Ep. 162 - One Samsara After Another: An End To Gun Violence and The First Precept

After a heavy weekend on Earth, Ethan discusses violence and gun violence via the mass shootings at his alma mater of Brown University and the Jewish community in Sydney at Bondi Beach, along side the movie One Battle After Another and the murders of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer. Ethan contemplates the first precept (to refrain from killing) as both a personal and a political practice. He also argues that the American love of "free speech" and our widespread addiction to guns are directly at odds with each other, and as a society, we must either choose guns or speech and can't have both. How can our mindfulness practice lead us toward an actual end to violence? Can it? Or will it just be "one samsara after another?" Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions. Additional links and show notes are available there . Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations , extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and a guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed a mindful take on intuition , and Ethan also offered instruction in the RAIN method for working with emotions with self-compassion . These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods ( Apple , Ethan's Website , etc). You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods ( Apple , Ethan's Website , etc). Find out about the 2026 Yearlong Buddhist Studies program at this link ! Check out about upcoming live events like a New Year's Eve Intention-Setting workshop and a live talk with Ethan and Roshi Joan Halifax January 6th! A new free video course on a classic Buddhist contemplation called The Five Remembrances is available at this link . Check out all the cool offerings at our podcast sponsor Dharma Moon . Free video courses co-taught by Ethan and others, such as The Three Marks of Existence , are also available for download at Dharma Moon .