In this fifth installment of our interview series with the historical Buddha, we take a brief look at the different Mahayana practice schools, like Zen, Pure Land, and Tibetan Buddhism.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Soundscape by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rcrath⁠⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Freesound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2025 Undead Sages Podcast

Last week, we explored how his once orally transmitted teachings were written down in Sri Lanka. We also saw how the community of monks expanded, and how faultlines appeared along conservative and more modern interpretations of his message.

The conservative faction wanted to adhere solely to the teachings as they were written down in Sri Lanka and the commentaries based on them.

So last week, we followed the surviving branch of this tradition, often known as the “Way of the Elders”, or Theravada.

This week and the next, we’ll explore the other branch: the modernists, or “Mahayana”.

I hope you’ll appreciate that a 2000 year history can hardly be summed up in the half hour or so we have to do the interview. So, like in most previous editions of the podcast, we’ve had to resort to generalizations and simplifications. Also, we’ll split the philosophy section off from the section where we talk about the different practice schools, and how they are unique. So this week philosophy, and next week, the practice schools.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Soundscape by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rcrath⁠⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Freesound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2025 Undead Sages Podcast

It’s still the rainy season in India, 460 BCE or thereabouts, and the Buddha has been so kind as to grant me another audience. While legend has it that he has total overview of time and space, I think he finds something of value in our conversations, also. I’ve told him I’m a time traveler, and today we’ll start to investigate how his teachings have survived his own death. But first, I want to flesh out his life a little more.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Soundscape by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rcrath⁠⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Freesound⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2025 Undead Sages Podcast

Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince in the 6th century BCE. Legend has it that he grew weary of palace life and left his wife, son and destiny as a future ruler to find the answer to the age-old question of human suffering. After six years of relentless searching, he reached Awakening and decided to teach his method to anyone who would listen. His 45 year teaching career involved long wanderings across what is now Northern India, punctuated by yearly retreats in monsoon season, which is where we meet him today.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Soundscape by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠rcrath⁠ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Freesound⁠⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2025 Undead Sages Podcast

Siddhartha Gautama was born a prince in the 6th century BCE. Legend has it that he grew weary of palace life and left his wife, son and destiny as a future ruler to find the answer to the age-old question of human suffering. After six years of relentless searching, he reached Awakening and decided to teach his method to anyone who would listen. His 45 year teaching career involved long wanderings across what is now Northern India, punctuated by yearly retreats in monsoon season, which is where we meet him today.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Soundscape by ⁠⁠⁠⁠rcrath on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Freesound⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2024 Undead Sages Podcast

Etty Hillesum was a Dutch writer, thinker, and spiritual seeker whose voice emerged from the depths of one of history’s darkest chapters. Born in 1914, Etty's profound journals, written during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, reveal a journey of inner transformation, love, and resilience amidst unimaginable suffering. From her early struggles with emotional turmoil to her selfless work at the Westerbork transit camp, Etty’s reflections offer a timeless message of hope, compassion, and the power of the human spirit to find light even in the darkest moments.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Soundscape by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Yuval on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Freesound⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2024 Undead Sages Podcast

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher who was born exactly 300 years ago. He spent his entire life in the city of Königsberg, which came up before in our podcast, when we talked with Hannah Arendt, who grew up there.

His works laid the foundation for modern philosophy, reshaping our understanding of knowledge, ethics, and the limits of human reason. His most famous work, the “Critique of Pure Reason”, explores how our minds actively structure our experience of the world. Kant’s insights continue to influence everything from science to morality to aesthetics.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Soundscape by ⁠⁠⁠⁠soundslikewillem on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Freesound⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2024 Undead Sages Podcast

David Hume is one of the most influential figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, a philosopher who revolutionized how we think about knowledge, morality, and the human condition.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Soundscape by ⁠⁠⁠⁠inchadney on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Freesound⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2024 Undead Sages Podcast

Live Philosopher Friend Arne Willee again joins podcast host Merijn de Haen in an actual graveyard for a free-ranging discussion.

Revisiting the last philosophers to have graced our show with their presence, we focus on how their philosophy can be of use to sensitive people in our modern lives, but we also have a nice flow going and just see where the discussion takes us.

Concept, editing and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2024 Undead Sages Podcast

Epicurus taught a practical philosophy, centering on friendship and the avoidance of excess. Which is kind of ironic, seeing as being called an Epicurean these days is basically equal to being called a hedonist: someone who indulges in excessive delights. Epicurus himself however taught an almost ascetic lifestyle, focused on maximizing happiness by cutting away superfluous desires and unnecessary fears.

Interview facilitated by ChatGPT

Voicing constructed with ⁠Elevenlabs⁠

Soundscape by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Kyster on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Freesound⁠⁠⁠

Concept, editing, music and production by Merijn de Haen

@ 2024 Undead Sages Podcast