Ethan is joined by Dharma Moon founder and award winning musician/composer David Nichtern for a true moment of Nichternity. They engage in a wide-ranging discussion (the only kind they know how to have) about Wicked, Ariana Grande, Ethan's issue with musicals, the death of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, the Kaliyuga or "dark ages," fear of impermanence, building an awakened environment of art and culture, and, finally, the elusive concept called "Enlightened Society." 

David Nichtern is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He is the author of the critically acclaimed books Awakening From the Daydream: Reimagining The Buddha's Wheel of Life and Creativity, Spirituality & Making a Buck. He mentors individual students both in person and online, and leads meditation teacher training programs around the world. He is also a four time Emmy-winning and two time Grammy-nominated composer and producer, as well as the founder of Dharma Moon Records and 5 Points Records.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program (starts January 28, 2025) and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training.  free talk on "Dragon at The Oasis" with Sat Hon and David Nichtern on December 19th. Join us for our annual New Year's Eve Contemplation Practice Gathering on December 31 at 3-4pm ET. Check out the free talk on Engaged Buddhism with Ethan Nichtern and Shannon Watts on January 7th.

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

Ethan is joined by health journalist and podcaster Derek Beres to discuss the dominance of misinformation in the health, wellness and spiritual spaces, and how we might be able to understand and converse with the people—and the parts of ourselves—that have gone "down the rabbithole."

Derek Beres is a multi-faceted author, speaker, and podcaster based in Portland, Oregon. He has served in senior editorial positions at a number of tech companies and has years of experience in health, science, and music writing. He regularly speaks on science and media literacy. Derek is the co-host of the Conspirituality podcast.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free talk on What is Karma? with Ethan and Sah D'Simone on December 11th. free talk on "Dragon at The Oasis" with Sat Hon and David Nichtern on December 19th. Join us for our annual New Year's Eve contemplation practice gathering on December 31 at 3-4pm ET

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

Ethan discusses the addiction concept of "rock-bottom" and how that concept can be transposed onto the worldview of individualism and individual power. In what ways, from a Buddhist standpoint, is individualism healthy and necessary? In what ways is it confused? Can we transition to a more collective or community-oriented worldview, and what is the role of the sangha in all this?

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free talk on What is Karma? with Ethan and Sah D'Simone on December 11th.free talk on "Dragon at The Oasis" with Sat Hon and David Nichtern on December 19th.

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

Ethan shares thoughts in the aftermath of the shocking (to him, at least) results of the US presidential election.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free talk on Grief and Heartbreak, "The Gift of a Broken Heart" with Brian Welch on November 14th and the free talk on What is Karma? with Ethan and Sah D'Simone on December 11th.

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

Ethan talks to author, Dharma teacher, and scientist Cortland Dahl about his new book A Meditator's Guide To Buddhism. They discuss research on short meditation sessions, mindful living, and touch on the meaning of "guru" in the modern world.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free Talk on Karma with Ethan and Sah D'Simone on December 11th.

Get on Ethan's monthly email list here. Order his new book Confidence here.

Cortland Dahl, Ph.D. is a leading expert on mindfulness, meditation, and the science of wellbeing. His eclectic background includes long periods of solitary retreat in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal and the translation of ancient Tibetan meditation manuals, as well as cutting-edge research on the science of wellbeing and the creation of an acclaimed meditation app. He is a scientist, author, translator, entrepreneur, and meditation teacher, but his true passion is using ancient wisdom and modern science to help people flourish.

Reeling from the events of the last 10 days in Western North Carolina (which directly and tragically affected two friends who have been on The Road Home podcast), as well as close friends directly affected by the bombing and aggression in the Middle East, Ethan returns to some basic thoughts on the truth of our interdependence, and the limits of looking at our path from an individual perspective. 

If you'd like to make a donation to Pandemic of Love to directly help their mutual aid work in Western North Carolina/Asheville, please Venmo @PandemicofLove  as they give $250 grants to vetted families in immediate need of basic supplies.

If you'd like to make a donation to the rebuilding of podcast guest and friend Deborah Eden Tull's home, please do so via Gofundme.com

If you'd like to help relief efforts in Beirut and beyond, please visit Doctors Without Borders.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training, starting October 11.

Get on Ethan's mailing list here.

Ethan looks at the nature of anxiety as a special-case emotion and offers a short dharma talk on working with anxiety, then guides a 15-minute lovingkindness with supportive visualization practice for working with any anxiety we might be feeling during election season or beyond.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training, starting October 11.

Buy Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds wherever books are sold in paperback, audiobook or e-book! Visit https://ethannichtern.com to join Ethan's maililng list and see his latest offerings!

Ethan talks to author, meditation teacher, scientist and lawyer Anu Gupta about his new book Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From--and the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them. They discuss Anu's life, how bias brought him to the brink of taking his own life, and his extensive work with organizations getting to the roots of internalized biases. They get into bias from both a Buddhist philosophical and scientific perspective. Finally, discuss the current state of America in terms of bias, as well how prejudice might be affecting our experience of the upcoming elections.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free The Journey of Becoming a Meditation Teacher with Rebecca D'onofrio and David Nichtern on Thurs Sep 19!

Anu Gupta is a human rights lawyer, scientist, scholar of bias, meditation teacher, and the founder and CEO of BE MORE with Anu, an e-learning company that trains professionals across corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors to advance inclusion and wellness by breaking bias. His work has reached 300+ organizations, training more than 80,000 professionals and impacting over 30 million lives. 

Ethan provides a dharma talk on the (originally Jungian) idea of The Shadow and the current popularization of "Shadow Work." He explores the ways that Tantric Buddhism offers to work with our more difficult and suppressed experiences, as well as the concept of treating our most difficult experience as "beautiful monsters."

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free The Journey of Becoming a Meditation Teacher with Rebecca D'onofrio and David Nichtern!

Visit https://ethannichtern.com for books, upcoming events, classes, and to get on his monthly email list! You can get a copy of Ethan's new book Confidence: Holding Your Seat Throught Life's Eight Worldly Winds in paperback, audiobook, or e-book!

Ethan provides a dharma talk on why practicing self-compassion can be so tricky and so "blocked." He offers some helpful tips you might not have considered (or maybe you have!) for practicing lovingkindness and compassion, both on the meditation seat and in life in general.

Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program and Mindful Meditation Teacher Training. Check out the free Imposter Syndrome event on September 3 with Duncan Trussell and David Nichtern!

Visit https://ethannichtern.com for books, upcoming events, classes, and to get on his monthly email list!