In our second conversation about reincarnation, we start off discussing the how the current Dalai Lama's position is predicated on the belief that he is the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama and how his reincarnation and the reincarnation of other Lamas creates a certain amount of consternation for the government of the People's Republic… Continue reading Reincarnation: part two
In the first of two episodes on the endlessly entertaining topic of reincarnation, we start off talking about whether reincarnation really is even a part of Buddhism (we say yes!) and pop-cultural ideas about rebirth (we reject them!). But getting into the nitty-gritty of it all, we discuss how reincarnation can be possible even with… Continue reading Reincarnation: part one
In our first "listener response" episode, we tackle the question of how to practice Shin Buddhism (or any kind of Buddhism) if you don't live near a community. Our take on the issue begins, appropriately enough, on the Internet and how the Web can be a great source of information. But, of course, the Web… Continue reading Listener questions: practice
In this month's first episode, we decided to take on the difficult Buddhist concept of "no self" or anatman. It can be a frightening prospect to give up the idea that any of us have a permanent self, but don't be afraid! It's good to wrestle with these ideas and come to a deeper understanding… Continue reading No self
Drop us a line and we'll answer it! Starting next month as a new feature of our podcast, we're going answer our listeners' questions. Send us an email or post a comment to our Facebook page with whatever Buddhist question is on your mind and we'll do our best to answer it in an upcoming… Continue reading Got a question?
We return to the topic of suffering and start off with the many nuanced meanings of the term. We get into some deep Abhidharma stuff and talk about how all dharmas are marked with impermanence and early Buddhist conceptions of suffering and the nature of samsara. This leads us to a nice little conversation about the relationship between samsara and nirvana which eventually leads us to hearty debate about "basic Buddhism" and what Shinran really knew. We wrap it all up with an insightful commentary on the trap of attachments that cause suffering.
We're back! And we're talking about suffering! We start with the problem of translation — duhkha as suffering, unrest, un- or dis-satisfactoriness, and so forth. Basically, something's not quite right. How does this fit in with the Four Noble Truths? What is the cause of suffering? What are the different types of suffering? Today we… Continue reading Suffering: part one
September 5 we will return with a new batch of podcasts! For the time being, enjoy this video preview of things to come. Click the following link to see a larger, better quality version of this video: Full quality version. Watch out! It's a pretty big file and may take some time to open up.
Surprise! During our "karma sessions," we had a lot to say. So we've got a short little bonus podcast to wrap up our conversation about karma, the Sharon Stone gaffe, and how karma causes earthquakes. No, no, karma doesn't cause earthquakes! But we do we do talk about whether or not China's ruling party has… Continue reading Karma: bonus!
Well, summer's already more than half over. Harry and I did our best to fill the long summer months with plenty of juicy podcasts for you, but it looks like we need a break! So, as you probably heard in the last episode on karma, we'll be taking the month of August off — giving… Continue reading summer vacation
