In this Dharma talk from Curtis from the Columbus sangha explores sympathetic joy, the practice of rejoicing in the happiness and success of others. Rather than denying envy or comparison, Curtis looks at how awareness and practice can help us loosen those habits and rediscover joy as something shared, not scarce.

Buddhist practice isn’t meant to happen in isolation. In this conversation, Danielle invites the St. Louis Sangha to reflect on what it means to find refuge in one another — to learn, practice, and grow in community. Through personal stories and shared insight, the talk reveals how Sangha helps us see beyond our delusions, sustain our practice, and remember that none of us awakens alone.

What if happiness isn’t found in getting what we want, but in loosening our grip on craving, aversion, and delusion? In this year-end discussion, the Danielle and the St Louis sangha reflect on the past year’s choices, identifying which actions led to genuine joy and which deepened suffering. Together, they explore how awareness and boundaries can help shape a wiser year ahead.

We often move through life thinking we know what we’re seeing—our surroundings, other people, even ourselves. Joe from the Columbus sangha explores how this habit limits perception, connection, and compassion. Drawing from the Heart Sutra and Zen practice, he shows how “not knowing” can become a doorway to presence and wonder.

Who are you, really? In this Dharma talk, Danielle unpacks the Buddha’s teaching of the Five Aggregates, showing how our sense of “self” is built from changing parts: body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. With warmth and humor, she reminds us that sometimes the thoughts we take so seriously are just… thoughts.

In this episode of Pragmatic Buddhism, Curtis from the Columbus sangha gives his first dharma talk exploring Loving-Kindness (Metta). Not as a feeling we wait for, but as a practice we cultivate. Through reflection and meditation, we learn how to extend compassion to ourselves, to those we love, and even to those we find difficult, creating ripples of peace that reach far beyond our own hearts.

When the Buddha told the Kalamas not to believe something just because it’s written, taught, or widely accepted, he was teaching more than skepticism — he was teaching discernment. In this episode, Danielle from the St Louis sangha unpacks how the Kalama Sutta invites us to question wisely, test truth through experience, and embody a mindful confidence rooted in understanding, not belief.

Every moment is a gate to awakening but most of us rush past it. In this talk, Glenn from the Columbus sangha considers how a single moment of presence can reveal the nature of awareness itself. Through simplicity and attention, we rediscover what it means to truly be here.

How do you know if a teaching is true? Try it and see if it works. In this episode, Danielle introduces pragmatism, the philosophy that shapes Pragmatic Buddhism. With the St Louis sangha, we explore how to test Buddhist ideas through lived experience, why daily rituals matter, and how even brushing your teeth can become a practice in presence.

Like jazz, the Dharma is an art of listening, responding, and letting go. In this episode of Pragmatic Buddhism, Joe from the Columbus sangha reflects on what Buddhist practice shares with musical improvisation: trust, awareness, and the courage to meet each moment as it unfolds.