Best Ethan Nichtern Podcasts (2025)

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Ep. 152 - Crucial Questions: What Is The Bodhisattva Vow? 55:37

2h ago55:37

55:37

Ethan discusses three reasons we take vows and make commitments from a Buddhist perspective, and gives special emphasis to The Bodhisattva Vow, where we commit to not only pursue our own path of liberation and awakening, but also vow to work for the benefit of all beings, to the limits of space, until all beings are awake. It is a commitment to the…

1
Episode 111 | Your Rest Is Leadership: 3 Reflection Questions for Spaceholders 8:10

13h ago8:10

8:10

Episode 111 | Your Rest Is Leadership: 3 Reflection Questions for Spaceholders As spaceholders, leaders, and facilitators, we’re often excellent at caring for others—but how often do we truly hold space for ourselves? In this episode, Shawn explores why rest is a leadership practice, not a luxury, and offers three powerful reflection questions to h…

1
Episode 110 | The Wisdom of the Hive with Michelle Cassandra Johnson, Author, Activist, Trainer, and Healing Arts Practitioner 51:16

4d ago51:16

51:16

Episode 110 | The Wisdom of the Hive with Michelle Cassandra Johnson, Author, Activist, Trainer, and Healing Arts Practitioner Instagram: @skillinaction Connect with Michelle’s Offerings: ⁠https://www.michellecjohnson.com Michelle’s New Book - The Wisdom of the Hive: What Honeybees Can Teach Us about Collective Wellbeing: https://www.michellecjohns…

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Ep. 58 – Bringing Depth to Our Lives with Emily Esfahani Smith 52:00

7d ago52:00

52:00

Dissecting the process of her book, The Power of Meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith joins David to explore bringing depth to our lives via belonging, purpose, transcendence, and storytelling. Pick up Emily's book, The Power of Meaning, HERE. This time on the CSM Podcast, David and Emily discuss: Positive Psychology: shifting from a focus on what’s wrong…

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Ep. 151 - Buddhist Geeks, 21st Century Practice, and The Duhkha of Palestine 1:01:38

7d ago1:01:38

1:01:38

Ethan welcomes Buddhist Geeks Co-Founder, teacher, and Palestinian-American Dharma teacher Vince Fakhoury Horn. They discuss the rise of "podcast dharma" in the early 21st century, Vince's path to teaching meditation, Vince's experience of his Palestinian heritage, why it's hard to get Dharma teachers to speak out about the genocide in Gaza, The Bu…

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Ep. 150 - The Virtues of Boredom (The Most Boring Podcast Ever!) 46:57

14d ago46:57

46:57

This is the 150th episode of The Road Home Podcast! Yay, Big Deal! But, it’s—as always—also a conversation about the Dharma, and the mind, and how to work with your own experience. And your mind, especially during meditation, can be boring. Very boring. So why is boredom such a difficult, yet important—and creative—experience? What do we do about b…

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Ep. 149 - The Whole World Is Gold To Me: Tantra and Generosity 47:54

23d ago47:54

47:54

(This episode of The Road Home is dedicated to the memory of Joanna Macy—founder of the Eco-Dharma and Deep Ecology Movements—who passed this weekend at the age of 96) On this episode, a follow-up to episode 148, Ethan explores wealth and generosity from a tantric perspective. If you could take the view, for just one moment, that you, your percepti…

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Ep. 148 - No More Billionaires - Wealth, Livelihood and Generosity in the Hinayana and Mahayana 56:54

1M ago56:54

56:54

What is generosity (“dana” in the Buddhist languages), and how does it relate to our experience of wealth, our consumption, our labor, and our shared values as a society? How can we work with our craving for always have more like one of those a metal claw machines in a video game arcade, leaving us unable to live in the practice of Dana, or "fluid …

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Ep. 57 – Bhakti & Buddhism: The Heart and Mind of Practice with Krishna Das 53:02

1M ago53:02

53:02

Blending together Bhakti and Buddhism, best of friends Krishna Das and David Nichtern discuss the gradual cultivation of practice and finding your ‘niche’ within the dharma. Join the Wisdom & Wellbeing Week 1 Intensive with Krishna Das & Nina Rao | January 3 - 10, 2026 | Click to Learn More This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online …

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Ep. 147 - Don’t Stop Believing - Faith and Awareness in The Six Bardos of Collapse and Rebirth 1:00:22

2M ago1:00:22

1:00:22

How we work with our minds in the spaces between collapse and rebirth (those uncomfortable gaps in life as well as the huge “gap” after death) hold the key to creating futures that do not replicate the stuckness and suffering of our past. This is true both personally and collectively. As always, with recent world events in mind, we discuss the six …

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Ep. 56 – Social Action & Misplaced Faith with Sharon Salzberg 1:05:29

2M ago1:05:29

1:05:29

Old friends Sharon Salzberg and David Nichtern meet to discuss the calamity of misplaced faith and the expansion that can come from individualized social action. Join Sharon's Upcoming Course with Tricycle to uncover your Buddhist Personality Type This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow an…

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Ep. 146 - The Dissonance of 2025 46:41

2M ago46:41

46:41

Ethan visits a recurrent conversation he’s been having with his students, his friends, and within his own mind: the dissonance between feeling like your personal life and close community are in basically good places, while simultaneously raising your gaze to see the immense suffering and chaos of the world. How can we hold those two and find our co…

1
Ep. 145 - Always Meditate on Whatever Provokes Resentment 43:29

3M ago43:29

43:29

What is resentment? Why is it so corrosive? How can we work with our resentments? How can we overcome a victim mentality while still protecting ourselves, protecting others, and protecting truth? In this solo episode, Ethan uses a classic Tantric Buddhist contemplative slogan from the Lojong mind training tradition that translates as either “Always…

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Ep. 55 – An Intimate Look at the Heart Sutra with Susan Piver 1:09:43

3M ago1:09:43

1:09:43

Meditation teacher, Susan Piver, joins David Nichtern to share her profound and ever-evolving connection to The Heart Sutra. Learn about the heart and mind of practice with David Nichtern and Krishna Das in an upcoming free online talk! Register HERE. In this episode, David Nichtern and Susan Piver explore: The many variations of The Heart Sutra an…

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Ep. 144 - Microdosing Grief and The Practice of Saying Goodbye 38:08

3M ago38:08

38:08

In a spontaneous episode, Ethan discusses grief and loss while processing multiple events. At a recent compassion meditation retreat, colleague and friend René Fay gave a presentation where she discussed the need to “Microdose Grief,” to take it in little by little so that we can honor the small moments of loss to develop familiarity with the exper…

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Ep. 143 - Meditations for Mortals with Oliver Burkeman 56:26

3M ago56:26

56:26

How can we embrace the limitations of time and the certainty of death and create real fulfillment that thrives on an honest assessment of our human predicament? These are the questions at the heart of this episode. Ethan welcomes back bestselling author and journalist Oliver Burkeman for a discussion of finitude, death, limitations, productivity, a…

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Ep. 142 - The White Lotus, The God Realm and Pop-Culture Dharma 38:49

4M ago38:49

38:49

In this episode, Ethan does what at least 40 people have asked him to do (special shout-out to Michele S. in Iowa who convinced him to devote a whole podcast episode to it!) - share his thoughts, as a Buddhist, on Season 3 of the Max streaming series The White Lotus. To do so, he explains three different ways to look at the concept of “Dharma Art,”…

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Ep. 141 - Strong Back, Soft Front: The Posture of Meditation is The Posture of Courage 43:10

4M ago43:10

43:10

In this episode, Ethan links a crucial set of instructions from mindfulness meditation teachers of the past regarding how we carry our posture to what it means to show up in this world at a time of chaos. He discusses the instructions on mindfulness meditation from the “warrior” tradition of enlightened society, as well as decoding the qualities of…

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Ep. 140 - Equanimity Feels Different on a Roller Coaster 38:38

4M ago38:38

38:38

After tariffs were broadly imposed by the current American regime (including, apparently on uninhabited islands populated mostly by penguins) causing a nearly unprecedented crash of the stock market, and after attending the lovely and unexpectedly massive protest marches that took place on April 5, Ethan ponders how to deal with extreme states of m…

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Ep. 139 - A Buddhist View of A.I. (It Ain't Great...) 51:34

5M ago51:34

51:34

In light of revelations about the theft of countless authors' work by one A.I. company (guess which one), Ethan finally talks about a topic he's been requested to cover for a while: Buddhist views on artificial intelligence. He begins by positioning the conversation within the frame of View and Intention, asking the question of what "technology" is…

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Episode 109 | Tea as a Companion with Sooz Hammond, Educator and Founder of Being Tea 41:50

5M ago41:50

41:50

Episode 109 | Tea as a Companion with Sooz Hammond, Educator and Founder of Being Tea Instagram: @BeingTea Connect with Sooz’s Offerings: https://beingtea.com/ Being Tea Membership: https://beingtea.com/membership/ Being Tea Teacher Training: https://beingtea.com/teacher-training/ About this Episode In this episode of the Mindful Rebel® Podcast, Sh…

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Ep. 138 - Torched Teslas, Fart Noises, And Right Action Against The Oligarchy 49:46

5M ago49:46

49:46

Ethan delves further into right action during a time of protest and chaos, using the recent examples of Tesla cars and cybertrucks being set on fire as a launching point. In The Power of Choice episode, he looked into the five precepts as guidelines for empowered and skillful action. In this episode, he looks into actions of mind as our guide: whet…

1
Ep. 137 - People-Pleasing: A Buddhist View 40:34

5M ago40:34

40:34

Ethan delves into the Bodhisattva teachings on happiness, benefitting beings, and “idiot compassion,” or what happens when compassion becomes an ego construction. How do we tell the difference between helping others in a nourishing way, on the one hand, and doing things for others that we really don’t want to do that leave us burnt out and resentfu…

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Ep. 136 - The Heart Sutra, Groundlessness, Joy, and Crumbling Patriarchy with Susan Piver 52:57

5M ago52:57

52:57

Ethan welcomes bestselling author and Dharma teacher Susan Piver for a discussion of the groundlessness of our current world framed through her new book Inexplicable Joy: On The Heart Sutra. If you'd like to read a translation of this classic Buddhist text, you can find that on Ethan's Substack. Susan Piver is the New York Times bestselling author …

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Ep. 135 - The Three Lords of Materialism 52:43

6M ago52:43

52:43

Ethan discusses the classic origins of the worldview of "Materialism," as well a framework developed by the Tibetan teacher Chogyam Trungpa called "The Three Lords of Materialism" for looking at how we can notice our tendency to chase peak experiences in the arenas of the physical world, intellectual experience, and of course, our spiritual paths. …

1
Ep. 134 - The Power of Choice: The Five Precepts as a Recipe for Transformation 52:41

6M ago52:41

52:41

Ethan discusses a classic Buddhist concept, sīla (or shila), through the lens of knowing where to place our attention and action, knowing "what to cultivate and what to reject." Choices shift energy and energy can build power, and that power can be the difference between awakening and confusion. Ethan also argues, using the five precepts (or five m…

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Ep. 133 - The Dharma of Film: A Complete Unknown, Or A Cesspool of Ego? with Andrew Buckland 1:00:15

7M ago1:00:15

1:00:15

Ethan is joined for an insightful discussion about Dharma Art with Academy Award-winning film editor and Buddhist meditator Andrew Buckland. They discuss the practice of filmmaking and creativity more generally, as well as Andrew's path, the film A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic which was Andrew's latest editing project. Finally, they discu…

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Episode 108 | The Art of Holding Space: 5 Essential Questions for Mindful Leadership 10:31

7M ago10:31

10:31

In today's episode, I dive deep into the transformative practice of holding space - a fundamental skill that I've discovered bridges contemplative practices with modern leadership. As I've been developing curriculum for my Yoga Nidra, Restorative Yoga, and meditation training programs, I've found myself exploring how this seemingly spiritual practi…

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Ep. 132 - Is Mindfulness Enough (Why Study Buddhist Philosophy)? 56:05

7M ago56:05

56:05

Ethan is joined for an insightful discussion about Entering the Study of Buddhism with the faculty of Dharma Moon's Yearlong Buddhist Studies program. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program (The first 6-Week module, Entering The Path, is open to all and starts January 28, 2025) a…

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Ep. 131 - The World Is On Fire 18:56

7M ago18:56

18:56

Ethan offers a lovingkindness (metta/maitri) meditation for all who are effected by the climate crisis, and discusses why when global crises require our action, our practice might be a privilege, but it's also a necessity. The climate crisis recognizes no borders, and we are truly all in this together. Just a few links to help and get involved with…

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Ep. 130 - Five Keys To A Sustainable Meditation Practice 42:54

7M ago42:54

42:54

Ethan discusses the difficulty with keeping a meditation practice going that is relevant for those who are new to practice as well as those who have been finding their seat for many years. He offers five keys to making your practice more sustainable this year. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddh…

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Ep 129 - The Astrology of 2025 (Not A Chapter, A Whole New Book) with Juliana McCarthy 1:04:21

8M ago1:04:21

1:04:21

Ethan is joined again by friend, bestselling author, dharma practitioner and astrologer Juliana McCarthy. They discuss the various movements in astrology in 2024 and 2025 from a mindful perspective. Juliana gives her optimistic take on what is to come, calling Mid 2025 onward "Not A New Chapter, But A Whole New Book," why Ethan is praying for Star …

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Ep. 128 - Enlightened Society with David Nichtern 1:18:21

8M ago1:18:21

1:18:21

Ethan is joined by Dharma Moon founder and award winning musician/composer David Nichtern for a true moment of Nichternity. They engage in a wide-ranging discussion (the only kind they know how to have) about Wicked, Ariana Grande, Ethan's issue with musicals, the death of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, the Kaliyuga or "dark ages," fear of impermanence,…

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Ep. 127 - Conspirituality: Compassion Down The Rabbithole with Derek Beres 56:26

8M ago56:26

56:26

Ethan is joined by health journalist and podcaster Derek Beres to discuss the dominance of misinformation in the health, wellness and spiritual spaces, and how we might be able to understand and converse with the people—and the parts of ourselves—that have gone "down the rabbithole." Derek Beres is a multi-faceted author, speaker, and podcaster bas…

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Ep. 126 - Rock-Bottom Individualism and The Possibility of Sangha 42:27

9M ago42:27

42:27

Ethan discusses the addiction concept of "rock-bottom" and how that concept can be transposed onto the worldview of individualism and individual power. In what ways, from a Buddhist standpoint, is individualism healthy and necessary? In what ways is it confused? Can we transition to a more collective or community-oriented worldview, and what is the…

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Ep. 125 - After The Apocalypse 33:04

9M ago33:04

33:04

Ethan shares thoughts in the aftermath of the shocking (to him, at least) results of the US presidential election. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free talk on Grief and Heartbreak, "The Gift of a Broken Heart" with Br…

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Episode 107 | Rest is Sacred with Octavia Raheem 36:19

9M ago36:19

36:19

Episode 107 | Rest is Sacred with Octavia Raheem - Wife, Mother, Award-Winning Author, Rest Coach, Restorative, Yoga Nidra, Meditation Teacher, and Speaker Instagram: @octaviaraheem Website: https://www.octaviaraheem.com Purchase Your Copy of Rest is Sacred: https://a.co/d/1Wi7Kp2 Bio:Octavia Raheem is a wife, mother, author of three books Pause, R…

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Ep. 124 - "Does It Count?" - Cortland Dahl on Short Meditation, Mindful Living, And Feeling Allergic To Religion 50:43

10M ago50:43

50:43

Ethan talks to author, Dharma teacher, and scientist Cortland Dahl about his new book A Meditator's Guide To Buddhism. They discuss research on short meditation sessions, mindful living, and touch on the meaning of "guru" in the modern world. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies progra…

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Ep. 123 - No But Really, We're All In This Together 33:46

10M ago33:46

33:46

Reeling from the events of the last 10 days in Western North Carolina (which directly and tragically affected two friends who have been on The Road Home podcast), as well as close friends directly affected by the bombing and aggression in the Middle East, Ethan returns to some basic thoughts on the truth of our interdependence, and the limits of lo…

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Ep. 54 – Seven Sorrows of the New Saint: Getting Real About Obstacles on the Spiritual Path with Lama Rod Owens 1:21:02

11M ago1:21:02

1:21:02

Facing the obstacles on a spiritual path, Lama Rod Owens, David Nichtern, and Michael Kammers, discuss the seven sorrows of the new saint. Grab Lama Rod’s new book, The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors In this episode, David, Michael and Lama Rod chat about: Realizing that liberation is driven by uncomfortable contradictions The…

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Ep. 122 - Meditating With Anxiety (For Election Season and Beyond) 38:25

11M ago38:25

38:25

Ethan looks at the nature of anxiety as a special-case emotion and offers a short dharma talk on working with anxiety, then guides a 15-minute lovingkindness with supportive visualization practice for working with any anxiety we might be feeling during election season or beyond. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including…

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Ep. 121 - Why We Stereotype and How to Break Bias with Anu Gupta 52:43

11M ago52:43

52:43

Ethan talks to author, meditation teacher, scientist and lawyer Anu Gupta about his new book Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From--and the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them. They discuss Anu's life, how bias brought him to the brink of taking his own life, and his extensive work with organizations getting to the roots of in…

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Ep. 120 - A Buddhist Perspective on "The Shadow" and Shadow Work 35:43

11M ago35:43

35:43

Ethan provides a dharma talk on the (originally Jungian) idea of The Shadow and the current popularization of "Shadow Work." He explores the ways that Tantric Buddhism offers to work with our more difficult and suppressed experiences, as well as the concept of treating our most difficult experience as "beautiful monsters." Check out all the cool of…

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Ep. 119 - Why Is Self-Compassion So Hard To Practice??? 43:16

12M ago43:16

43:16

Ethan provides a dharma talk on why practicing self-compassion can be so tricky and so "blocked." He offers some helpful tips you might not have considered (or maybe you have!) for practicing lovingkindness and compassion, both on the meditation seat and in life in general. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the …

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Ep. 118 - The Mindful Rebel: Holding Space To Just Be with Shawn J. Moore 50:16

12M ago50:16

50:16

Ethan talks to teacher Shawn J. Moore, aka The Mindful Rebel, aka "Part Buddha, Part Biggie" about his somewhat unique path to mindfulness and dharma, and about the meaning of holding space, allowing yourself to just be, and transformational leadership. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Stu…

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Ep. 117 - Crucial Questions: On Remorse and The Four Powers of Karmic Transformation 43:35

12M ago43:35

43:35

Ethan provides a dharma talk on the relationship between Self, Non-Self, Guilt and Remorse, and delves into a classic teaching called the "four powers" for how we meet our habitual stuck places and negative behavior with an eye toward gradual transformation. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhis…

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Episode 106 | Weaving the Science and the Spiritual with Dr. Abha Rajbhandari 48:09

12M ago48:09

48:09

Episode 106 | Weaving the Science and the Spiritual with Dr. Abha Rajbhandari, Assistant Profesor and Neuroscientist Instagram: @neurobreathe About Abha: Abha is an Assistant Professor in the departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Abha earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Wiscon…

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Ep. 116 - Finding The Source: Original Mind, Zen and Tantra with Dr. Gaylon Ferguson 1:06:01

1y ago1:06:01

1:06:01

Ethan talks to one of his key teachers along the path, Dr. Gaylon Ferguson about Beginner's Mind, Original Mind and the relationship between Zen and Tantric Buddhism drawing from Dr. Ferguson's new book Welcoming Beginner's Mind: Zen and Tibetan Buddhist Wisdom on Experiencing Our True Nature. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma …

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Ep. 115 - Not One and Not Two: Unity, Cult-Thinking, And Meeting The Political Moment 42:48

1y ago42:48

42:48

Ethan continues his insights into our political moment after VP Kamala Harris ascends to candidacy. He reviews five practices for engagement with this season (reducing media intake, increasing volunteering and engagement, mindfulness meditation, body practice, and rest) and explores the Buddhist idea of "not one not two" for how we can experience u…

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Ep. 114 - Democracy is Something You Practice, Not Something You Watch 44:11

1y ago44:11

44:11

Ethan wades into the 2024 American election, first sharing some thoughts on recent events, the dystopian state of American media, and finally, five practices we can each do to feel more connected and empowered and less panicky as the crucial election approaches. And yes, he's an optimist about American democracy. Check out all the cool offerings at…

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Ethan Nichtern Podcasts

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