In this episode, previously recorded as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, host Daniel Aitken welcomes back Lama Alan Wallace to discuss the newest release, Śamatha and Vipaśyanā: An Anthology of Pith Instructions. Lama Alan trained for many years as a monk in Buddhist monasteries in India and Switzerland. He has taught Buddhist theory and practice in Europe and America since 1976 and has served as interpreter for numerous Tibetan scholars and contemplatives, including H. H. the Dalai Lama. He has edited, translated, authored, and contributed to more than forty books on Tibetan Buddhism, medicine, language, and culture, and the interface between science and religion. He is also the founder of the Center for Contemplative Research (CCR), which now has retreat center locations in Crestone, Colorado, and in Castellina Marittima, Italy. This conversation delves into Lama Alan’s journey in Tibetan Buddhism, the teachings he received from his gurus, and the path to achieving irreversible transformation through the cultivation of bodhicitta and śamatha meditation. They discuss the complementarity of Western science’s technological advances and Buddhist contemplative practices, highlighting the value of genuine mental cultivation in addressing modern challenges.

 In this episode, Lama Alan and Daniel also discuss: 

This is part 1 of a two-part series on the release of this volume. Be sure to check out part two featuring fellow Eva Natanya, coming soon to The Wisdom Podcast.

Wisdom Podcast listeners are invited to save 20% off Śamatha and Vipaśyanā with code WPODSV through November 15.

The views and opinions expressed on this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Wisdom Publications or any entities they represent.

The post Lama Alan Wallace: Śamatha and Vipaśyanā: Part 1 (#217) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

In this episode, host Daniel Aitken is joined by special guest Anu Gupta. Anu is an award-winning author, educator, lawyer, scientist, and meditation teacher. He holds a JD from NYU Law, an MPhil in Development Studies from Cambridge, and a BA in International Relations and Islamic Studies from NYU. He is the founder and CEO of BE MORE with Anu, a learning and development organization that supports individuals and organizations foster trust, safety, and belonging. He is a proud polyspiritual Hindu-Buddhist-Christian and a dedicated yoga and meditation practitioner. His bestselling book, Breaking Bias: Where Stereotypes and Prejudices Come From and the Science-Backed Method to Unravel Them, features a foreword from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and offers tools to awaken humans to their interdependence and cultivate the wisdom and compassion needed to transcend bias, exclusion, and othering. His work has reached over 300 organizations, training more than 100,000 professionals and impacting 30 million lives.

In this episode, Anu and Daniel discuss:  

Mentioned in this episode:

Note to our listeners: This episode contains the description of a mystical experience that some listeners may find upsetting. If you would prefer to avoid this part of the conversation, please skip from minutes 31:02 to 34:54.

If you or someone you love are in crisis, please call, text, or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. International listeners, please visit The International Association for Suicide Prevention to find crisis care in your region.

The post Anu Gupta: Breaking Bias (#216) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

In this episode of The Wisdom Podcast, join special guest Venerable Matthieu Ricard and host Daniel Aitken as they tackle the intersection of science and Buddhism. Venerable Ricard is a Buddhist monk, author, translator, and photographer. After completing his Ph.D. in cell genetics in 1972, he moved to the Himalayas, where he spent many years in the presence of Kangyur Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. He has published numerous books, including The Monk and the Philosopher, Happiness, Altruism, and Notebooks of a Wandering Monk. He donates all proceeds from his books and activities to support humanitarian projects in India, Nepal, and Tibet through Karuna-Shechen, the non-profit organization he founded in 2000, which now benefits 500,000+ people every year.

In this episode, Venerable Ricard and Daniel discuss:

Mentioned in this episode:

The post Venerable Matthieu Ricard: Presence, Insight, and Compassion: A Guide to Happiness (#215) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

This episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, features the return of special guest Rangjung Neljorma Khandro Tseringma Rinpoche. Experience this heartfelt discussion aiming to alleviate fears, delve into the nature of interdependence, the power of connecting with a teacher, and so much more. Join Khandro Rinpoche and host Daniel Aitken and reflect on how all experiences—joyful and painful alike—arise through the web of dependent origination. Learn how compassion, when grounded in reality, can open a path to happiness and escape suffering through wisdom.

In this episode, Rinpoche and Daniel explore:  

Learn more about Khandro Rinpoche and her upcoming teachings at khandroling.org

The post Rangjung Neljorma Khandro Tseringma Rinpoche: Presence, Insight, and Compassion: A Guide to Happiness (#214) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

In this episode, join James B. Apple and host Daniel Aitken as they celebrate James’s newest release, Atiśa’s Stages Of The Path To Awakening. James is Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Calgary. His current research focuses on the critical analysis of Mahāyāna sūtras and topics within Indian and Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism. He has published over fifty peer-reviewed articles in international academic journals as well as numerous books, including  Jewels Of The Middle Way, also by Wisdom Publications.

In this episode, James and Daniel explore:

Wisdom Podcast listeners are invited to save 20% off Atiśa’s Stages Of The Path To Awakening with code WPODATISA through September 30, 2025.

The post James Apple: Atiśa’s Stages Of The Path To Awakening (#213) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

This episode, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat features special guest, Mark Siderits. In this episode hosted by Daniel Aiken, Mark embarks on an illuminating conversation surrounding Buddhist philosophy. They discuss the structure and content of his two online courses—Buddhism as Philosophy: Non-self and Reality and Buddhism as Philosophy: Yogācāra and Madhyamaka. From there, they dive into the concept of emptiness and how the Abhidharma, Madhyamaka, and Yogācāra traditions each approach it. Mark studied at the University of Hawaii and Yale, has taught extensively, and authored several books on Asian and Western philosophy.

In this episode, Mark and Daniel also discuss: 

Additional content mentioned in this episode:

Wisdom Podcast listeners are invited to save 20% off Buddhism as Philosophy: Yogācāra and Madhyamaka with code WPODBAP2 through August 31, 2025.

The post Mark Siderits: Buddhism as Philosophy: Part 2 (#212) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

This episode, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, features special guest Sarah Harding. Join Sarah and Daniel Aitken as they discuss Sarah’s newest release with Wisdom Severance: The Early Practice of Chö. Together, they explore how chö (severance)—an ancient Tibetan Buddhist practice—guides us to confront our deepest fears, cut through ego-clinging, and realize the mind’s innate clarity. 

You’ll also hear Daniel and Sarah discuss: 

Wisdom Podcast listeners are invited to save 20% off Severance: The Early Practice of Chö with code WPODCHO through August 31, 2025.

The post Sarah Harding: Severance (#211) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

This episode of the Wisdom Podcast, recorded live as a Wisdom Dharma Chat, is presented in collaboration with Tergar International and Tibet House US, featuring special guests Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Robert Thurman. In this special episode, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Professor Robert Thurman come together for a rich and wide-ranging conversation on the practical application of Buddhist teachings in everyday life. With clarity, warmth, and humor, they explore tantric practice, the nature of Buddha’s potential, and the central role of meditation in transforming the mind. This episode concludes with a guided meditation from Rinpoche.

Listen as Rinpoche and Professor Thurman, along with host Daniel Aiken, discuss:

Mingyur Rinpoche is a world-renowned meditation teacher with personal experience of anxiety and panic attacks, which he suffered from throughout his childhood and into his teenage years, when he learned to transform his panic through meditation.

Born in Nepal in 1975, Mingyur Rinpoche began to study meditation as a young boy with his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, himself a well-respected Buddhist teacher.

As a child he became interested in contemporary science through conversations with scientists who were visiting his father, and as he grew older he began to collaborate with neuroscientists and psychologists, including Richard Davidson and Antoine Lutz at the University of Wisconsin, on research projects that study the effects of meditation on the brain and the mind. As the head of the Tergar Meditation Community, Mingyur Rinpoche supports groups of students in more than thirty countries, leading workshops around the world for new and returning students every year.

Bob Thurman, known in the academic circles as Professor Robert A.F. Thurman, is a talented popularizer of the Buddha’s teachings and the first Westerner Tibetan Buddhist monk ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama,

A charismatic speaker and author of many books on Tibet, Buddhism, art, politics and culture, Bob was named by The New York Times the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism, and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2020, for his help in recovering India’s ancient Buddhist heritage. Time Magazine chose him as one of the 25 most influential Americans in 1997, describing him as a “larger than life scholar-activist destined to convey the Dharma, the precious teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, from Asia to America.”

As part of his long-term commitment to the Tibetan cause, at the request of H.H. the Dalai Lama, Bob co-founded Tibet House US in 1987 with Tenzin Tethong, Richard Gere, and Philip Glass, a non profit organization based in New York City and dedicated to the preservation and renaissance of Tibetan culture.

The post Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche And Robert Thurman: Buddhism in Daily Life in Conversation with Two Great Masters (#210) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

In this episode, Cortland Dahl and Daniel Aitken discuss Cortland’s book A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism. As an author and translator, Cortland has published numerous scientific articles and works on Buddhist philosophy and meditation. He is actively involved in scientific research and has published articles on the impact of meditation practices on the body, mind, and brain. They explore crucial themes such as the integration of meditation, view, and application in daily life, and explores concepts like naturalness, spontaneity, and the innate qualities of awareness, compassion, and wisdom. 

You’ll also hear Cortland and Daniel discuss: 

Mentioned in this episode:

The post Cortland Dahl: A Meditator’s Guide to Buddhism (#209) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

Join Alejandro Chaoul, Richard Freeman, Mary Taylor, and host Daniel Aitken as they discuss their different traditions of yoga and how they relate to meditation. Listen as they provide insights into their yoga traditions, emphasizing historical dialogue between the traditions and shared practices. They touch on practical meditation tips, integrating the body into mindfulness, and much more! 

You’ll also hear Daniel and our guests discuss: 

Wisdom Podcast listeners receive a 20% discount on Yoga For Meditators WPODY4M through July 5th.

Dr. Alejandro Chaoul is dedicated to educating individuals and communities about the ancient practice of Tibetan yoga and its transformative power to enhance physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. He serves as the scholar and founding director of the Jung Center’s Mind Body Spirit Institute (MBSI) and holds a doctoral degree in religious studies from Rice University. For the last thirty years Ale has studied with many Tibetan teachers in India, Nepal, and the United States. Since 1995, he has taught Tibetan meditation and yogic practices under the auspices of Ligmincha International across the United States, Latin America, and Europe. 

Richard Freeman has been a student of yoga since 1968. He spent nine years in Asia studying yoga āsana, prāṇāyāma, Sufism, Sanskrit language, and Indian philosophy. He has studied asana with B.K.S. Iyengar and K. Pattabhi Jois and has worked with numerous Buddhist teachers to draw insights into the interfacing of Buddhism and yoga as a reflection of life. Richard’s metaphorical, humorous, teaching style appeals to students of many backgrounds and nationalities.

Mary Taylor began studying yoga in 1971 and her studies have grown into a deep interest into how yoga asana, meditation, and the interfacing of yoga with Buddhism combine to support us through complex modern times. Her main asana practice is in the internal forms of the ashtanga vinyasa tradition. She is part of the core faculty of the Being with Dying program at Upaya Zen Center and the senior faculty for the UZIT training program, both of which apply contemplative practices to improved and sustainable wellness within medical settings.

The post Alejandro Chaoul, Richard Freeman, and Mary Taylor: Yoga for Meditators (#208) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.