The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern (Ethan Nichtern)

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 Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free Imposter Syndrome event on September 3 with Duncan Trussell and David Nichtern!

Visit https://ethannichtern.com for books, upcoming events, classes, and to get on his monthly email list!

Starting off from the recent work—and calling out—of scientist and wellness personality Andrew Huberman, Ethan explores the relationship between trying to control one's biological reality in relationship to controlling one's environment and relationships. Ethan looks at discipline from a Buddhist perspective, and how the practice of discipline leads us—ironically—to let go of control and perhaps, in turn, experience real joy.

Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Trainings. Also check out upcoming in-person retreats in May and June.

Pre-Order Ethan's new book, Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds to be released May 21, wherever you get your books.

Ethan continues to explore the themes of his new book by discussing self-confidence, no-self, working with praise and criticism, and humility with Jaimal Yogis and Lou Sharma. 

Please remember to pick up a copy of Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out this week!

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training starting June 14. Sign up for the free online lecture with David Nichtern on May 28 on "Teaching Meditation and The Role of The Teacher."

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 the instruction to maintain a “strong back, and a soft front.”

Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions. Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more!

Check out all the cool offerings at our podcast sponsor Dharma Moon. Free video courses co-taught by Ethan and others, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download.

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) and  Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training.

About the Faculty:

Lou Sharma has been part of the Buddhist Studies faculty for four years. She is interested in the ways mindfulness can empower more compassionate cultures of work, inspired by 10+ years of experience as a corporate researcher and brand strategist.

Jackie Stewart is a meditation teacher and mindfulness advisor based in NYC. She is currently a student of Mingyur Rinpoche, and serves as a practice leader in his international community, Tergar. 

Ethan gives his "hot takes" as an active participant and casual observer of American politics on the severely compromised state of American democracy. He addresses the idea that we are all burnt out on America, and discusses the three aspects of compassionate action, and why, for the benefit of ourselves and others, getting off our screens and into simple participatory action is key.

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com

Also, check out Dharma Moon’s upcoming free event: Meditation and Beginner's Mind with David Nichtern and Duncan Trussell.

For an easily downloadable, self-paced video course to establish a mindfulness meditation practice, check out Foundations of Mindfulness.

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 the Los Angeles wildfires are: Global Empowerment Mission, Mutual Aid LA, and our friends at Pandemic of Love' Volunteer Sign Up form.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program (starts January 28, 2025) and Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training.

Ethan continues to explore the themes of his new book by looking at how the discussion of confidence can be seen as a discussion of our relationship to Fear and Hope. He explores the roots of Confidence is ancient Buddhism, as well as just beginning to unpack the ideas of the eight worldly winds, experiences that every human must face.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training starting June 14. Sign up for the free lecture with David Nichtern and Duncan Trussell on "Deepening Your Practice to Teach: The Journey from Meditation Practitioner to Meditation Guide." 

Also check out  upcoming in-person retreats in May and June.

Pre-Order Ethan's new book, Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds to be released May 21, wherever you get your books. Sign up for the free virtual release party with Jaimal Yogis and Ethan Nichtern on May 23!

Ethan discusses the often confusing term "Basic Goodness." He breaks down some thoughts on why the term—and the transformative experience it points toward—can be elusive and confusing. He also goes into some of the historical origins of the term that illuminate its meaning and offers tools for how to work with it to ask wise questions about our experience in both meditation and everyday life.

Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including the free online event with David Nichtern and Duncan Trussell, "Meditation and Beginners Mind." Also check out upcoming in-person retreats in May and June.

For an easily downloadable, self-paced video course to establish a mindfulness meditation practice, check out Foundations of Mindfulness.

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com

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 internalized biases. They get into bias from both a Buddhist philosophical and scientific perspective. Finally, discuss the current state of America in terms of bias, as well how prejudice might be affecting our experience of the upcoming elections.

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 The Journey of Becoming a Meditation Teacher with Rebecca D'onofrio and David Nichtern on Thurs Sep 19!

Anu Gupta is a human rights lawyer, scientist, scholar of bias, meditation teacher, and the founder and CEO of BE MORE with Anu, an e-learning company that trains professionals across corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors to advance inclusion and wellness by breaking bias. His work has reached 300+ organizations, training more than 80,000 professionals and impacting over 30 million lives. 

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 mind with a world on a roller coaster marked by fear and greed. The key, he says, is to be able to differentiate between arising mental emotions and the awareness that contains and welcomes them, and then to continuously generate compassion for all human beings. He offers two simple questions we can each ask ourselves when we encounter intense states of mind as humanity's roller coaster ride become increasingly topsy turvy—and perhaps increasingly hopeful—in the months ahead.

Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions. Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more!

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon. Free video courses, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download.

Notes:

To find further explanation of the eight worldly winds, check out Ethan's latest book Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds or the adapted essay in Lion's Roar Magazine.

Ethan is joined by author, teacher and writing coach Lisa Weinert.  They discuss the power of storytelling as both a spiritual and psychological method for healing. They also talk about why the act of writing is so excruciating, as well as the relationship between storytelling and embodiment. They definitely do not discuss their 9th Grade English teacher, Mr. Hubner.

Lisa is the author of the book Narrative Healing: Awaken the Power of Your Story (Hachette, 2023). She has taught and lectured on the power of storytelling at institutions such as Wesleyan University, Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health, and Fortune 500 media companies. Beginning her career in book publishing, Weinert eventually became a certified yoga instructor with a specialty in trauma-informed and restorative yoga, leading her to combine her professional training with her own experience with trauma to create Narrative Healing, a writing program that seeks to release our stories in a way that is accessible and empowering.

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com, and check out the upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training along with many other wonderful offerings.

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: whether our actions are furthering our fixation on the three poisons of greed, hatred and delusion, or whether they are helping us liberate from those confused mentalities. Can we set samsara on fire instead?

Ethan also makes a bad dad joke about using Tesla technology to make fart noises happen on a meditation retreat when our mind wanders or we need to wake up.

Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions. Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more!

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training, starting March 21 (this week!). Free video courses, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download.

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 role of the sangha in all this?

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 What is Karma? with Ethan and Sah D'Simone on December 11th.free talk on "Dragon at The Oasis" with Sat Hon and David Nichtern on December 19th.

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

Using the recent solar eclipse (and a few suprising responses to Ethan celebrating it) as a jumping off point, Ethan looks at the worldviews of scientific materialism and animism, Ethan looks at the role of magic in developing a grounded but awe-inspired approach to our spiritual practice.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training starting June 14. Also check out  upcoming in-person retreats in May and June.

Pre-Order Ethan's new book, Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds to be released May 21, wherever you get your books.

Ethan discusses the Buddhist practice of generosity by looking at an amazing billionaire's gift by Dr. Ruth Gottesman, another famous billionaire's apocalypse bunker, and, of course, the annual headache of doing your taxes.

Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including the upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training beginning March 22, 2024. Also check out upcoming in-person retreats in May and June.

For an easily downloadable, self-paced video course to establish a mindfulness meditation practice, check out Foundations of Mindfulness.

Pre-order Ethan's new book Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds, due out May 21, 2024! You can get an advanced PDF of the book and a free audio meditation if you order in advance!

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com

Ethan and David Nichtern discuss the priniciple and practices of Windhorse meditation, and how to ride the energy of one's life and emotions, especially when showing up to do something that is hard to do. This is the second part of their recent conversation. The first part appeared on David's Creativitiy, Spirituality and Making a Buck podcast. 

Please remember to pick up a copy of Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out everywhere!

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the upcoming Course with Ethan on Confidence and Windhorse Meditation!

David Nichtern is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He is the author of the critically acclaimed books Awakening From the Daydream: Reimagining The Buddha's Wheel of Life and Creativity, Spirituality & Making a Buck. He mentors individual students both in person and online, and leads meditation teacher training programs around the world. He is also a four time Emmy-winning and two time Grammy-nominated composer and producer, as well as the founder of Dharma Moon Records and 5 Points Records.

Ethan and Marianne Williamson discuss her unique spiritual journey, her new book The Mystic Jesus: The Mind of Love, and her wisdom regarding the intersection of spiritual practice and political engagement. Her book is available everywhere in all formats now!

Please remember to pick up a copy of Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out everywhere!

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the upcoming Course with Ethan on Confidence and Windhorse Meditation!

Marianne Williamson: For more than four decades, Marianne Williamson has been a leader of spiritually progressive circles. She is the author of 16 books, four of which have been #1 New York Times best sellers. Her website: https://marianne.com

Williamson founded Project Angel Food, a non-profit organization that has delivered more than 18 million meals to ill and dying homebound patients in the Los Angeles area since 1989. The group was created to help people suffering from the ravages of HIV/AIDS. She has also worked throughout her career on poverty, anti-hunger and racial reconciliation issues. In 2004, she co-founded The Peace Alliance and supported the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace. Williamson ran for the democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States in both 2020 and 2024.

In this inventive episode, Ethan discusses our obsession with apocalyptic thinking using the four noble truths. A lifelong fan of science fiction, he discusses the Buddhist roots of dystopian obsession, and the confusing craving to annihilate existence in the question for peace. 

Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including the free online event on Feb 27 with David Nichtern and Robert Thurman, "Teaching Mindfulness and The Role of The Teacher." Also check out upcoming in-person retreats in May and June.

For an easily downloadable, self-paced video course to establish a mindfulness meditation practice, check out Foundations of Mindfulness.

Pre-order Ethan's new book Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds, due out May 21, 2024!

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com

Ethan is joined by friend and Yearlong Buddhist Studies teaching colleague Lou Sharma to discuss her funny pandemic invention called DRAIN meditation, the pros and cons of the strategies we employ to deal with ourselves when the world is on fire, and the pitfalls of corporate life and trying to teach both mindfulness and ethics in the corporate world. For more info visit EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com

Lou Sharma is a meditation teacher and brand strategy consultant based in Charlotte, NC. She has practiced meditation for over 15 years, and studied Buddhism within Tibetan Buddhist traditions, including the Magyu lineage of Lama Tsultrim Allione. She is a graduate of Dharma Moon's Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training and she is also part of the teaching faculty for Dharma Moon’s Yearlong Buddhist Studies program

Ethan is joined by author, teacher, Nonviolent Communication trainer and Somatic Experiencing practitioner Oren Jay Sofer. They discuss being "dharma dads," not having enough time to practice meditation with a kid, how to make classic teachings modern, Oren's new book Your Heart Was Made For This, and Oren's complex experience of being a Jewish and Buddhist American in the wake of the atrocities in Palestine and Israel. 

Oren has practiced meditation in the early Buddhist tradition since 1997, beginning his studies in Bodh Gaya, India with Anagarika Munindra and Godwin Samararatne. He is a long-time student of Joseph Goldstein, Michele McDonald, and Ajahn Sucitto, and a graduate of the IMS - Spirit Rock Vipassana Teacher Training, and current member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council.

Oren is the author of Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication, a practical guidebook for having more effective, satisfying conversations. He is also co-author of two books on teaching mindfulness to teens and adolescents: The Mindful Schools Curriculum for Adolescents and Teaching Mindfulness to Empower Teens. His latest book is called, Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices to Meet a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity, and Love

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com, and check out the Yearlong Buddhist Studies Program with Ethan and an amazing faculty!

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 the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training, starting October 11.

Buy Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds wherever books are sold in paperback, audiobook or e-book! Visit https://ethannichtern.com to join Ethan's maililng list and see his latest offerings!

Using American political media's obsessive focus on (only one of) the presidential candidate's advanced age, Ethan examines a Buddhist view on the ways in which aging brings about both greater wisdom and, perhaps, greater stuckness, and the ways in which youth includes great imagination and also impatience. Ethan examines the concepts of eldership, mentorship, and lineage from a Buddhist perspective and examines his own growth path "aging" as a person, as a Buddhist student and teacher, over the last 20-25 years.

Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including the upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training beginning March 22, 2024. Also check out upcoming in-person retreats in May and June.

For an easily downloadable, self-paced video course to establish a mindfulness meditation practice, check out Foundations of Mindfulness.

Pre-order Ethan's new book Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds, due out May 21, 2024! You can get an advanced PDF of the book and a free audio meditation if you order in advance!

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com

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 offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free The Journey of Becoming a Meditation Teacher with Rebecca D'onofrio and David Nichtern!

Visit https://ethannichtern.com for books, upcoming events, classes, and to get on his monthly email list! You can get a copy of Ethan's new book Confidence: Holding Your Seat Throught Life's Eight Worldly Winds in paperback, audiobook, or e-book!

Is "Buddhist Guilt" a thing? How does it stop us from meditating? Using his own experience with himself, students, and the classic teachings, Ethan's gives tips for how to work with obstacles that stop us from meditating and that obstruct our practice when we get to the meditation seat.

Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including the upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training beginning March 22, 2024. Also check out upcoming in-person retreats in May and June.

Pre-Order Ethan's new book, Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds to be released May 21, wherever you get your books.

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 looking at our path from an individual perspective. 

If you'd like to make a donation to Pandemic of Love to directly help their mutual aid work in Western North Carolina/Asheville, please Venmo @PandemicofLove  as they give $250 grants to vetted families in immediate need of basic supplies.

If you'd like to make a donation to the rebuilding of podcast guest and friend Deborah Eden Tull's home, please do so via Gofundme.com

If you'd like to help relief efforts in Beirut and beyond, please visit Doctors Without Borders.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training, starting October 11.

Get on Ethan's mailing list here.

In this episode, Ethan talks with his friend, mentor and teacher Sharon Salzberg about the power of studying Buddhism within a supportive community for working with one's mind and other's effectively and compassionately at a time of turmoil. Ethan also presents a deep overview of Dharma Moon's Yearlong Buddhist Studies Program which begins on Tuesday, Jan 23, 2024.

For more info visit EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com. For more info on Sharon Salzberg, please visit SharonSalzberg.com

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 our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training.

Please remember to pick up a copy of Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out everywhere!

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 Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free Imposter Syndrome event on September 3 with Duncan Trussell and David Nichtern!

About the Guest: Residing at the intersection of leadership and mindfulness, Shawn J. Moore creates sacred spaces for stillness and self-inquiry to help social impact leaders align their strengths, intentions, and impact. Through his integrative approach, he holds transformative containers for self-renewal, personal discovery, and capacity-building that ease clients on their journey towards peace, clarity, and freedom. Shawn is committed to empowering change-makers to become embodied leaders – unified in mind, body, and heart – with the tools to mindfully pause, reconnect to their inner knowing, make strengths-driven decisions, and lead the change they believe the world needs. Shawn has an intuitive way of weaving all that he has learned on his path to help those on the inner journey of discovery – including meditation, sound healing, yoga nidra, and coaching, all through the lens of Buddhist philosophy. 

Ethan interviews two teachers and co-authors of the bold new book How We Ended Racism: Realizing A New Possibility in One Generation, Justin Michael Williams and Shelly Tygielski. The conversation bridges optimism and pragmatism, along with inner and collective work. Take a listen!

Justin Michael Williams brings people together across divides with a multigenerational message of hope, empowerment, and unity. He is an award-winning speaker, Grammy®-nominated recording artist, and author of Stay Woke: A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us. For more, visit justinmichaelwilliams.com.

Shelly Tygielski is a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher, speaker, and activist. She founded the CNN Hero-featured global grassroots organization Pandemic of Love, is the co-host and executive producer of the television series All Hands on Deck, and is the author of Sit Down to Rise Up. For more, visit shellytygielski.com.

Check out their new book How We Ended Racism: Realizing A New Possibility in One Generation wherever you get your books.

Please remember to pick up a copy of Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out this week! The book is now out in Paperback, E-book, and Audiobook!

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training starting June 14. Check out Ethan's Four Week Summer Course in July-August "Confidence and Windhorse."

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 unity at this time without cult thinking or purity testing.

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 Imposter Syndrome event on September 3 with Duncan Trussell and David Nichtern!

Please remember to pick up a copy of Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out everywhere!

Ethan continues to explore the themes of his new book by looking at the first of the "four powers of confidence." Why does the practice of compassion help us overcome insecurity and show up when life gets hard? What are the three elements of compassion? 

Please remember to pick up a copy of Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out this week!

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training starting June 14. Sign up for the free online lecture with David Nichtern on May 28 on "Teaching Meditation and The Role of The Teacher."

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 mindfulness trainings) as a guide, that this might be the key to building new powerful systems in the world. He also examines a rule for social change involving only 3.5% of us making different, more awakened choices. Imagine if only a few percent of us shifted our energy from harmful systems into something healthier.

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  Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training, starting March 21. Free courses, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download. Also check out free upcoming events with Duncan Trussell and Robert Thurman.

Ethan discusses the question of "God" from a Buddhist perspective, examining the ideas of theism, atheism, and non-theism. He delves into ways the concepts of God, gods, and goddesses are already relevant to Buddhist thought, and also talks about the salvation that does and doesn't happen at a Taylor Swift concert.

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com

Also, check out the  upcoming free online lecture (Jan 9): Right Livelihood - What Buddhism Can Learn From Capitalism  and  Dharma Moon’s Yearlong Buddhist Studies program (starts Jan 23rd).

For an easily downloadable, self-paced video course to establish a mindfulness meditation practice, check out Foundations of Mindfulness.

In this episode, Ethan discusses the importance of reflecting in meditation on the past (the past year, in this case) as a means of working with our karma or habitual patterns before we set resolutions or intentions for the time ahead. He also wonders, as a parent, how so many Encanto and Taylor Swift songs made it onto his streaming service playlists for the year in review.

For more info visit EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com.

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 and why and how we even want it to progress, along with proposing the sacredness of human labor, wisdom and creativity as a basic Buddhist principle, as well as a principle of right livelihood. He also includes a Buddhist understanding of the meaning of consciousness, and why AI might never meet the standard.

Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions. Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more!

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon. Free video courses, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download.

Notes:

To see some of the energy usage date on artificial intelligence, see this link

To see which author's works have been pirated, see The Atlantic's list here.

To read about The "Suzuki Roshi" Chatbot, read here.

An alternate translation of Suzuki Roshi's famed quote to his students is: 

“Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement.”

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.

Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions. Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training, starting March 21. Free courses, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download. Also check out free upcoming events with Professor Robert Thurman and David Nichtern on March 4th!

Ethan is joined by friend, author, meditation teacher, and mutual aid activist Shelly Tygielski. They discuss the grind of modern work life, the experience of Enoughness, alternative economic models and the power of mutual aid.

Shelly runs a popular Instagram feed, @mindfulskatergirl. As a philanthropist and social activist, Shelly Tygielski has been hailed by individuals ranging from President Joe Biden to Arianna Huffington and Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn to Maria Shriver. She is the founder of the global, grassroots mutual aid organization, Pandemic of Love. Her work has been featured in over 100 media outlets, including CNN Heroes, The Kelly Clarkson Show, CBS This Morning, the New York Times and Washington Post. She is the Executive Producer and co-host,  of the television show "All Hands on Deck." Shelly is a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Philanthropic Leadership from Indiana University's Lilly School of Philanthropy. For more info on Shelly, visit 

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com

Also, check out the New Year's Eve Intention Setting Gathering  and  Dharma Moon’s Yearlong Buddhist Studies program 

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 of many books, including The Four Noble Truths of Love: Buddhist Wisdom for Modern Relationships and The Buddhist Enneagram: Nine Paths to Warriorship. Her most recent book is Inexplicable Joy: On the Heart Sutra.

Susan has been a student of Buddhism since 1993, graduated from a Buddhist seminary in 2004 and began to teach meditation in 2005. In 2014, she founded The Open Heart Project, an online dharma center with nearly 20000 members.

Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions. Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more!

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training, starting March 21. Free video courses, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download. 

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, building an awakened environment of art and culture, and, finally, the elusive concept called "Enlightened Society." 

David Nichtern is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He is the author of the critically acclaimed books Awakening From the Daydream: Reimagining The Buddha's Wheel of Life and Creativity, Spirituality & Making a Buck. He mentors individual students both in person and online, and leads meditation teacher training programs around the world. He is also a four time Emmy-winning and two time Grammy-nominated composer and producer, as well as the founder of Dharma Moon Records and 5 Points Records.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program (starts January 28, 2025) and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training.  free talk on "Dragon at The Oasis" with Sat Hon and David Nichtern on December 19th. Join us for our annual New Year's Eve Contemplation Practice Gathering on December 31 at 3-4pm ET. Check out the free talk on Engaged Buddhism with Ethan Nichtern and Shannon Watts on January 7th.

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

Holding the awful events of the world in mind, Ethan discusses anxiety as we try to hold together our personal world, our relationships, and the larger world in chaos. He goes further into the nooks and crannies of the four noble truths in relation to generalized anxiety, and closes by offering a guided meditation to work with your anxiety right now.  

Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including the free online event on Feb 27 with David Nichtern and Robert Thurman, "Teaching Mindfulness and The Role of The Teacher." Also check out upcoming in-person retreats in May and June.

For an easily downloadable, self-paced video course to establish a mindfulness meditation practice, check out Foundations of Mindfulness.

Pre-order Ethan's new book Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds, due out May 21, 2024! You can get an advanced PDF of the book and a free audio meditation if you order in advance!

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com

In this relaunch of the podcast, Ethan explores the dangers of trying to have emotional conversations in algorithm-driven online spaces, and explores the relationship between perception, emotion, and concepts when we try to listen to ourselves, listen to each other, and hold space for the atrocities of the world. Visit http://ethannichtern.com for more info and visit http://dharmamoon.com for online programs, free events, meditation teacher trainings, and to here more about the Yearlong Buddhist Studies Program.

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 Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free Imposter Syndrome event on September 3 with Duncan Trussell and David Nichtern!

Dr. Gaylon Ferguson, PhD, was core faculty in Religious and Interdisciplinary Studies for fifteen years at Naropa University. A senior Buddhist teacher, he has led mindfulness retreats since 1976 and is the author of the new book Welcoming Beginner’s Mind (2024), Natural Wakefulness, and Natural Bravery.

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 based in Portland, Oregon. He has served in senior editorial positions at a number of tech companies and has years of experience in health, science, and music writing. He regularly speaks on science and media literacy. Derek is the co-host of the Conspirituality podcast.

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 What is Karma? with Ethan and Sah D'Simone on December 11th. free talk on "Dragon at The Oasis" with Sat Hon and David Nichtern on December 19th. Join us for our annual New Year's Eve contemplation practice gathering on December 31 at 3-4pm ET

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

Ethan discusses the difference between resolution, intention and aspiration as we head into the New Year, along with the wellness phenomenon of "Quitter's Day."

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com

Also, check out the  upcoming free online lecture: Right Livelihood - What Buddhism Can Learn From Capitalism  and  Dharma Moon’s Yearlong Buddhist Studies program .

For an easily downloadable, self-paced video course to establish a mindfulness meditation practice, check out Foundations of Mindfulness.

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 program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free Talk on Karma with Ethan and Sah D'Simone on December 11th.

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

Cortland Dahl, Ph.D. is a leading expert on mindfulness, meditation, and the science of wellbeing. His eclectic background includes long periods of solitary retreat in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal and the translation of ancient Tibetan meditation manuals, as well as cutting-edge research on the science of wellbeing and the creation of an acclaimed meditation app. He is a scientist, author, translator, entrepreneur, and meditation teacher, but his true passion is using ancient wisdom and modern science to help people flourish.

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 Buddhist Studies program (starts January 28, 2025) and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free talk on Engaged Buddhism with Ethan Nichtern and Shannon Watts on January 7th.

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

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 discuss why working in the film profession sometimes feels like "A Cesspool of Ego."

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) and  Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training.

About Andrew Buckland ACE:

Andrew is an Academy Award winning film editor who won the Oscar for his work on FORD v FERRARI alongside Michael McCusker ACE.  

He received his B.F.A. in Film from Purchase College and landed his first job on Alan Pakula’s THE DEVIL’s OWN as an apprentice editor. Since then Andrew has been a part of the editorial teams on many high-profile films including Mike Nichol’s CLOSER and CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR.

Andrew subsequently directed two documentary films THE LONG WALL HOME and SOMOS WICHI, which won the 2012 Documentary Expose Award at The Peace OnEarth Film Festival, Chicago USA.

Andrew began his collaboration with James Mangold on KNIGHT AND DAY and THE WOLVERINE, and later edited FORD v FERRARI, and INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY. Other credits include Co-Editing Tate Taylor’s THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN and Additional Editing GET ON UP.

His most recent collaboration with James Mangold is editing A COMPLETE UNKNOWN.  

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 Brian Welch on November 14th and the free talk on What is Karma? with Ethan and Sah D'Simone on December 11th.

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

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 Trek aliens,and they discuss world events and how the US might avoid what appears to be an astrological repeat of The French Revolution.

Juliana runs a popular Instagram feed, @etherealculture. She gives talks regularly and leads various workshops and retreats. If you’re interested in online talks, videos, and class, visit her Patreon page here. She also wrote a book called, The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology, published by Roost Books and distributed by Penguin Random House. Learn more about it here.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program (starts January 28, 2025) and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Join Ethan for our annual New Year's Eve Contemplation Practice Gathering on December 31 at 3-4pm ET. Check out the free talk on Engaged Buddhism with Ethan Nichtern and Shannon Watts on January 7th.

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

Ethan is joined by author and teacher Deborah Eden Tull. Eden’s Buddhist teaching emphasizes the personal, interpersonal, transpersonal, societal, ecological, mystical, and global impacts of awareness practice. Her current focus is Sacred Activism, empowering people in conscious response and regenerative leadership as we collectively navigate the climate crisis. She is a member of the national Eco-Dharma Advisory Committee of Buddhist teachers and leaders in the eco-dharma movement.

Eden’s first book, The Natural Kitchen: Your Guide for the Sustainable Food Revolution (Process Media), was published in September 2010 and her second book, Relational Mindfulness: A Handbook for Deepening Our Connection with Ourselves, Each Other, and the Planet, was published by Wisdom Publications in May 2018. Her newest book, Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown, was released by Shambhala Publications in 2022. 

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com, and check out the upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training along with many other wonderful offerings.

How do you go from a life in fashion to being a well-known and respected spiritual teacher and icon? Ethan is joined by friend, teacher and author of the brand new book Spiritually, We (out now) for a discussion of Sah's path into meditation, Buddhism, developing his own movement-based practice system and becoming a teacher and healer.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training starting June 14. Also check out  upcoming in-person retreats in May and June.

Sah D'Simone is a spiritual revolutionary, artist, and the internationally bestselling author Spiritually Sassy. He's known for hosting the top-rated Spiritually Sassy Show podcast and for creating the Somatic Activated Healing (SAH) Method™. Sah works in the Spiritual Care Department at Cedars-Sinai Hospital and is a guest lecturer at Columbia University. His remarkable contributions to homeless youth in Venice Beach, California earned him the CARE award from the city and county of Los Angeles. 

Pre-Order Ethan's new book, Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds to be released May 21, wherever you get your books.

Ethan is joined by friend, bestselling author, dharma practitioner and astrologer Juliana McCarthy. They discuss the odd scientific precision of astrology and this moment in astrological history, which McCarthy calls arguably "the most significant astrological moment in human history." 

Juliana runs a popular Instagram feed, @etherealculture. She gives talks regularly and leads various workshops and retreats. If you’re interested in online talks, videos, and class, visit her Patreon page here. She also wrote a book called, The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology, published by Roost Books and distributed by Penguin Random House. Learn more about it here.

For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com

Also, check out the New Year's Eve Intention Setting Gathering  and  Dharma Moon’s Yearlong Buddhist Studies program 

Ethan begins to explore the themes of his new book by looking at how our meditation practice can help us to work with the crucial and elusive experience of confidence. He explores our attitude of how we enter into the meditation session and engage with our own sense of worthiness as our minds, and our lives, knock us around. How do we learn to "Hold our Seat" in the midst of a messy mind and a world on fire.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training starting June 14. Sign up for the free lecture with David Nichtern and Duncan Trussell on "Deepening Your Practice to Teach: The Journey from Meditation Practitioner to Meditation Guide." 

Also check out  upcoming in-person retreats in May and June.

Pre-Order Ethan's new book, Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds to be released May 21, wherever you get your books. Sign up for the free virtual release party with Jaimal Yogis and Ethan Nichtern on May 23!

Ethan and activist and author Shannon Watts recently had a conversation on confidence, gender and activism on IG live. 

Please remember to pick up a copy of Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds out everywhere!

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training starting June 14. 

Shannon Watts: The founder of Moms Demand Action, Shannon Watts was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People, Glamour’s Woman of the Year and Forbes 50 Over 50. Watts served as a full-time volunteer leader for Moms Demand Action for 11 years. Under her watch, the organization accumulated over 10 million supporters and established a chapter in every state. Volunteers have stopped the NRA’s priority legislation in statehouses 90 percent of the time every year for the past decade; passed over 500 gun safety laws across the country; changed corporate policies; educated millions of Americans about secure gun storage; and elected thousands of gun sense candidates to office, including hundreds of its own volunteers. She is also a self-proclaimed "Type A Buddhist."

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 Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free Imposter Syndrome event on September 3 with Duncan Trussell and David Nichtern!

Visit https://ethannichtern.com for books, upcoming events, classes, and to get on his monthly email list!

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 resentful? And what do you do if no one thanks you for the amazing charcuterie plate you made for them?

Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions. Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more!

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training, starting March 21 (next week!). Free video courses, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download.

In this episode of The Road Home, Ethan Nichtern speaks with Jacoby Ballard about his book, A Queer Dharma, as well as dealing with microaggressions and overcoming the gender binary.

This podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

Jacoby Ballard is a social justice educator and yoga teacher who leads workshops and trainings around the country on diversity, equity, and inclusion. In 2008, Jacoby co-founded Third Root Community Health Center in Brooklyn to work at the nexus of healing and social justice. Since 2006, Jacoby has taught Queer and Trans Yoga, a space for queer folks to unfurl and cultivate resilience. His first book, A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation is now available. Learn more at jacobyballard.net.

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Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, senior fellow of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. Founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, he’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. Learn more about Rick, available courses and his podcast, Being Well, at rickhanson.net.

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This week on The Road Home Podcast, Ethan shares a conversation with Dr. Mark Epstein about the intersection of Western psychotherapy and Buddhist psychology.

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Buddhist renaissance man, Kevin Townley Jr, joins Ethan Nichtern for a conversation spanning the potent intersection of art and Dharma.

Kevin Townley is a writer, filmmaker, actor, singer, museum guide, Buddhist teacher, and meditation instructor trained in the Sokuko-Ji Zen community under Kyoun Sokuzan. His film and television work includes appearances in My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Men in Black 3, The Detour, and Law & Order. With his band, Bambï, Townley adapted Judith Rossner's 'Looking for Mr. Goodbar' into the rock opera GOODBAR, performed at The Public Theater. Check out his new book Look, Look, Look, Look, Look Again: Buddhist Wisdom Reflected in 26 Artists. For more info, please visit KevinTownley.nyc and his Linktree

Explore the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti with Be Here Now Network teachers and guests at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th – 29th in Boone, NC!

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Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison visits The Road Home Podcast for a conversation about taking a wholehearted approach to our dharma practice.

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This time on The Road Home Podcast, Rhonda Magee joins Ethan for a conversation about where mindfulness and meditation practices fit into our work in the world, our society and the justice system that governs us.

Rhonda Magee is Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and is an internationally-recognized thought and practice leader on integrating Mindfulness into Higher Education, Law and Social Justice. Keep up with Rhonda online at rhondavmagee.com.

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This time on the Road Home Podcast, Ethan Nichtern is joined by leadership coach Jerry Colonna for a conversation around balancing leadership and wealth with the principles of mindfulness and spiritual practice.

Jerry Colonna is the CEO, and co-founder, of Reboot.io, an executive coaching and leadership development firm whose coaches and facilitators are committed to the notion that better humans make better leaders. For nearly 20 years, he has used the knowledge gained as an investor, an executive, and a board member for more than 100 organizations to help entrepreneurs and others to lead with humanity, resilience, and equanimity. Learn more about Jerry’s offerings at Reboot.io.

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This time on The Road Home Podcast, Ethan Nichtern explores the relationship between despair and media and offers a reflection on ways we can mindfully consume social media.

“There is this constant stream of drama news. And it's not about policy and it's not about what can we do about stuff. It's about the drama of a world in the dramatized darkness.”  – Ethan Nichtern

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This time on the Road Home Podcast, Ethan catches up with longtime friend Sharon Salzberg. 

Their chat touches on the energy of our current political and social climate, bringing joy into our daily lives and practice, and what is necessary for making real change in the world. Listen to Sharon's bi-weekly Metta Hour Podcast on the Be Here Now Network and keep up with her events at sharonsalzberg.com.

Come visit Ethan and Sharon for a deep conversation affecting positive change in our own lives and in the world, December 14, 2018—December 16, 2018 at the Garrison Institute: Real Change

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In this shared Dharma talk, Ethan Nichtern and Sharon Salzberg share insight and practices for taking refuge in the Three Jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

Sharon Salzberg is the host of the Metta Hour podcast. Her newest book, Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World is now available for pre-order. Learn more about Sharon at sharonsalzberg.com.

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How can we find the path of liberation through our anger? Lama Rod Owens speaks with Ethan about ways we can work with anger as a healing energy in our practice.

Considered one of the leaders of the next generation of Dharma teachers, Lama Rod Owens has a blend of formal Buddhist training in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and life experience that gives him a unique ability to understand, relate and engage in a way that’s spacious and sincere. He invites you into the cross-sections of his life as a Black, queer male, born and raised in the South and heavily influenced by the church and its community. Learn more about Lama Rod’s offerings and upcoming teaching events at lamarod.com.

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Dharma mentor and writer Sebene Selassie joins Ethan for a conversation that touches on engaging with injustice dharmically, the direction of Western Buddhism, and the search for belonging.

Sebene is a dharma teacher, writer, coach, and consultant. She began studying Buddhism over 25 years ago and has an MA from the New School where she focused on race and cultural studies. She is the former Executive Director of New York Insight Meditation Center and is passionate about making the dharma accessible and relevant for our times. Learn more about Sebene’s offerings at sebeneselassie.com.

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Oren Jay Sofer visits the Road Home Podcast for a conversation about integrating our spiritual practices into how we communicate.

Oren Jay Sofer teaches mindfulness, meditation and Nonviolent Communication in both secular and Buddhist contexts. He is a long-time student of Joseph Goldstein, Michele McDonald, and Ajahn Sucitto, and a graduate of the IMS – Spirit Rock Vipasanna Teacher Training. 

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In the wake of the recent gun violence tragedies in America, social activist Shannon Watts rejoins the podcast for a conversation on what we can do to prevent gun violence.

This podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

Shannon Watts, a mother of five, social activist, and Buddhist practitioner; is the founder of Moms Demand Action, a leading force for gun violence prevention, and is an active board member of Emerge America and Rise to Run, two of the nation’s leading organizations for recruiting and training women to run for office. Watts is a contributor to The Huffington Post and Medium, and her writing has appeared in Vogue, Time, and The Washington Post. Shannon recently authored, Fight Like a Mother: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World.

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Ethan rings in the New Year with old friend and colleague Sharon Salzberg, together they look at the three levels of spiritual practice that allow us to effect real change in the world.

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Through the lenses of dharma & collective karma, Ethan Nichtern explores the polarizing political climate & extremism that stoked the January 6th, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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Ethan Nichtern and Ruth Ozeki discuss her new novel, The Book of Form and Emptiness, the similarities between writing and meditation, and how to perceive the voices of the object world.

Ruth Ozeki is a novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest. She is the award-winning author of four novels, The Book of Form and Emptiness, My Year of Meats, All Over Creation, and A Tale for the Time Being, which was a finalist for the 2013 Booker Prize. Her nonfiction work includes a memoir, The Face: A Time Code, and the documentary film, Halving the Bones, which was screened at Sundance and on public television. Ruth is affiliated with the Brooklyn Zen Center and the Everyday Zen Foun­dation. She teaches creative writing at Smith College, where she is the Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities. Learn more about her at ruthozeki.com.

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In this episode of The Road Home, Ethan Nichtern explores the dharma of Lego and how doing small things can help with the often insurmountable feeling of being overwhelmed by the world. 

Get more Buddhist wisdom from Ethan at ethannichtern.com

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Dharma teacher and author Ruth King joins Ethan Nichtern for a conversation around diversity in spiritual communities, white privilege and guilt, and understanding racial conditioning.

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Exploring relativity and ultimate truth, Ethan Nichtern and Author Caverly Morgan discuss reconciling what we learn in our practice with the noise of the world.

Caverly Morgan is a meditation teacher, author, speaker, and nonprofit founder. She is the founder and Lead Contemplative of Peace in Schools—a nonprofit which created the nation's first for-credit mindfulness class in public high schools. She is also the founder of Presence Collective, a community of cross-cultural contemplatives committed to personal and collective transformation, creating spaces for wisdom exchange and belonging. Caverly is the author of A Kid’s Book About Mindfulness. Her new book for adults, The Heart of Who We Are: Realizing Freedom Together, will be released through Sounds True November 29th and is now available for pre-order.

“I knew intuitively that the relative experience of reality was not separate from the absolute and that I longed for a pathway that could allow me to articulate how that is so.” – Caverly Morgan

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Ethan welcomes back David Nichtern to the Road Home to talk about creativity, spirituality, and livelihood, and how we can fit together the pieces of our life puzzle. 

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Ethan has his agent, collaborator, and friend Lisa Weinert on the first episode of the show to introduce The Road Home Podcast and what it's all about.

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In this special year-end episode of The Road Home, Ethan Nichtern uproots our self-aggressive New Year's Resolutions, replacing them with reflections on interdependence and collective wellbeing.

Sign up for Ethan's Year Long Buddhist Studies program for 2022 on David Nichtern's digital mindfulness platform, Dharma Moon

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Buddhist teacher, and Ethan's father, David Nichtern joins to bring the luminous into the temporal in a conversation merging Dharma, money, and mindfulness for the modern age.

David Nichtern is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He was one of the initial American students of renowned meditation master Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and studied closely with him soon after his arrival in the United States in 1970. Along with being an Emmy-winning, Grammy-nominated composer and musician, David is a business consultant integrating meditation into large companies. He is also Founder & CEO of Dharma Moon – a mindfulness-based education platform and global community; as well as host of the Be Here Now Network podcast Creativity, Spirituality and Making a Buck.

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Ethan and David share their thoughts on the transformative impact of the Buddhist teachings, especially as the mindfulness revolution continues to become more mainstream. 

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Through a Buddhist lens, Shannon Watts and Ethan discuss harnessing the ancient and cultural power of motherhood to enact change in 2020.

Shannon Watts, a mother of five, social activist, and Buddhist practitioner; is the founder of Moms Demand Action, a leading force for gun violence prevention, and is an active board member of Emerge America and Rise to Run, two of the nation’s leading organizations for recruiting and training women to run for office. Watts is a contributor to The Huffington Post and Medium, and her writing has appeared in Vogue, Time, and The Washington Post. Shannon recently authored, Fight Like a Mother: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World.

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This week on The Road Home Podcast, Ethan Nichtern discusses the intersection of Buddhism and enneagrams with internationally renowned meditation teacher and author, Susan Piver.

Susan Piver has an international reputation as an exceptionally skillful meditation teacher. She teaches workshops and speaks on mindfulness, innovation, communication, relationships, and creativity. Susan has been a student of Buddhism since 1995, graduated from a Buddhist seminary in 2004, and was authorized to teach meditation in 2005. In 2012, she founded The Open Heart Project, the world’s largest online-only meditation center. Susan is also a New York Times bestselling author.

Her newest book is The Buddhist Enneagram: Nine Paths to Warriorship. You can keep up with Susan on Instagram and Twitter.

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Ethan is joined by author and meditation teacher Susan Piver for a conversation about bringing the wisdom of Buddhist practice into our relationships.

Susan Piver is the New York Times bestselling author of nine books, including her latest book The Four Noble Truths of Love: Buddhist Wisdom for Modern Relationships. Piver has been a practicing Buddhist since 1995 and graduated from a Buddhist seminary in 2004. She is an internationally acclaimed meditation teacher, known for her ability to translate ancient practices into modern life. Her work has been featured on the Oprah show, TODAY, CNN, and in the New York Times.

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David Nichtern visits The Road Home Podcast for a conversation that explores the evolution of spiritual tradition, practicing in the modern era and balancing spiritual practice with our roles in life.

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Discussing the dharma of politics, Ethan Nichtern delves into the creation of suffering and shifting into a more intentional era in 2023.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

Registration is almost closed for Dharma Moon’s Yearlong Buddhist Studies Info Session with Ethan Nichtern ET: Learn More

“I like the teachings within the complexity that bring us back to simplicity because when life gets going and your to-do list gets long, it’s just those little reminders that pierce the speed of the day. — Ethan Nichtern

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Ethan invites Shelly Tygielski to the podcast for a timely conversation surrounding topics pertinent to life in modern times. Ranging from Shelly's meditative beginnings and first meetings with Buddhist teachers like Sharon Salzberg and Robert Thurman, to her decision to quit her corporate job to find ways to bring mindfulness to her community, this episode of The Road Home explores how we can offer true service through imbibing our authentic self. 

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Ethan invites Aarti Tejuja, Dr. Shanté Paradigm Smalls and David Perrin to the show for an open discussion of the revelations which have recently transformed the Shambala community and together look forward to where they see the future of Shambala heading.

The group examines the impact which allegations against former Shambala leader Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche of abuse and misconduct has had on themselves and the community. They examine questions of inclusivity, the responsibility of leadership and awareness towards marginalization in Shambala and other spiritual communities. Join these four for an honest reflection of missteps taken and the opportunity for moving forward with greater accountability, transparency and parity among all members of the Sangha.

For a more comprehensive understanding about the allegations against Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche we invite you to read coverage from Tricycle Magazine: Allegations Against Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and Lions Roar: Misconduct by Leader of Shambhala Community. You can also find Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche’s full letter to the Shambala community around the allegations: To the Shambhala Community

If you would like to share your thoughts with Ethan on all that has unfolded or would like to hear more from him on stepping down as Shastri and Ethan’s ongoing involvement in the Shambala community, please click here: Stepping Down As “Shastri,” Staying For The Shambhala Community

Join Ethan, Shanté, David and Joy Gutierrez at the Shambhala Center of NYC on November 20 at the Weekly Dharma Gathering for a continuation of this conversation about the future of Shambhala.

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Ethan Nichtern shares a conversation with Caverly Morgan about bringing mindfulness and meditation practices into the education system.

Caverly Morgan is a meditation teacher, nonprofit leader, and visionary, blending the original spirit of Zen with a modern nondual approach. She is the Founder and Guiding Teacher of Peace in Schools, a nonprofit which created the nation’s first for-credit mindfulness class in public high schools, and Presence Collective, a community dedicated to igniting personal transformation and collective awakening. Her practice began in 1995 and has included eight years of training in a silent Zen monastery. 

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Songwriter and musician Annie Hart joins Ethan Nichtern for a conversation that touches on the intersection of meditative practice, activism, and music.

Annie Hart is a New York City-based composer, songwriter, and performer. She made her name with David Lynch favorites and Twin Peaks alums, synth trio Au Revoir Simone, and has since branched into a swift-moving solo career. Annie continues to break boundaries by composing music for patient listeners in her own distinctive self-taught style. Her new album, A Softer Offering, explores deep emotional content with a paradoxically lush spareness in sound. Find Annie’s music at anniehart.nyc.

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This time on The Road Home Podcast, psychologist Dr. Christopher Willard shares a conversation with Ethan about how parents and children can wake up together.

Find link and show notes here: https://beherenownetwork.com/ethan-nichtern-the-road-home-ep-8-mindful-parenting-with-dr-christopher-willard/

Dr. Christopher Willard currently teaches at Harvard Medical School and works part-time in private practice as a therapist. He also speaks to medical, mental health and educational professionals and parents nationally and internationally. His first of many books, Child's Mind, was published in 2010 and Chris recently has published Raising Resilience: The Wisdom and Science of Happy Families and Thriving Children in 2017. Learn more about Chris's work around the intersection of mindfulness, psychology and childhood development at drchristopherwillard.com.

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Sharon Salzberg returns to The Road Home for a conversation with Ethan Nichtern around how the coronavirus pandemic has revealed the truth of interconnection and interdependence.

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Dr. Judson Brewer joins Ethan in an uplifting conversation on unwinding anxiety, illustrating how to break cycles of fear, uncertainty, and worry in order to heal our minds.

Neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and bestselling author, Judson Brewer MD PhD—affectionately, Dr. Jud—is the Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center and associate professor in psychiatry at the School of Medicine at Brown University, as well as a research affiliate at MIT. Before that, he held research and teaching positions at Yale University and the University of Massachusetts’ Center for Mindfulness. He recently published his New York Times Bestseller: Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind. For more info please visit DrJud.com

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Author, public speaker, and musician Justin Michael Williams visits the Road Home Podcast for a conversation around making mindfulness and meditation relatable and accessible to all people.

From growing up with gunshot holes outside of his bedroom window to sharing the stage with Deepak Chopra, Justin Michael Williams knows the power of healing to overcome. He is an author, top 20 recording artist, and transformational speaker whose work has been featured by The Wall Street Journal, Grammy.com, Yoga Journal, Billboard, Wanderlust, and South by Southwest. With over a decade of teaching experience, Justin has become a pioneering millennial voice for diversity and inclusion in wellness. Learn more at StayWokeGiveBack.com

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Jaimal Yogis and Ethan Nichtern ride the waves of meditation and imagination, in a discussion on surfing, creativity, graphic novels, and fatherhood.

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Jaimal Yogis is a bestselling author, teacher, and surfer, who recently released City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm – a Dharma-focused middle-grade Scholastic graphic novel series with illustrator, Vivian Truong. He also wrote Saltwater Buddha & All Our Waves Are Water – merging his passions of zen and surfing. Jaimal has published award-winning journalism in The Washington Post, ESPN Magazine, The Atlantic, and more. He currently resides in San Fransisco with his wife and three boys.

Sign up for Ethan's Year-Long Buddhist Studies program for 2022 on David Nichtern's digital mindfulness platform, Dharma Moon

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Ralph De La Rosa joins Ethan to talk Western psychology meeting Buddha Nature, mindfulness as psychic survival, and normalizing dharmic rage.

Ralph De La Rosa, LCSW, is an author, psychotherapist, meditation teacher, Buddhist philosopher, and student of Amma. He leads healing retreats at Omega Institute, Spirit Rock, and Kripalu, and his work has been featured in the New York Post, CNN, GQ, SELF, Women's Health, and many more. For information on Ralph's ongoing work and his new book, Don't Tell Me to Relax: Emotional Resilience in the Age of Rage, Feels, and Freak Outs, head over to ralphdelarosa.com

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Ethan Nichtern welcomes author, Kerri Kelly, onto The Road Home to chat about wellness after tragedy and her new book, American Detox.

Kerri Kelly is the founder of CTZNWELL, a movement that is democratizing well-being for all. Kerri is a descendant of generations of firemen and first responders and has dedicated her life to kicking down doors and fighting for justice. She’s been teaching yoga for over 20 years and is known for making waves in the wellness industry. She challenges norms, disrupts systems, and mobilizes people to act. You can preorder her forthcoming book, American Detox: The Myth of Wellness and How We Can Truly Heal.

"When folks start to realize that they're actually not well, that our well being is really limited by the structures and the conditions that we are a part of and that often we are participating, then I think people are going to realize that they have skin in the game." – Kerri Kelly

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Ethan Nichtern shares a conversation with author and meditation teacher Jay Michaelson around integrating The Dharma into our modern lives.

Jay Michaelson is a meditation teacher and editor at Ten Percent Happier, a leading meditation platform, and a weekly columnist at the Daily Beast covering religion, the Supreme Court, and LGBTQ issues. Jay has been leading meditation retreats in Buddhist, Jewish, and secular contexts for fifteen years. In addition to this work, Jay is also the author of seven books on contemplative practice; including his newest release, Enlightenment by Trial and Error. He has a JD from Yale Law School, a PhD in Jewish Thought from Hebrew University, and nondenominational rabbinic ordination. Find articles and conversations with Jay that touch on a variety of topics at jaymichaelson.net.

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Author Shauna James Ahern joins Ethan for a conversation about finding our worth and healing the hungry ghosts that haunt us.

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