In this podcast Professor Thurman explains that Buddhism is not only a religion, but it is even more a science and a philosophy. He uses as an example the Buddhist concept of “emptiness” and draws parallels with discoveries of quantum physics. He then explains that emptiness should not be confused with the nihilistic concept of “nothingness.”

This episode was recorded on April 5, 2016.

Different actions bring about different results. Depending on these results, actions may be called skillful or unskillful, right or wrong, realistic or unrealistic. Positive types of actions (physical, verbal or mental) may be called realistic because they improve the quality of one’s life. They also happen to improve the quality of lives of others. In this podcast Professor Thurman explains why some types of actions may be called skillful and realistic, while others may not.

This episode was recorded on June 8, 2016 at Menla Mountain Retreat.

In this podcast Professor Thurman explains why karma is a biological theory. Karma doesn’t mean a fate, karma means causality. You shape how you are. You shape how you are not only by what you do, but also by what you say and, most importantly, by what you think. According to the Buddhist belief, a human could have been an animal or any other life form in the previous lives.

This episode was recorded on June 8, 2016 at Menla Mountain Retreat.

This episode is a continuation of last week’s episode on Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. In this episode, Professor Thurman reads from Shantideva’s verses, dedicated to anger and patience (or tolerance), and explains the meaning as he goes along.

This episode was recorded on October 20, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman.

Shantideva is the author of one of the most studied texts in the Buddhist canon — A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life. In this episode, Professor Thurman reads from this text the verses dedicated to anger and patience or tolerance, and explains the meaning as he goes along. This is the first of a two-part episode on the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life.

This episode was recorded on October 20, 2015 in a class taught by Professor Thurman.

In this episode Professor Thurman explains that a Buddhist concept of “emptiness” or “voidness” doesn’t mean a “no state” apart from everything, or “nothingness”. Emptiness means that everything is empty of any non-relational isolated component. Emptiness is relativity, and we are totally interconnected (mentally and physically) beings.

This podcast was recorded on July 1, 2015 at Menla Mountain Retreat Center as part of a retreat called “Shakyamuni Buddha’s Inner Sciences & His Medicine Buddha Healing Science” with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang & Robert Thurman.