I am delighted to have another conversation with James Crews, a return guest who is joining me for a conversation about his book, Unlocking the Heart: Writing for Mindfulness, Courage, and Self-Compassion.

James is the author of the essay collection, Kindness Will Save the World, and editor of several bestselling poetry anthologies, including The Wonder of Small Things (winner of the New England Book Award), Healing the Divide, The Path to Kindness (winner of the Nautilus Books for a Better Life Award), and How to Love the World, which has over 140,000 copies in print.

He has been featured on NPR’s Morning Edition, and in People Magazine, The Boston Globe, The New York Times Magazine, The Sun Magazine, and The Washington Post. He is the author of five prize-winning books of poetry, including Unlocking the Heart, and his poems have appeared in Ploughshares, The New Republic, and other journals.

James lives with his husband in the woods of Southern Vermont.

At the end of September, James surprised me with the gift of his book, Unlocking the Heart and what a gift it was! I'll talk more about it in our conversation, but the book really did help unlock my heart. During February and a time of reflection on my transformative experience after falling and time in the hospital in December, I worked with the book, reflecting on the poems and James' thoughts about them, and using the writing prompts to journal.

Being opened to vulnerability and held by the poems in the book was a special gift.

As you will no doubt hear, James is a gentle soul whose conversation about poetry, spirituality, and life is healing. Both the words he uses and the tender way he speaks them is a balm for our painful and anxious times.

Among other things, we talked about:

• How we are all poets …
• And, as James said, "We are all going around having moments and those moments are asking for expression.
• Our materially focused culture has caused us to be separated from spiritual practice and poetry can help us build a practice if we keep showing up.
• Writing poetry is about noticing and giving space to what you're noticing. Reading poetry trains you in the practice of noticing.

Take some time to ease into this episode. I promise you will be soothed and come away craving more poetry in your life….

  Learn more about James & to sign up for free weekly poems & writing prompts, visit: https://www.jamescrews.net/.   Buy his books, including, Unlocking the Heart: Writing for Mindfulness, Courage, and Self-Compassion.All books: Amazon Author page Unlocking the Heart: Unlocking the Heart   Substack / Podcast: https://substack.com/@jamescrews   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/james.crews.poet   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crewspoet       Become a patron to support this podcast and get special member benefits, including a membership community, a virtual sangha, and a subscription to my Everyday Buddhism Substack:https://www.patreon.com/EverydayBuddhism     Check out my Substack for ongoing chapter releases of my new serial book, Living Life As It Is and the weekly podcast, Words From My Teachers: https://wendyshinyohaylett.substack.com/   If this podcast has helped you understand Buddhism or help in your everyday life, consider making a one-time donation here: https://donorbox.org/podcast-donations   Support the podcast through the affiliate link to buy the book, Everyday Buddhism: Real-Life Buddhist Teachings & Practices for Real Change: Buy the book, Everyday Buddhism   Support the podcast and show your support through the purchase of Everyday Buddhism merch: https://www.zazzle.com/store/everyday_buddhism   NOTE: Free shipping on ALL (unlimited) items (Everyday Buddhism merch or gifts from other stores) if you join Zazzle Plus for $19.95/year:

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This is a special episode announcing the release of my new book, as a Substack serial book:

Living Life As It Is: An Honest Narrative of My Challenges Practicing Right View

I started writing my second book in 2020. But along came the Covid-19 pandemic and so much after that. So here I am still writing what was to be my second book, focused on Right View. The stumbling block in getting it done was things in life kept changing faster and faster, and I had no idea whether I had any sense of Right View anymore or if I was helplessly lost in delusion. But I recently had an idea that would help me focus and share my writing in the midst of life and all its confusion and delusion—in the middle of life as it is.

The idea is this: Why not write this long-hoped-for second book in real time? Why not write for my Substack audience, releasing essays/chapters as I go so that you, kind subscribers, can read as I write—and comment too.

And that is what I've done. I published the first chapter on February 7, 2025 and plan to release a new essay/chapter every Friday. I thought I'd share that first chapter as a podcast episode and here it is ...

 

  Become a patron to support this podcast and get special member benefits, including a membership community, a virtual sangha, and a subscription to my Everyday Buddhism Substack:https://www.patreon.com/EverydayBuddhism     Check out my Substack and subscribe to receive a weekly release of a new chapter of my second book, Living Life As It Is, and the weekly podcast, Words From My Teachers: https://wendyshinyohaylett.substack.com/   If this podcast has helped you understand Buddhism or help in your everyday life, consider making a one-time donation here: https://donorbox.org/podcast-donations   Support the podcast through the affiliate link to buy the book, Everyday Buddhism: Real-Life Buddhist Teachings & Practices for Real Change: Buy the book, Everyday Buddhism   Support the podcast and show your support through the purchase of Everyday Buddhism merch: https://www.zazzle.com/store/everyday_buddhism   NOTE: Free shipping on ALL (unlimited) items (Everyday Buddhism merch or gifts from other stores) if you join Zazzle Plus for $19.95/year:

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In this episode I talk with Nate Klemp, PhD. Nate is a bestselling author and formally trained philosopher. He is the author of the new book OPEN: Living With an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World. Nate is also the coauthor of the New York Times Editors’ Choice, The 80/80 Marriage: A New Model for a Happier, Stronger Marriage, and the New York Times Bestseller, Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing.

He has been featured in The LA Times, The New York Times, The Times London, and has appeared on Good Morning America and "Talks" at Google.

Nate co-founded the mindfulness training company Life Cross Training and holds a B.A. and M.A. in philosophy from Stanford University and a PhD from Princeton University.

I cannot think of a better guest to have on the podcast during these uncertain, catastrophic times. His new book, OPEN: Living With an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World is an important antidote to the ongoing trauma and division of the times. He offers the remedy of opening our minds and hearts despite our instinct to close them.

Stay tuned as we talk about:

• How we're living in a time of closure: closing in through our screens and closing to each other.
• "Annihilating the power of the smart phone."
• The practice of skillful closing when things get too intense.
• How our mindset is contagious and how it reinforces our environment of closure.
• How we talk to each other about politics in either "strategic mode" where we're trying to 'win' or "communication" mode where we're trying to understand.
• Non-drug psychedelic experience and psychedelic-assisted therapy.
• Mindfulness, meditation, and the practice of open-awareness (like Dzogchen) meditation. 

And more!

I'm sure you'll enjoy the conversation with Nate as much as I did. He is wise, funny, and a delightful conversation partner!

  Learn more about Nate: https://www.nateklemp.com   Buy the book, Open: Open - Amazon affiliate link   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_klemp/   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpncjN_woj6Xrth0i-bGp7w   Nate Klemp, Ph.D. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-klemp-phd-6901b72b   x/Twitter: https://x.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fnateklemp     Become a patron to support this podcast and get special member benefits, including a membership community, a virtual sangha, and a subscription to my Everyday Buddhism Substack:https://www.patreon.com/EverydayBuddhism     Check out my Substack and weekly podcast, Words From My Teachers: https://wendyshinyohaylett.substack.com/   If this podcast has helped you understand Buddhism or help in your everyday life, consider making a one-time donation here: https://donorbox.org/podcast-donations   Support the podcast through the affiliate link to buy the book, Everyday Buddhism: Real-Life Buddhist Teachings & Practices for Real Change: Buy the book, Everyday Buddhism   Support the podcast and show your support through the purchase of Everyday Buddhism merch: https://www.zazzle.com/store/everyday_buddhism   NOTE: Free shipping on ALL (unlimited) items (Everyday Buddhism merch or gifts from other stores) if you join Zazzle Plus for $19.95/year:

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In this episode I invited Scott Snibbe to join me for a conversation about Buddhist responses to the anxiety, apprehension, insecurity, fear, dread, anger … and on and on … that some people are feeling now.

Scott Snibbe is a twenty-five-year student of Tibetan Buddhism whose teachers include Lama Zopa Rinpoche and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

He is the author and host of the How to Train a Happy Mind book and podcast. Scott leads meditation classes and retreats worldwide in a style that will become evident in our upcoming conversation. His light-hearted approach is infused with humor, science, and the realities of the modern world.

Scott is a new media artist whose installations have been incorporated into museums, public spaces, and performances. He has collaborated with musicians and filmmakers including Björk, Philip Glass, Beck, and James Cameron, and his work can be found in the collections of New York MoMA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and other institutions.

Listen in as we talk about how the Dharma can help us see things as clear and non-reactive as possible. In this conversation, we talk about:

• The key to non-violent communications is listening.
• You don't have to agree with someone to understand them.
• The antidote to anger is curiosity.
• No matter what other people believe, each is driven by a desire for happiness.
• Radical acceptance and how acceptance IS transcendence.
• And so much more…

  Buy the book (Amazon affiliate link): How to Train a Happy Mind: A Skeptic's Path to Enlightenment   Learn more about Scott: https://www.snibbe.com   How to Train A Happy Mind YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIcf_cNAKoiIuGilQYL51ow   Scott Snibbe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssnibbe/   Scott Snibbe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scottsnibbe/   Scott Snibbe Twitter: https://twitter.com/snibbe   Scott Snibbe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/snibbe/   Become a patron to support this podcast and get special member benefits, including a membership community and virtual sangha:https://www.patreon.com/EverydayBuddhism   Join the Everyday Sangha: Join the Everyday Sangha   Join the Membership Community: https://donorbox.org/membershipcommunity   If this podcast has helped you understand Buddhism or help in your everyday life, consider making a one-time donation here: https://donorbox.org/podcast-donations   Support the podcast through the affiliate link to buy the book, Everyday Buddhism: Real-Life Buddhist Teachings & Practices for Real Change: Buy the book, Everyday Buddhism   Support the podcast and show your support through the purchase of Everyday Buddhism merch: https://www.zazzle.com/store/everyday_buddhism   NOTE: Free shipping on ALL (unlimited) items (Everyday Buddhism merch or gifts from other stores) if you join Zazzle Plus for $19.95/year:

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In this episode I talk with Natalie Baker. Natalie is a psychotherapist and Buddhist teacher, with more than 30 years of personal practice and 2+ decades of teaching experience. She is the founder of Neurofeedback Training Co. and a practicing psychotherapist in New York City, Natalie blends the wisdom of Buddhist psychology with modern therapeutic techniques, empowering individuals to navigate life's challenges with mindfulness, compassion, and resilience.

Natalie teaches from the strength of her own Buddhist practice, sharing the transformative power of mindfulness and meditation with others.

In addition to her psychotherapy practice, Natalie has been instrumental in bringing neurofeedback—a cutting-edge brain training technology—into the mainstream. Neurofeedback is often described as "meditation for the limbic brain", helping individuals achieve greater mental clarity and emotional stability by training the brain to self-regulate.

Stay tuned as we talk about some of my favorite subjects, including:

• Mindfulness and meditation
• Buddha Nature as basic goodness or fundamental sanity
• Finding the brilliance in the energy of fear
• Fearlessness and gentleness as key tools for self-healing and self-discovery
• Connecting with our warm heart

And more!

  Learn more about Natalie: https://buddhistpsychotherapyny.com   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurofeedbacktrainingco/   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiQ-_zRCvrL3GdEq7k6rIGQ   Natalie Baker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-baker-0a025212/     Become a patron to support this podcast and get special member benefits, including a membership community and virtual sangha:https://www.patreon.com/EverydayBuddhism   Join the Everyday Sangha: Join the Everyday Sangha   Join the Membership Community: https://donorbox.org/membershipcommunity   Check out my Substack and podcast, Words From My Teachers: https://wendyshinyohaylett.substack.com/   If this podcast has helped you understand Buddhism or help in your everyday life, consider making a one-time donation here: https://donorbox.org/podcast-donations   Support the podcast through the affiliate link to buy the book, Everyday Buddhism: Real-Life Buddhist Teachings & Practices for Real Change: Buy the book, Everyday Buddhism   Support the podcast and show your support through the purchase of Everyday Buddhism merch: https://www.zazzle.com/store/everyday_buddhism   NOTE: Free shipping on ALL (unlimited) items (Everyday Buddhism merch or gifts from other stores) if you join Zazzle Plus for $19.95/year:

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In this episode I talk with Nadia Colburn. Nadia is the author of the poetry books, I Say the Sky and The High Shelf, and her poetry and prose have appeared in more than eighty publications, including The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, The Kenyon Review, Spirituality & Health, Lion's Roar, and The Yale Review.

She holds a Ph.D. in English from Columbia University, is a yoga teacher and serious student of Thich Nhat Hanh, and is the founder of Align Your Story Writing School, which brings traditional literary and creative writing studies together with mindfulness, embodied practices, and social and environmental engagement. The school has a community of over 30,000 mindful writers. Nadia lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and two children.

Stay tuned as we listen to Nadia read some poems from her book and talk about, among many other things:

• The relationship between Buddhist / meditation practice and writing.
• Poetry and literature as a companion or an offering as a mirror to yourself.
• Literature as a place where people can speak truths that are sometimes uncomfortable but not talked about all the time.
• Writing as therapy and healing.
• And much more!

Sit back and enjoy the flow of conversation and poetry with the delightful Nadia Colburn.

  Buy the book (Amazon affiliate link): I Say the Sky   Learn more about Nadia: https://nadiacolburn.com/   Free writing and meditation resources: https://nadiacolburn.com/free-resources/   Free 5-day meditation and writing challenge:  https://nadiacolburn.com/free-mindful-writing-challenge/   Nadia Colburn Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadia.colburn/   Nadia Colburn Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alignyourstory/     Become a patron to support this podcast and get special member benefits, including a membership community and virtual sangha:https://www.patreon.com/EverydayBuddhism   Join the Everyday Sangha: Join the Everyday Sangha   Join the Membership Community: https://donorbox.org/membershipcommunity   Register for the next Introduction to Buddhism course (virtual-Zoom), beginning Thursday, August 29, 2024! Register NOW to get the first readings and reflections in your email, before the class! https://www.everyday-buddhism.com/p/introduction-to-buddhism-course-and-registration-1/   If this podcast has helped you understand Buddhism or help in your everyday life, consider making a one-time donation here: https://donorbox.org/podcast-donations   Support the podcast through the affiliate link to buy the book, Everyday Buddhism: Real-Life Buddhist Teachings & Practices for Real Change: Buy the book, Everyday Buddhism   Support the podcast and show your support through the purchase of Everyday Buddhism merch: https://www.zazzle.com/store/everyday_buddhism   NOTE: Free shipping on ALL (unlimited) items (Everyday Buddhism merch or gifts from other stores) if you join Zazzle Plus for $19.95/year:

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In this episode I talk with Scott Snibbe, the creator and host of the popular podcast, A Skeptic's Path to Enlightenment and the author of the new book, How To Train a Happy Mind, with foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Scott is a twenty-five-year student of Tibetan Buddhism whose teachers include Lama Zopa Rinpoche and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He leads meditation classes and retreats worldwide in a style that will become evident in our upcoming conversation. His light-hearted approach is infused with humor, science, and the realities of the modern world.

Scott is a new media artist whose installations have been incorporated into museums, public spaces, and performances. He has collaborated with musicians and filmmakers including Björk, Philip Glass, Beck, and James Cameron, and his work can be found in the collections of New York MoMA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and other institutions.

Listen as we talk about Scott's new book and how you really can build positive habits founded on ancient Buddhist practices, leading to a happy mind. And if you're a skeptic, no problem, Scott has you covered. Check out our conversation and I'm convinced you'll want more!

In this conversation, we talk about:

• The Lam-Rim, a 1000-year old Tibetan teaching tradition that is as effective today in training a happy mind.
• Analytical meditation—a practice both Scott and I credit for significant transformation in our lives … A practice of pointing the mind at the mind, training our thinking to be a friend and not a distraction.
• Buddha Nature—What is it?
• And so much more…

  Buy the book (Amazon affiliate link): How to Train a Happy Mind: A Skeptic's Path to Enlightenment   Learn more about Scott: https://www.snibbe.com   A Skeptics Path to Enlightenment YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIcf_cNAKoiIuGilQYL51ow   Scott Snibbe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssnibbe/   Scott Snibbe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scottsnibbe/   Scott Snibbe Twitter: https://twitter.com/snibbe   Scott Snibbe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/snibbe/   Become a patron to support this podcast and get special member benefits, including a membership community and virtual sangha:https://www.patreon.com/EverydayBuddhism   Join the Everyday Sangha: Join the Everyday Sangha   Join the Membership Community: https://donorbox.org/membershipcommunity   If this podcast has helped you understand Buddhism or help in your everyday life, consider making a one-time donation here: https://donorbox.org/podcast-donations   Support the podcast through the affiliate link to buy the book, Everyday Buddhism: Real-Life Buddhist Teachings & Practices for Real Change: Buy the book, Everyday Buddhism   Support the podcast and show your support through the purchase of Everyday Buddhism merch: https://www.zazzle.com/store/everyday_buddhism   NOTE: Free shipping on ALL (unlimited) items (Everyday Buddhism merch or gifts from other stores) if you join Zazzle Plus for $19.95/year:

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In this episode I talk with Cindy Rasicot, about her new book, This Fresh Existence: Heart Teachings from Bhikkuni Dhammananda. Cindy is an award-winning author of the memoir Finding Venerable Mother: A Daughter's Spiritual Quest to Thailand.

Cindy also hosted a weekly YouTube series that welcomed people from all walks of life to explore their spiritual practice in conversation with Venerable Bhikkhuni Dhammananda. Guests have included Jack Kornfield, Sylvia Boorstein, Joan Halifax, and many others. The conversations showcase Venerable Dhammananda's wise and warm teaching style.

In this conversation we talk about Venerable Dhammananda and her amazing and inspirational life journey from academic to activist to spiritual leader. She is an advocate of serious reform for monastic and lay Buddhists, including—of course—the reestablishment of the Bhikkhuni order. She also speaks out, urging all genders and classes to be advocates of equality for women.

We also talk about some of the direct teachings found in 10 chapters of Cindy's book, This Fresh Existence: Heart Teachings from Bhikkuni Dhammananda. Teachings that include meditation, forgiveness, loneliness, grasping, uncertainty, and ageing—among others.

  Buy the book (Amazon affiliate link): This Fresh Existence: Heart Teachings from Bhikkhuni Dhammananda   Learn more about Cindy Rasicot: https://cindyrasicot.com/   Learn more about Venerable Dhammananada and her monastery, Sondhammakalayni Temple: https://cindyrasicot.com/about-venerable-dhammanda/   https://www.songdhammakalyani.com/   Casual Buddhism YouTube: www.youtube.com/@casualbuddhism   Cindy Rasicot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cindy.rasicot   Cindy Rasicot Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindy.rasicot.author     Become a patron to support this podcast and get special member benefits, including a membership community and virtual sangha:https://www.patreon.com/EverydayBuddhism   Join the Everyday Sangha: Join the Everyday Sangha   Join the Membership Community: https://donorbox.org/membershipcommunity   If this podcast has helped you understand Buddhism or help in your everyday life, consider making a one-time donation here: https://donorbox.org/podcast-donations   Support the podcast through the affiliate link to buy the book, Everyday Buddhism: Real-Life Buddhist Teachings & Practices for Real Change: Buy the book, Everyday Buddhism   Support the podcast and show your support through the purchase of Everyday Buddhism merch: https://www.zazzle.com/store/everyday_buddhism   NOTE: Free shipping on ALL (unlimited) items (Everyday Buddhism merch or gifts from other stores) if you join Zazzle Plus for $19.95/year:

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Celebrate the Everyday Sangha by listening to this special bonus re-release of episode 26, Why Sangha? Bringing Buddhism to Life. This re-released episode is the first episode I talked about the Three Treasures, The Three Jewels, or the Triple Gem of Buddhism.

Back in April of 2019, I released this episode to announce the launch of our Everyday Sangha. I'm re-releasing it today, in a bow of gratitude to the sangha, which has grown into a wonderful community.

I am celebrating the sangha and the 16 sangha members who are going for refuge and receiving Dharma names in the non-sectarian, Mahayana lineage of Bright Dawn Buddhism/Kubose Dharma Legacy this Saturday, on June 1st in a special TiSarana Ceremony. These 16 will officially take refuge in the Three Jewels: the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

So, congratulations to the those 16 taking refuge and a huge thank you to the Everyday Sangha for being such a special group!

I think many connect with the *jewel* or treasure aspect of the Buddha and Dharma, but Sangha? The Buddha taught the Dharma as an experiential path. His advice is to try it for ourselves, rather than taking his or anyone else's word for it. 

It is Sangha that moves Buddhism beyond a study or philosophy to something lived and alive. But you have to practice or it doesn't work. Sangha is where you perfect your practice with others doing the same thing.

We come just as we are. Working on practices, not being people who are already perfect. The Sangha accepts us and supports us so that we can become more honest with ourselves and others. We learn to accept ourselves AND others. We accept our humanity, together.

In this episode I talk with Oren Jay Sofer about his new book, Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity & Love.

Oren teaches meditation and communication internationally. He holds a degree in comparative religion from Columbia University and is a Certified Trainer of Nonviolent Communication and a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner for the healing of trauma.

Oren has practiced meditation in the early Buddhist tradition since 1997, beginning his studies in Bodh Gaya, India, and later spending 2-1/2 years living as an renunciate at branch monasteries in the Ajahn Chah Thai Forest lineage. He is a long-time student of Joseph Goldstein, Michele McDonald, and Ajahn Sucitto, and is a member of the Spirit Rock Teacher’s Council.

Oren is also the author of the best-seller Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication and two books on teaching mindfulness to adolescents: The Mindful Schools Curriculum for Adolescents and Teaching Mindfulness to Empower Teens.

His teaching has reached people around the world through online communication courses and guided meditations, combining classical Buddhist training with the accessible language of secular mindfulness

In our conversation we talked about, among other things:

• How our hearts REALLY are made for these times … Our hearts were made to awaken and if we can practice—in small steps—turning toward suffering, we enter a portal to transformation.
• How the world shapes our hearts in ways not best for us and how we can practice shaping our own hearts.
• How getting in touch with our true values will guide us through these challenging times.
• How we need to consciously "change the channel" of our thoughts to be more aligned with our true values.

  Buy the book (Amazon affiliate link): Your Heart Was Made for This   Learn more about Oren Jay Sofer, his teaching, courses, and special events: https://www.orenjaysofer.com/   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/orenjaysofervideo   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orenjaysofer   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrenJaySofer/   X/Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/OrenJaySofer/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orenjaysofer/     Become a patron to support this podcast and get special member benefits, including a membership community and virtual sangha:https://www.patreon.com/EverydayBuddhism   Join the Everyday Sangha: Join the Everyday Sangha   Join the Membership Community: https://donorbox.org/membershipcommunity   If this podcast has helped you understand Buddhism or help in your everyday life, consider making a one-time donation here: https://donorbox.org/podcast-donations   Support the podcast through the affiliate link to buy the book, Everyday Buddhism: Real-Life Buddhist Teachings & Practices for Real Change: Buy the book, Everyday Buddhism