want to grow, connect, and thrive. If you're looking for expert education, a supportive community, and real-talk guidance to elevate your business, come join us inside The Vault. We'd love to have you!For Real on Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forrealwithmegan/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForRealPodcastHosted by Megan Gillikin, For Real is presented by The Planner's Vault, and is produced by Walk West.
Thailand's government has long been wary of opening up the country to gambling, imposing major restrictions on betting.Small-scale, illicit gambling is widespread in the country but now politicians want to liberalise the industry and allow casinos to set up shop.The goal is to promote tourism, but opponents argue that the gambling business is incompatible with Thai culture, which is largely rooted in Buddhist values that frown upon betting.If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.ukPresented and produced by Ed Butler(Picture: Protesters in Chaing Mai, Thailand, in April 2025, seen holding placards during a demonstration to protest the government's draft entertainment complex bill at The Phae Gate. On 13 January 2025, the Thai Cabinet approved a draft bill, setting the stage for the legalisation of casino gambling in entertainment complexes across the country. Credit: Getty Images)
Mastering Life's Adventures: Being Your Best Self Through Soul Evolution!
In this episode of the Deep Dive series, Dr. Judith welcomes Steven Schettini, a former Buddhist monk trained in the Tibetan tradition, to discuss how to move past self-doubt. They explore the roots of self-doubt, its amplification through social media, and methods for overcoming it. Steven emphasizes the importance of self-compassion, understanding learned behaviors, and the practice of active mindfulness. They conclude with advice on continuous self-reflection, cultivating inner harmony, and the significance of regular meditation practice.About Our GuestStephen Schettini (pronounced skettini) is a former Buddhist monk and present-day mindfulness teacher focusing on the tension between cognitive and emotional intelligence. He is author of a memoir, The Novice: How I Became a Buddhist Monk, Why I Quit and What I Learned, and the guide to mindful reflection entitled, It Begins with Silence. Stephen lives outside Montreal with his wife, stepdaughter and two cats.TEDx Talk: http://tinyurl.com/5yv94ddhArticle (A Sense of Belonging): https://t.ly/enbnE00:00 Introduction to the Deep Dive Series00:42 Meet Steven Sini: From Buddhist Monk to Mindfulness Expert01:40 Understanding Self-Doubt in the Modern World04:05 The Roots of Self-Doubt: Childhood and Socialization06:21 Transforming Self-Doubt Through Self-Compassion10:59 The Power of Meditation and Self-Observation17:55 The Importance of Being Present27:09 Embracing Change and Impermanence28:53 The Essence of Playful Meditation30:31 The Role of Self-Doubt in Our Lives31:54 The Power of the Human Mind33:33 The Duality of Human Nature35:47 The Importance of Mindfulness43:48 Active vs. Formal Meditation49:34 The Practice of Continuity in Meditation
In this episode, we continue our exploration of the Eightfold Path by diving into the second aspect of wisdom—Right Intention. We explore how intention functions like a compass, helping us navigate life with purpose and clarity. Rather than reacting habitually, Right Intention invites us to respond skillfully to whatever arises. We discuss the three core intentions highlighted in Buddhist teachings: letting go (renunciation), wishing well (goodwill), and doing no harm (harmlessness). With everyday examples and practical insights, this episode is a reminder that intention shapes the seeds we plant with every word and action—and that we always have the power to begin again in any moment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, Lesley Logan talks with Stephanie O'Dea—New York Times bestselling author, viral blogger, and now a slow living coach—about what it really means to live intentionally. From building a wildly successful crockpot recipe blog to burning out on hustle culture, Stephanie shares how tuning in, slowing down, and redefining success helped her create a life she actually wants to live. This is a must-listen for anyone who's tired of chasing someone else's version of success and ready to start trusting themselves again.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co mailto:beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/#follow-subscribe-free.In this episode you will learn about:How Stephanie's slow cooker challenge became a bestselling brand.Why she walked away from hustle culture to embrace slow living.How redefining success helped her build a life she actually enjoys.Why slow living isn't about doing less, but about doing what matters.How to release guilt and build intentional routines aligned with your values. Episode References/Links:Stephanie O'Dea's Website - https://stephanieodea.comFree Daily Journaling Worksheet - stephanieodea.com/dailyStephanie O'Dea's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/stephanieodeaStephanie O' Dea Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/StephanieODea.authorSlow Living Book by Stephanie O'Dea - https://a.co/d/dK5en1ySlow Living Podcast - https://stephanieodea.com/podcastGretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin - https://a.co/d/gQ5ToVpGuest Bio:Stephanie O'Dea is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and coach specializing in Slow Living. With a background in social work, early childhood education, and trauma-informed yoga, she offers a holistic approach to wellness. Through her books, coaching, and Slow Living podcast, Stephanie helps people slow down, reconnect with their purpose, and create sustainable balance. Her latest book, Slow Living: Cultivating a Life of Purpose in a Hustle-Driven World, reflects her mission. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, three daughters, and a basset hound named Sheldon. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox. https://lovethepodcast.com/BITYSIDEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentCheck out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSox https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/memberships/perks/#equipmentBe in the know with all the workshops at OPC https://workshops.onlinepilatesclasses.com/lp-workshop-waitlistBe It Till You See It Podcast Survey https://pod.lesleylogan.co/be-it-podcasts-surveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates Mentorship https://lesleylogan.co/elevate/FREE Ditching Busy Webinar https://ditchingbusy.com/ Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gLesley Logan website https://lesleylogan.co/Be It Till You See It Podcast https://lesleylogan.co/podcast/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan https://onlinepilatesclasses.com/Online Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjogqXLnfyhS5VlU4rdzlnQProfitable Pilates https://profitablepilates.com/about/ Follow Us on Social Media:Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lesley.logan/The Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCq08HES7xLMvVa3Fy5DR8-gFacebook https://www.facebook.com/llogan.pilatesLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-logan/The OPC YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@OnlinePilatesClasses Episode Transcript:Stephanie O'Dea 0:00 Slow is simply look only within and it's the idea that you actually have the answers, and you don't need to be saved. You don't need bro culture or internet marketers to tell you what you should be doing. If you're slow and calm, the answers kind of bubble up.Lesley Logan 0:19 Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started. Lesley Logan 1:01 Hey, Be It babe, how are you? Okay, I promise you you've never heard about a living like this before, and our guest today is like the queen of what she does. I'm gonna let her tell you what she does, but I'm gonna tell you right now, I wanna live next to this woman. I want her to be my neighbor. I want her to be a friend that I can just call. I am going to save this episode just so I can hear the end of it over and over and over again, especially on the days that I need to hear it. You guys, Stephanie O'Dea is our guest today, and if you think that name sounds familiar, it's because it will. You'll hear about that in a second. And I am just so obsessed. This interview is kind of one of the reasons why I'm like, oh my god. I love that I get to do this podcast. I am feel like the luckiest girl in the world, because I get to learn from these amazing guests, and then I get to share that with you. And so y'all, buckle up, take a deep breath, slow down. This episode is gonna rock your world in the best way. Lesley Logan 1:58 All right, Be It babe. This is gonna be really exciting. I think we've never had this topic before. I'm always interested when there's something new, a new way for us to be it till we see it. And today's guest is Stephanie O'Dea. Can you tell us, everyone, who you are and what you rock at?Stephanie O'Dea 2:11 Absolutely, I'm Stephanie O'Dea, and I write, coach, teach and speak about all things slow living. Lesley Logan 2:18 Okay, right. Stephanie O'Dea 2:20 I know. I promise I'm not just sitting on the couch, twiddling my thumbs, eating Bonbons, doing nothing. I promise there's a method to the madness. Lesley Logan 2:28 Yeah, obviously we're all intrigued, like, what is slow living? But maybe we need to know what that is before we can figure out how you got to doing slow living. So we're also on the same page, yeah.Stephanie O'Dea 2:38 Yeah. So I look at slow living as meeting your goals, all of them, your personal and your professional goals, in a slow, steady and sustainable way. And if we can circle and highlight and underline and put some pointers at sustainable, that's what it's at. Because I think we all know the feeling of being gung-ho. And I'm going to do this now, and I'm gonna eat this way, and I'm gonna work out this way, and I'm gonna get up at at 3 a.m. and I'm gonna have rock star abs at the end of the week. Lesley Logan 3:09 Oh yeah. Stephanie O'Dea 3:09 Yeah. And spoiler alert, if you're listening, chances are you're a human and not a robot. And well, who knows, the robots may be taking over, but in real life, people have ups and downs and all arounds and variables they can't control. So slow living, first off, has an acronym attached to it. I'm a super nerd when it comes to acronyms, and that's because my grandpa, when I was about seven, told me that the word SNAFU had the F word hiding in it, so it's situation normal, all effed up, like he told me, he told me, when I was seven, he actually said that, the bad word out loud. And I'm like, grown ups hide bad words in regular words. And so, like, since then, I've nerded out with acronyms. So slow living, slow is simply look only within and it's the idea that you actually have the answers, and you don't need to be saved. You don't need bro culture or internet marketers to tell you what you should be doing. If you're slow and calm, the answers kind of bubble up. So it's a big part of listening to your inner voice, to your inner gut, to your intuition, and then taking action on it. So the three-step success formula is mindset plus action plus consistency equals success. And so the new, yeah, the new book is broken up that way. And the idea is, when you're in a good mood, just ask yourself, like, what's the next best step for me to take? And then go quiet and listen, because you know the answer is inside. The answer is not going to be on a doom stroll of TikTok. It's legit inside of you, and you know what you're supposed to do. And then just do the thing over and over and over again, and even when you don't want to. Lesley Logan 5:03 I love this so much because I love that you put consistency in there. The only way to be consistent is if you actually are at a pace that you can consistently do. We were in Singapore the other day. I picked a bike taxi and the car, I was trying to figure out what's going on because the guy was driving the car, it would go, whoo. You know where your whole body moves like someone's taking off too fast at a red light, and then it would slow down, and then it would go like that again. And was like, literally for 16 minutes, the body was going like this, and like this, and like this. We were on the freeway, but I felt like urgency to leave the intersection, and then a hard -ish break but not a full break. And I got a headache. I got sick. Brad felt nauseous. I was like, I hope we don't get that cab going to dinner. Like, I cannot be in that car again. That's the idea of you can't be consistent at a pace like that, because you can't, your body doesn't do well, your brain doesn't do well. And so being consistent is so key to having the things that we want. But I also love you add, like, listening to yourself, because it's really hard to do that when you're kind of going too fast, like, you don't have time when everything is chaotic. How did you get into doing this? Like, were you born working slow? Stephanie O'Dea 6:07 No, no, I'll tell you my back story, but I got to tell you, my mom drives that way, and now my kids don't want to get in the car with her. They're like, I always feel sick when I drive with grandma so. Lesley Logan 6:17 Okay, so there's, I literally was looking at his leg. I'm like, is he doing this, or does he is it like the car is like, oh, there's a car that's too close. Like, I don't, could not figure out what's going on. Stephanie O'Dea 6:26 I think my mom is full acceleration, and then foot off, and then full acceleration, and then foot off. And there's a happy medium there. So what's interesting about my backstory is I got started writing online crock pot recipes, crock pot slow cooker recipes. Lesley Logan 6:42 Okay, I definitely was wondering if slow living meant, like, like, slow cooker. Stephanie O'Dea 6:46 Yeah, so, so, yeah. So, I'm very Google-able, but I got my start in 2008 because I made a New Year's resolution to follow through on using my crock pot slow cooker every day for a year and writing about it online. And it, it took off. It went viral. Lesley Logan 7:02 I've heard of you. You are Google-able.Stephanie O'Dea 7:07 Yeah. So, when (inaudible) funny, because 2008 depending on how old you are when you're listening, that could sound like a long time ago or not that long time ago, but at the time it legit, was the first crock pot recipe site written by like a normal person, and it went crazy. I made yogurt. I invented, like, quote-unquote, invented lots of things, and because of that, I ended up on national television multiple times. Good Morning America, Rachel Ray Show did all the magazines and got a book deal. It worked great. At its peak, it was making $1,000 a day just in banner ads, and it was amazing. So the good news is is I understand mathing and I understand the Internet, so I knew what goes up must eventually come down. And so that absolutely did in about 2016 with the Instant Pot. And so my book publishers and agent, they're like, you should translate all your recipes. So I bought one, and I hated the thing. I get it. The tech part is fun. Yay for the scientists for discovering that they can cook a frozen chicken in 45 minutes. But for me, what I liked about the crock pot is I could put it on the morning, I'm highly caffeinated and coherent, I push a button and then I never think about dinner again. So it eliminated a whole bunch of decision fatigue, and it just was lovely, because cooking is great, but I'm not going to get a Zen moment chopping an onion. I'm just not. Some people are, great, no, but for me, it's a chore. Lesley Logan 8:41 I see you. You are seen.Stephanie O'Dea 8:44 Yeah. So anyway, I got fired. I got fired, and I had this like, sort of voice of God, of like, hey Steph, just because you can do something fast, it doesn't mean you should. And so I spent some time away from the internet, I sort of unplugged everything for a while. And one really lovely, amazing thing about passive income is even when you're not working, it works for you. So I was in a very privileged state that I could kind of pontificate what the next best step for me to take was, and I realized that following through on my resolution, following through on all of the goals that I've always had for myself has been my secret sauce. Writing crock pot recipes was really just a way to feed the internet. And so that's how the slow living podcast got started, and how I started working with women from all over the world to help them meet their goals in a slow, steady and sustainable way.Lesley Logan 9:40 I'm obsessed with this because I think it's because here's what I love about this. I was like, Oh, I wonder if slow living means, like, slow cooker. And then I was, I don't even use my Instapot. Do you see how, like, I put the two together, even though they're not. Thank you for educating me. I clearly.Stephanie O'Dea 9:52 Gold stars, Lesley, gold stars. Lesley Logan 9:53 I am not the person who cooks in this household. I think that's pretty evident. I was just like, oh. And then I but I was reading all the stuff and I was like, oh, but, like, we're talking about goals, and I'm like, totally in on this, how this works. So, but I love that the intuitiveness was there, so that's really great. But the other reason I love this is that you are the perfect example of how you get started and what you have done in the past. That's not that it has to ever end, but also that you can evolve from it. And it doesn't have to be like the next pie over, which is the Instant Pot. It could be like all the way on the other side of the pie and be like something that's different, but they're not. They're the same. Stephanie O'Dea 10:27 No, absolutely I and it's funny. So I have three kids, and I'm constantly telling them like you are your own person, in your own entity. Sure, Dad and I might have ideas for you, but you get to decide. And every year, people get so excited about New Year's resolutions and different things and the idea that they can reinvent themselves, and then they have the first few dismissive thoughts of, well, I can't do that, or, Oh, this is too hard. And so then they give up. And the fact is, if we're lucky, life is long. Sure, you could get hit by a bus tomorrow, but don't live your life thinking that instead, where are you going to be in your 50s, your 60s and your 70s? I mean, I work with women of all ages and stages. If you want to crawl around on the floor in your 70s with your grandchildren and do yoga and have, I don't know, prize-winning tulips. Start now. Start setting the stage now, and plant those metaphoric seeds to get you from where you are to where you want to goLesley Logan 11:29 You are correct. As a Pilates instructor, one of the things that people like when should I get started? I'm like, well, yesterday was a better day, but that's fine, we'll start now. Because I've had people come to me at 70 going, I'm in aches and pains. I've got this thing, and now I've got a hump on my back, and I'm like, so the time to prevent the hump was like, 20 years ago. So there's not much I can do now that you're in that position, but here's what I can do to keep you upright so you can play with your grandchildren. And people don't realize, and they wait until they realize they weren't hit by a bus earlier, and then they're like, now it changes. And that's not that it's ever too late, but there's just some things that if we got started sooner and when we went more consistently, we went more slowly, we took our time handling the obstacles and the setbacks and reevaluating that we would actually get to where we wanted to go, I guess, faster.Stephanie O'Dea 12:15 So it's true. I mean, it's legit. The metaphor of the tortoise and the hare just slow, steady and stay on track. And so that's why I like that mindset, action, consistency formula is when you're in a good mood, don't make up rules for yourself when you're in a bad mood, because you're just punishing yourself. But when you're in a good mood, decide what the next steps are, and a lot of it is putting blinders on and not worrying about what other people are doing. So if you're listening to this right now and you're thinking, well, Lesley got to be in Singapore last week, and I'm wasn't in Singapore last week, and my life sucks. So okay, you are playing your own game. So again, because I am such an acronym junkie, I rewrote FOMO to figure only myself out you play your game, and if Singapore is not in your cards right now, okay, great, but maybe put it on a vision board and maybe start saving and start pivoting to have that come to fruition. But it doesn't mean you've done anything wrong if you never had the thought like six or eight months ago or a year ago when Lesley decided to go to Singapore, you weren't there yet. So if you're there now, okay, great, start pivoting and make that way. And same with the hump on your back. If you're like, oh, okay, I do want to be that person in my 70s. But actually really like my nightly wine, and I like doom scrolling, and I caught up on all of the seasons of younger and now I don't know what to do with myself. Okay, then, then go do some stretches and start working on it in a very slow, steady and sustainable way. Lesley Logan 13:55 You're absolutely correct. And I have a funny story about the Singapore thing. You guys, normally, when we fly to Cambodia for our retreat, we always choose the shortest. Doesn't everybody, when you want to go, you want to get to where you want to go when you're traveling. So it's like the shortest. Well, ever since the pandemic and the way the flight paths have changed, it has been twice as much to fly to Cambodia as it usually is, and it irritates me, because I know it's not that expensive. Double is not the right price. So my assistant presented like three options, and the two shortest options were $1,500 per person, round trip, 23 hours of travel, still a lot, still full day, exhausting. But then there was a flight that was 31 hours of travel. It was $500 cheaper per person, and it had a 13 hour layover in Singapore. And in Singapore, you can leave the airport. You can apply for the day visa. It's so easy to do. You do it online. And we were landing in time to go to dinner, and I was like, wouldn't it be cool to go to Singapore for dinner? And here's the thing you guys, it wasn't about saving $500 it was about enjoying the trip to Cambodia. Because I'm like, this is I don't I'm so tired of being tired when I get there. And so I thought, let's just see what it's like. Instead of having six hours, which is not enough time to leave an airport and just walk, do laps in the airport, what if we had 13 and we went to dinner and we slept in a hotel and then we got up and we flew the next place? You guys. I loved it. I loved it. I had two on the way into Cambodia. I did dinner in Singapore on the way out. We did dinner in Singapore. Fabulous. I felt like it was so luxurious. It felt so it felt so it felt like I was like a first class traveler. So anyways, that's my share on evaluating doing things a little differently. Your FOMO, like, figure my own self out. I'm tired when I get there. What? What can I do? So that's my little tip there. But I want to highlight that you said, make the decisions when you're in a good mood, because you're correct. People are punishing themselves when they're like, you don't feel good, you feel exhausted, you hate your job, and then you're like, I'm gonna do this. And it's like, it is a punishment. I never thought about it like that. Stephanie O'Dea 15:49 Yeah, no, it's true. I mean, and especially since you're in the fitness realm, the idea of, I'm gonna force myself to do this workout every day, no matter what, with the idea that if I skip a day because I'm sick or I don't feel well, or the toilet overflowed, or the kid had a bloody nose in the middle of the night, I failed. No, no. So I tell people all the time, if you're embarking on a 30-day challenge and it takes you 45 days to do the 30 days, you're not graded, you're not to be in trouble, you're the grown up in the room. You only fail when you completely and totally decide to give up. But but keep going and think of yourself at, again, as that 70 year old, you would be way more proud of yourself for keeping going, even if you have to take a day off here and there. And that's a big part of the sustainability, part of slow living. Lesley Logan 16:48 During the pandemic. I got really interested in, like, some people create habits, and how do they not I don't know if you've read Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies, like having meet expectations. So I thought, well, I'm an upholder. That's easy for me. But what about the rest of the people? As a fitness person who wants people to move, and I always tell people do what's possible. Finishing is optional. Why aren't they listening? Why can't they listen and what's going on? And I got to sit at BJ Fogg, and he talked about these tiny habits. And it's crazy to see how people legitimately cannot do the tiny habit. They actually are like, it's not enough to just put my shoes on. It's like, but you don't go to the gym now. So you're asking yourself to put out the gym clothes early. Pack a gym bag, get everything on, drive to the gym, find a parking space, enter the gym, put the bag in a locker, do the work of oh, you forgot your towel, so now you're gonna be late for work. Otherwise, now you have to leave early, and it's just all we're asking ourselves to do such huge leaps and bounds before we've actually created the ability to do that consistently, and then we fail ourselves. And it's like even when you went to school, you didn't get the F until the end of this the whole semester to get a better grade.Stephanie O'Dea 17:57 Yeah, no, it's true. I mean, when people come to me with those kind of obstacles. First off, I definitely have squirrel brain. I have lots and lots and lots of markers of ADHD. And every time I talk to anyone, because I can talk myself well, I write and I speak so I know how to talk to people. And they're like, you don't have ADHD. I'm like, that's fine. Just, just help me, but, but the only reason I found out is I've got one in grad school, and so she's applying for law school, and so needing to sit for the LSATs and that kind of stuff. All of these things came up. I'm like, there's nothing wrong with you. You're just like me. And I'm like, oh, wait.Lesley Logan 18:33 Right, right. Stephanie O'Dea 18:34 But anyway, as far as that, when I'm working with people who can't break things down in a bite-sized chunk, and they get overwhelmed. Or halfway through the assignment, they're already moved on to something else. We gamify the system. And so earlier, when I gave you gold stars, I legit hand out gold stars if you did something, give yourself a sticker, like, like those old school chore charts on the wall where you're giving yourself a happy face absolutely pay off and then reward yourself. Maybe not if you're trying to do a fitness routine, maybe not with like a hot fudge sundae, but maybe with a pedicure, or maybe with an afternoon off work for no reason except for you want to take a really cozy Bougie nap, and you you have your your weighted throw, and then you're just so happy. That is a reward, and that's something that you can look forward to, but definitely game the system. Lesley Logan 19:33 Yeah, I love gamify. I love a reward, or like something tactical that you can do, like some sort of celebration. But I also want to highlight hi, I also was someone who didn't think that ADHD, and I was like, oh, my husband, my husband has ADHD, right? Because that's where all the symptoms. And he, like, is legit, like, model of a male with ADHD. And we were applying for a business license, type of a thing, like some sort of certificate, and the woman who files the paperwork, I met her, and so we're talking, and she like, okay, you have your women in business certification I'm like, yeah, we've got that. She's like, okay, where's your disability certificate? And I'm like, I'm so sorry I don't have a disability. And she goes, Well, you have ADHD. And I was like, oh, my husband does, but I own the business for the women in business owners, so I don't have she's like, no. She's like, you just haven't been tested girl. You have ADHD. I can see all of it. And I started looking up women signs of ADHD. I absolutely have it, so I'm with you, and we forget how we figured out how we can make our lives work. And so I just want to highlight to anyone listening, if you have ADHD, and that's a reason why it's a problem for you to, like, finish the thing you've started. There is a superpower that you can tap into once you acknowledge it and like you look into how can you work best for yourself? And it's, it is not through punishment ever. Stephanie O'Dea 20:47 Yeah, no, it's, it's celebrating your process. So because I'm a writer, this is the 11th book I've written, I know my process, so I no longer beat myself up. I know for a fact I don't miss deadlines, so that's great news for me, but I also know that I'm not linear. I am up and down and all around and if I have a brainstorm at 3am it's better for me to get up and write any of those how to be a successful published author checklists that they show on the internet for clickbait. That's not me, and that's not really any of us. That's marketing hype that's trying to get you to click. If you've been online long enough I'm certain you have clicked on something only because you were feeling a little anxious, maybe a little vulnerable, and you're like, oh, the answers to my prayer. But the fact is, the answers are inside and with you. And it's not going to come from doom scrolling TikTok. It's going to come when you're calm and you're in a good mood and you're like, okay, I am not feeling the best right now. Not going to gaslight myself. I legit do not feel good in my brain and my body right now. What is the next best step for me to take and then going quiet and then doing what it is, chances are your brain is going to say you need more water, you need to cut back on wine. You need to stay away from Jane down the street, because she makes you feel really shitty. Can I say shitty? Sorry.Lesley Logan 22:19 No, I love it. We love it. And, yeah, stay away from Jane. Stephanie O'Dea 22:23 Yeah, no, just like you, you know, you know. And I get it because, I mean, I met Lesley online. We're all trying to carve our own little niche out. But the thing is, is you're more vulnerable and you're more susceptible to following advice made up by, by stupid businessy. I'm gonna say men, just for lack of a better term, bro marketers, when you're feeling down on yourself. Lesley Logan 22:50 Yeah, it's really interesting, because I, just before I came on this I had a YouTube comment, and it was on a video that was like the best Reformers to buy for home, and I, look, I hate the title because it's that clickbaity title, but I promised myself, okay, I have to do the titles that they want, because these are the things that people will click on. But I can be honest, right? And so I was completely honest about how I don't love the Reformers that are $300 because I know that a quality Reformer costs $4,800 why do they cost $4,800 because they're not made of plastic, because they're made of metal, they're made of wood. It takes, it takes a long time to make them. And they last decades, right? They last decades. And these cheaper ones, while they look very similar to the ones you're seeing in studios, I don't know what the weight requirements are. I don't know if you can stand on them and they have, I don't know that they have the same safety mechanism. So then you're going to take my classes or someone else's classes, and, like, I don't know. So I was very clear of like, here's what I would say. So it ended with, there is not an affordable one. Like, it just isn't. But here are all the things you can do. So this person wrote, okay, so great, so just don't give me a cheaper option so that I could modify the exercises to do the thing. And she was on and on, and she was so angry with me that I wouldn't give her a cheap one to buy. So I actually wrote back right away, because I was like, so you need a car. You need a car that can get you to work, and the car that would be the best gas mileage for you, that would not require any maintenance, it actually has the best safety standards. It's outside of your budget right now. So instead, you would like me to sell you a car that gets the worst gas mileage, that needs maintenance every week, that breaks down on you on your way to work. And so instead of actually getting to work on time, you're now taking the bus anyways, when you could have just waited and taken the bus in the first place until you could afford the car that has the best gas all these things. I'm so sorry I refuse to sell you crap, and I know that's frustrating, but no, I don't want you modifying exercises to make the equipment, because then you're not gonna get the benefits. It just makes me think of this stuff like people. Have gotten to this place that now have gotten so they've now been trained so much by the clickbait they want to be sold the quick, fast thing, but that's not gonna get what you want. So I'm not gonna sell it to you. And it's really, really hard because I you and I are people like we want to be honest with people on the internet. I want a relationship with you whenever I tell you that this is the right thing, that you can trust that it's the right thing. And it's really hard in a world everyone's go so fast they want the thing today, and they'll rather buy the cheap thing than the thing that will get them there. How do you get people out of wanting it quickly? I guess we can help people who don't want to be helped. Stephanie O'Dea 25:35 Yeah. So, so we're recording right now, and I know you are captivating the the video. So this is a standard bedroom that happens to have cabinetry filled filled with crock pots, by the way. But on the other side of the room, I have a framed print, and it says, discipline is just choosing between what you want now and what you want most. And that's the thing. Slow your roll, peeps, slow your roll and have a little bit of discipline. We teach children that patience is a virtue. Practice that be that there's a reason why Buddhist monks and people who meditate a lot and do lots of yoga and meditation are calmer is because they have quieted their squirrel brain, and they have delayed gratification enough to know that while sitting in a meditative stance for 10, 20, 30 minutes isn't as quick as a fix as I don't know, taking some drug or down and a half bottle of Wine, but the end goal, if you do it over and over and over again, is so much better. So I'm going to repeat it. Discipline is choosing between what you want now versus what you want most, and keep that most in your mind when you are scrolling, so then you can have that thought of great for them, not for me, right? Great for them, good everyone's everyone is allowed to make money. Everyone's allowed to make money. Great for them. Good for them. They're, they're gaming the algorithm. Good for them, good for them, good for them, not for me. And then now, now I'm going to coach you for a second, Lesley, because I think you're adorbs. I too, get the click bait thing. I know how to play the game. I know when I was writing recipes that it would be way better for me to say this is the world's easiest and best pot roast recipe you'll ever have, better than your grandma blah blah blah. And the fact is pot roast is pot roast, is pot roast, is pot roast. And if you put in paprika versus liquid smoke or blah blah blah, it doesn't really truly matter in the great, big, huge scheme of things. But the hope is you get someone to click, and then that someone gets to know you and see your video and read your writing and connect with you and say, Okay, I get what Lesley is doing here. It's fine. I'm going to cut her some slack. And that's another great, big thing that I would love for us to do online is to remember that there are real humans there, and give people the gift of grace. And sometimes we mess up. I messed up, and the hope is that when I do, I apologize and I acknowledge it, and then I try and better myself. If I don't try and better myself, that's where the problem is, and that's where the disconnect is, and that's not you. You are amazing. Lesley Logan 28:26 Yeah. Well, thank you, and thank you for seeing me, and it is so interesting world out there that we live in. I like to think that everyone's doing it the best way that they can when they know how, you know, I would give that grace, and I think that the more of us who could do that would be the world be a better place. But I think that, you know, we have to just keep doing it. And I agree, like, when we all make mistakes and it's like you get to apologize, and if people can't accept that, it's almost better that they we find out now so they can go away.Stephanie O'Dea 28:53 Totally. It's funny. I'm intolerant now to people who can't own mistakes and apologize and so so again, back to my crazy ego. My crazy acronyms. The acronym for ego is Edging God Out. And regardless of your religious belief, the idea that you are the Almighty and know everything and aren't humble and don't have enough humility to acknowledge a mistake is a big problem. So so check your ego. Just check it, because everybody's shit stinks. They really do.Lesley Logan 29:26 I'm obsessed with you already. You mentioned stopping the scroll a few times, and I think that that is definitely a hard problem for a lot of people, like even people who don't even have to post on the internet for a job. My mom does not have to post on the internet at all, and she but she has a scrolling problem, right? And I even, because I have to open up and talk to the people and respond to comments and all that stuff, I found myself yesterday picking up my phone after the end of the workday to go check and I was like, hold on, I'm not working right now. And I had to, like, literally, put my phone across the room and pick up a book instead. And I was like, what would make reading this book more pleasurable? I liked it all the things, you know, heard different guests say, oh, I'll make it more pleasurable if I was sitting in front my red light. Okay, I'll sit from my red light. I'm gonna do this thing. And I read a book for like, 45 minutes. It was so lovely. It felt so good. I went to bed. I slept so good last night because I did not scroll. But I think it's an addiction that people have to just pick up when they're bored. So how do you stop your scroll? Stephanie O'Dea 30:22 Yeah, so, so first off, you are definitely not alone, and I've been working online for probably a lot longer than you are, because I'm probably a lot older than you are. So one thing I needed to do for myself, and this is only for people who work online, probably is it's not on my phone. My phone is for phone stuff, and work stays work stays on the computer. So and for me, social media is work. It's not pleasurable. It's not fun. In real life, I want to talk to my friends on the phone, text with my friends in real life. So there's that. And then as far as normal, regular, everyday people who have the old school FOMO, and think that they will miss out on staff, schedule it in, time block it. So I'm a huge proponent of time blocking, and the way I teach it is to decide, on purpose that your day is kind of set up like a school day. So think back in high school you are not going to finish your history book in first period. You're just not but the good news is, you'll have first period every day, so schedule in what it is you want to do every day, so you don't have that feeling of having to catch up, because spoiler alert, you will never catch up on social media, they have designed it to be never, ever, ever ending. But if your allotted amount of time, and my suggestion, would be in 10-minute chunks. 10 minutes, set a timer. Love bossing Siri around. She will just set timers for me all day long, and then scroll, do what it is you need to do, and then step away with the idea that it's going to be okay, because you're going to revisit this time block again tomorrow, and it's fine. Lesley Logan 32:01 Oh my gosh. Stephanie O'Dea, I just, I love you, and I love that. I love that permission. Like, it's not like, don't do it. Or it's not like, only you get five minutes a day. It's like, oh, just schedule a few 10-minute blocks. And it's true. You guys walk around this house at any moment. Brad is like, Siri, set a timer for seven minutes, Siri, remind me to do this tomorrow like. Stephanie O'Dea 32:24 I love Siri. I So, so first off, I love the idea of a live-in personal helper. So the fact is that she's in my back pocket all the time is amazing and and I'm very nice to her in case the robots do take over the world. I thank her. Yeah, tell her she's pretty Yeah, just in case you never know. Lesley Logan 32:41 You are better than I. Brad was talking to my Siri the other day, and he was connected to my phone, and he was like, hey Siri, and he's like, she started answering like I told her to fuck off the other day, and she's not come back. So I think that's my fault. You know, when, like, she wasn't understanding me, she kept talking when I wasn't winder and I was just like, fuck off, and she never came back. So I, I don't know. I don't know. Stephanie O'Dea 33:06 Okay, so does that mean you have to, like, go back in the settings and actually turn her back on?Lesley Logan 33:09 I think so. I think that's where we're at. There's an update that's gonna happen tonight. I'm hoping she goes back. At any rate.Stephanie O'Dea 33:18 If she's listening to me right now. I love you, Siri. I'm like, thank you. You're fine.Lesley Logan 33:23 They are and you are correct. I need to be nicer, because the robots are going to take over, and hopefully they just give us permission to keep doing what we love. All right. I could talk to you for hours, but we're gonna take a brief break and then find out how people can find you, follow you and work with you. Lesley Logan 33:38 All right, Stephanie O'Dea, where do you hang out? Where can people just become a more obsessed with you?Stephanie O'Dea 33:44 So I'm a real person. You can email me at any time, and I will write back to you, steph@stephanieodea.com, that's the main site is stephanieodea.com. I do have a slow living podcast, and the new book is called Slow Living: Cultivating a Life of Purpose in a Hustle-Driven World, and that's wherever books are sold. Lesley Logan 34:02 Oh my God, I'm gonna read it. I'm so excited. I feel like, so blessed that we all got to talk like, even think about this and your acronyms are amazing. They're, I mean, you know that already, but they are amazing. And I know several listeners who, because I, I'm lucky enough to get to meet our listeners all the time, and they mention different episode numbers and like, I know this is one that they're going to use, because there's such tangible things that they can do to just take time to listen their body and do what's next? What's the best next thing? You've given us a lot, but you know, we love the the Be It Action Items, the bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted, steps people can take to be it till they see it. What do you have for us? Stephanie O'Dea 34:40 So it's interesting. Before we hit record you were talking about, don't tell people to journal unless you like, tell them how to journal. So I have a guided daily journaling worksheet, and you can download it. It's super, super free, stephanieodea.com/daily D- A-I-L-Y and and people write to me and they're like. I don't do anything else except for this worksheet, and what it does is it helps, again, get you in the right mindset, because it's putting you in a good mood because you're journaling, and then it's helping you move forward on all of your personal and professional goals. So the action steps and then doing it every day, using that muscle creates the consistency that you need for success. Lesley Logan 35:19 So the reason I say I tell guests like, please don't tell them to not journal, because some people say just journal every day. And then I get what do I journal? The reason I know that this is true is because my therapist had told me back in 2020 when I started therapy, I was like, think this is going to be a really long time that we're doing this, so I think I'm going to need to do some therapy. And she said, okay, I want you to journal every day. So the next week I got on, I was like, so what was I supposed to put in the journal? How do I start? Is it a letter? Because I'm an overthinker and a recovering perfectionist, and so I love that you are like, here is a simple worksheet that you can do to journal, because it gives people an idea of how to make the journal work for them. Because I do believe that journaling works. You just, if you don't know what you're doing, it can feel overwhelming.Stephanie O'Dea 36:00 Absolutely and what I like about this worksheet, and it's, it's a printable, guys, so people have tried to put it in a Google form, and that kind of stuff, your brain is different when you're using a pen and paper. And so that's why there's definitely a method to the madness. And I want you to slow down like, hello, spoiler alert, I legit, I want you to slow down. And then also you're collecting data, so you then you can look back and on the worksheet, I ask you what day or cycle you're in, because that's a big deal. So if you're like, how come I walked it last Wednesday? Well maybe it's because you were on day 15, and now you're on day 28 and you hate the world that is important, and that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you, because you are not a spreadsheet, and anyone who says anything, and usually they're bro marketers that you have to like improve yourself by 1% every day, or you're doing it wrong. No, no, because humans have ups and downs and all around and if I can give you any parting words of wisdom, it would be that I just want to hug you and tell you that you're doing a great job and there's nothing wrong with you, and you absolutely can get to where you want to go, but you have to trust in yourself that that you can do the things and then just you'll get there when you get there. Lesley Logan 37:20 I mean, I already thought this is going to be an episode that people would hit save on but, and like, replay just to re listen. But I really think they'll just do that, just for that last part right there, like you're doing a great job. Like we all need Stephanie O'Dea to tell us you're doing a great job. I love that your journal has people put the day of the cycle. Because, yes, we've been talking about that a lot, because that affects how you work out all the different things. And it is true, you are going to have days where you can take over the world, and days where you're like, I just if someone talks to me at all, I'm going to lose my mind.Stephanie O'Dea 37:49 Yeah, yeah. No, it's true. So I've been married 25 years, and sometimes, thankfully, I can just tell Adam. So today's not a day for you to actually engage with me. He's like, oh, okay. Thanks, thanks for the warning. You're breathing wrong today. Sorry. You fix that and circle back around.Lesley Logan 38:11 Yeah, I said to Brad, I said, I don't feel awesome today. He goes, it's the day before your period. You're not going to feel awesome. And I was like, thank you. That's right. That's why I married you. He didn't go, of course, you're awesome. He just was like, You're not just not gonna feel it. And it's like, yeah, thank you. Ah, okay, well, clearly I want to keep talking to you, but we'll do that another day. Stephanie O'Dea, thank you so much for being here, you guys. How are you using these tips in your life? Please, tag Stephanie. Tag the Be It Pod. Tell us how you're slow living. Share this with a friend who needs it. Imagine if all of your friends were like acting in the FOMO in the best way, and they were actually listening to themselves and taking some time. Imagine how much easier that would make your life. So share this with the friends in your life who need them. And until next time, Be It Till You See It. Lesley Logan 39:02 That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 39:44 It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 39:49 It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co. Brad Crowell 39:54 Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi. Lesley Logan 40:01 Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals. Brad Crowell 40:04 Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Today's guest is Tenzin Chogkyi, one of our most popular guests, and she's back to talk about another one of the six perfections that we've been talking with other guests about this year. This one is enthusiasm or joyful effort. She talks about not just the Buddhist ideas of enthusiasm, but how to maintain our joy and enthusiasm in life when things are difficult or even when we get too much of a good thing. Episode 194: Joy and Enthusiasm—Even When Life's Hard—with Tenzin ChogkyiFrom August 28 to 31, Scott Snibbe is leading an in-person meditation retreat at Vajrapani Institute. We'll explore antidotes to anxiety, fear, and loneliness—and cultivate the deeper causes of a happy mind; connected, loving relationships; and a better world. It all happens in the beautiful redwood forests of California, while enjoying delicious vegetarian meals and meeting thoughtful new friends.SIGN UP NOWSupport the show
We hope you enjoy this dharma talk from Rebecca Nie, "10 Vows". GUEST BIO:ZEN MASTER REBECCA DAWN NIE is the founder of MV Sanctuary and Vice President of the Maitreya Association for Buddhist College Chaplains. As Stanford's Chaplain-Affiliate, she oversees the Buddhist religious and spiritual life for students, faculty, and staff. Her offerings ranges from Continental Zen to Buddhist Yoga, offering healing wisdom for contemporary life through dharma teaching, translation, and new media art.Learn more about Rebecca athttp://mvseon.com/Highlighted WorksYin Mountain: The Immortal Poetry by Three Daoist Women (2022, Shambhala). Heart Sutra: A Network Audio Technology-Assisted Visual Music Composition
Vasubandhu was a 4th–5th century Indian Buddhist monk, philosopher, and co-founder of the Yogācāra school of Mahayana Buddhism. Renowned for his works on Abhidharma, he developed key philosophical concepts such as “consciousness-only” (vijñaptimātra) and authored texts on Buddhist metaphysics, logic, and meditation. His influential treatises, including Abhidharmakośa and Thirty Verses, significantly shaped Buddhist thought in India, Tibet, and East Asia.
Why it matters for mental health; how to make improvements without succumbing to snake oil; and why you should be looking at your poop. Dr. Robynne Chutkan is a board certified gastroenterologist and the author of the four books Gutbliss, The Microbiome Solution, The Bloat Cure, and The Anti-Viral Gut. She's also the host of The Gutbliss Podcast. Paid subscribers of DanHarris.com will have exclusive access to a set of all-new guided meditations, led by friend of the show Cara Lai, customized to accompany each episode of the Get Fit Sanely series. We're super excited to offer a way to help you put the ideas from the episodes into practice. Learn all about it here. In this episode we talk about: The relationship between gut health and mental health The microbiome, why it's important, and how you can view the microbiome through a Buddhist lens A crash course on the digestive system How to navigate the snake oil – and why some supplements you are taking could be making your gut worse We go deep on acid reflux The downsides of chewing gum Distinguishing belly fat vs bloat Why not all gas is bad Related Episodes: Your Brain on Food | Dr. Uma Naidoo The Science Of How Nature Changes Your Brain—From Sleep To Cognition To Your Nervous System | Dacher Keltner How To Get The Physiological And Psychological Benefits Of Nature If You Don't Live Near Nature | Dacher Keltner The Science Of Walking: The Benefits Of Walking In Nature, Walking Meetings, And Walking Meditation | Dacher Keltner I Just Went Through A Career Earthquake. Here's What I Learned About Anger, Insomnia, And Bouncing Back | Dan Harris Behind The Scenes Of The 10% Happier Podcast + A Sneak Preview Of Something Big How To Be Sanely Ambitious | Behind the Scenes with Dan and DJ Join Dan's online community 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
Life hurts sometimes. We get overwhelmed, stuck in our own heads, and desperate for peace. And if you've ever wondered why it's so hard to find it, this episode is going to help you understand more clearly. Today, I'm sharing the core of what the Buddha taught—The Four Noble Truths—not to preach a different gospel, but to point to the deeper truth: that God meets seekers wherever they are. That truth is truth, wherever it's found. And that Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, invites us to learn, grow, and awaken to the patterns that keep us from Him. In this episode, we'll explore:
Prayer Moment 3 of 5 in JunePrayer for Church Planting Teams in Cambodia1. Favor: Pray that teams will have open doors for sharing the gospel in the areas and villages surrounding the cities they live in. 2. Provision: Pray that God will provide the needs of every church planting team throughout Cambodia.3. Protection: Pray for safety as church planting teams travel to remote areas of Cambodia.
Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies
This episode we are covering the end of the reign of Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou. We cover the events in the Chronicles, including the death of Nakatomi no Kamatari, the creation of the Fujiwara family, the destruction of Goguryeo, and the continued development of the Baekje refugees. For more, check out the podcast blog at: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-128 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan. My name is Joshua and this is episode 128: Immigrants, Princes, and High Officials. There was a pall over the house, despite the visiting royal retinue creating something of a stir,. While craftspeople were still hard at work repairing damage from the lightning strike only a few months earlier, that wasn't the reason for the low spirits. Rather, the house was worried for their patriarch, the Naidaijin, Nakatomi no Kamatari. He had fallen ill, and despite all the pleas to the kami and the Buddhas , it seemed the end might be near. And so even the sovereign himself had come. Kamatari was not just a loyal official, but a close friend of the sovereign, someone who had been there since the beginning. And so we can imagine how Naka no Oe felt. He may have been the sovereign of Yamato, but he was still a human being, visiting his friend of some 30 or so years, knowing that for all of the power that he held, there was nothing he could do against the ravages of time and disease. The year is 668—Naka no Oe has moved the capital to Ohotsu, on the banks of Lake Biwa, and has formally assumed the throne. This episode we are going to cover the last several years of Naka no Oe's reign. In contrast to last week's dive into Yamato science, this week is going to be a bit of a grab bag, looking at what was going on in Yamato and talking about what was recorded in the Chronicles. And for the most part, the entries for the rest of the year 668 are fairly normal, and yet there are some oddities… For instance, in the fourth month we are told that Baekje sent Mitosapu and others to offer tribute. And any other time that would be just a normal thing. Except that at this point in history, Baekje was about as going a concern as a parrot in a Monty Python sketch. So if the Kingdom of Baekje was no longer a thing, who was it that was sending the tribute? Most likely it was the Baekje communities in exile living in the archipelago. Remember how many of them had settled around Biwa and in 666, two thousand Baekje people were settled somewhere in the East. These immigrants were still being supported by the Yamato government, who were basically subsidizing their settlement for the first three years, during which time they would be expected to make it into a permanent settlement. Based on the way the Chronicles talk about it, these early Baekje communities sound like they were maintaining a kind of kingdom in exile. With many immigrants from Baekje living together in proximity, they were likely keeping their own groups, with their own language and traditions, at least for now. It would be interesting to know if there were specific Baekje settlements that have been identified through the archaeological record. That said, we definitely see Baekje's mark on the archipelago: Physically, there are the Baekje style castles, and various temples following Baekje style layouts. Of course there were also continental building styles, but some of that was shared across multiple cultures at this point, and one should consider how much Baekje influence might have been found in things that we later see as Japanese. Additionally, Baekje nobles were involved in the court, often given court rank based in part on their rank in Baekje, though it wasn't quite equivalent. Still, in time, some of the nobles would trace their lineages back to Baekje nobles and princes. Speaking of princes and Baekje, on the fifth day of the fifth month of 668 —a day that would come to be known as Ayame no hi, or Tango no Sekku, one of the major days of court ceremony—Naka no Oe went out hunting on the moor of Kamafu, known today as Gamou district, near Kanzaki, where 400 Baekje people had been settled. He was out there with the Crown Prince, his younger brother, aka Prince Ohoama, and all the other princes and ministers. A grand outing. A month later, however, tragedy struck. One “Prince Ise” and his younger brother died on consecutive days. While this was undoubtedly a blow to the court, the interesting thing for our purposes – which also highlights the challenge of interpreting the Chronicles is that we aren't exactly sure who this is referring to. It's not the first time we've seen this title: we first see a “Prince Ise” show up around 650, during the presentation of the white pheasant that ushered in the Hakuho era, but we later see that that individual had passed away in 661. We also see the name show up less than 20 years later in the Chronicles for another prince, so this can't be the same. So this is clearly a position or title for a prince, but it isn't clear if it was passed down or inherited. One possibility is that “Prince Ise” or “Prince of Ise” was a title for one of the royal sons. IAt this point in the narrative, Naka no Oe had three sons. Prince Takeru had passed away at the age of 8, but he also had Prince Kawajima, Prince Shiki, and Prince Iga, aka Prince Ohotomo, all sons of “palace women”. We know, though, that these princes show up later, so I don't think the so-called Prince Ise was one of them. Perhaps another line? The term “Prince” might also refer to something other than a royal son. You see, English translators have often been somewhat cavalier with the way we tend to render titles. The English term “Prince” has been used for “Hiko”, “Miko”, or “Ou” (which was probably pronounced “Miko” in many of these cases). And in English, we often think of “Prince” as the son of a king, but “Prince” can also be an independent ruler of a principality, or may just refer to a person with power in a monarchic state. Even the term “king” is not unambiguous—early European accounts of Japan during the Warring States period often refer to the various daimyou as “kings”, given the often absolute dominion with which they apparently ruled their particular domains. At this time, the term “Miko” (also pronounced “ouji”, or “koushi”, or even “sume-miko”) seems rather unambiguously to refer to a “royal prince”, from the lineage of the sovereign. The term “Ou”, which also seems to be read as “Miko” in some cases, is also the term for “King” and probably more broadly fits the concept of a “prince” as a ruler. However, in this case, it seems to be equal to the term “Miko”, and may have been used almost interchangeably for a time, though later it would be used to refer to members of princely rank who were not directly related to a reigning sovereign—the grandchildren and so forth of royal princes who did not go on to inherit. In this case, I think the best we can say for certain is that Prince Ise—or the Prince of Ise—was someone important enough to be included in the chronicles – but who he was, exactly, will remain a mystery for now. The following month, the 7th month, was chock full of activities. First of all, Goguryeo sent envoys by way of Koshi—meaning they landed on the Japan Sea side, probably around Tsuruga. While this may just have been closer, I suspect it meant they avoided any Tang entanglements traveling through the Bohai sea. They did run into a spot of trouble, however, as the winds and waves prevented their return. Koshi also shows up as presenting some strange gifts to the court: burning earth and burning water. There is some thought that maybe this is something like coal or natural oil deposits. We are also told that in this month, Prince Kurikuma was appointed the governor of Tsukushi. Kurikuma no Ou appears to have been the grandson—or possibly great-grandson—of the sovereign, Nunakura, aka Bidatsu Tennou. The position Kurikuma was given was important, of course, overseeing the Dazai, which meant overseeing anyone traveling to the archipelago from the continent. This would be a relatively short-lived appointment—this time. He would be re-appointed about three years later, which would prove important, as he would be governor there during some particularly momentous events. Stories appear to have continued about him in the Nagasaki region, and various families traced their lineage back to him. Also in that month, we are told that Afumi, home of the new capital, practiced military exercises—likely in preparation in case of a future Tang or Silla invasion. Recall we discussed in Episode 126 how the choice of Afumi as a capital site might have been related to its defensibility in the event of such an invasion. At the same time, the court entertained Emishi envoys, and the toneri, by royal command, held banquets in various places. There is also mention of a shore-pavillion, presumably at Lake Biwa, where fish of various kinds came, covering the water. Interestingly enough, there is another story of a “shore pavilion”, likely the same one, in the Fujiwara Family Record, the Toushi Kaden. We are told that Prince Ohoama – Naka no Oe's younger brother spiked a large spear through a plank of wood in some kind of feat of strength. This apparently shocked Naka no Oe, who saw it aa kind of threat—perhaps seeing that his five-years younger brother was still hale and healthy. Granted, Naka no Oe was only in his 40s, but his brother Ohoama was in his later 30s. We are also told that at this time, in 668, Naka no Oe was apparently not doing so well, with people wondering if he would be with them much longer. The Toshi Kaden account seems rather surprising in that it claims Naka no Oe was so shocked by this proof of his brother's vitality that he wanted to have him put to death, suggesting to me that he felt that Ohoama might be a threat to him and his rule. Ultimately, though, he was talked out of this by his old friend, Nakatomi no Kamatari – the one whom he had plotted with to overthrow the Soga, and whose relationship was initiated by an interaction on the kemari field, as we discussed in Episode 106. Speaking of whom: Nakatomi no Kamatari was still Naijin, the Inner or Interior Minister, and so quite prominent in the administration. In the 9th month, as a Silla envoy was visiting the court, Kamatari sent Buddhist priests Hoben and Shinpitsu to present a ship to the Prime Minister of Silla, which was given to the Silla envoy and his companions, and three days later, Fuse no Omi no Mimimaro was sent with a ship meant for the King of Silla as well. This incident is also recounted in the Toshi Kaden. In this case it says that the people, hearing about the gifts to Silla, were quite upset. After all, it stands to reason: Yamato was still smarting from their defeat at the hands of Tang and Silla forces, and building up defenses in case of an attack. They'd also taken in a number of Baekje nobles and families, who may have also had some influence on the court. We are told that Kamatari himself excused all of this by stating that “All under heaven must be the sovereign's land. The guests within its borders must be the sovereign's servants.” In this case, all under heaven, or “Tenka”, is a common phrase used to describe a monarch's sovereignty over everything in the land. And so, while Silla envoys were in Yamato as guests, they also fell under similar rules, and as such were considered, at least by Yamato, as the sovereign's servants and thus worthy of gifts. The Silla envoys stayed for over a month. They finally departed by the 11th month of 668, carrying even more gifts, including silk and leather for the King and various private gifts for the ambassadors themselves. The court even sent Chimori no Omi no Maro and Kishi no Woshibi back with the envoy as Yamato envoys to the Silla court. This all tells us that just as the Tang were working to woo Yamato, Silla was likely doing so as well. And while Yamato might still begrudge the destruction of Baekje, they also had to face the political reality that Baekje was probably not going to be reinstated again—especially not while the Tang government was occupying the peninsula. So making nice with both Tang and Silla was prudent. Furthermore, though they had been visited by Goguryeo envoys earlier that year, Yamato may have had some inkling that Goguryeo was not in the most powerful position. Ever since the death of Yeon Gaesomun, the Goguryeo court had been involved in infighting—as well as fighting their external enemies. One of Gaesomun's sons had been exiled and had gone over to the Tang, no doubt providing intelligence as well as some amount of legitimacy. What they may not have known was that as Yamato was hosting the Silla envoys, a new assault by the Tang-Silla alliance was advancing on Pyongyang and setting siege to the city. The Nihon Shoki records that in the 10th month of 668 Duke Ying, the Tang commander-in-chief, destroyed Goguryeo. This would dramatically change the international political landscape. Tang and Silla had been triumphant—Yamato's allies on the peninsula had been defeated, and what we know as the “Three Kingdoms” period of the Korean peninsula was over. However, the situation was still fluid. The peninsula was not unified by any sense of the imagination. The Tang empire had their strategic positions from which they controlled parts of the peninsula and from which they had been supplying the war effort against Goguryeo. They also likely had to occupy areas to ensure that nobody rose up and tried to reconstitute the defeated kingdoms. In fact, there would be continued attempts to revive Goguryeo, as might be indicated in the name we use: by the 5th century, the country was actually using the name “Goryeo”, a shortened form of “Goguryeo”, but we continue to refer to it as “Goguryeo” to distinguish it from the country of the same name that would be established in 918, laying claim to that ancient Goguryeo identity. A bit of spoilers, but “Goryeo” is where we would eventually get the name that we know the region by, today: “Korea”. In the Nihon Shoki it is referred to as “Gaori”. But none of that could have been known at the time. Instead, there was no doubt some exuberance on the side of both Silla and Tang, but that would settle into something of unease. With Baekje and Goguryeo destroyed, Silla may have thought that Tang would leave, allowing them to solidify their hold and manage those territories as an ally. If this is what they thought, though, I'm not sure they had run it by the Tang empire just yet. In the Yamato court, there appear to have been separate factions: a pro-Tang faction, and also a pro-Silla faction. We have to assume, based on the actions in the record at this time, that this was a ongoing debate. The last thing I'll note for the year 668 is attempted theft. The Buddhist priest Dougyou stole Kusanagi, the famous sword forming part of the imperial regalia, and escaped with it. Kusanagi, you may recall, was the royal sword. It was named “Kusanagi” or “grass cutter” because it is said that when Prince Yamato Takeru was subduing the eastern lands, he was surrounded in a field that had been set on fire, and he used Kusanagi to create a firebreak by cutting down all of the grass around him. The sword was given to him by Yamato Hime, the Ise Princess at the time, and it was thought to have been first found by the god Susanowo inside of the legendary Yamata no Orochi. We talked about this in Episodes 16, 34, and 35. Yamato Takeru left the sword in Owari, and it would eventually live there, at Atsuta Jingu, Atsuta Shrine, its traditional home. It isn't clear if Dougyou obtained the sword from Owari or if it was being kept in the capital at the time. It would have likely been brought out for Naka no Oe's coronation, but then it would probably have been returned to the shrine that was holding it. Dougyou tried to head to Silla with his illicit goods, but wind and rain forced him to turn back around. This is a fascinating story and there's a lot to dive into here. So first off, let's point out that this is supposed to be a Buddhist priest. What the heck was going on that he was going to try to run a heist on what are essentially the Crown Jewels of the Yamato crown? While the sword, mirror, and jewel were still somewhat questionable as the sole three regalia, they were clearly important. We aren't given Dougyou's motives. We don't know enough about him. Was he anti-Yamato or anti-Naka no Oe? Was he actually a Buddhist priest of his own accord, or was he a priest because he was one of those who had been essentially conscripted into religious orders on behalf of some powerful noble? Was he a Buddhist who wanted to attack the hold of the kami? Was he pro-Silla, or perhaps even a Silla descendant, trying to help Silla? Or was he just a thief who saw the sword, Kusanagi, as a valuable artifact that could be pawned outside of Yamato? That last possibility feels off. While we aren't exactly sure what Kusanagi looked like, based on everything we know, the sword itself wasn't necessarily blinged out in a way that would make it particularly notable on the continent. And if Dougyou and whoever his co-conspirators were just wanted to attack the Yamato government, why didn't he just dump Kusanagi in the see somewhere? He could have destroyed it or otherwise gotten rid of it in a way that would have embarrassed the government. It seems mostly likely that this theft had something to do with pro-Silla sentiment, as if Silla suddenly showed up with the sword, I imagine that would have been some diplomatic leverage on the Yamato court, as they could have held it hostage. In any case, the plan ultimately failed, though the Chronicles claim it was only because the winds were against him—which was likely seen as the kami themselves defending Yamato. On to a new year. At the start of 669, Prince Kurikuma (who we mentioned above) was recalled to the capital and Soga no Akaye was appointed governor of Tsukushi. We mentioned Akaye a couple of episodes back. He was involved in the broken arm-rest incident, where Prince Arima was plotting against Takara Hime, aka Saimei Tennou, and Akaye's daughter Hitachi no Iratsume, was one of the formal wives of Naka no Oe, who would give birth to the princess Yamabe. Now Akaye was given the position of governor of Tsukushi. This position is an interesting one throughout Japanese history. In many ways it is a viceroy—the governor of Tsukushi has to effectively speak with the voice of the sovereign as the person responsible for overseeing any traffic to and from the continent. This also was likely a highly lucrative position, only handed out to trusted individuals. However, it also meant that you were outside of the politics of the court. Early on that was probably less of a concern. At this time, court nobles were likely still concerned with their traditional lands, which created their economic base, meaning that the court may have been the political center, but there was still plenty of ways to gain power in the archipelago and it wasn't solely through the court. Over time, as more and more power accrued to the central court government, that would change. Going out to manage a government outpost on the far end of the archipelago—let alone just going back to manage one's own estates—would be tantamount to exile. But for now, without a permanent city built up around the palace, I suspect that being away from the action in the capital wasn't quite as detrimental compared to the lucrative nature of a powerful position. Later, we will see how that flips on its head, especially with the construction of capitals on the model of those like Chang'an. For now, new governor Soga no Akaye was likely making the most of his position. On that note, in the third month of 669, Tamna sent their prince Kumaki with envoys and tribute. They would have come through Tsukushi, and Soga no Akaye likely enjoyed some benefits as they were entertained while waiting for permission to travel the rest of the way down to the Yamato capital. The Tamna embassy did not exactly linger at the court. They arrived on the 11th of the 3rd month, and left one week—seven days—later, on the 18th. Still, they left with a gift of seed-grain made to the King of Tamna. On their way out, they likely would have again stopped in at Tsukushi for provisions and to ensure that all of their business was truly concluded before departing. A couple of months later, on the 5th day of the 5th month, we see another hunting party by Naka no Oe. This seems to have been part of the court ritual of the time for this ceremonial day. This time it was on the plain of Yamashina. It was attended by his younger brother, Crown Prince Ohoama, as well as someone called “Fujiwara no Naidaijin” and all of the ministers. “Fujiwara no Naidaijin” is no doubt Nakatomi no Kamatari. This is an interesting slip by the Chroniclers, and I wonder if it gives us some insight into the source this record came from. Kamatari was still known as Nakatomi at the time, and was still the Naidaijin, so it is clear they were talking about him. But historically his greatest reputation is as the father of the Fujiwara family, something we will get to in time. That said, a lot of the records in this period refer to him as “Fujiwara”. We've seen this previously—because the records were being written later they were often using a more common name for an individual, rather than the name—including title—that the individual actually would have borne at the time of the record. This really isn't that different from the way we often talk about the sovereigns using their posthumous names. Naka no Oe would not have been known as “Tenji Tennou” during his reign. That wouldn't be used until much later. And yet, many history books will, understandably, just use the name “Tenji” because it makes it clear who is being talked about. This hunting trip is not the only time we see the name “Fujiwara” creep into the Chronicles a little earlier than accurate: we are told that only a little later, the house of “Fujiwara” no Kamatari was struck by lightning. But that wasn't the only tragedy waiting in the wings. Apparently, Kamatari was not doing so well, and on the 10th day of the 10th month, his friend and sovereign, Naka no Oe, showed up to pay his respects and see how he was doing. Ever since that fateful game of kemari—Japanese kickball—the two had been fast friends. Together they envisioned a new state. They overthrew the Soga, and changed the way that Japan even conceived of the state, basing their new vision off continental ideas of statehood, governance, and sovereignty. Now, Kamatari was gravely ill. What happens next is likely of questionable veracity Sinceit is unlikely that someone was there writing down the exact words that were exchanged, but the Chronicles record a conversation between the sovereign and his ill friend. And the words that the Chroniclers put in their mouths were more about the image that they wanted to project. According to them, Naka no Oe praised his friend, and asked if there was anything that he could do. Kamatari supposedly eschewed anything special for burial arrangements. He supposedly said “While alive I did no service for my country at war; why, then, should I impose a heavy burden on it when I am dead?” Hard to know if he actually felt like that or not, or if thr Chroniclers were likening him to Feng Yi of the Han dynasty, the General of the Great Tree. He was so-called because he would often find a tree to take time to himself. He likewise was renowned for his dislike of ostentation, much like Kamatari foregoing a fancy burial mound. Five days later, Naka no Oe sent Crown Prince Ohoama to Kamatari's house to confer on him the cap of Dai-shiki, and the rank of Oho-omi. They also conferred on him and his family a new surname: Fujiwara, and so he became Fujiwara no Daijin, the Fujiwara Great Minister. The next day he died. One source known as the Nihon Seiki, said that he was 50 years old, but according to the Chronicles there was an inscription on his tomb that stated he died at age 55. Three days later, we are told that Naka no Oe went to the house of the now late Fujiwara no Naidaijin, and gave orders to Soga no Akaye no Omi, declaring to him his gracious will and bestowing on him a golden incense-burner. This is somewhat odd, because as we were just talking about, Soga no Akaye had been appointed governor of Tsukushi, though the Toshi Kaden claims that it was actually Soga no Toneri who was in Tsukushi—but these could also mean the same people. Why this happened right after Kamatari's death suggests to me that Soga no Akaye may have had something to do with the arrangements for Kamatari's funeral or something similar. Let's talk about this whole incident. There are many that think the Nihon Shoki has things a bit out of order, and on purpose. Specifically, it is quite likely that the name “Fujiwara” was actually granted after Kamatari's death, and not on the day of, as it has here. He may even have been posthumously elevated. But since the Fujiwara family would go on to be quite powerful, the order of events and how they were recorded would have been very important in the 8th century. By naming Kamatari's line the Fujiwara, the court were effectively severing it from the rest of the Nakatomi. The Nakatomi family would continue to serve as court ritualists, but the Fujiwara family would go on to much bigger and better things. This change also likely meant that any inheritance of Kamatari's would go to his direct descendants, and that a brother or cousin couldn't necessarily just take over as the head of the household. So it's very possible that this “setting apart” of the Fujiwara family immediately upon Kamatari's death is a later fiction, encouraged by the rising Fujiwara themselves, in an attempt to keep others from hanging on to their coat tails, as it were. Also a quick note about the idea that there was an inscription on Kamatari's tomb. This is remarkable because so far, we have not actually found any such markers or tombstones on burials prior to this period. We assume that they would have been stone or wood markers that were put up by a mound to let you know something about the person who was buried there. Over time, most of these likely wore away. But it is interesting to think that the practice may have had older roots. The death of Kamatari wasn't the only tragedy that year. We are also told that in the 12th month there was a fire in the Treasury, and that the temple of Ikaruga—known to us as Houryuuji, the temple built by Shotoku Taishi—also was burnt. It isn't said how bad, but only three months later, in 670, another fire struck during a thunderstorm, and we are told that everything burned down—nothing was left. That said, it seems that they may have been able to reuse some of the materials. I say this because an analysis of the main pillar of the pagoda in the western compound suggests that the tree it came from was felled in 594. The rest of 699 included some less dramatic events. For instance, in the 8th month, Naka no Oe climbed to the top of Takayasu, where he took advice as to how to repair the castle there. The castle had been built only a couple of years earlier, but already needed repairs. However, the initial repair project had been abandoned because the labor costs were too much. The repairs were still needed, though, and they carried out the work four months later in the 12th month, and again in the 2nd month of the following year, and that stores of grain and salt were collected, presumably to stock the castle in case they had to withstand a siege. I suspect that the “cost” of repairing the castle was mostly that it was the 8th month, and the laborers for the work would have to be taken away from the fields. By the 12th month, I can only assume that those same laborers would be free from their other duties. Speaking of costs, sometimes the Chronicles really make you wonder what was going through the mind of the writers, because they noted that the Land-tax of the Home Provinces was collected. Maybe this was the first time it had actually been instituted? I don't know. It just seems an odd thing to call out. There was also 700 more men from Baekje removed and settled in Kamafu—Gamou District—in Afumi. And then there was a Silla embassy in the 9th month, and at some point in the year Kawachi no Atahe no Kujira and others were sent to the Tang court. In response, an embassy from the Tang to Yamato brought 2000 people with them, headed by Guo Wucong, who I really hope was getting some kind of premiere cruiser status for all of his trips. The following year, 700, started out with a great archery meeting, arranged within the palace gate. I presume this to mean that they had a contest. Archery at this time—and even for years to come—was prized more highly than even swordplay. After all, archery was used both in war and on the hunt. It is something that even the sage Confucius suggested that people should practice. It is also helpful that they could always shoot at targets as a form of competition and entertainment. Later, on the 14th day of the 1st month, Naka no Oe promulgated new Court ceremonial regulations, and new laws about people giving way on the roads. This rule was that those of lower status should get out of the way of those of higher status. Funnily enough, in the description of Queen Himiko's “Yamateg”, back in the 3rd century, this was also called out as a feature of the country. It is possible that he was codifying a local tradition, or that the tradition actually goes back to the continent, and that the Wei Chroniclers were projecting such a rule onto the archipelago. I'm honestly not sure which is which. Or perhaps they expanded the rules and traditions already in place. There were also new laws about prohibiting “heedless slanders and foul falsehoods”, which sounds great, but doesn't give you a lot to go on. The law and order theme continues in the following month. A census was taken and robbers and vagabonds were suppressed. Naka no Oe also visited Kamafu, where he had settled a large number of the Baekje people, and inspected a site for a possible future palace. He also had castles built in Nagato in Tsukushi, along the route of any possible invasion from the Korean peninsula. In the third month, we have evidence of the continued importance of kami worship, when they laid out places of worship close to Miwi mountain and distributed offerings of cloth. Nakatomi no Kane no Muraji pronounced the litany. Note that it is Nakatomi no Muraji—as we mentioned, the Nakatomi would continue to be responsible for ceremonial litany while the Imibe, or Imbe, family would be responsible for laying out the various offerings. Miwi would seem to be the same location as Miidera, aka Onjou-ji, but Miidera wouldn't be founded for another couple of years. In the 9th month of 670, Adzumi no Tsuratari, an accomplished ambassador by this point, travelled to Silla. Tsuratari had been going on missions during the reign of Takara Hime, both to Baekje and to the lands across the “Western Seas”. While we don't exactly know what transpired, details like this can help us try to piece together something of the relative importance of the mission. In the last entry for 670, we are told that water-mills were made to smelt iron. If you are wondering how that works, it may have been that the waterwheel powered trip hammers—it would cause the hammer to raise up until it reached a point where it would fall. Not quite the equivalent of a modern power hammer, it still meant that fewer people were needed for the process, and they didn't have to stop just because their arms got tired. The following year, 671, got off to a grand start, with a lot of momentous events mentioned in just the first month of the year. First off, on the 2nd day of the first month, Soga no Akaye – now back from his stint as governor of Tsukushi - and Kose no Hito advanced in front of the palace and offered their congratulations on the new year. Three days later, on the 5th day, Nakatomi no Kane, who had provided the litany at Miwi, made an announcement on kami matters. Then the court made official appointments. Soga no Akaye was made the Sadaijin, or Prime Minister of the Left, and Nakatomi no Kane was made Prime Minister of the Right. Soga no Hatayasu, Kose no Hito, and Ki no Ushi were all made daibu, or high ministers. On top of this, Naka no Ohoe's son, Prince Ohotomo, was appointed as Dajodaijin. “Dajodaijin” is a new position that we haven't seen yet, and it is one of those positions that would only show up on occasion. It is effectively a *Prime* Prime Minister. They were considered superior to both the ministers of the left and the right, but didn't exactly have a particular portfolio. The Ministers of the Left and the Right each had ministries under them that they were responsible for managing. Those ministries made up the Daijo-kan, or the Council of State. The Dajodaijin, or Daijodaijin, was basically the pre-eminent position overseeing the Council of State. I suspect that the Dajodaijin seems to have been the evolution of the Naidaijin, but on steroids. Nakatomi no Kamatari had administered things as Naidaijin from within the royal household, but the Dajodaijin was explicitly at the head of the State. Of course, Prince Ohotomo was the son of Naka no Oe himself, and the fact that he was only 23 years old and now put in a place of prominence over other ministers who were quite likely his senior, is remarkable. I wonder how much he actually was expected to do, and how much it was largely a ceremonial position, but it nonetheless placed Ohotomo just below his uncle, Crown Prince Ohoama, in the overall power structure of the court. Speaking of which, following the new appointments, on the 6th day of the year, Crown Prince Ohoama promulgated regulations on the behalf of his brother, Naka no Oe. There was also a general amnesty declared, and the ceremonial and names of the cap-ranks were described in what the Chronicles calls the Shin-ritsu-ryo, the New Laws. Towards the end of the first month, there were two embassies, both from now-defunct kingdoms. The first was from Goguryeo, who reportedly sent someone named Karu and others with Tribute on the 9th day, and 4 days later, Liu Jenyuan, the Tang general for Baekje sent Li Shouchen and others to present a memorial. I'm not sure if the Goguryeo envoys were from a government in exile or from a subjugated kingdom under Tang and Silla domination. The Tang general in Baekje was a little more transparent. That said, that same month we are told that more than 50 Baekje nobles were given Yamato court rank, perhaps indicating that they were being incorporated more into the Yamato court and, eventually, society as a whole. That said, the remains of the Baekje court sent Degu Yongsyeon and others with tribute the following month. This is also the year that Naka no Oe is said to have placed the clepsydra or water clock in a new pavilion. We talked about this significance of this last episode. We are also told that on the third day of the third month, Kibumi no Honjitsu presented a “water level”, a Mizu-hakari. This would seem to be what it sounds like: A way of making sure that a surface is level using water. There is also mention of the province of Hitachi presenting as “tribute” Nakatomibe no Wakako. He was only 16 years old, and yet we are told he was only one and a half feet in height—one shaku six sun, more appropriately. Assuming modern conversions, that would have put him approximately the same height as Chandra Dangi of Nepal, who passed away in 2015 but who held the Guiness World Record for the world's shortest person at 21.5”—or 54 centimeters. So it isn't impossible. The fact that he is called “Nakatomibe” suggests that he was part of the family, or -Be group, that served the Nakatomi court ritualists. Unfortunately, he was probably seen more as an oddity than anything else at the time. Still, how many people from that time are not remembered at all, in any extant record? And yet we have his name, which is more than most. In the following month, we are also told that Tsukushi reported a deer that had been born with eight legs. Unfortunately, the poor thing died immediately, which is unfortunately too often the case. And then the fifth day of the fifth month rolled around again. This year there was no hunting, but instead Naka no Oe occupied the “Little Western Palace” and the Crown Prince and all of the ministers attended him. We are told that two “rustic” dances were performed—presumably meaning dances of some local culture, rather than those conforming to the art standards passed down from the continent. As noted earlier, this day would be one of the primary ceremony days of the later court. The following month, we are told that there was an announcement in regards to military measures requested by the messengers from the three departments of Baekje, and later the Baekje nobles sent Ye Chincha and others to bring tribute. Once again, what exactly this means isn't clear, but it is interesting to note that there were three “departments” of Baekje. It is unclear if this was considered part of the court, or if this was Baekje court in exile managing their own affairs as a guest in Yamato. It is also interesting that they seem to have been traveling to the Yamato court while Li Shouchen was still there, sent by the Tang general overseeing Baekje. That must have been a bit of an awkward meeting. We are told that they all took their departure together on the 11th day of the 7th month. Does that mean they left with the Tang envoy? Was the Tang inviting some of them to come back? Or just that they all left the court at the same time. The same month, Prince Kurikuma was once more made Governor of Tsukushi—or possibly made governor the first time, depending on whether or not you think the Chronicles are accurate or that they pulled the same event twice from different sources. We are also told that Silla sent envoys with gifts that included a water buffalo and a copper pheasant for the sovereign. The 8th month of the year, we hear that Karu of Goguryeo and his people took their leave after a seven month long visit. The court also entertained the Emishi. Two months later, Silla sent Kim Manmol and others with more tribute, but this envoy likely found a different feeling at court. And that is because on the 18th day of the 8th month, the sovereign of Yamato, Naka no Oe, took to his bed, ill. There was a ceremony to open the eyes of 100 Buddhas in the interior of the palace, and Naka no Oe sent messengers to offer to the giant Buddha of Houkouji a kesa, a golden begging-bowl, an ivory tusk, aloeswood, sandalwood, and various objects of value, but despite any spiritual merit that may have accrued, it didn't seem to work. Naka no Oe's illness continued to grow more serious. He would continue to struggle for another two months, until, on the 3rd day of the twelfth month, Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou, sovereign of Yamato, passed away. For all that we should be careful to avoid the “Great Man” theory of history, it is nonetheless hard to deny that Naka no Oe had an incredible impact on the country in his days. From start to finish, while one could argue that many of the reforms were simply a matter of time as the archipelago absorbed more and more ideas from across the straits, Naka no Oe found himself in the middle of those reforms. The Yamato State would never be the same, and he oversaw the birth of the Ritsuryo state, a new state nominally based on laws and rules, rather than just tradition. It may not be entirely clear, but he also helped inculcate a new sense of the power of the sovereign and of the state, introducing new cultural imaginaries. Yamato's reach wasn't just vague boasting, but by instituting the bureaucratic state they were able to actually expand the reach of the court farther than any time before. And through those changes, Naka no Oe had, in one way or another, been standing at the tiller. Now, he was gone, as were many of his co-conspirators in this national project. Which leaves us wondering: What comes next? Well, we'll get to that, but not right now. For now, let us close this episode with Naka no Oe's own end. Next episode, we can get into the power struggles that followed, culuminating in an incident known as the Jinshin no Ran: The Jinshin war. Until then, thank you once again for listening and for all of your support. If you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts. If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website, SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page. You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com. Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now. Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.
Shraddhavani invites us to engage with the facts about our contributions to climate change through basic activities such as eating, living in our homes and travel. She then asks us to get in touch with those seemingly simple, everyday feelings that tend to govern our choices in these areas –– the feelings of wanting, resistance and not knowing, which we as Buddhists can relate to the poisons of greed, hatred and delusion. Excerpted from the talk Transforming Our Poisons - Liberating Our Choices, which was followed by a led meditation. Part of Touching Earth: Buddhist Approaches to Care of Nature retreat at Aryaloka Buddhist Center, 2020. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast: Bite-sized clips - Buddhist inspiration three times a week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967
Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies
What was the influence of Buddhism on the preacher from Galilee? The lost years refers to the time in Jesus's life between his childhood and the beginning of his ministry, a period not described in the Gospels. Following the New Testament accounts of Jesus' young life, there is a gap of about 18 years in his story. The best known and most popular explanation for the Nazarene's hidden years, is by far, his supposed travels to India, Tibet and surrounding areas where he encountered Hinduism and the teachings of the Buddha. But is this story true? E110. Books by Trent Horn available at https://amzn.to/3VAny1k Books by Deepak Chopra at https://amzn.to/4evRpjc ENJOY Ad-Free content, Bonus episodes, and Extra materials when joining our growing community on https://patreon.com/markvinet SUPPORT this channel by purchasing any product on Amazon using this FREE entry LINK https://amzn.to/3POlrUD (Amazon gives us credit at NO extra charge to you). Mark Vinet's HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICA podcast: www.parthenonpodcast.com/history-of-north-america Mark's TIMELINE Video channel: https://youtube.com/c/TIMELINE_MarkVinet Website: https://markvinet.com/podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.vinet.9 Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoricalJesu Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/denarynovels Mark's books: https://amzn.to/3k8qrGM Audio Credit: Counsel of Trent podcast with Trent Horn (episode: Refuting Deepak Chopra’s Impostor Jesus; #828, 28nov2023). Audio excerpts reproduced under the Fair Use (Fair Dealings) Legal Doctrine for purposes such as criticism, comment, teaching, education, scholarship, research and news reporting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion
Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/korean-studies
"Mystic Maya: Journey of Initiation," is a cinematic masterwork that unveils the ancient wisdom of the Maya. Prepare to be captivated, challenged, and forever changed by this extraordinary exploration of esoteric knowledge.Step into a hidden realm beyond the pyramids as this captivating documentary unravels the truth about these enigmatic structures, intertwining the sacred initiation rites of the Maya, Egypt, and modern Western Esoteric Mystery schools. Prepare for a mesmerizing journey that challenges your perception of history and illuminates profound connections between diverse esoteric traditions."Mystic Maya" unlocks the secrets of pyramids, revealing their purpose as catalysts for personal transformation and global change. Featuring intimate interviews with Mayan lineage holders, esteemed Western Esoteric authors, and renowned experts, "Mystic Maya" reveals the once-veiled knowledge and illuminates the hidden dimensions of world history. Experience a transcendent journey that awakens curiosity and invites you to embark on your own path of initiation.Douglas Beechwood is a filmmaker with extensive experience in Commercial/Documentary and Live event production. He studied Fine Art and Photography at the University of Colorado and has immersed himself in the study of world religions for over three decades.Notably, Douglas served as Editor for "Yangsi: Reincarnation is Just the Beginning," a documentary following the life of renowned Buddhist Lama Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche for close to twenty years, from his coronation at age three to his graduation as an empowered Tibetan teacher. Additionally, he served as Production Manager, TD, and finish editor for all three seasons of the New Mexico PBS series entitled "Ageless Living."Douglas worked for twelve years as the Technical Director and Production Manager for the prestigious Festival of Faiths in Louisville, KY, which brings together faith leaders from diverse backgrounds from Native America, Judaism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism for a multi-day theatrical livestream conference. His efforts helped grow the Festival of Faiths from a small local event into a world-renowned happening that continues to engage the viewership of many millions.His spiritual journey embraces practices in Christianity, Native American beliefs, Western Esoteric Mystery Schools, and the profound teachings of Dzogchen Buddhism. Douglas further works as the media coordinator for the worldwide outreach of Tsoknyi Rinpoche's humanitarian activities through the Pundarika Foundation USA, which involves producing Buddhist retreats and secular mindfulness programs, as well as the support of Buddhist schools and nunneries in Nepal and Tibet.Free viewing, https://www.mysticmayamovie.com/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/earth-ancients--2790919/support.
Craving to Quit: Psychological Models and Neurobiological Mechanisms of Mindfulness Training as Treatment for AddictionsIn this episode, Dr. Jud Brewer and colleagues explore the transformative role of mindfulness training in treating addictions. Drawing from both modern psychological frameworks and ancient Buddhist models of suffering, this discussion highlights how mindfulness targets core elements of addiction, such as craving and habit loops. The episode unpacks the neurobiological mechanisms underlying mindfulness interventions, showcasing how they disrupt operant conditioning and rewire the brain's default mode network. Using nicotine addiction as a case study, Dr. Brewer presents mindfulness as a promising, scalable alternative to conventional treatments.Full Reference:Brewer, J. A., Elwafi, H. M., & Davis, J. H. (2013). Craving to quit: Psychological models and neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness training as treatment for addictions. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028490Let's connect on Instagram
Referencing Sangharakshita's teaching on personal responsibility, Khemasuri shows how, through self-development and sangha, we can make a radical difference in the world. This talk was part of a two talk series entitled The Lion's Roar by Shakyapada and Khemasuri given at Triratna Buddhist Community York, 2019. *** Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone! Donate now: https://freebuddhistaudio.com/donate Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast: A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dharmabytes-from-free-buddhist-audio/id416832097 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UHPDj01UH6ptj8FObwBfB YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FreeBuddhistAudio1967
Buddhability Shorts is a series where we break down a Buddhist concept or common life challenge we've touched on in an interview. Today, we're talking about the Buddhist perspective on perfectionism.To ask a question about the basics of Buddhism, you can email us at connect@buddhability.orgResources:On the Perfectionist BentThe Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 2, revised edition, pp. 25–29.Perfection Might be Hurting You
Dave tells us the full creation myth of how Buddhism says this world came to be, how it's going to end, and all the mishaps and miracles in between. Has all of this happened before? Is everything we love just a lament for what we lost? Was this whole existence thing really a good idea and is there even such a thing as a true story?? Find out here!!
This trialogue continues a series of discussion exploring the latest interdisciplinary research into tantric completion stage practices such as yogas of dream, sleep, and death. Dr Tawni Tidwell is a biocultural anthropologist and doctor of traditional Tibetan medicine. Dr Michael Sheehy is the Director of Research at the Contemplative Sciences Center at the University of Virginia. Dr Julian Schott is an Indologist, Tibetologist, and assistant professor at the University of Vienna. Dr Tidwell leads a deep-dive into the mysterious death practices of tantric yoga, the post-mortem state of suspended animation called tukdam, and the history of scientific investigation into these phenomena. Dr Sheehy explores the implications of tantric death practices on current scientific models of the body, Dr Schott reflects on Buddhist vs Cartesian notions of consciousness, and Dr Tidwell explains the cultural sensitivities of working with Himalayan gurus. The panel also discuss the importance of osel - clear light awareness - in completion stage practices, the relationship between nonduality and transformation, and consider new research directions on the cutting edge of contemplative neuroscience. … Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast'. … 01:37 - Recap previously discussed themes 02:30 - Research in tukdam and yogic dying 05:17 - Researching dying spiritual masters 09:27 - Recruiting Tibetan monastics 10:33 - Cultural dynamics around studying tukdam 12:32 - Early phases & baseline measures 13:23 - Collaboration with the Russian Academy of Science 14:39 - What could tukdam contribute to science? 15:52 - American mortician shocked 18:40 - Biological aspects of tukdam 20:53 - Funding and reliance on Russian equipment 22:14 - What happens to the body after death 23:25 - Tukdam documentary 25:39 - Future direction for the project 27:15 - Skepticism about the project and growing body of evidence 30:45 - Siloed scientific disciples 31:22 - Catholic saints and attained mystics from other traditions 32:16 - Fundraising 33:05 - New learnings about the body and reflections on the Self 34:17 - The death process as a series of dissolutions 37:22 - Tracking heat, oxygenation, fluid movement, and visual imagery 44:27 - Buddhist vs Cartesian notions of consciousness 46:56 - Different tukdam methods across lineages 49:18 - Evan Thompson's theories of consciousness 51:24 - We can die in different ways 54:56 - Methodologically rich ways to attain wisdom 57:41 - The soteriological essence of Buddhism 01:01:35 - Human transformation and experiences of the edge 01:04:02 - Exaltation 01:05:03 - How do tantric techniques lead to tukdam? 01:09:04 - Tummo & vajra recitation to control subtle energies 01:10:41 - Dream, orgasm, and death 01:13:26 - Tukdam is counter-rational and challenges scientific reductionism 01:17:28 - The personal impact of witnessing tukdam 01:19:38 - Tantra is radical 01:20:38 - Julian quotes the Hevajra Tantra 01:22:40 - Can tukdam candidates be studied before death? 01:25:40 - Aggregate or sudden? 01:27:25 - Understanding osel, nondual awareness, and NDE 01:30:08 - Clear light sleep 01:33:04 - Challenging reductionistic paradigms 01:35:11 - The importance of nondual awareness 01:37:53 - Sentience and yeshe 01:41:44 - Exalted form in co-creation with consciousness 01:43:31 - Steve comments on scientific reductionist materialism 01:44:19 - What measurements has the project recorded? 01:47:04 - Julian's closing remarks 01:47:31 - Tawni's closing remarks 01:48:57 - Michael's closing remarks Previous panel discussion: - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep305-neuroscience-of-dream-yoga-dr-michael-sheehy-dr-tawni-tidwell-dr-julian-schott For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi' by Steve James
It's The ADHD-Friendly Show | Personal Growth, Entrepreneurship + Well-being for Distractible Minds
Are you craving a reset but terrified of burning it all down? Same. In this vulnerable (and slightly spicy) episode, I'm sharing what it really looks like to reinvent your life after 50—with ADHD in the mix.We'll talk messy action, nervous system regulation, the myth of clarity, and why you're not broken (no matter how many times you've pivoted). If you've ever considered going back to school, starting a new business, or just ditching it all to become a Buddhist psychologist… this one's for you.✨ What we cover:Why clarity comes after action (not before)The myth of the “midlife crisis” and what to do insteadHow ADHD changes the reinvention gameStructure, nervous system support, and sustainable self-trustA vision for becoming your badass 70-year-old self
Contemplating the nexus of suffering and compassion, Thanissara, Raghu, and Jackie offer suggestions for showing up with love for all that arises. This is the opening workshop from the Centered in the Storm Virtual Immersion with Ram Dass & Friends. This course features topics like: uncovering our shared connection, transforming relationships, personal healing & global impact, and more!Check out Ram Dass' Inner Academy, where you can get the full Centered in the Storm Virtual Immersion along with dozens of other full-length, interactive, virtual courses and retreats. The Inner Academy offers lessons from Ram Dass, Krishna Das, Anne Lamott, Dr. Robert Svoboda, Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan Halifax, Dr. Robert Thurman, Nina Rao, Father Greg Boyle, David Nichtern, Thanissara and many more.Today's podcast is also brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode,Thanissara, Raghu Markus and Jackie Dobrinska discuss:Cultivating inner peace and resilience in the face of life's most difficult momentsThe vital role of trust in awakening intuition and authentic self-awarenessComing together in unity rather than being polarized as we navigate life's stormsThe nexus and relationship between suffering and compassionHow toxic individualism fosters inequality and disrupts collective well-beingThe deeper the suffering, the more potential there can be for quantum shifts of consciousnessHow fear-based thinking can fuel violence and disconnection in an untrained mindFinding a way back to the deathless, back to the heart, back to beingEmbodying courage and unwavering faith in the radiant wisdom of the heartAbout Thanissara:Thanissara is a teacher, poet, climate activist, and co-founder of the Dharmagiri Sacred Mountain Retreat. She spent 12 years as a Buddhist nun and holds an MA in Core Process Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy Practice. Thanissara was a founding member of Chithurst and Amaravati Buddhist Monasteries in England. She helped initiate/support a number of HIV/Aids response projects in deep rural South Africa. In addition, she has facilitated meditation retreats internationally for 30 years. She teaches across the U.S., in South Africa, and the UK. She is the author of several books, including her most recent, Time To Stand Up, A Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth.About Raghu Markus:Raghu Markus spent two years in India with Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass. He has been involved in music and transformational media since the early 1970s. Currently, he is the Executive Director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation and hosts the Mindrolling Podcast on the Be Here Now Network. Along with Duncan Trussell, Raghu also recently co-created The Movie of Me to the Movie of We.About Jackie Dobrinska:Jackie Dobrinska is the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass' Love, Serve, Remember Foundation and the current host of Ram Dass' Here & Now podcast. She is also a teacher, coach, and spiritual director with the privilege of marrying two decades of mystical studies with 15 years of expertise in holistic wellness. As an inter-spiritual minister, Jackie was ordained in Creation Spirituality in 2016 and has also studied extensively in several other lineages – the plant-medicine-based Pachakuti Mesa Tradition, Sri Vidya Tantra, Western European Shamanism, Christian Mysticism, the Wise Woman Tradition, and others. Today, in addition to building courses and community for LSRF, she leads workshops and coaches individuals to discover, nourish and live from their most authentic selves."This focus of suffering into compassion or the nexus and relationship of suffering and compassion, the entwined way that both of these two sides of the same coin, is really just a very succinct way of summarizing the whole path of awakening." – ThanissaraSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
A MONK, A SHAMAN, AND A SCIENTIST WALK INTO A BAR AT THE EDGE OF THE APOCALYPSE...Layman sits down with meditation and planetary dharma teacher, John Churchill, to enjoy a Double Venti Alchemist's Elixir and a rich, wide-ranging conversation exploring the shape of emergent integrative spiritualities at the edge of the Apocalypse.Born in London, Dr. Churchill's interest in psycho-spiritual development, Integral theory, Contemplative studies, Western Esotericism, and Mahayana Buddhism began in his adolescence, eventually leading him to spend several years as a Buddhist monk at Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland. During this time, John received the esoteric Planetary Dharma transmissions that would in time unfold as his contribution to a planetary fourth turning teaching. Dr. Churchill spent 15 years training and teaching “Great Seal” meditation in an Indo-Tibetan Mahayana lineage under the mentorship of the late senior Western teacher, translator, respected author, and clinical psychologist Dr. Daniel P. Brown. He is also a founding member of the Integral Institute led by esteemed Transpersonal/Integral philosopher, Ken Wilber.Planetary Dharma websitehttps://www.planetarydharma.com/
Are you tired of being stuck in the same painful cycle? You know the one – where you can't deal with what's happening, you're angry at the world, and you keep hoping things will magically change. Maybe you're fighting with your spouse, holding grudges, or just feeling completely overwhelmed by life. Here's the truth: all that fighting against reality is actually making your addiction, anxiety, and depression worse. But there's a way out, and it starts with something called radical acceptance. In this episode, Duane and Eric break down this powerful tool from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) that's been helping people escape the addiction cycle. You'll discover why accepting painful situations doesn't mean giving up – it's actually the first step toward real change. They'll walk you through exactly what radical acceptance looks like, share simple statements you can use when emotions feel overwhelming, and give you a clear three-step process to start practicing today. You'll learn why the creator of DBT said "the path out of hell is through misery" and how this counterintuitive approach can finally give you the peace you've been searching for. Whether you're dealing with addiction, anxiety, depression, or just feeling stuck in life, this episode offers hope and practical tools you can start using immediately. Don't miss the free worksheet that goes with this episode to help you put these concepts into action. DOWNLOAD THE WORKSHEET Key Topics • What radical acceptance really means and why it's not giving up • The difference between pain and suffering – and why fighting reality increases both • Three simple steps to start practicing radical acceptance today • When radical acceptance isn't appropriate (like abusive situations) • Powerful statements to use when emotions feel overwhelming • How this Buddhist-inspired therapy tool breaks the addiction cycle • Why accepting grief and loss is essential for healing If you live in California, Idaho, Virginia, or Florida and are looking for counseling or therapy, please visit Novus Mindful Life Counseling and Recovery Center. NovusMindfulLife.com We want to hear from you. Please leave us a message or ask us a question: https://www.speakpipe.com/addictedmind Disclaimer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ayya Karunika discusses useful things we can do in daily life to cultivate our mind and prepare it for meditation. Talk given on 28 August 2024. Bhikkhuni Ayya Kārunikā is currently the senior resident monastic at Santi Forest Monastery, NSW, Australia and the spiritual director for New Zealand Bhikkhuni Sangha Trust, Hamilton. She has been in monastic life for over 14 years and she received her full ordination as a bhikkhunī in 2014 at Dhammasara Nuns monastery in Western Australia where she lived and trained for over a decade with Ajahn Hāsapaññā. She has been a student of Ajahn Brahm and Ajahn Brahmali for over 2 decades. Ayya Kārunikā is able to articulate the Buddhist teachings in a way that is practical and comprehensible to people of all ages and has experience in conducting retreats for both adults and youth. While she has a PhD in Microbiology and worked as a scientist, she has also been the building project manager for the construction of the Dhammasara Nuns Monastery main building complex and has worked with many volunteers over the years. Ayya Kārunikā was born in Sri Lanka but has been living and working in Australia for over 2 decades. She has a passion to share her experience and knowledge and loves working with people and also doing creative projects. She is dedicated to supporting the growth of Bhikkhunis around the world and is currently involved in projects to support the establishment of places for Bhikkhunis in Theravada forest tradition in Australia, New Zealand, Poland and Sri Lanka. Please visit the Santi Forest Youtube Channel and Santi Forest Monastery website Support us on https://ko-fi.com/thebuddhistsocietyofwa BSWA teachings are available: BSWA Teachings BSWA Podcast Channel BSWA DeeperDhamma Podbean Channel BSWA YouTube
Many wonder if they're "stuck" in a pattern or if healing and growth are possible.Join George Haas as he explores the intersection of attachment theory and meditation, and the path to live a more meaningful life. If you're interested in meditation-based attachment repair for long-term healing, this is for you.Like this? Grab our free video resource called
Drawing from a teaching from Bhikku Analayo, respected Buddhist scholar and monk, on a feminine nature of mindfulness, this meditation is an opportunity to explore mindfulness as an open, understanding receptivity to whatever arises: Right away from the moment of waking up in the morning our good friend sati can already be there, as if waiting for us. She is ready to accompany us throughout the rest of the day, encouraging us to stay receptive and soft, and open, soft and understanding. She never gets upset when we happen to forget about her. As soon as we remember her, she is right there to be with us again. - Bhikku Analayo, Satipatthana Meditation (Please excuse my misnaming in the meditation of "Ajahn Analayo" instead of "Bhikku Analayo.")
June 11, 1963. Protesting the lack of religious freedom in South Vietnam, Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc sets himself on fire in a busy Saigon intersection. This episode originally aired in 2024.Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more.History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Exploring the ancient Zen teaching of the Great Way, Jack guides us toward freedom from attachment, clarity beyond preferences, and the liberating joy of letting go.“The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. When attachment and hatred are both absent, everything becomes clear and undisguised. Make the smallest distinction; however, and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart. If you wish to see the truth, then hold no opinion for or against anything.” – Third Zen AncestorIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Finding freedom from attachment by learning to let goCan we meditate society's problems away?What does it mean to seek wisdom, compassion, freedom?The Third Patriarch of ZenFinding the Great Way and seeing the truthMoving past our opinions and preferencesHow our desires blind us and manufacture our realitySuffering, impermanence, grasping, and not relying on realityThe path to liberation from our grasping and fearsThe joy of letting go of our attachments and relaxing into what isTraining ourselves to have an obedient mind of the BuddhaIs there appropriate or wise attachment?Clarifying the full spectrum of attachmentHow to get out addiction and the Realm of the Hungry GhostsDealing with attachment to our isolation, our separatenessCommitment as a healthy devoted attachment Seeking a Wise Relationship to ourselves, others, and the worldThe slippery slope of pleasure, into desire, into habit, into needWise attachment vs unwise attachmentThe full spectrum of attachment and love“Go where you wish—cave, monastery, India, Tibet, do what you like—your mind goes with you, that's the problem.” – Jack KornfieldThis episode recorded on 03/08/1993 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed. About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack's entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community members, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“Often we think attachment is only to other people and things, but often what we are attached to is our own isolation, our own separateness.” – Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week the guys welcome the world's foremost expert and renowned pioneer in the field of breathwork, Dan Brulé. They dig into the role of breath as a gateway to expanded consciousness, the nature of life force energy, and what it truly means to breathe with spirit. Dan shares his personal journey to becoming a certified breathwork coach, and how the practice continues to shape his life and perspective. Finally, Ryan reflects on his time with Dan at the Contact Modalities XPO, including a powerful private breathwork session with the Bledsoe family that left a lasting impact.
It's Wednesday, June 11th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark and Adam McManus Islamic legal system discourages Christian conversion in Brunei, Iran & Yemen Christians face significant persecution in countries that follow Sharia law like Brunei, Iran, and Yemen. The Islamic legal system is used to ban people from converting out of Islam to another religion. International Christian Concern notes, “The abuse inflicted upon the Christians of these nations is an open secret. … Forcing Christians into prisons — often under the guise of slanderous accusations, sexually assaulting Christian women, and forcing Christ followers into demeaning work has become commonplace in far too many nations.” Muslims experienced highest growth rate among religions Pew Research released a report on the growth of religious groups in the world between 2010 and 2020. All religious groups except Buddhists increased numerically during the time frame. Muslims grew the most, followed by the religiously unaffiliated. Christians increased by about five percent from 2.1 billion to 2.3 billion people. As a share of the global population, only Muslims and the religiously unaffiliated experienced growth. Christians and Buddhists decreased as a share of the global population while Hindus, Jews, and other religions held steady. Muslims have a notably higher fertility rate than other religious groups around the world. Supreme Court affirmed right of Catholic group to tax exemption In the United States, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of a Catholic nonprofit last Thursday. The state of Wisconsin had denied a tax exemption for the Catholic Charities Bureau in 2016. The case went before the state Supreme Court which ruled against the nonprofit. Nick Reaves, an attorney at Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, commented on the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling. He said, “When every justice agrees and says ‘Yes, this is foundational to our understanding of religious freedom, that you can't discriminate among religions,' that's really exciting for us.” RFK Jr. replaced entire Advisory Committee on Immunization The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is replacing the 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices. The committee makes vaccine recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Biden administration had appointed all 17 members. Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. stated, “A clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science. ACIP's new members will prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine. The Committee will no longer function as a rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas.” The younger the kids of divorce, the worse the trauma The National Bureau of Economic Research released a report last month about the effects of divorce on children. The study noted that nearly a third of American children experience parental divorce before adulthood. Children had more negative outcomes the younger they were when the divorce occurred. Researchers wrote, “We find that parental divorce reduces children's adult earnings and college residence while increasing incarceration, mortality, and teen births.” Speaking of husband and wife, in Matthew 19:6, Jesus said, “So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Trump: We “will always defend right of every American to worship God freely” The White House released a presidential message on Pentecost Sunday this week. The message from President Donald Trump said, “Today, I join in prayer with Christians joyfully celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost—one of the most sacred events of the Christian faith. We commemorate the fulfillment of Jesus Christ's earthly mission and the birth of His holy and living Church. "As we celebrate this glorious feast day, we also honor all Christians who, like the Apostles, have willingly endured persecution because of their faith. My Administration will always defend the right of every American to worship God freely and without fear.” On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) Lesson from The American Miracle movie: “God governs in the affairs of men” If you have not yet seen The American Miracle, the new docudrama about God's providential hand in America's founding, then get tickets to see it tonight. And bring a bunch of your friends with you. It's the last day it will be in the theaters. Actress Lauren Lael portrayed the daughter of a slave named Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman who was portrayed by Christian singer Nicole C. Mullen. Remarkably, the slave won her freedom in a Massachusetts court on August 22, 1781. This is what Lauren Lael said. LAEL: “I think that one of the biggest Biblical themes that The American Miracle embodies is, I think, a spirit of integrity and a message of hope and a message also of connectedness, that really exalts God. This is such a pivotal time that this type of message needs to come out.” People who have seen the film have been reminded afresh of God's intervention in American history. TESTIMONIAL 1: “Something that I've learned in the film tonight is that we cannot underestimate how great our God is and how powerful He is, and how much He does govern the affairs of men." TESTIMONIAL 2: "It really reminded me how great our country is, because the Lord ordained America to be great.” TESTIMONIAL 3: “I enjoyed it immensely. And I thought, if there's ever been any doubt about the faith and the beliefs of our founders, then this movie clears all that up and lets you know that, yes, they believed that God governs in the affairs of men.” Watch the trailer. Go to the website www.AmericanMiracleMovie.com, watch the trailer, click on the Tickets tab, type in your zipcode, and purchase tickets for tonight. It's the last night of a 3-night national run. 18 Worldview listeners gave $9,129 to fund our annual budget And finally, toward our midpoint goal of $61,750 to fund half of The Worldview newscast's annual budget by this Friday, June 13th, 18 listeners stepped up to the plate. We missed our 20-donor daily goal by two donors. Our thanks to Anna in Great Falls, Montana who gave $4, Trudy in Los Olivos, California and Gwyndol in Albany, Oregon – both of whom gave $25, as well as Cathy in Fate, Texas who gave $35. We appreciate Janet in Canton, Illinois, Ed in Ramara, Ontario Canada, Emily in DeForest, Wisconsin, Sheila in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and Jess in Forestville, California – each of whom gave $50. We're grateful to God for Titus in Omaha, Nebraska who gave $80, Kerry in Parowan, Utah who gave $100, Melissa in Great Falls, Montana who gave $110, and Calvin in Odessa, Minnesota who gave $300. And we were touched by the generosity of Elizabeth in Carol Stream, Illinois who gave $1,000, Keith and Lisa in Lansing, Michigan who gave $1,000, an anonymous donor in Texas who gave $1,000, Rick and Shannan in Lynchburg, Virginia who pledged $100 per month for 12 months for a gift of $1,200, and Scooter in Naples, Florida who will match all four of those gifts with another $4,000. Those 18 Worldview listeners gave a total of $9,129. Ready for our new grand total? Drum roll please. (Drum roll sound effect) $ 23,800.20 (People clapping sound effect) That means we still need to raise $37,949.80 by this Friday, June 13th to hit the half-way mark, to stay on the air, and fund our 6-member Worldview newscast team for another fiscal year. In an audience of this size, I know that there is someone who could fund half of that amount with a one-time gift of $18,974.90. A couple of you could give a one-time gift of $5,000. If you were one of 8 more people who could give a one-time gift of $1,000, Scooter in Naples, Florida will match you with a corresponding $1,000 gift. Could 10 of you pledge $100 per month for 12 months? And another 20 of you pledge $50/month for 12 months? We could knock this annual budget out of the park overnight if everyone did something. Just go to TheWorldview.com and click on Give on the top right. Click on the button that indicates a recurring donation if you want to give monthly. Invest in a newscast that's succinct, factual, and Biblically based. Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, June 11th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
On Day Four of our special Tricycle Week, we explore the article "Knowing the Three Fortresses," a compelling piece that offers a fresh lens on inner resilience and spiritual grounding. Drawing from traditional Buddhist teachings, the article introduces the concept of the Three Fortresses—Powerful antidotes to distraction, confusion, and self-doubt on the path of practice. In today's episode, I share reflections on how these fortresses serve as both refuge and rallying point—helping us meet the challenges of daily life with steadiness, awareness, and compassion. Whether you're navigating a tough moment or simply trying to stay centered in your practice, this teaching will give you tools to return home to yourself. What You'll Learn: What the Three Fortresses are and how they can support your spiritual path How to apply their wisdom to your everyday life Why awareness, retreat, and reliance on the Dharma are vital in uncertain times Resources: Read the full article at Tricycle.org Want to deepen your meditation practice? Visit the Zen Commuter website for more resources and guidance. Share this episode with someone who could use a dose of calm and insight. Schedule Time with Thom (Complimentary consultation) THANKS FOR LISTENING! Become a Super-Fan of the Show Thanks again for listening to the show! If it has helped you in any way, please share it using the social media buttons you see on the page. Be a part of the show! Send me a message: speakpipe.com/zencommuter Email: thom@zencommuter.com Instagram: @thom_walters Twitter: @thom_walters Facebook: www.facebook.com/zencommuter Donate: Support the Podcast! Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Rate and review us in Apple Podcasts! zencommuter.com/review
This week's episode of the 21st Century Vitalism podcast is with the founding teacher of the Metta Group, George Haas. In this conversation we explore his work of combining Buddhist meditation practice with cutting edge attachment strategy repair protocols. Drawing on over 40 years of teaching this material, George's approach to helping students heal from their attachment injuries has been clinically proven to be effective and deeply transformational. Outside of his full schedule of one on one sessions and weekly classes, he's also the host of a podcast called, ‘I Love You, Keep Going', which explores these topics in great detail. If you want to study with George, head on over to mettagroup.org or consider checking out his show wherever you tune into your podcasts. Show Topics - What's the Difference Between Attachment Styles and Strategies? - Organized Attachment Vs. Disorganized - What Determines Our Attachment Strategy? - How Views Shape Our Reality - Working With Our Strategies - Intimacy and Communication - Vipassana and Attachment - How Emotions Change Perception - What is Authenticity? - Attachment and Spiritual Practice
Karma is viewed as a fundamental principle in the spiritual world, suggesting that everything we do, say, and even think generates consequences that eventually come back to us, whether in this life or in the future. My guests, Lama Lhanang Rinpoche and Mordy Levine, believe that karma influences not only our individual situations but also the broader social landscape. They are here to share their insights on its impact and to suggest a constructive way to move forward. Lama Lhanang Rinpoche was born in the Amdo region of historic Tibet and received a traditional monastic education and later studied under several respected Tibetan lamas. Today, he teaches Vajrayana Buddhism at the Jigme Lingpa Center in San Diego, California. Mordy Levine is an entrepreneur, meditation teacher, and the president of the Jigme Lingpa Center. He also created the Meditation Pro Series, a meditation program designed to alleviate chronic health issues. In this discussion, Lama and Mordy demonstrate the principles of karma in everyday life and suggest ways to cultivate positive karma. They draw from the Buddhist perspective, highlighting how it fosters compassion, joy, and inner peace amidst the uncertainties of life.