Episodit
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Today we share the news of Buddhist philosopher and Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda’s passing and the impacts of his life and work.
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Fear and anger can be overpowering. Especially when they’re grounded in past and deeply personal experience. While our fears may feel justified they can also hold us back from accomplishing our goals and living a happy life. Today we’re talking about how to uproot those tendencies in our lives and transform them for our happiness.
Today’s guest, Krithi Byadgi, of San Francisco, shares how she used her Buddhist practice to transform her deep anger and fear into the courage and joy needed to strive for a harmonious family and her dream career.
References mentioned
Discussions on Youth, p. 410
“On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 4 -
Puuttuva jakso?
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Amid a painful reality that can’t be changed, like a family member’s terminal disease, how can we still create hope? Today we’re discussing how tapping into our Buddhability—the limitless wisdom, courage, and compassion we each possess—can help us transform our attitude, create a beautiful life, and accomplish our dreams amid a difficult reality.
Our guest is Jonathan Cheng, of New York City, who shares how he is courageously accomplishing his dreams as a filmmaker to honor his parents and fight for their eternal happiness.
Cheat Sheet:
7:52 Why Jonathan decided to start chanting
10:26 Developing confidence in college and finding your place
13:30 Starting your first post-college job
25:28 Navigating grief at the height of COVID
31:48 Finding meaning in our struggles
39:31 Finding courage to fight for your dreamsReferences mentioned:
Discussions on Youth, p. 26
“Letter to the Brothers,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 499
Hope is a Decision, p. 6 -
Today, we have for you the season finale of Buddhability Season 1, and we’re so excited to share some big updates about the show.
We’ve just passed the three-year anniversary of launching Buddhability, and with it, a huge milestone, surpassing 1 million podcast downloads, and well over 100 episodes. Thank you for your support and dedication to sharing the show all this time.
Alongside this milestone, we’re welcoming a brand-new host who you’ll meet on today’s episode. Cassidy Bradford shares a little of her story and we discuss what we’ve loved about the podcast so far. Thank you for joining us along this journey and we’re looking forward to seeing you again later this fall.
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Today, October 2nd, marks the three year anniversary since our launch! We are also celebrating a milestone- hitting 1 million downloads! To commemorate this, we're going to be closing out with an exciting season finale next week. Stay tuned.
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Here's today's question: How can Buddhism help me with this stress caused by chronic physical pain? How can I be happy living with chronic illness?
Buddhism teaches that falling to illness is not a form of failure or defeat. In fact illness can be an inspiration to bring out our best, most resilient selves.
References:
https://www.worldtribune.org/2021/key-ways-to-view-and-overcome-the-suffering-of-illness/https://www.worldtribune.org/2022/my-chronic-illness-sometimes-makes-me-feel-hopeless-can-my-buddhist-practice-help/ -
Here’s today’s question: Do I have to believe in chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for it to work?
This is a question nearly every person who starts to chant has in the back of their mind. Unless spirituality or a chanting-like practice has already been part of your life for a while, it can feel very new and hard to believe in.
We want to approach this question from a few angles but first, to answer it directly: no, when you first start chanting, you do not have to believe in it or understand it for it to work.
References:
https://buddhability.org/practice/dont-know-much-about-buddhism/ https://www.worldtribune.org/2023/buddhism-is-the-clear-mirror-that-reflects-our-lives/“On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 3 -
Here's today's question: How can I set healthy boundaries that honor myself and others?
One listener asked: “How can Buddhism help me and my family with setting boundaries? Setting boundaries at work seems easier than with family stuff.”
Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo about our situation ensures that we make our decisions based on wisdom, courage and compassion, rather than trends or emotion.
https://buddhability.org/practice/how-buddhists-set-healthy-boundaries/https://buddhability.org/practice/supporting-others-doesnt-have-to-come-at-a-personal-cost/
References: -
Here’s today’s question: What does Buddhism say about dealing with grief? Grief is something we all experience at some point in life. One listener asked, “I've recently had a few folks die and I am trying to give myself space to have this new emotional experience but also be strong, move forward, help others and be happy. What should I do?” Another listener wrote in, “What does Buddhism teach about grieving about sudden death and the trauma that comes with it?”
Today we’ll discuss the Buddhist view that life and death are one.
References:
https://www.worldtribune.org/2020/toward-a-century-of-health-4/https://buddhability.org/purpose/life-and-death-are-one/https://www.worldtribune.org/2021/a-revolutionary-view-of-life-and-death/ -
Here’s today's question, ”Can I be angry when I chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?” It’s actually a combination of a few questions we received. One person asked, “Some days I feel powerful and determined. Some days I feel sad and cry. But lately, I've been furious and angry. Is it okay to be furious and angry in front of my Gohonzon?” And another person asked, “Is there a way I can use my anger for good?” So let's talk about anger and chanting.
References:
https://buddhability.org/practice/what-should-i-think-about-when-im-chanting/https://buddhability.org/purpose/how-to-transform-your-anger-into-positive-action/ https://www.worldtribune.org/2022/resolving-conflicts-as-buddhists/ -
Here’s today’s question, “I’m starting a new job soon and I’m wondering if you could talk a little bit about stressful transitions in life?” We actually got quite a lot of questions about work stress or challenging professional situations. We’ll answer the question and touch on what Buddhism says about work.
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Here’s today’s question: I’m dealing with a really stressful relationship with someone close to me. Do you have any advice on what to do when someone just keeps getting under your skin?
Well first of all, who can’t relate to this one? Stress is an inevitable part of daily life, but when it manifests through a person, it tends to bring with it a whole host of other emotions – anger, frustration, blame, hopelessness, and feeling stuck in a cycle.
But Buddhism does offer some great perspective on relationships like this. Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda writes, “Our human relationships are like a mirror. So if you’re thinking to yourself, ‘If only so-and-so were a little nicer to me, I could talk to them about anything,’ then that person is probably thinking, ‘If only such-and-such would open up to me, I would be nicer to them.’ ... Therefore, you should make the first move to open the channels of communication.”
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKeAERp90-o&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.worldtribune.org%2F&feature=emb_imp_woythttps://www.worldtribune.org/2023/buddhism-is-the-clear-mirror-that-reflects-our-lives/ https://buddhability.org/purpose/10-ways-to-improve-our-relationships-in-2022/ -
Today we have two exciting announcements. First, we’re launching a new 7-day series called “Change Your Relationship with Stress.” From July 24 to August 1, you'll receive inspiration in your inbox each day about how to transform stress in nearly every area of your life from relationship stress and financial stress to work and family stress. Visit us at Buddhability.org and sign up for our email newsletter to be a part of it.
Our second announcement: We’re launching a new summer podcast series, where we’ll answer your questions about Buddhism and life in mini podcast episodes. If you'd like to ask a question, just email us at [email protected], or message us on Instagram. Feel free to send us a voice memo too! We might anonymously include it on the show. We'll kick off the series with this question, which inspired the stress series too: How can Buddhism help me deal with stressful relationships?
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“Tips & Insights” is an episode series in which we introduce one Buddhist concept each month and share how it can be applied to your life!
Today’s episode is about suffering, an inescapable fact of life for all living beings, but one that Buddhism offers a refreshing and concrete perspective on.References:
https://www.daisakuikeda.org/main/philos/essays-on-buddhism/buddhist-view-of-life-and-death.htmlhttps://www.worldtribune.org/2023/faith-is-the-compass-for-victory-in-life/https://www.worldtribune.org/2021/chanting-in-both-suffering-and-joy/ -
This week we're airing a rerun of one of our most popular episodes from June, 2021 with lawyer Dan Foley. On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ratified same-sex marriage, a monumental achievement after a more than 25-year battle across the country.
Recently, journalist Sasha Issenberg published a riveting, comprehensive history of that struggle, titled The Engagement: America’s Quarter Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage, tracing it back to 1990, when the political movement took off with a case in the Hawaii Supreme Court.
At that point, Issenberg explains, no significant gay rights group had endorsed marriage as an objective. But, in 1990, when three same-sex couples applied for marriage licenses in Honolulu and were denied, they turned to a lawyer named Dan Foley. Less than three years later, the Hawaii Supreme Court became the first court in the world to conclude that queer couples’ freedom to marry was a basic civil right. The rest is a fascinating and groundbreaking history of the national journey toward June 26, 2015.
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Today, we’re talking about how Buddhism can help you find the wisdom to overcome anything in life. In particular, the challenges that sometimes come with love and relationships. Our guest is Bryant Ríos-Niño, of Connecticut. He shares his parallel journeys of developing his Buddhist practice and learning what love, relationships and supporting your family truly takes.
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oday we are talking about how to tap into your potential, even when you can’t see it and even when your circumstances make you feel incapable.
Our guest is Lance Powell, of Georgia, who shares how he encountered Buddhism at a time when hope for the future was hard to find, and how chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo allowed him to finally tap into the potential he knew he had, but had never quite been able to access before.
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“Tips & Insights” is a miniseries in which we’ll introduce one Buddhist concept each month and how it can be applied to your life.
Today’s is: Winning in the morning.
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Today, we’re talking about what winning over yourself really takes: an honest look at what is causing you to suffer and the courage to transform it deep within.
Our guest is Jamie Bautista from Davis, California, who shares her journey using her Buddhist practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to battle her own anger, which manifested at a young age. In the process, she discovered a beautiful person within.
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Today we’re talking about what inner transformation or human revolution looks like through a consistent practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Our guest is Judy Juanita from Oakland, California. A writer and lecturer, she shares her incredible journey of many decades practicing Buddhism and how it helped her find the courage to change the things that held her back.
SHOW NOTES:
1:33 Judy discovers Buddhism
9:05 Identifying the thing that was holding her back
20:56 Transforming a part of behavior she didn’t like
25:50 Her writing career opens up
37:51 Moving to Oakland to support her family
43:13 Her Buddhist practice gets deeper and deeper over decades
- Näytä enemmän