Archives: Podcasts
A Marriage Made in Heaven with Anne Lamott & Neal Allen
Andrea Miller talks to leading Christian writer Anne Lamott and her husband, a Vipassana practitioner, Neal Allen.
Apology from an Abusive Father with Eve Ensler
Sharing your most personal stories can seem impossible. But in her book The Apology, Eve Ensler goes one impossible step further. She tells the story of her abusive father from his perspective. Ensler is known for her famous episodic play, The Vagina Monologues – a testament to the healing power of sharing the traumatic, scary experiences that we think we can’t tell anyone. In her interview…
Right Livelihood with Buddha’s Office author Dan Zigmond
Life as we know it has changed, including work life. Technology tends to fill in the gaps left open by the need to distance ourselves from one another but can work and technology actually help our spiritual well-being? In his book, Buddha’s Office: The Ancient Art of Waking Up While Working Well, Dan Zigmond gives a lot…
Why PoC Sanghas are Different with Julio Rivera
Julio Rivera is the founder and CEO of Liberate, a meditation app and community for black indigenous and people of colour. We spoke in March, at the height of coronavirus-related deaths in New York City, where he lives and works. We talked about what makes a sangha of non-white practitioners different and why Liberate has shifted to focusing…
Self-help with Melvin McLeod & Mental Health with Jeff Warren
The podcast is shifting to bi-weekly, starting with this episode, allowing us to prepare a slew of new projects coming your way. Today, Lion’s Roar publisher Ben Moore speaks with Canadian meditation teacher and co-author of Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, Jeff Warren, about founding the Consciousness Explorers Club and engaging mental health through the lens of spiritual practice. But…
How to Be Sick with Pema Khandro Rinpoche & Toni Bernhard
Buddhist teachers Toni Bernhard and Pema Khandro Rinpoche have known chronic illness firsthand. In this conversation—especially relevant in the coronavirus era—they talk personally about relating to health and sickness through the Buddhist lens, and Bernhard describes the teachings that continue to help her find peace even 20 years after being diagnosed with a life-changing illness.
Buddha & Baseball with Don Lopez / Walking Meditation with Oren Jay Sofer
Big-league baseball is on hold thanks to the coronavirus, but a new book by Dr. Don Lopez captures the feel of the game in Buddha Takes the Mound: Enlightenment in 9 Innings. Rod Meade Sperry talks to him about the book, which combines Lopez’s love of baseball and Buddhism. Then, a chance for fresh air:…
Rap Artist Born I Music & the Album 11:11
Longtime Buddhist practitioner, mindfulness teacher, and hip hop artist Born I Music talks to Rod Meade Sperry about how he and his family are using mindfulness to cope with the shutdown due to coronavirus, how he came to learn and teach meditation, and how that practice has informed his newest album, 11:11. Includes a track from the forthcoming album.
Arthur Russell’s Posthumous Album “Iowa Dream” with Steve Knutson
Rod Meade Sperry talks to Audika Record’s Steve Knutson about musician Arthur Russell's posthumous album "Iowa Dream" on the Lion's Roar Podcast.
Grief & Gratitude with Koshin Paley Ellison & Robert Chodo Campbell
Koshin Paley Ellison and Robert Chodo Campbell are Zen monks who live in New York City, where the death toll is reported to have risen to more than 10,000. They’re the founders of the New York Zen Centre for Contemplative Care, which helps caregivers, family, patients, and clinicians cope with illness and death by using meditation and…
The Upaya Zen Center’s Response to Coronavirus
Roshi Joan Halifax is the founder, head teacher and abbot of Upaya Institute and Zen Center. In an interview with LionsRoar.com editor Rod Meade Sperry, she talks about how the center adapted to the threat of coronavirus by switching in-person programs and events to online platforms. Then, a quick practice to navigate the illness and fear brought on by…
Dharma in a Pandemic Era with Roshi Josh Bartok and Oren Jay Sofer
Social distancing has become the new buzzword but it doesn’t mean you need to stop caring and communicating in a social way. Buddhadharma editor Tynette Deveaux talks to mindfulness teacher Oren Jay Sofer about how and why we can deepen our understanding of our relationship to ourselves, one another, and the world – an approach that the COVID-19…
Meals That Heal the Heart and Practices for Living in the COVID-19 Era
Food writer and practicing Buddhist Elissa Altman lays out five ways to appreciate more of your meal, even if it means making peace with not having your favorite ingredients. But first, Bonnie Myotai Treace shares three powerful reflections and practices to help us stay open-hearted and connected as we cope with widespread fear and uncertainty.
Aligning the Body and Mind with Oren Jay Sofer
The Buddhist community is reckoning with coronavirus as many brick-and-mortar centers temporarily shut down. Rod Meade Sperry of Lion’s Roar shares a piece on what we can do to help. But first, a basic meditation to align the body and mind from Vipassana teacher Oren Jay Sofer.
Healing America’s Racial Karma with Dr. Larry Ward
Dr. Larry Ward shares a dharma talk on what America's racial karma is, how we're all affected by it, and how we can begin to heal it.
How Radical Can You Be with JoAnna Hardy
In a world full of reasons to be scared, Vipassana meditation teacher JoAnna Hardy says loving-kindness is the antidote to fear. Hardy approaches meditation with an emphasis on compassion, and she says this opening of the heart is one of the most radical endeavors a person can take on.
The Second Arrow of Suffering with Dr. Valerie Mason-John
Life has a way of throwing us a curveball when we least expect it, and when we think we can’t withstand anymore, something else happens. Author and mindfulness teacher Dr. Valerie (Vimalasara) Mason-John shares the parable of the “second arrow” – a metaphor for the extra suffering we cause ourselves – and five ways to…
How to Love with bell hooks / The Truth of Love with Dr. Polly Young-Eisendrath
Author and activist bell hooks shares a simple formula for healthy romantic relationships, starting with the myth that love is a feeling – a noun. In fact she says, “love is what to do.” Jungian psychoanalyst and Zen Buddhist Dr. Polly Young-Eisendrath lays out the pitfalls of romantic love that lead us to idealization, delusion,…
Black Buddhist Panel on Dharma, Community & Activism
How does personal experience shape how we understand the dharma? How does that understanding shape how we take social action? Buddhist leaders Kamilah Majied, Willie Mukei Smith, and DaRa Williams explore how their experiences as black Americans shaped their understanding of the dharma, interacting with other faith traditions to inform how they understand Buddhist teachings like…
Just Stop / Golden Butter Meditation with Koshin Paley Ellison
The simplest practice of all is the ability to “just stop,” says Chief Editor Melvin McLeod, but it’s not easy. In this brief editorial he sheds light on why we struggle to slow down, and why we should do so anyway. Then, a guided meditation to help you embody your best qualities even when you’re deep…