Podcasts by Buddhist Geeks

Stirrings from the Bardo from 2017-07-23T00:00

Buddhist Geeks is stirring from the state in-between lives. It looks like a rebirth is eminent. Episode Links: - www.buddhistgeeks.org - The Buddhist Geeks Death Poem: https://goo.gl/w9csbS See P...

Talking Race, Love, and Liberation from 2016-06-14T00:00

Rev. angel Kyodo williams Sensei is a maverick spiritual teacher, master trainer, and founder of Center for Transformative Change. She is the author of "Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and L...

Secularizing Buddhist Ethics from 2016-06-04T00:00

Stephen Batchelor is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism. He is the author of "Buddhism Without Beliefs" and most recently has...

The Science of Compassion from 2016-05-28T12:00

EMMA SEPPÄLÄ, Ph.D is Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. Emma joins host Vincent Horn to share the science behind compassion. Sh...

The Ethical Operating System from 2016-05-28T00:00

James Hughes is the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies and the author of "Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of t...

Western Buddhism is Dead (Long Live Western Buddhism) from 2016-05-14T21:01:11

David Chapman is a writer, computer scientist, engineer and Buddhist practitioner. He blogs on several sites including the hypertext book Meaningness.com.

In part two of a conversation on...

Buddhist Ethics is a Fraud from 2016-03-30T00:00

David Chapman is a writer, computer scientist, engineer and Buddhist practitioner. He blogs on several sites including the hypertext book Meaningness.com.

Beginning a season of episodes o...

Psilocybin: A Crash Course in Mindfulness from 2016-01-02T00:00

Roland Griffiths is the lead investigator of the Psilocybin Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins and one of the United States’ leading psychopharmacologists. In the conclusion to his conversatio...

Meditating on Mushrooms from 2015-12-17T00:00

Roland Griffiths is the lead investigator of the Psilocybin Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins and one of the United States’ leading psychopharmacologists. In this episode Roland describes his...

The Mindfulness Reality Tunnel from 2015-12-08T00:00

Caroline Contillo is a multidisciplinary artist, performer, & writer. In the conclusion to their conversation, Caroline and Vincent Horn examine the rewards and perils of storytelling in our daily...

The Story of Things as They Are from 2015-11-30T00:00

Caroline Contillo is a multidisciplinary artist, performer, & writer. She joins host Vincent Horn for a free flowing conversation about mindfulness, science fiction, and the human penchant for tel...

Mindfulness++ from 2015-11-02T00:00

Vincent Horn is part of a new generation of teachers translating age-old wisdom into 21st century code. In this talk given to the Buddhist Geeks Dojo and the UNC Asheville Mindfulness Club, Vincen...

The Gate of Tears from 2015-10-19T00:00

Dr. Jay Michaelson is a meditation teacher, academic, and the author of several books including "The Gate of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path". In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Ja...

The Mind Illuminated from 2015-09-26T00:00

Culadasa (John Yates, Ph.D.) is the director of Dharma Treasure Buddhist Sangha in Tucson, Arizona and author of "The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Using Buddhist Wisdom and Brain S...

The Progress of Insight from 2015-09-20T00:00

Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist m...

The Buddhist Geeks Dojo from 2015-09-13T00:00

Emily Horn and Vincent Horn are meditation teachers and partners in life and the Buddhist Geeks. In the final part of this reflective series, they explain events leading up to the current Buddhi...

When Rebels Mature from 2015-09-11T00:00

Emily Horn and Vincent Horn are meditation teachers and partners in running the Buddhist Geeks organization. In the first part of this special series, Emily and Vincent describe the growth of Buddh...

A Contemplative Science of Sleep from 2015-08-13T00:00

Evan Thompson is an author and philosopher in the fields of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, phenomenology, and cross-cultural philosophy. Continuing a discussion between Evan and host Vince...

Cognitive Science and the Wandering Mind from 2015-08-08T00:00

Evan Thompson is an author and philosopher in the fields of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, Phenomenology, and cross-cultural philosophy. Speaking with host Vincent Horn, Evan discusses his ...

Meditation Going Mainstream from 2015-07-29T16:36:15

Adreanna Limbach is a meditation teacher with the Interdependence Project, and Lodro Rinzler is a practitioner and teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. In this conversation recorded during th...

Advances in Meditation Research from 2015-07-29T16:36:09

David Vago, Rael Cahn, and Sonia Sequeira are contemplative scientists and co-organizers of the upcoming conference called “Advances in Meditation Research: Genetics, Neuroscience and Clinical Appl...

Virtual Reality and the Tea Ceremony from 2015-07-29T16:35:06

Michael Heim is an American author, educator, and Tai Chi instructor known as a philosopher of cyberspace and virtuality. In the conclusion to their conversation, host Vincent Horn and Michael d...

Virtual Reality IRL from 2015-07-29T16:35:03

Michael Heim is an American author, educator, and Tai Chi instructor known as a philosopher of cyberspace and virtuality. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Michael shares his insights...

Mindfulness in Action from 2015-07-29T16:35

Carolyn Rose Gimian is the compiler and editor of The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa and the recently published Mindfulness in Action: Making Friends with Yourself through Meditation and Everyd...

Discussing Contemplative Technology from 2015-07-29T16:34:58

The Buddhist Geeks Conference has been a meeting place for contemplative thinkers, scientists, and technology experts since 2011. During this Q&A for the Contemplative Technology panel from the 20...

The Near Future of Contemplative Technology from 2015-07-29T16:34:56

The Buddhist Geeks Conference has been a meeting place for contemplative thinkers, scientists, and technology experts since 2011. In this panel discussion from the 2014 conference, Vincent Horn hos...

Meditation in the Digital Age from 2015-07-29T16:34:53

Vincent Horn is part of a new generation of teachers who are translating the wisdom traditions of the past into 21st century code. In this talk from a recent San Francisco Consciousness Hacking Mee...

Befriending the Human Experience from 2015-07-29T16:34:50

Dr. Reggie Ray is an author, teacher, and the Spiritual Director for the Dharma Ocean Community. In the conclusion to a recent conversation with host Vincent Horn, Reggie shares his thoughts on tec...

Shikantaza Practice from 2015-07-29T16:34:48

Dr. Reggie Ray is an author, teacher, and the Spiritual Director for the Dharma Ocean Community. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Reggie discusses the Shikantaza practice he has develop...

A Pragmatist's Take on the Powers from 2015-07-29T16:20:20

Daniel Ingram is a Buddhist teacher and the author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha. In this keynote from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Daniel speaks on the visual, auditory, ...

The Approaching Dharma Cloud from 2015-07-29T16:19:58

Susan Piver is a Buddhist teacher and a New York Times bestselling author. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Susan relates the genesis of The Open Heart Project, dispels common ...

Crap, I Forgot to be Mindful Again from 2015-07-29T16:18:48

Susan Kaiser Greenland developed the Inner Kids mindful awareness program for children, teens and their families. She is author of The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become H...

Buddhism, Science, and Scientism from 2015-07-29T16:16:49

Dr. Charles T. Tart has been involved with research and theory in the fields of Hypnosis, Psychology, Transpersonal Psychology, Parapsychology, Consciousness and Mindfulness since 1963. In this key...

Buddhism Unbundled from 2015-07-29T16:15:41

Vincent Horn is a mind hacker & buddhist geek. In this keynote from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference Vincent explores the unbundling of components like meditation and mindfulness from cont...

Building an Inclusive Community from 2015-07-29T16:14:49

JoAnna Harper is a Buddhist teacher with Against the Stream and Spirit Rock Meditation Center. In this episode JoAnna joins host Emily Horn to explore inclusivity and diversity in the Buddhist comm...

Conserve&Adapt from 2015-07-29T01:38:51

Soryu Forall is a teacher and leader at the Center for Mindful Learning. The second part of Soryu’s conversation with host Vincent Horn delves into the spaces between tradition and innovation. Sory...

Awakening Is the End of All Feedback Loops from 2015-07-29T01:38:03

Soryu Forall is the Director of Mindfulness Education at the Center for Mindful Learning. He also leads a unique “modern monastery” training program for those who want to integrate awakening and re...

Applied Contemplative Science from 2015-07-29T01:35:38

Mikey Siegel is a meditator, technologist, and pioneer in the field of “Enlightenment Engineering”. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Mikey explores the idea that enlightenment ...

Game Design for Meditation from 2015-07-29T01:35:01

Robin Arnott is an indie game designer and interactive artist. In this presentation from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, he speaks about applying game design to meditation. Robin first explains...

Debugging the Source Code of the Dharma from 2015-07-29T01:34:21

Bodhipaksa is a Buddhist meditation teacher, author, and founder of Wildmind.org, an online meditation resource. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Bodhipaksa explores ways to id...

Imaging Buddha from 2015-07-29T01:33:14

Hokai Sobol is a teacher in the Shingon tradition of Japanese Vajrayana and a long time mentor to the Buddhist Geeks team. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Hokai speaks about t...

Drawing a Path to Mindfulness from 2015-07-29T01:32:39

John F. Simon is a visual artist and software programmer. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, John shares how he uses the simple act of drawing as a powerful contemplative practic...

Psychedelic Science from 2015-07-29T01:32:05

Katherine MacLean, PhD. is an academically trained research scientist and meditation practitioner with a long-standing interest in the brain, consciousness and the science of well-being. As a po...

Mahamudra and Mindfulness from 2015-07-29T01:31:08

Lama Karma (Justin Wall) graduated from Columbia University with degrees in Religious Studies and Literature and has been practicing Buddhism for over 12 years. He completed two traditional three-y...

Refuge Recovery from 2015-07-29T01:30:33

Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx and Against The Stream, is a Buddhist teacher, author and counselor. He is trained to teach by Jack Kornfield of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA, ho...

Convergence from 2015-07-29T01:29:41

Theo Horesh is a social entrepreneur, philosopher, and author of two books of global social psychology. He has been meditating for over 25 years and has spent the last 10 intensively studying th...

Bodhisattva Biosphere from 2015-07-29T01:28:51

David Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher. He is especially concerned about social and ecological issues, and believes there is an important parallel between what Buddhism says about our pe...

The Cosmos Wakes Up from 2015-07-29T01:28:03

David Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He lectures nationally and internationally on various topics, focusing primarily on the enc...

Relational Mindfulness from 2015-07-29T01:16:27

Jessica Morey is the Executive Director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme). Before joining iBme, Jessica worked in clean energy and climate policy and finance. Her published works range f...

How to HEAL the Brain’s Negativity Bias from 2015-07-29T01:15:46

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. He’s been an invited speaker at Oxford, Stanford...

Practicing with the Brain in Mind from 2015-07-29T01:14:25

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. He’s been an invited speaker at Oxford, Stanford...

Cultivating a Democracy of Imagination from 2015-07-29T01:13:18

Stephen Batchelor is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism. He considers Buddhism to be a constantly evolving culture of awakening ...

Buddhism and the Art of Imagining from 2015-07-29T01:12:45

Stephen Batchelor is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism. He considers Buddhism to be a constantly evolving culture of awakening ...

Empty Art from 2015-07-29T01:12:10

Scott Snibbe is a pioneering digital artist and entrepreneur whose work includes interactive apps, videos, and installations. He practices in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and his art is frequent...

Quantifying Mindfulness from 2015-07-29T01:09:25

Jake Davis is a philosopher and Buddhist practitioner and David Vago is a Contemplative neuroscientist. Together they are at the forefront of the scientific investigation of Enlightenment. In this ...

A Neuroscience of Enlightenment from 2015-07-29T01:08

David Vago is a contemplative neuroscientist and Jake Davis is a philosopher and Buddhist practitioner. Together they have authored an article proposing the question of whether Enlightenment can be...

Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism from 2015-07-29T00:55:44

Shingon teacher Hokai Sobol and religious studies scholar Dr. Pamela Winfield join host Vincent Horn to continue a conversation that digs deeper into the paradigms of enlightenment presented in Jap...

The Art of Enlightenment from 2015-07-29T00:54:14

Dr. Pamela Winfield and Shingon teacher Hokai Sobol join host Vincent Horn to discuss the book Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kukai and Dogen on the Art of Enlightenment. By examining t...

The Politics of Buddha Nature from 2015-07-28T02:39:23

Matt Bieber is an author, political junkie, and practitioner in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. In this episode Matt and host Vincent Horn conclude their conversation exploring the intersection bet...

The Politics of Dualism from 2015-07-28T02:37:10

Matt Bieber is an author, political junkie, and practitioner in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. In this episode Matt joins host Vincent Horn to explore politics through the lens of Buddhism. Matt s...

Technodelics from 2015-07-28T02:36:10

Jason Lange is a Los Angeles based writer and director exploring the intersections of filmmaking, technology, and transformation. In this episode Jason joins host Vincent Horn to discuss his rec...

Bodhisattva Activist from 2015-07-28T02:34:29

Lama Willa Miller, David Loy, and host Vincent Horn conclude a Geeks of the Round Table discussion on the intersection of Buddhism with ecological activism. They explore the idea that the Buddha wa...

From Buddhist Hippies to Buddhist Geeks from 2015-07-28T02:29:53

Ann Gleig is an Assistant Professor of Religious and Cultural Studies at the University of Central Florida. She is currently working on projects on the North American revisioning of Asian libera...

Eco-Dharma from 2015-07-28T02:27:45

Lama Willa Miller and David Loy join host Vincent Horn for Geeks of the Round Table to discuss how Buddhist concerns intersect with ecological & activist concerns. The trio talk about the upcoming ...

Intimacy&Infinity: The Dharma of Sex from 2015-07-28T02:23:05

Martin Aylward is a vipassana teacher and founder of Le Moulin Meditation Centre. He has been leading retreats worldwide, teaching meditation, and supporting groups and individuals since 1999. In t...

The Birth of Insight Meditation from 2015-07-28T02:22:19

Erik Braun is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at University of Oklahoma. He is the author of The Birth of Insight: Meditation, Modern Buddhism, and the Burmese Monk Ledi Sayadaw. In thi...

The Making of a Mass Meditation Movement from 2015-07-28T02:22:18

Erik Braun is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at University of Oklahoma. He is the author of The Birth of Insight: Meditation, Modern Buddhism, and the Burmese Monk Ledi Sayadaw. In thi...

When Practice Isnt Enough from 2015-07-28T02:19:24

Marianne Elliott is an attorney, human rights advocate, and the author of Zen Under Fire, a memoir about her work in Afghanistan. In this episode taken from the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Mari...

The Dharma of Uncertainty in Business from 2015-07-28T02:19:22

Jerry Colonna was a venture capitalist in New York City and played a prominent part in the early development of Silicon Alley–he is known by some as the “Yoda of Silicon Alley.” He is currently a l...

Cyber Philosophy and the Void from 2015-07-28T02:10:40

Alexander Bard is a cyber philosopher and the co-founder of the Syntheist Movement. He is the co-author of The Futurica Trilogy, a series of books concerning Internet philosophy and futurist studie...

Creating Living Ritual from 2015-07-28T02:07:27

David Chapman is a writer, computer scientist, engineer and Buddhist practitioner. He blogs on several sites including Meaningness, Approaching Aro, and Buddhism for Vampires. In this episode, Davi...

Reinventing Buddhist Tantra from 2015-07-28T01:56:28

David Chapman is a writer, computer scientist, engineer and Buddhist practitioner. He blogs on several sites including Meaningness, Approaching Aro, and Buddhism for Vampires. In this episode, Davi...

A 3D Model for Spiritual Growth from 2015-07-28T01:53:16

Shinzen Young is a Vipassana meditation teacher and was ordained in Japan as a monk in the Shingon tradition. He has studied and practiced extensively in other traditions, including Zen and Lakota ...

The Dharma of Difference from 2015-07-28T01:52:40

Kate Johnson is a yogi and meditation teacher in NYC where she teaches yoga and mindfulness meditation to high school students in public schools. A student in the Vipassana meditation tradition, Ka...

Working with Questions from 2015-07-28T01:50:30

Lisa Ernst is an artist and meditation teacher in the Zen and Vipassana traditions. She leads the One Dharma Nashville Community that draws from the wisdom traditions of Zen, Vipassana, and Tibetan...

Digital Dharma Gates from 2015-07-28T01:50:23

Rohan Gunatillake is the creator of buddhify, the mobile mindfulness app for modern life, and the co-producer of Sync, a program that’s helping cultural organizations in Scotland have a more progre...

Mindful Media: A New Culture of Immersiveness from 2015-07-28T01:50:21

Megan Miller is a technology researcher and entrepreneur from the San Francisco Bay area. After working in editorial and digital roles at National Geographic Adventure, New York Magazine and Popula...

Everything is Workable from 2015-07-28T00:42:27

Diane Musho Hamilton is a Zen teacher and conflict mediator. In this episode she joins host Vincent Horn to explore some of the themes from her first book Everything is Workable: A Zen Approach to ...

Enlightenment Engineering from 2015-07-28T00:42:25

Mikey Siegel is a meditator & technologist known for his work in projects like BrainBot & HeartSync. He is a pioneer in a field that he calls “Enlightenment Engineering”—the science and technology ...

Get it on Like a Buddha from 2015-07-27T13:47:17

Lodro Rinzler is a meditation practitioner and teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. His latest book is Walk Like a Buddha: Even if Your Boss Sucks, Your Ex Is Torturing You, and You’re Hungov...

Zen Predator from 2015-07-27T13:46:24

Mark Oppenheimer is an essayist, reporter, critic, and one of the United States’ leading investigators of religion. His new book, The Zen Predator of the Upper East Side, is an investigation of the...

The Next Generation of Enlightement from 2015-07-27T13:45:51

Dr. Jay Michaelson is the author of five books and two hundred articles on religion, sexuality, law, and contemplative practice. His new book is Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next ...

Mental Illness and the Dark Night from 2015-07-27T13:44:22

Willoughby Britton and Daniel Ingram continue their conversation with hosts Emily Horn and Kelly Sosan Bearer to discuss helping people through the experience of the contemplative Dark Night. Listen

Varieties of Contemplative Experience from 2015-07-27T13:42:37

Willoughby Britton and Daniel Ingram join hosts Emily Horn and Kelly Sosan Bearer for Geeks of the Round Table to discuss helping people through the experience of the contemplative Dark Night. Will...

Contemplative Computing from 2015-07-27T13:40:17

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is an author, scholar, and Futurist most recently concerned with contemplative computing, the effort to use information technologies in ways that help one focus and be more cr...

Technological Determinism from 2015-07-27T13:39:11

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is an author, Technology Forecaster, and Futurist who applies the tools of the historian to predicting our future technology. His book, The Distraction Addiction, and blog, Co...

Quantified Selflessness from 2015-07-27T13:37:42

Chris Dancy is an information systems expert, a self described data exhaust cartographer, and widely known as “The Quantified Man”. His work in the Quantified Self (QS) movement has been documented...

When Everything Happens Now from 2015-07-27T13:37:01

Douglas Rushkoff is the author of Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now, as well as a dozen other bestselling books on media, technology, and culture. In this episode, Douglas joins host Vince...

The Trojan Horse of Meditation from 2015-07-27T13:35:26

Meditation teacher Kenneth Folk joins Vincent Horn, Emily Horn, and Kelly Sosan Bearer to conclude a Geeks of the Round Table discussion on a recent Wired article, Enlightenment Engineers, that pro...

Meditating to Get Ahead from 2015-07-27T13:22:33

In this episode taken from a Geeks of the Round Table Google Hangout, meditation teacher Kenneth Folk joins Buddhist Geeks Vincent Horn, Emily Horn, and Kelly Sosan Bearer to discuss a recent Wired...

Red Bull to Buddha from 2015-07-27T13:21:26

David Passiak is a former religion scholar turned technology entrepreneur who has spent nearly 20 years working at the intersection of disruptive innovation and traditional conceptions of community...

Be the Lover from 2015-07-27T13:20:25

Teachers Sofia Diaz and Trudy Goodman continue this episode of Geeks of the Round Table with host Kelly Sosan Bearer by exploring the Feminine aspect of spiritual practice from a female teacher’s p...

Perfect Insight is Perfect Love from 2015-07-27T13:19:31

In this episode taken from a Geeks of the Round Table Google Hangout, Sofia Diaz and Trudy Goodman join host Kelly Sosan Bearer to discuss Feminine Practice and its connections and distinctions to ...

Questioning Frameworks of Practice from 2015-07-27T13:16:45

Ken Mcleod is one of the more innovative teachers of Buddhism today, known for his ability to explain difficult and subtle teachings. In the conclusion of this conversation on the “Truth”, Ken and ...

Truth is a Red Herring from 2015-07-27T13:15:52

Ken Mcleod is one of the more innovative teachers of Buddhism today, known for his ability to explain difficult and subtle teachings. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Ken takes on one o...

Meditation, Behavior Design,&Habit Building from 2015-07-27T13:14:50

Tony Stubblebine is interested in meditation, app development, and behavioral design. He’s brought all three interests together in his latest project, a habit building app called Lift. In this conv...

Mindfulness is More Than Just Paying Attention from 2015-07-27T13:13:45

In this interview, host Vincent Horn speaks with Dr. Ronald Purser–professor of management at SFSU and an ordained Zen Buddhist teacher in the Korean Taego order. They explore Ronald’s research on ...

Information&Contemplation from 2015-07-27T13:13:42

David M. Levy is a professor of technology in the Information School (or iSchool) at the University of Washington. Since 2006 he has offered a course called “Information and Contemplation”, a cours...

Humanity Gets an Upgrade from 2015-07-27T13:13:40

Ramez Naam is a computer scientist who spent 13 years at Microsoft, leading teams working on email, web browsing, search, and artificial intelligence. He’s the author of several books including Nex...

Contemplative Technologies from 2015-07-27T13:05:44

Mike Redmer is a freelance UX designer and mindfulness coach. His most recent project, the ReWire App, is part of a growing field of technology designed to assist the end user in attaining greater ...

ReWiring Meditation for the Digital Age from 2015-07-27T13:04:40

Mike Redmer is a freelance UX designer and mindfulness coach. His most recent project, the ReWire App, came out of a desire to utilize technology to make mediation more effective and engaging. In t...

Specializing in Letting Go from 2015-07-27T13:03:51

Dr. Reggie Ray is an author, teacher, and the Spiritual Director for the Dharma Ocean Community in Crestone, Colorado. In this episode Reggie and host Vincent Horn conclude their conversation by di...

Mahamudra in the Modern World from 2015-07-27T13:02:38

Dr. Reggie Ray is an author, teacher, and the Spiritual Director for the Dharma Ocean Community in Crestone, Colorado. He has forty years of study and intensive meditation practice within the Tibet...

The Naked Monk from 2015-07-27T12:59:48

Stephen Schettini is an author and blogger at TheNakedMonk.com, and a teacher of Mindful Reflection. He was a Tibetan Buddhist monk for 8 years before he left the monastic path and began referring ...

Finding Authority Outside of Tradition from 2015-07-27T12:58:12

Ted Meissner is the host of The Secular Buddhist podcast and the Executive Director of the Secular Buddhist Association. In this episode host Vincent Horn concludes his conversation with Ted by exp...

Secular Buddhism from 2015-07-27T12:56:20

Ted Meissner is the host of The Secular Buddhist podcast and the Executive Director of the Secular Buddhist Association. In this episode with host Vincent Horn, Ted shares examples of secular Buddh...

Start-up Thinking and Buddhist Lineage from 2015-07-27T12:56:18

Lawrence Levy is a student of Segyu Rinpoche and a former CFO and board member at Pixar Animation Studios. He left his role as an executive at Pixar in 2000 to pursue a study of religion and philos...

The Artistic Path is the Crooked Path from 2015-07-27T12:56:16

John F. Simon is a visual artist and software programmer whose work can be found in prominent museum collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Los Ange...

Buddhism, Technology, and Quarter-Pounders from 2015-07-25T21:53:39

Buddhist Geeks Vincent Horn and Rohan Gunatillake conclude their interview for the KGNU public radio program Sacred Lines by further discussing the intersections between Buddhism and Technology. F...

Fifty Shades of Geek from 2015-07-25T21:53:02

In a recent interview for the KGNU public radio program Sacred Lines, Buddhist Geeks Vincent Horn and Rohan Gunatillake have a discussion about what it means to be a modern Buddhist practitioner, h...

The Witness from 2015-07-25T21:52:15

Jonathan Blow is an indie game designer most well known for his time-bending game Braid. In this episode we conclude our conversation with Jonathan by exploring his upcoming game, The Witness, as ...

Quantum Gaming from 2015-07-25T21:51:18

Jonathan Blow is an indie game designer most well known for his time-bending game Braid. In this episode Jonathan describes his journey from a kid fascinated with playing video games in arcades to...

Contemplative Design: Less is More from 2015-07-25T21:50:34

Michaël Harboun wants to design products that find a balance between inner contemplation and external technology. In this conversation we explore things like transpersonal social networks and speak...

Transcendenz&Anti-Time from 2015-07-25T21:49:54

“We can only see what we’ve become conscious of.” – Michaël Harboun Michaël Harboun wants to design products that find a balance between inner contemplation and external technology. The concept vid...

The Path of Centering Prayer from 2015-07-25T21:47:40

David Frenette is a senior teacher in the Centering Prayer movement–a contemplative Christian practice that was designed by Father Thomas Keating. He’s also the spiritual director at the Center for...

Meditating with God from 2015-07-25T21:47:09

David Frenette is a senior teacher in the Centering Prayer movement–a contemplative Christian practice that was designed by Father Thomas Keating. He’s also the spiritual director at the Center for...

It's a Jungle in There from 2015-07-25T21:46:11

In this episode, taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference 2012, Daniel Ingram talks about the ways that contemplatives could learn from the Naturalists. The Naturalists excelled in meticulous ex...

Mindful Binge Drinking and Blobology from 2015-07-25T21:45:32

Willoughby Britton, contemplative scientist and neuroscience researcher, spoke at the Buddhist Geeks Conference 2012 about mixing Dharma with scientific enterprise. Scientific research of meditatio...

Creativity Without Grasping from 2015-07-25T21:44:47

In this episode, taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2012, Martine Batchelor explores the process of grasping and its amplifying/exaggerating effects. She also goes into how meditation can ...

McLuhan and Buddhism: How is the Medium Changing the Message? from 2015-07-25T21:43:11

What is the message of Buddhism today? Self-improvement? A fulfilling life? An understanding of the mysteries of the human condition? How does McLuhan’s famous dictum “the medium is the message” ap...

The DNA Sutra from 2015-07-25T21:37:45

Richard Eskow is a writer, consultant, and musician, who is a senior fellow with a public policy group. In this episode, Richard discusses with host Vincent Horn a recent article he wrote for Tricy...

The Emerging Science of Mindfulness Meditation from 2015-07-25T21:36:53

David Vago, an instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, has held the position of Senior Research Coordinator for the Mind & Life Institute, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fos...

The Angry Buddhist from 2015-07-25T21:32:33

Seth Greenland is an author, playwright, and screenwriter. For two seasons he was a writer-producer on the Emmy-nominated HBO series Big Love. His latest novel, The Angry Buddhist, is the story of ...

Enlightenment is Capable of Endless Enlargement from 2015-07-25T21:30:30

Gary Weber has been a scientist, military officer, senior executive in industry and academia, and is the author of the book Happiness Beyond Thought: A Practical Guide to Awakening. He has practice...

Mapping the Mindful Brain from 2015-07-25T21:28:54

Dr. Judson Brewer is an assistant professor at Yale in psychiatry and a contemplative scientist studying the effects of meditation on the brain. He and his colleagues believe they have found a way ...

A Heart Blown Open from 2015-07-25T21:28:04

Keith Martin-Smith is an author, martial artist, and ordained Zen priest. His latest book is “A Heart Blown Open”, the biography of his teacher Jun Po Denis Kelly Roshi. In this episode, Vincent Ho...

Will the Real Buddha Please Stand Up? from 2015-07-25T21:27:05

John Peacock is a scholar and Associate Director of The Oxford Mindfulness Centre. His studies of the earliest Buddhist writings have revealed to him a very human Buddha and a very different Buddhi...

Is Super Mario a Buddhist? from 2015-07-25T21:25:08

Jane McGonigal is an author and game designer who wants to change the world through gaming. In this second part of a presentation recorded during the 2011 Buddhist Geeks Conference, she shares the ...

A Buddhist Game Designer from 2015-07-25T21:23:22

Jane McGonigal is an author and game designer who describes herself as “23% Buddhist, 77% geek.” She begins the presentation, originally given at the 2011 Buddhist Geeks Conference, by asking three...

A Mindfulness Manifesto from 2015-07-25T21:21:41

Kelly Sosan Bearer speaks with Ed Halliwell, journalist, teacher, and author, about his new book The Mindful Manifesto and its themes of mindfulness, Buddhism, and Science. Ed describes his persona...

Climate Change is Happening on our Watch from 2015-07-25T18:34:45

In this episode Rohan Gunatillake speaks with Buddhist teacher Rob Burbea on the topic of Climate Change. Rob wonders why the Western Buddhist community is lar...

The Communication Gap from 2015-07-25T18:34:43

Ken McLeod and Vincent Horn continue their conversation about the student-teacher relationship by examining communication mediums. They begin by examining the value and limitations of video chat as...

Crossing the Generational Divide from 2015-07-25T18:27:26

Ken McLeod joins Vincent Horn for the start of a conversation examining some of the painful generational gaps that occur between students and teachers. They begin by exploring the question of how t...

Strengthening the Body-Mind from 2015-07-25T18:26:10

Rob McNamara is a psychology professor, zen practitioner, and strength trainer who works at the intersection of strength training and contemplative practice. In this episode McNamara explains how h...

Enlightenment Through an Evolutionary Lens from 2015-07-25T18:25:31

In this episode, taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2011, Diane Hamilton explores Enlightenment, not as a binary state, but from a developmental point of view, as ever-expanding identifica...

Disrupting the Awakening Industry from 2015-07-25T18:24:05

Rohan Gunatillake, in this presentation taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2011, explores how Buddhism can learn from the suffering of other established systems such as the music, publishi...

What Science Can Teach Us About Practice from 2015-07-25T18:23:17

In this episode, taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2011, Kelly McGonigal, PhD in Health Psychology, speaks on how the neuroscience of meditation can help us understand how practice shapes...

Singing Meditation from 2015-07-25T18:22:44

Ari Goldfield and Rose Taylor are Buddhist teachers and translators . Goldfield is a Buddhist translator and teacher who has studied and practiced under the close guidance of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamt...

The Buddha Walks Into a Bar from 2015-07-25T18:22:06

Lodro Rinzler is a next generation Buddhist teacher in the Shambhala tradition and author of “The Buddha Walks Into a Bar.” In our discussion we focus primarily on the ways in which Generation Y is...

The Myth of the Teacher from 2015-07-25T18:20:34

Martine Batchelor joins Buddhist Geeks again, this time to explore the way that the roles of teacher and student are changing in contemporary times. While acknowledging various teacher models in th...

Practicing at the Crossroads from 2015-07-25T18:18:02

Martine Batchelor was a nun in a Korean Buddhist monastery for 10 years, where she followed a traditional path of practice and exploration. We speak about her journey in becoming a nun, what the rh...

Uniting Technology and Wisdom from 2015-07-25T18:17

Vincent Horn is a co-founder and director of Buddhist Geeks. In this talk, originally given at the Pacific Asia Art Museum, he explores the interdisciplinary insights to be gained by combining geek...

Innovating New Forms of Buddhist Tantra from 2015-07-25T18:02

David Chapman–writer and computer scientist–joins us again to finish our conversation about “consensus Buddhism” and the alternatives that he sees to the consensus. David speaks about some of th...

Consensus Buddhism and Mindful Mayo from 2015-07-25T18:01:10

David Chapman is a writer, computer scientist, engineer and Buddhist practitioner. He shares in this episode a description of what he calls consensus Buddhism. Chapman claims that up until recen...

Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Evolving from 2015-07-25T18:00:11

David Loy, Zen teacher and author, joins us to discuss the radical implications of modern narratives on the traditional Buddhist view of the world. David, whose background includes rigorous academi...

Seasons of Practice from 2015-07-25T17:58:43

We’re joined again by spiritual teacher and author Terry Patten to discuss the multidimensional nature of practice. We speak about the form he teaches, called Integral Life Practice, one that has i...

The Art of Dharmic Embrace from 2015-07-25T17:57:39

Terry Patten–spiritual teacher and author–joins us to speak about some of the challenging issues involve in teaching and practicing an empowering form of dharma. We begin the conversation by explor...

A Visitation from the Unknown from 2015-07-25T17:56:38

We’re joined by spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen to explore the story of how he came to teach what he calls “evolutionary enlightenment.” Andrew begins by sharing an early spiritual experience, that ...

No Yogi Left Behind from 2015-07-25T17:54:54

We’re joined again on Buddhist Geeks by one of the most influential figures in the transpersonal psychology movement, Dr. Charley Tart. We cover a huge range of topics in this interview, covering m...

Where Science and Compassion Meet from 2015-07-25T17:51:29

We’re joined this week by Dr. Kelly McGonigal, to discuss her work at Stanford University, where she is teaching compassion-based practices from the Buddhist tradition, taught in a way that pulls f...

The Dark Night Project from 2015-07-25T17:50:19

We’re joined again this week by Brown University neuroscience researcher Willougbhy Britton. Willougbhy begins this episode by going into further depth into some of the typical experiences that hav...

The Dark Side of Dharma from 2015-07-25T17:49:17

We’re joined this week by Brown University neuroscience researcher Willoughby Britton. In this episode Dr. Britton shares some of the details of a research project that she’s working on called, “Th...

The Internet is Not Your Teacher from 2015-07-25T17:48:15

This week’s episode comes from the recent Buddhist Geeks conference where Ethan Nichtern, a Buddhist teacher in the Shambhala tradition, speaks about ways in which the internet falls as a an aid in...

Enlightenment For the Rest of Us from 2015-07-25T17:48:11

“You can perform neurosurgery on yourself.” – Kenneth Folk This week’s episode comes from the recent Buddhist Geeks Conference, where meditation teacher Kenneth Folk spoke about his three pillars o...

There is No Enemy from 2015-07-25T17:48:09

“Obstacles in your path should not be regarded as obstacles. They are simply features of the landscape which have to be negotiated.” – Ken McLeod This week’s episode is taken from the recent Buddhi...

To Know One Religion is to Know None from 2015-07-25T17:48:06

We’re joined this week by Comparative Religion scholar and Buddhist teacher Rita Gross. Rita shares how she got into Buddhist practice, first studying deeply in the Shambhala tradition and then in ...

The Buddhist Teachers Council from 2015-07-25T17:48:02

We’re joined this week by vipassana teacher Martin Alyward to hear his perspective on the Buddhist Teachers Council, a recent gathering of Western teachers that was held at the Garrison Institute. ...

The End of Self-Referencing from 2015-07-25T14:30:31

We’re joined again by Harvard trained social scientist Dr. Jeffery Martin. As a conclusion to our discussion on the initial findings on his research into “non-symbolic consciousness” Jeffery goes i...

The Study of Non-Symbolic Consciousness from 2015-07-25T14:29:44

We’re joined by Harvard trained social scientist Dr. Jeffery Martin to discuss some of the incredible research that he’s doing into the further reaches of human potential. He speaks about his initi...

Tuning In to the Truth of the Moment from 2015-07-25T14:28:14

We’re joined again by meditation teacher and actress Stephanie Nash, this time to explore some of the striking parallels between the disciplines of acting and meditation. Stephanie shares how a mon...

The Chief Facilitator from 2015-07-25T14:27:06

We’re joined this week by meditation teacher and actress Stephanie Nash, to discuss her experience of working with her Shinzen Young. Stephanie is one of Shinzen’s chief facilitators and has been w...

No System Exists in a Vacuum from 2015-07-25T14:25:55

We’re joined again by Yoga and Buddhist meditation teacher Michael Stone, this time to look at Buddhism as a system. We speak about the interrelations between spiritual systems and the sociological...

Connections Between Yoga&Buddhism from 2015-07-25T14:24:58

We’re joined this week by Yoga and Buddhist meditation teacher Michael Stone. We begin by finding out how Michael got into spiritual practice, which happened to be at an early age through a profoun...

Organizational Enlightenment from 2015-07-25T14:23:57

We’re joined again this week by organizational expert, and founder of HolacracyOne, Brian Robertson. Brian begins by ...

Liberating the Soul of Organization from 2015-07-25T14:23:21

We’re joined this week by Brian Robertson, founder of HolacracyOne, a company whose aim is to liberate the soul of organization. We discuss with Brian the main principles and practices behind Ho...

The Aesthetic of Meditation is Broken from 2015-07-25T14:21:54

We’re joined again by a regular contributor of Buddhist Geeks and blogger at 21awake.com, Rohan Gunatillake. Rohan joins us to explore three areas in which the aesthetic of meditation could be impr...

Teaching Mindful Awareness to Children from 2015-07-25T14:18:59

This week we’re joined by Susan Kaiser Greenland a leader in bringing mindful awareness to children and teens. We explore the differences between mindful based approaches and Buddhist approaches, s...

Emergent Buddhism from 2015-07-25T14:17:11

We’re joined this week by Buddhist teacher and scholar Hokai Sobol to explore the broad, but crucial topic of Emergent Buddhism. As a preface to the panel that Hokai will be leading at the upcoming...

The Practice of Contemplative Photography from 2015-07-25T14:16:27

“Photography and Buddhism share essential interests: both are concerned with clear seeing.” – Andy Karr & Michael Wood We’re joined this week by Buddhist teacher and photography Andy Karr. We explo...

The Stories We Tell Ourselves from 2015-07-25T14:15:01

Buddhist scholar and Chaplain Danny Fisher, joins us to explore various stories, or narratives, that run through the Buddhist world. There are a variety of different kind of stories in the Buddhist...

Redesigning Zen from 2015-07-25T14:13:30

We’re joined this week by Soto Zen teacher Zenkai Taiun Elliston. Along with the being the abbot of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center, Taiun is also a long-time professional designer, having trained and ...

Optimizing Awareness in Organizations from 2015-07-25T14:12:30

We’re joined this week by Rich Fernandez, who serves as the Head of Learning and Organization Development at eBay. Rich has a long history with meditation and eastern practices, and has been workin...

Young Buddhist Vignettes from 2015-07-24T22:05:41

This week we have an intimate conversation with two young Buddhist practitioners. The first vignette is with Sophie McLaren, who practices in the Shambhala community and runs an organization dedica...

The Way of Everyday Life from 2015-07-24T22:04:19

We’re joined this week by mother, author, and Zen teacher Karen Maezen Miller. Maezen speaks directly to the need to see through the dualisms that we create in our lives, and speaks specifically ab...

Secrets of Meditation from 2015-07-24T22:03:22

We conclude our discussion with spiritual teacher Sally Kempton—who has her spiritual roots in the Hindu tantra tradition of Kashmir Shaivism—this time speaking about some of the crucial secrets th...

The Tantric Cousins from 2015-07-24T22:00:33

This week we speak with spiritual teacher Sally Kempton. Sally was a student of the influential Hindu guru Swami Muktananda and taught in his lineage for many years. She shares with us her journey ...

Carving Out a Life of Meaning from 2015-07-24T21:59:29

We’re joined this week Krista Tippett, host of the award-winning radio show “Being.” Krista begins the discussion by sharing how she went from being the chief aide to the US Ambassador in German...

Gaming as a Spiritual Practice from 2015-07-24T21:57:43

Leading game designer Jane McGonigal joins guest host Rohan Gunatillake to explore the relationship between games and well-being, and see what clues they might hold for the future of Buddhist pract...

Virtual Vajrayana from 2015-07-24T21:56:14

Senior Shambhala teacher David Nichtern joins us to geek out about some of the potential consequences of our rapidly developing technologies on the Vajrayana tradition. We speak extensively abou...

Entrepreneur as Bodhisattva from 2015-07-24T21:55:02

This week guest host Rohan Gunatillake of 21awake.com interviews spiritual entrepreneur Nick Jankel. They explore the notion of “enlightened entrepreneurship,” discussing why it is that spiritualit...

Resolving the Questions that Drive Us from 2015-07-24T21:52:24

We finish up our discussion with meditation teacher Ken McLeod, touching on a number of fascinating and challenging topics. Ken speaks about the distinction between answering the questions that dri...

Pragmatic Buddhism from 2015-07-24T21:49:41

We’re joined this week by Buddhist teacher, Ken McLeod, to explore an approach he has coined “Pragmatic Buddhism.” We explore his early Buddhist training, which included 2 back-to-back 3-year retre...

The Buddha’s Enlightenment Solved His Problem from 2015-07-22T22:35:28

We’re joined this week by Insight Meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg, to talk about her latest book, “Real Happiness” and also about meditation as an emerging part of secular culture. This intervie...

Emerging Trends in Western Buddhist Communities from 2015-07-22T22:34:33

We’re joined this week by Ph.D Candidate and Buddhist blogger Brooke Schedneck, to explore her research into several emerging patterns in Western Buddhist communities. We begin with how, as a train...

The Wise Use of Technology from 2015-07-22T22:33:03

Many Buddhist figures have things to say about wise engagement with technology, but many of these same figures are not technologists themselves, and so have a limited view, or understanding, of the...

The Technium from 2015-07-22T22:31:24

We’re joined this week by celebrated technologist and co-founder of Wired Magazine, Kevin Kelly. Kevin shares how he went from a back-to-the-lander hippie in his early youth, to becoming one of the...

Rebel Buddha from 2015-07-22T22:29:49

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche—a dynamic and engaging Gen X Tibetan Lama who has spent half of his life living in the West—joins us to explore several key points related to the development of a more cont...

Live the Questions from 2015-07-22T22:28:58

We’re joined this week by Buddhist teacher Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel to explore some of the topics from her most recent book, The Power of an Open Question. Elizabeth speaks about the nature of ques...

The Lazy Path to Enlightenment from 2015-07-22T22:27:47

We’re joined this week by author, teacher, and Tibetologist Glenn Mullin. During our conversation with Glenn we focus primarily on a system of teachings in the Tantric tradition called The Six Yoga...

Making Joy Our Default from 2015-07-22T22:26:54

Insight meditation teacher James Baraz joins us to explore the many facets of joy, happiness, and well-being. We begin by finding out how joy became an important part of James’ practice, since in h...

Living as a River from 2015-07-22T22:25:02

Bodhipaksa is a teacher from the Triratna Buddhist Community, formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order. He joins us this week to explore the Buddhist teachings on impermanence and “change...

Living in Buddha Standard Time from 2015-07-22T22:23:32

We speak with Lama Surya Das this week about what it takes to integrate spiritual understanding into our lives as 21st century citizens. He explores the question of whether our sense of time has sp...

The Tao of Twitter from 2015-07-22T22:21:46

When it comes to leveraging the technologies of our time, Lama Surya Das is one of the most active American Buddhists around. He blogs, tweets, skypes, hosts webinars, and participates in virtual r...

Intimacy through Practice from 2015-07-22T22:20:19

We’re joined this week by Flamenco guitarist and Zen practitioner Ottmar Liebert. Ottmar shares the story of how he broke with his childhood religion of Catholicism, started doing Transcendental Me...

Non-Meditation and the Nature of Thought from 2015-07-22T22:19:18

“You need not make efforts to create non-conceptuality. You need not regard thoughts as a fault. And so that your practice does not succumb to famine, from the beginning have a bountiful crop. Not ...

A Different Way of Approaching Meditation from 2015-07-22T22:18:26

We’re joined again by meditation teacher Jason Siff to conclude our exploration of the fundamental ideas and practices behind his unique approach of Unlearning Meditation, or what he calls Recollec...

Unlearning Meditation from 2015-07-22T22:17:13

“Meditation instructions that disallow thinking, reflection, or being open to the full range of experience usually imply a distrust of the mind.” – Jason Siff We’re joined by meditation teacher and...

Bodhisattva, Superstar from 2015-07-22T22:16:13

We’re joined this week by filmmaker Michael Trigilo, to explore some of the themes from his newest allegorical documentary, “Bodhisattva, Superstar.” Included in our conversation are questions arou...

The Timeless Tradition of Spiritual Apprenticeship from 2015-07-22T22:14:50

In the last part of our discussion with Buddhist teacher and scholar Hokai Sobol, we wrap up our exploration on some of the important influences and forces that shape Western Buddhism. As part of t...

Exchanging Dharma: Client and Colleague Mindsets from 2015-07-22T22:14:04

We’re joined by Buddhist teacher and scholar Hokai Sobol, as we continue exploring the different mindsets that we often take, while exchanging Dharma here in the West. In the last episode he descri...

Exchanging Dharma: The Consumer Mindset from 2015-07-22T22:11:15

We’re joined again this week by Buddhist teacher and scholar Hokai Sobol, to continue our exploration of the hidden mindsets and cultural forces that shape Western Buddhism. In this episode Hokai e...

The Invisible Forces that Shape Western Buddhism from 2015-07-22T22:10:17

In the first part of a multi-part discussion with Buddhist teacher and scholar Hokai Sobol, we explore the invisible, and rarely discussed, forces that shape Western Buddhism. In particular what we...

An Evidence-Based Spirituality for the 21st Century from 2015-07-22T22:09:24

We’re joined by Charles Tart, one of the founders of the branch of psychology known as transpersonal psychology. Dr. Tart’s life work has to do with putting forward an “evidence-based spirituality ...

Growing Up Versus Waking Up from 2015-07-22T22:07:27

We’re joined this week by clinical psychologist and Buddhist practitioner John Welwood. John has spent his entire adult life exploring the intersection between Eastern and Western psychological app...

Working with Sexual Energy from 2015-07-22T22:07:21

We’re joined again by British meditation teacher, Christopher Titmuss, to continue our exploration into the powerful, and often challenging, realm of human sexuality. Christopher shares a couple of...

The Place of the Erotic from 2015-07-22T22:07:19

We’re joined this week by Insight meditation teacher and engaged activist Christopher Titmuss. Our main topic of exploration is the place of sexuality, eros, and love in the practice of Dharma. Con...

The Buddhist Atheist from 2015-07-22T19:30:45

Secular Buddhist teacher Stephen Batchelor joins us to explore some of the ideas presented in his newest book, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist. We start off by examining the two Buddhist doctrines...

The Mindful Therapist from 2015-07-22T19:29:51

This week we speak to vipassana meditation teacher, and psychotherapist Trudy Goodman. Trudy completes the story of her early Zen days, and also describes how she transitioned into becoming a vipas...

Zen, Vipassana,&Psychology from 2015-07-22T19:29

This week we speak to vipassana and Zen teacher, Trudy Goodman. Trudy shares how she got into both Buddhist meditation and psychotherapy, and uses her story to illustrate the powerful ways that the...

The Core of Wisdom from 2015-07-22T19:28:09

We’re joined again this week by professor and meditation teacher Roger Walsh. This week we dive into his study of the common practices seen in all of the world’s wisdom traditions. He shares each o...

A Technology of Transcendence from 2015-07-22T19:26:36

This week we speak with professor and teacher Roger Walsh. Roger shares his journey from being a hardcore neuorscientist and psychiatrist to becoming an avid meditator and mystic. Once Walsh discov...

Enlightened Society from 2015-07-22T19:25:12

This week we’re joined by the President of Shambhala, Richard Reoch. Along with overseeing the Shambhala organization, Richard is also a long time human rights, activist, and environmental leader. ...

The Most Fundamental Duality from 2015-07-22T19:24:18

We’re joined again by Zen Master Diane “Musho” Hamilton, this time to explore the most fundamental duality of masculine and feminine. Diane points out that if you have an objection to looking at it...

Integral Zen from 2015-07-22T19:22:50

We’re joined by Zen Master, Diane “Musho” Hamilton, to explore an approach to spiritual practice called “Integral Zen.” In our interview we explore several related topics, including the difference ...

I Vow to Feed All Hunger from 2015-07-22T17:24:42

We’re joined this week by one of the pioneers of the socially engaged Buddhist movement, Zen Master Bernie Glassman. Although he grew up in a family that valued social action, after some years of Z...

What Young People Want from 2015-07-22T17:23:19

“We always talk about the Sangha as part of the triple gem, but I think it is the least developed part of Buddhism in the West.” – Sumi Loundon Kim We’re joined this week by Sumi Loundon Kim, autho...

I'm Not Babysitting Your Ego from 2015-07-22T17:21:53

We finish up our discussion with spiritual teacher Adyashanti, focusing on several topics relevant to contemporary seekers. We start off by exploring his thoughts on questions of power & hierarchy ...

Now That's Zen from 2015-07-22T17:21:24

We’re joined by spiritual teacher Adyashanti to discuss his 15 years of training with Zen teacher Arvis Joen Justi. He shares details from his initial awakening at 25–where he realized that he was ...

Contributing to the Gross National Happiness from 2015-07-22T17:20:37

Richard Brown–a long time Buddhist and contemplative educator–joins us to share some of the details from his recent involvement in helping the small Buddhist country of Bhutan reform their public e...

Happiness: There's an App For That from 2015-07-22T17:19:30

In this episode we’re joined by Soren Gordhamer, long time tech writer, and author of Wisdom 2.0: Ancient Secrets for the Creative and Constantly Connected. Soren often writes for the Huffington Po...

The Jedi Mind Training of Concentration from 2015-07-22T17:18:10

In this episode we wrap up our discussion with meditation teachers Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder, two of the only lay Western teachers authorized to teach the jhana system of Pa Auk Sayadaw. Th...

Mastering the Jhanas from 2015-07-22T17:17:14

This week we speak with Theravada mediation teachers Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder. In 2005, while on a 2-month retreat, they were the first Western lay practitioners (i.e. non-monks) to com...

Can Dharma Help Us Turn the Corner? from 2015-07-22T17:15:04

This week we share a public talk given by Integral spirituality teacher Terry Patten and Vajrayana teacher Hokai Sobol, on the question of whether traditional Dharma can (or can not) help us turn t...

The Zen of Zen History from 2015-07-22T17:12:29

James Zito is a Buddhist film-maker, and the director of a newly released documentary on the history of Zen Buddhism, Inquiry Into the Great Matter. James joins us to discuss his new film, focusing...

Unifying Developmental Enlightenment with Timeless Realization from 2015-07-22T17:10:50

We’re joined again this week by Kenneth Folk, a long-time Theravada practitioner and meditation teacher. Kenneth completes his harrowing spiritual story, all the way to the point, where he says ...

Ordinary People Can Get Enlightened from 2015-07-22T17:09:57

We’re joined this week by Kenneth Folk, a long-time Theravada practitioner and meditation teacher, who describes in exquisite detail his spiritual journey. It began in earnest at the age of 24, ...

The Mountain of Spirit from 2015-07-22T17:06

This week we’re joined by Zen-inspired dharma teacher, Michael McAlister. Michael is the leader of the Infinite Smile sangha, just east of Berkeley, in what Michael calls, “the hard edge of suburbi...

Feminine Zen from 2015-07-22T17:05:18

Grace Schireson is a Zen master in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and is the abbess of the Empty Nest Zendo in northern California. She joins us today to explore some of the main themes in her...

Returning to the Marketplace from 2015-07-22T17:04:26

This week we speak with Zen Master, Genpo Roshi, about the relationship between money and spirituality. It’s a hot topic and one that he is incredibly passionate about. He shares the details of a s...

Eddies in the Stream from 2015-07-22T17:03:29

We conclude our uber-geeky conversation with neuropsychologist and dharma teacher Rick Hanson this week, exploring what might be happening in the run-up to the transforming moment of nirvana. In th...

Self is a Network Phenomenon from 2015-07-21T22:25:15

We’re joined again by Neuropsychologist and Theravada teacher, Rick Hanson. This time we explore the Buddhist proposition of anatta, or selflessness, from the point of view of neuroscience and the ...

A Crash Course in Applied Neurodharma from 2015-07-21T22:24:05

This week, we’re joined by trained Neuropsychologist and Theravada Buddhist teacher, Rick Hanson, to explore what he calls “applied Neurodharma.” We begin by exploring the 1st noble truth of suffer...

Work, Sex, Money, Dharma from 2015-07-21T22:19:49

Martin Aylward continues his discussion with us how we can bring forth a more relevant, relational, and potent form of contemporary dharma practice. He begins by exploring the tendency for Western ...

Freestyle Awakening from 2015-07-21T22:19:09

The theme of distinguishing between the Buddhist teachings and forms which lead to awakening, and those forms that are culturally inherited and perhaps unsuited for our current Western context, is ...

Investing in the Future of American Buddhism from 2015-07-21T22:16:58

We continue our discussion with Shambhala acharya, Judith Simmer-Brown, about how we can strategically invest in American Buddhism so that it survives in the long-term. We explored the first three ...

The Survival of American Buddhism from 2015-07-21T22:15:07

This week, we’re joined by Shambhala acharya and Naropa University professor, Judith Simmer-Brown. She joins us today to discuss four areas, which she learned about while at Colombia University in ...

Turning Your Back to the Buddha from 2015-07-21T22:09:16

Insight Meditation teacher, Rodney Smith, joins us to explore the topic of “urban dharma”–seeing that the transformative potential of one’s life and relationships are on equal footing with silent, ...

Stepping out of Self-Deception from 2015-07-21T22:07:50

Rodney Smith, the founder of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society, joins us today to discuss several fascinating topics. We start with an exploration of how the Big Bang and the origin of life on...

Buddha in a Cup of Tea from 2015-07-21T22:06:15

This week, we’re joined by Kenneth Cohen, a well-known qi-gong master. Along with his training in the Taoist qi-gong and tai chi chuan, Kenneth has a strong connection to the Zen tradition and to t...

The Mechanisms of Kensho from 2015-07-21T22:04:37

"A perception, sudden as blinking, that subject and object are one, will lead to a deeply mysterious wordless understanding; and by this understanding will you awaken to the truth of Zen." – Zen Ma...

This is your Brain on Meditation from 2015-07-21T22:03:34

This week we speak with academic nuerologist and Zen practitioner James Austin. Austin, who wrote the well-known book, Zen and the Brain, joins us to explain some of the physical mechanisms underly...

A Surfer's Quest to Find Zen on the Sea from 2015-07-21T21:58:42

This week with speak with the author of Saltwater Buddha, Jaimal Yogis. Jaimal, a Zen surfer and journalist, wrote Saltwater Buddha to chronicle his late teens and early 20’s as he learned to surf ...

Reflections on 21st Century Dharma from 2015-07-21T21:57:58

In this episode we have a round-table discussion, with members from the NYC-based Interdependence Project, on issues surrounding 21st century dharma in the West. Both Buddhist Geeks and the Interde...

Artificial Wisdom from 2015-07-21T21:56:38

We’re back again with Artificial Intelligence researcher and Zen-dabbler, Ben Goertzel. We continue our exploration of some of the major themes in his non-fiction story “Enlightenment 2.0″. This pr...

Enlightenment 2.0 from 2015-07-21T21:55:09

This week we speak with Ben Goertzel, an artificial intelligence researcher and Zen-dabbling spiritual seeker. Ben shares with us his introduction to Zen and his on-going relationship to spiritual ...

Meditation is Good for Your Life from 2015-07-21T21:52:56

In this episode we speak with Karma Kagyu teacher, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. He starts off by telling us about how he got into formal Buddhist practice, at the tender age of 9. He also shares some o...

The Erotic Embrace of Life and Meditation from 2015-07-21T21:51:25

We’re joined today by Vidyuddeva, a young Zen teacher who spent 5 years in monastic training with Zen Master Steve Hagen. Vid is now a teacher in his own right, and teaches with both the iEvolve Pr...

Erik Curren: The Buddhist Politician from 2015-07-21T21:49:58

Erik Curren is a business leader, community activist, author, Buddhist meditator, and politician—who is running for state legislature in Virginia during the 2010 election period. We were contacted ...

Buddhist Chaplaincy, Buddhist Youth from 2015-07-21T21:48:19

This week we’re joined by Reverend Danny Fisher–a Buddhist Chaplain and author. Danny shares with us his reasons for becoming chaplain, where the notion of chaplaincy or service to others comes fro...

Buddhist History 101 from 2015-07-21T21:46:47

This week we speak with esteemed scholar, and the former professor of Buddhist Studies at UC Berkely, Dr. Lewis Lancaster. Lewis shares with us the important history of the Buddhist tradition, focu...

Buddhism and the Evolution of Religion from 2015-07-21T21:45:50

Zen teacher Norman Fischer—a teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi—joins us again to speak about the religion, evolution, and Buddhism’s unique role in both. The conversation begins with a...

Buddhism May Need a Plan B from 2015-07-21T21:44:35

As Buddhism transitions to the West, we see that it is doing so in a couple different ways. Some forms look more like their original Asian roots, while others are secular and non-Religious in their...

Peter Fenner on Entering into Natural Meditation from 2015-07-21T21:43

This week, I speak with non-dual teacher and former Tibetan monk, Peter Fenner. Peter was a monk for nearly a decade before he disrobed, realizing that the Buddhist practices he was engaged in were...

Natural Wakefulness from 2015-07-21T21:42:50

This week we speak with Shambhala acharya and cultural anthropologist, Gaylon Ferguson. Gaylon speaks about the view of Natural Wakefulness, in short that innate wisdom is there from the beginning....

Pop Buddhism&Satori Porn from 2015-07-21T21:40:33

This week we speak with Gen-X Zen teacher Brad Warner, author of the newly released Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate. We talk a little bit about his book, which leads to a critique of what ...

Insights at the Edge from 2015-07-21T21:36:16

We’re joined again by Tami Simon–founder of the spiritual media company Sounds True and senior student of Vajrayana teacher Reggie Ray. This week we ask her about her new podcast series, Insights a...

You Will Get the Dharma You Need from 2015-07-21T21:33:28

In this episode we speak with Tami Simon–founder of the spiritual media company Sounds True and senior student of Vajrayana teacher Reggie Ray. Tami shares us with us the intimate details of her in...

Dharma Music Can Sound Like Anything from 2015-07-21T21:30:15

This week we speak to the Buddhist-inspired musician Ravenna Michalsen. She explains why dharma music need not sound the way we think it should (think monks chanting in Asian in a cave). Instead, R...

The Evolution of the Mind and Life Dialogues from 2015-07-21T21:29:09

This week, Adam Engle, the business mastermind behind the Mind and Life Institute, joins us to discuss both the evolution of the project as well as its larger impact. The first Mind and Life Dialog...

The Great Work of Western Magick from 2015-07-21T21:28:20

Alan Chapman is a Western magick practitioner, and the author of the newly released book, Advanced Magick for Beginners. Alan found his way into the field of Chaos magick through the work of Aleist...

The Mystery of the Mind: Ten Zen Questions from 2015-07-21T21:27:04

Dr. Susan Blackmore–a psychologist and long-time Zen practitioner–shares with us the discoveries that she made while writing her latest book, Ten Zen Questions. Listen in to find out what she disco...

The Dharma Overground from 2015-07-21T21:25:30

Daniel Ingram, Theravada meditation teacher, joins us today to discuss the online community he and Buddhist Geeks host, Vince Horn helped create, The Dharma Overground.

Daniel shares how ...

An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book from 2015-07-21T21:23:21

Daniel Ingram, a Theravada meditation teacher and one of our most popular guests, joins us again to discuss his recently published book, Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha. In discussing...

Western Buddhism: Megatrends&Scandals from 2015-07-21T21:22:18

Lama Sarah Harding, Tibetan translator and student of the late Kalu Rinpoche, joins us again to discuss some of the major trends in Western Buddhism. Having taught a class on “Buddhism in America” ...

The Traditional 3-Year Retreat: Intensive Training for a Nonexistent Job from 2015-07-21T21:16:19

Lama Sarah Harding, Tibetan translator and student of the late Kalu Rinpoche, joins us to discuss the experience of doing a traditional 3-year retreat in the Tibetan tradition. She was part of a sm...

The Buddha Didn't Have a Credit Card from 2015-07-21T21:10:54

Insight Meditation teacher, Diana Winston, joins us to discuss an extremely relevant topic: Buddhism & Money. We explore whether or not spirituality and money are incompatible (as they are often se...

Different Types of Jhana: Sutta, Vishudimagga,&Vipassana from 2015-07-21T21:09:52

We continue our discussion with insight meditation teacher and author, Richard Shankman. In this episode we continue to dissect the different kinds of samadhi and their respective fruits–what in...

The Power of Samadhi from 2015-07-21T21:08:24

Richard Shankman, a teacher in the insight meditation tradition and the author of the recently released book The Experience of Samadhi, joins...

Vajrayana in Plain English from 2015-07-21T19:41:54

In this episode, we continue our dialogue with Shingon teacher Hokai Sobol. We begin our conversation by dropping a difficult question on Hokai, asking him how the Vajrayana traditions (both the Ja...

Japanese Shingon: The True Word School from 2015-07-21T19:41:28

In this episode we are joined by one of our favorite Buddhist Geeks, Hokai Sobol. Hokai who is a teacher in the Shingon Buddhist tradition–a form of Vajrayana found in Japan–joins us today to speak...

Embodied Zen from 2015-07-21T19:40:27

“Meditation is the royal road to the unconscious.” – Carl Jung Gerry Shishen Wick, Roshi joins us today to finish the discussion on koan training, Rinzai and Soto Zen, and on a method of training h...

Koan Training and the Different Styles of Zen from 2015-07-21T19:39:11

Gerry Shishen Wick, Roshi is a dual-lineage holder of both the Soto and Rinzai schools of Zen. His teacher Maezumi Roshi passed along both lineages, and so we take this unique opportunity to ask Ro...

Joseph Goldstein on The Science of Insight from 2015-07-21T19:38:09

Joseph Goldstein–one of the primary figures in the development of the Insight Meditation movement–finishes up his conversation with us by sharing his perspective on the recent cross-pollunation of ...

Joseph Goldstein on the Benefits of Long Term Practice from 2015-07-21T19:36:01

Joseph Goldstein–one of the primary figures in the development of the Insight Meditation movement–joins us today to discuss the unique benefits of long-term practice. He touches in on the need the ...

Tibetan Buddhist Lineage in the West from 2015-07-21T16:58:51

Reginald Ray, Tibetan Buddhist scholar and teacher, is back with us this week to discuss some pretty big topics. We explore the break that he made, several years ago with the Shambhala tradition, a...

The Forest Dwelling Yogi from 2015-07-21T16:55:30

“Enlightenment is found in the Body and nowhere else.” – famous Dzogchen saying We’re joined in this interview by Reginald Ray–author of numerous books on Tibetan Buddhism and teacher in the lineag...

Shinzen Young: The Hybrid Teacher from 2015-07-21T16:53:06

Shinzen Young, professional meditation instructor and geek-extraordinaire, joins us today to share his unique journey as a contemplative. From discontinuing his PhD studies to become a full-time sh...

Building a Dharma Successor from 2015-07-21T16:52:33

Shinzen Young, professional meditation instructor and geek-extraordinaire, continues his discussion with us on the unique approach he has taken to combining the best of the scientific approach with...

Hollow Bones Zen from 2015-07-21T16:52:13

Jun Po Roshi, an American Zen Master in the Rinzai Zen tradition, joins us again this week to discuss the limitations of Japanese Zen as it enters contemporary American culture. He also shares the ...

The Zen Tree Fort in the Sky from 2015-07-21T16:47:36

Ken Wilber coined the terms “ascending” and “descending” to describe two possible orientations to spiritual practice. The ascending path has to do with transcending the world, leaving samsara behin...

Psychotropics and NeuroLinguistic Zen from 2015-07-21T16:47:30

Jun Po Roshi, an American Zen Master in the Rinzai Zen tradition, joins us to discuss his fascinating history with psychotropic drugs, including a form of LSD, called Clear Light, that he helped to...

Stuart Davis: Bodhisattva Rocker from 2015-07-21T16:45:33

This week we’re joined by prolific musician, artist, writer, & comic Stuart Davis. Davis, a long-time Zen practitioner, shares with us his background as a creative and the resulting unique understa...

The Dhamma Brothers: Vipassana Meditation in Prison from 2015-07-21T16:44:46

We are joined this week by Jenny Phillips, Director and Producer of the newly released documentary, The Dhamma Brothers. The Dhamma Brothers gives an in-depth look at how a trial program of vipassa...

The Particularities of Awakening from 2015-07-21T16:43:35

The Geeks of the Round Table are back, continuing our discussion of Judy Lief’s article Glimpses of Awakening. We speculate on the language and culture surrounding enlightenment both here in the We...

The Buzz Lightyear Model of Enlightenment: To Infinity and Beyond from 2015-07-21T16:42:50

In this episode we bring back the Geeks of the Round Table segment. Joining us is one of our regulars Duff McDuffee, and a new geek to the lineup, Mike LaTorra. Mike is the resident teacher of the ...

Horizontal and Vertical Enlightenment from 2015-07-21T16:41:29

Philosopher and long-time Buddhist practitioner, Ken Wilber, continues his discussion of the meditative terrain and of his spiritual philosophy in general. He finishes off his discussion of the med...

The Meditative Maps: Happy Mornings and Dark Nights from 2015-07-21T16:40:38

Philosopher and long-time Buddhist practitioner, Ken Wilber, shares with us a 10,000 foot view of the terrain of meditative experience. He describes several of the most common Buddhist maps and the...

Buddhist Studies in the West from 2015-07-21T16:38:49

Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins, one of the most important figure in the development of Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the United States, joins us to discuss the importance of academic studies. We explore what Bu...

The Practice Adventures of Dr. Jeffery Hopkins from 2015-07-21T16:37:58

Today we speak with Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins, Professor Emeritus of Tibetan & Buddhist Studies at University of Virgina. Dr. Hopkins is a prolific translator–with 40 books translated in his career–and a...

The Logistics of Being a Bodhisattva from 2015-07-21T16:37:12

Join us as we finish up our dialogue with Venerable Robina Courtin, the highly energetic Tibetan Nun, who some refer to as a “Dharma CEO”. In this episode she continues to share the specific logist...

Venerable Robina Courtin: Bodhisattva CEO from 2015-07-21T16:36:20

Join us this week as we converse with one of the most energetic and high-powered Nuns that we know, Venerable Robina Courtin. A long-time Nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Robina shares with u...

Technology Makes our Delusion More Functional from 2015-07-21T16:35:13

We’re joined again by CEO and Founder of Twine.com, and long-time Dzogchen practitioner, Nova Spivack. In this episode we discuss the short-comings of the Western traditions understanding and pursu...

Does the Web have Buddha Nature? from 2015-07-21T16:34:48

This week we are joined by CEO and Founder of Twine.com and long-time Dzogchen practitioner Nova Spivack. Nova has been a student of many of the world’s most well-known Rinpoches while simultaneous...

How Did Descartes Die? from 2015-07-21T16:33:43

Join us this week as we speak with Dr. Peter Grossenbacher, director of the Consciousness Laboratory at Naropa University, about the difference between Eastern and Western modes of inquiry, sensory...

The Consciousness Labratory from 2015-07-21T16:32:08

Join us this week as we speak with Dr. Peter Grossenbacher, director of the Consciousness Laboratory at Naropa University, about his research on meditation and contemplative spirituality. Along wit...

Dream Practices: Comparing Dream Yoga and Lucid Dreaming from 2015-07-21T16:31:34

B. Alan Wallace joins to us to compare and contrast two fantastic dream practices. One comes from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, going all the way back to India, with the yogi Naropa. This practic...

The Yogas of Dream and Sleep from 2015-07-21T16:29:53

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, an esteemed teacher in the Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet, joins us again to continue describing the importance of dream yoga as part of the larger system of the 6 yogas o...

Sleep as a Spiritual Journey from 2015-07-21T16:29:25

“Look to your experience in dreams to know how you will fare in death. Look to your experience of sleep to discover whether or not you are truly awake.” – Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Tenzin Wangyal Rin...

The Inevitable Tension: Going Deep vs. Spreading Wide from 2015-07-21T16:28:16

Melvin McLeod, Editor-in-Chief of the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma magazines, concludes his conversation with us, this time discussing the inevitable tensions that arise in Buddhist media. These ...

Peering Under the Hood of Buddhist Media from 2015-07-21T16:20:44

“Buddhism offers the most profound critique or criticism of life imaginable in it’s analysis of the role of ego, and of the nature of samsara, as well as in its basic doctrine of emptiness. There c...

Existential Threats and Risks: We Can't Escape Impermanence! from 2015-07-21T16:19:21

“At any moment the Yellowstone caldera could blow up, wipe out %99 of the life on the surface of the planet, and probably all humans, and in our last minutes the degree of equanimity with which we ...

Cyborg Buddhas&Techno-Utopian Pure Lands! from 2015-07-21T16:17:41

With radical advances in science in technology would it be possible for us to turn our world into a so-called, “Buddha Realm” or would it be more likely that we create some sort of God Realm, where...

Transhumanism and the Authentic Self from 2015-07-21T16:16:29

“The longer our lives, the more we’ll have a chance to see that there’s no self living them.” – James Hughes What is Transhumanism and how is it related to Buddhist practice? Will technology enable...

Rebirth and Suffering: How Important Are They? from 2015-07-21T16:14:55

“I do not believe in an after life, although I am bringing a change of underwear.” – Woody Allen The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche joins us again, this time to discuss the importance of the teachings of...

The Best Preparation for Dying Well is Living Well from 2015-07-21T15:58:02

The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is the only Rinpoche we know who owns and uses a Blackberry! Rinpoche shares with us the different ways that he has adopted modern technology into the work that he does...

Analytical Meditation: Going Beyond Coffee Table Dharma from 2015-07-21T13:28:37

The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, one of the foremost teachers in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism, joins us to discuss his efforts in creating a genuinely Western form of the traditio...

Zen Masters: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves from 2015-07-21T13:25:11

Long-time American Zen practitioner Stuart Lachs has spent some 40 years practicing Zen. First with Suzuki Roshi at the Tassajara Monastery in California and then with Eido Shimano Roshi, Walter No...

The Darker Side of Zen: Institutions Defining Reality from 2015-07-21T13:25:04

"What the teacher really offers the student is literally living proof that all this talk and the seemingly impossible goals [of Zen] can be realized in this lifetime.” – Baker Roshi in the Introduc...

Mind Like Space from 2015-07-21T13:17:12

Our conversation with Susan Piver continues this week as we wrap our discussion on the relationship between meditation and writing. We also also explore the role that intention plays in offering or...

Susan Piver: The Fearless Writer from 2015-07-21T13:15:50

When Susan Piver’s book, The Hard Questions, hit the top of the NY Times Bestsellers list (and stayed there) she decided that she needed to deepen her practice immediately. Listen in this week as s...

Every Generation Creates the Dharma Anew from 2015-07-21T13:14:36

The Round Table Geeks continue their exploration of Whitney Joiner’s article, “Dive-bar Dharma”. In a flurry of paradox, perspectives, humor, and exploration they tackle questions of integrating dh...

Dive-Bar Dharma: Making it Fresh or Sensationalizing it? from 2015-07-21T13:13:41

Join the Geeks of the Round Table as we discuss an article published on Salon.com entitled, Dive-bar Dharma. The geeks explore several questions, sparked by this article, including whether or not w...

Everything Arises in the Mind of the Yogi from 2015-07-21T12:20:57

"Real creative expression, to me, is a process of discovery … It’s entering the mystery." – Daido Roshi John Daido Loori, Roshi continues his discussion with Robert Spellman on the intersection bet...

Zen Mountain Monastery: Zen and the Arts from 2015-07-21T12:18:12

John Daido Loori, Roshi abbot of the Zen Mountain Monastery in NY and well-known Buddhist author, joins us to discuss the history and development of his teaching, especially with regards to the key...

The Three Faces of Spirit: Where is Awareness Locating Itself? from 2015-07-21T12:16:59

Where does awareness tend to locate itself? And how is this important in our experience and understanding of the Buddhist path of awakening? This week Diane Musho Hamilton—Zen sensei and Big Mind l...

Discover Yourself as a Perspective Taking Being from 2015-07-21T12:14:09

Diane Musho Hamilton, Zen sensei and Big Mind lineage holder, joins us to discuss her personal story on the path of awakening. From experiencing the death of several friends at a young age, to stud...

Unwavering Samadhi: Meditative Achievement and Its Impact in the World from 2015-07-21T12:12:14

We continue our discussion with Buddhist teacher and author, B. Alan Wallace, on the impact of the recently completed Shamatha Project. Dr. Wallace shares the astounding levels of concentration tha...

Reverberations from The Shamatha Project from 2015-07-21T12:11:07

B Alan Wallace, author of “The Attention Revolution” and “Embracing Mind”, joins us to discuss the initial results from The Shamatha Project—one of the most extensive studies on the long-term benef...

Finding the Future in the Past from 2015-04-30T00:00

Hokai Sobol and John Peacock continue their discussion about how the Buddha and Buddhism are described in the earliest Buddhist writings. By getting more accurate with translations of the earliest ...

Turning the Microphone Around from 2010-12-20T12:00

For this 200th anniversary edition, the microphone is turned around on the regular host, Vincent Horn. Our guest host for this week’s episode is the UK-based blogger of 21awake.com, Rohan Gunati...

The Dharma of Second Life from 2010-01-01T00:00

This week we’re joined by Zen teacher Jiun Foster, who is actively involved in teaching dharma in the virtual world of Second Life. We speak with him about what it’s like being a participant in Sec...

Buddhist Magic: What is Possible with the Powers? from 2008-03-03T05:00

Have you ever considered what it would be like to cultivate, what in the Buddhist tradition are called the siddhis or magical powers? Buddhist magic is an endlessly fascinating topic, and in thi...

Geeks of the Round Table(tm) from 2008-02-25T05:00

The Geeks of the Round Table™ continue their discussion on the Big Mind process and the criticisms from Zen teacher Brad Warner, in his article Big Mind™ is a Big Load™ of Horse Shit (link goes ...

McZen: A Double Satori with Cheese from 2008-02-18T05:00

This is an experimental dialogue called Geeks of the Round Table. In this session we speak with two young Buddhist practitioners in a round-table format about Brad Warner’s criticisms of the Big...

Crazy Wisdom Saves the Day! from 2008-02-11T05:00

Crazy Wisdom, a phrase coined by the late Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, is used to describe uncommon, unique, and even wild ways of sharing wisdom. Wes Nisker, insight meditation teacher, shares wit...

Science as the Western Wisdom Tradition from 2008-02-04T05:00

“The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained to liberation from the self.” – Einstein One would think that the above quote would...

Insight Dialogue: Extending Meditation into Mutuality from 2008-01-28T05:00

What would it be like if we were able to extend the silence & clarity of the meditative mind into our relationships? Would this impact how we listen, what we say, and even how we perceive re...

Atto, Zepto, and Yacto: The Buddhist Marx Brothers from 2008-01-21T05:00

We speak to insight meditation teacher and comedian Wes Nisker about humor, enlightenment, and the way that the scientific vision has impacted and informed the teachings of the Buddha. Quoting W...

Interpersonal Meditation: Awakening as Relational Beings from 2008-01-14T05:00

Gregory Kramer, teacher of an interpersonal meditation practice called Insight Dialogue (and author of a book with the same title) joins us to explore the question of, “What is the path of awake...

Virtual Zen: Dropping Here and Now from 2008-01-07T05:00

Jundo Cohen, student of Gudo Wafu Nishijima Roshi, and abbot of the almost completely virtual Treeleaf Zendo joined us to discuss his virtual sangha. Jundo formed the community to meet the needs...

The Spiritual Radical from 2007-12-31T05:00

We continue our discussion with spiritual teacher and dharma punk Noah Levine, and cover several more areas of interest, including the traditional Theravada ideal of enlightenment. We also discu...

Becoming Whole: Lineage and Gender in American Buddhism from 2007-12-24T05:00

Finishing up our discussion with scholar-practitioner, and Shambhala Acharaya, Judith Simmer-Brown we explore two very important issues for Western Buddhists: lineage and gender. Judith shares h...

Being Human and Suffering Less Along the Way from 2007-12-17T05:00

Noah Levine, Buddhist teacher and dharma punk, shares the intimate details of his early lifestyle of punk rock, drugs, and jail and his climb out of a harmful way of living that was facilitated ...

The Scholar-Practitioner: Joining Theory and Practice from 2007-12-10T05:00

Judith Simmer-Brown, a professor of Religious Studies at Naropa University and authorized teacher in the Shambhala tradition speaks with us about the coming together of theoretical study and med...

Monasteries as the Conscience of Society from 2007-12-03T05:00

We continue our discussion with the Venerable Thubten Chodron, a long time Western Buddhist Nun, and founder of Sravasti Abbey in Washington State. In this dialogue she shares with us the vision...

Marketing Mindfulness to the Youth from 2007-11-26T05:00

In the second half of our conversation with Buddhist teacher Diana Winston we go on to discuss the various ways that Buddhism and more secular mindfulness practices are being marketed to youth. ...

Reformatting the Hard Disk of the Mind from 2007-11-19T05:00

Thubten Chodron, a long time Western Buddhist Nun, and founder of Sravasti Abbey in Washington State, took time with us to discuss her work as a teacher, including all of the work she has done w...

What Happens to the Dharma when the Boomers Die Out? from 2007-11-12T05:00

Diana Winston, insight meditation teacher and author, took a break from a busy day of work from the UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center to join us in a discussion on Buddhism and youth. Aft...

Bodh Gaya is "The City" from 2007-11-05T05:00

In our final segment with Buddhist teacher and author Sharon Salzberg, she starts off by describing what it is like doing a retreat in the Insight Meditation tradition. She includes information ...

Neuroscience and The Enlightenment Machine from 2007-10-29T04:00

In this episode we spoke with neuroscientist and Buddhist meditator Daniel Rizzuto. Vince and he discussed a number of topics including the link between contemplative and scientific methodologie...

From the Point of View of Insight Meditation from 2007-10-22T04:00

In the 2nd part of our conversation with Sharon Salzberg, Gwen Bell speaks to her about a number of fascinating subjects. They begin with Sharon’s experience writing for secular publications, su...

Sharon Salzberg on Now and Then from 2007-10-15T04:00

Sharon Salzberg co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Mass., when she was twenty-three. In this episode Salzberg shares some of the insights that she’s discovered along the way, te...

How Do You Sell the Dharma? from 2007-10-08T04:00

In our final segment with meditation instructor Ethan Nichtern, he shares his perspective on selling the dharma, transforming culture, the Shambhala tradition, and the need for more dharma teach...

More on Tibetan Studies at Naropa from 2007-10-01T04:00

In this episode, Ryan continues his conversation with Troy Omafray and Cory Leistikow, two of his fellow classmates in Naropa University’s MA Indo-Tibetan Studies program. They discuss requireme...

Buddhism&Money: Does Priceless Mean it's Free? from 2007-09-24T04:00

In the 2nd part of our conversation with author, artist, and meditation instructor Ethan Nichtern we deal with the slightly off-limits topic of spirituality and money. Ethan shares his perspective ...

Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Naropa University from 2007-09-17T04:00

In this episode, Ryan chats with Troy Omafray and Cory Leistikow, two of his fellow classmates in Naropa University’s MA Indo-Tibetan Studies program. They discuss the nature of the courses, the...

What Did Jessica Alba Eat for Breakfast? from 2007-09-10T04:00

Ethan Nichtern, recently published author, meditation teacher and founder of the ID Project, met with Gwen Bell in Manhattan at the Om Yoga Studio. He talks in this podcast about how, in the 21st c...

Theory, Yoga,&Art from 2007-09-03T04:00

In our last segment with art and meditation professor Robert Spellman he shares with us a key distinction between the theoretical and the yogic and how that important distinction relates to arti...

An Antidote to Seriousness from 2007-08-27T04:00

In this episode Robert Spellman delves into the liberating nature of humor and laughter. He also touches on the question of whether a genuine spiritual practice leads to a diminishing of one’s p...

Lacking Leadership, Lacking Conceptuality from 2007-08-20T04:00

In our final segment, speaking with Hokai Sobol and Daniel Ingram the conversation wraps up with a criticism of what is missing from some of the Buddhist leadership in the West, as well as the i...

Dharmic Throw Up from 2007-08-13T04:00

This week, we had the great pleasure of speaking with teacher and artist Robert Spellman, who was a long-time student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In the first part of the series Robert shares seve...

Are You Stuck? Get Unstuck! from 2007-08-06T04:00

In the 2nd part of this interview Vincent Horn, Daniel Ingram, and Hokai Sobol continue to explore the territory of meditation and psychology, discusses the mastery of meditation techniques, and...

Croatia, Alabama, and Colorado Collide! from 2007-07-30T04:00

In this episode Vince Horn speaks with two of Buddhist Geeks most active users: Daniel Ingram and Hokai Sobol. They discuss the reasons that people get into Buddhist practice, what really inspir...

Mass Producing Meditators from 2007-07-23T04:00

In this episode Vince talks with Theo Horesh and Duff McDuffee, two S.N. Goenka practitioners. They discuss the effects of what can be called the mass production of meditators. They also explore...

Entrepregurus and the Meditation Factory from 2007-07-16T04:00

In this episode Vince interviews Theo Horesh and Duff McDuffee, two S.N. Goenka practitioners. They discuss the techniques of the Goenka tradition and how one might see it as a meditation factor...

Are you Stalking Us?! from 2007-07-09T04:00

In this episode, the three geeks process listener feedback about podcasts and blog posts. They also discuss the future of podcasts on Buddhist Geeks and creating more dynamic conversations. See Pr...

Buddhist Geeks Highlights from 2007-07-02T04:00

In this episode, the three geeks gather at the Falling Fruit studio and reminisce about the first six months of Buddhist Geeks. Each discuss their favorite podcasts and posts. They also plug the ne...

It's Like Phil Donahue! from 2007-06-25T04:00

At 87, Nishijima Sensei, Brad Warner’s teacher, loves the fact that he can blog. In this episode, Gwen and Brad discuss the pros and cons of using the “tech factor” to spread the Dharma. In the ...

With the Light Comes the Dark from 2007-06-18T04:00

In our final podcast with insight meditation teacher John Travis, he describes the training that new teachers are going through in his tradition. He also touches on the subject of enlightenment,...

Feeding the Beast from 2007-06-11T04:00

In this episode, Warner talks about excited states like anger, the trouble with online community, and our attachment to ego. How do we “reinforce the Self” and how do we begin to work with our a...

The Dualistic Conundrum: Insight Meditation and Primordial Awareness from 2007-06-04T04:00

In the next episode with Insight Meditation teacher John Travis, he discusses how both the gradual and sudden schools of enlightenment fit in with the practice of vipassana meditation. Find out ...

Buddhism is Something that Old Folks Do from 2007-05-28T04:00

Anyone that’s had the chance to study with Brad Warner knows he’s young(ish), funny and knowledgeable about the Dharma. Warner’s new book, Sit Down & Shut Up, chronicles the life and times o...

Leave the Pot on the Stove from 2007-05-21T04:00

In this final episode with Vince Horn, he continues to share his reflections and experiences of a two-month meditation retreat he recently completed. In this podcast, he discusses the relationsh...

On Being a Dharma Bum from 2007-05-14T04:00

In the first part of our interview with Insight Meditation teacher John Travis, he shares the story of his many years of practice and seeking in India, as well as the time after that in which he...

The Vipassana Vendetta from 2007-05-07T04:00

In this episode, Vincent Horn continues to share his reflections and experiences of a two-month meditation retreat he recently completed. In this podcast, he discusses doing karma yoga during lo...

Genpo "Big Mind's" Gwen from 2007-04-30T04:00

In this final segment with Genpo Roshi, Gwen Bell is guided through the Big Mind process. This final portion of the interview gives listeners a rare opportunity to listen to the Big Mind experie...

Vince Horn on Taking the Two Month Plunge from 2007-04-23T04:00

In this episode Ryan Oelke interviews fellow resident geek, Vince Horn, who shares his reflections and experiences of a two-month mediation retreat he recently completed. In this first podcast, ...

Is Zen Enough? from 2007-04-16T04:00

In this segment, Genpo Roshi goes into an eloquent description of the role that Big Mind process, zazen, and koan practice can play in a more whole and integrated Zen training. He also touches o...

A Crisis of Curiosity from 2007-04-09T04:00

In this episode Gwen Bell interviews Anne McQuade, a current student of Genpo Roshi and regular reader of our site. A large part of their conversation focuses on a controversial article that Bra...

Genpo Roshi on Big Mind from 2007-04-02T04:00

In this episode Gwen Bell interviews Genpo Roshi, a Western Zen teacher and lineage holder of both the Soto and Rinzai traditions. He is also the author of four books, as well as an upcoming rel...

Take Your Seat: The Importance of Boundaries in Practice from 2007-03-26T04:00

Fleet Maull talks about how we work with the boundaries of the self and of the heart in the maitri, bodhichitta and tonglen practices.

This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part ...

Models of Enlightenment from 2007-03-19T04:00

In our final conversation with Daniel Ingram he goes on to explore various “models of enlightenment” and weighs the relative value of these different models, which we carry around with us uncons...

Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Fleet Maull on Plunge Experiences from 2007-03-12T04:00

In this episode, Gwen Bell interviews Buddhist teacher Sensei Fleet Maull. Fleet recently spent a month on retreat with Roshi Bernie Glassman and the Zen Peacemakers in Massuchusetts, where he b...

Enlightened Teachers from 2007-03-05T05:00

In this episode, with Theravada teacher Daniel Ingram, he breaches the taboo of enlightenment by discussing the enlightenment of other teachers. Not only that but he argues for a more transparen...

Where are all the Western Rinpoches? from 2007-02-26T05:00

In this episode, Phil Stanley discusses lineage in Western Buddhism, the lack of western teachers, what it will take to develop more qualified individuals. Phil notes that we are in an awkward p...

The Shamatha Project from 2007-02-19T05:00

In 2007 Dr. Wallace will be leading a joint scientific project named The Shamatha Project. A battery of studies will be conducted in two 3-month meditation retreats (one retreat is a control gro...

You Can Do It! from 2007-02-12T05:00

We’re joined this week by Daniel Ingram, MD, an authorized teacher in the Theravada tradition and an avid fan of out-right honesty with regards to the spiritual path.

In this episode Dani...

We're Not the Cheerleaders of Buddhism from 2007-02-05T05:00

In our second episode with professor Phil Stanley, Phil discusses Buddhist lifestyles in the West and how our approach to practice differs from traditional Eastern practitioners. He addresses ou...

Get a PhD in Contemplative Science from 2007-01-29T05:00

In our second episode with Alan Wallace, he presents a new model for “professional” contemplatives. Instead of trying to transplant the monastic model to the West, Dr. Wallace suggests that cont...

Phil Stanley on the Development of Western Buddhism from 2007-01-22T05:00

In our first episode with scholar-practitioner Phil Stanley, professor at Naropa University, he chats with us about how he became a practitioner and his passion for Buddhist study. Phil shares h...

On Achieving Shamatha from 2007-01-15T05:00

In our first interview featuring scholar-practitioner B. Alan Wallace, we asked Dr. Wallace to give us the low-down on his spiritual journey, as well as describe the stages of deepening relaxati...

Meet the Geeks from 2007-01-08T05:00

In our 1st episode, “Meet the Geeks” you’ll hear the three founding members of Buddhist Geeks--Vincent Horn, Ryan Oelke, & Gwen Bell--discussing the vision behind this project. By weaving to...