Nov 5
How to Avoid Picking & Choosing
It's said that the secret to Buddhist practice is to avoid preferences. How do you do that?
Oct 22
Buddhist Intuition
What is it? How does it relate to practice? How can it be recognized? Can it be cultivated?
Oct 17
The Zen Way to Listen to Music (Rest in Peace, Ace)
My unintended tribute to the late Ace Frehley of KISS.
Sep 3
Expressing a Dream Within a Dream
What does that mean and what does it have to do with Godzilla?
Aug 5
Don't Anticipate and Don't Regret
Nisargadatta Maharaj had some useful advice about free and pain.
Jul 28
Thought Has No Answers
You can think some problems through and get an answer. But more often thought has no solution to your problems.
Jun 13
Primordial Ignorance
A talk from Bonn, Germany on Sept. 13, 2022. Buddhists use the word "ignorance" a lot. But what does "ignorance" mean in the Buddhist context?
May 20
What Are You Gonna Do With Your Life?
Can you have an aim for the future and still be in the here and now?
May 6
Dogen's Other Shobogenzo
Dogen wrote three books called Shobogenzo. Here I take a look at a new edition of one of the other Shobogenzos.
Apr 16
What Do We Put Our Faith In?
What do Buddhists, who don't believe in God (or at least not the kind of God some people believe in), put our faith in?
Apr 11
The Ocean of Consciousness
Is it a Buddhist teaching that we return to the Ocean of Consciousness when we die?
Apr 4
The Four Noble Truths Are WRONG!
For Nishijima Roshi's pamphlet, go to - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qV-F9KoXldRPzmDmpO4H2ZbXPuvmB5Cv/view
Mar 26
If Zazen is Enlightenment Why Does Mine Feel Like Crap?
Brad finally answers your burning question!
Mar 5
From Birth to Death It's Just Like This!
It's my birthday, so here's some Zen stuff about birth.
Feb 21
You Can't Escape Karma
The coyote when he tried to kill the roadrunner couldn't and neither can you.
Jan 27
David Lynch and Transcendental Meditation
In which I give my uninformed opinion on David Lynch and his involvement in Transcendental Meditation
Jan 22
I Dedicate This Meal to... Donald Trump???
For the next 4 years every meal at every Zen center in the USA will be dedicated to Donald Trump. I'll explain how and why.
Jan 7
The Buddhist Community
My personal reflections on the role of community (sangha) in Buddhist practice.
Jan 7
Buddha's Original Teachings
Does the ancient Pali Canon preserve the actual words of the historical Buddha?
Apr 12, 2023
Ghosts and Enlightenment Experiences with Ben Goldman
In this episode I talk with my nephew Ben Goldman about ghosts and enlightenment experiences. We also get into Scooby Doo.
Mar 15, 2023
Gods, Aliens, and Jabberjaw with Ben Goldman
My nephew Ben Goldman joins me for a wide-ranging discussion about gods and divinity in Buddhism, whether aliens could get enlightened, and how Jabberjaw is a rip-off of Scooby Doo.
Mar 11, 2023
In The Light - Dogen’s Divine Light Part Five
The roaring finale of my series on Dogen's essay Komyo (aka Divine Light)! In which everything is explained.. or is it?
Feb 17, 2023
In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part Four
More commentary on Dogen's essay Komyo (aka Divine Light or Brightness). Also why just hearing this podcast means you've encountered the Buddha himself!
Feb 3, 2023
In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part Three
Another deep dive into Dogen's essay KOMYO (aka Divine Light). This time with Ziggy the dog barking at birds! Plus more insights about the nature of reality!
Jan 20, 2023
In The Light- Dogen’s Divine Light Part Two
Episode Two of my commentary on Dogen's essay KOMYO (Brightness). In this episode I talk about Milk Medicine, the Gospel of John, how consciousness is like a move, and we hear Ziggy the dog bark!
Jan 14, 2023
In The Light: Dogen’s Divine Light Part One (Re-Upload)
Dogen's essay KOMYO is one of his most mystical pieces of writing. This series will examine this fascinating essay in detail.
Aug 12, 2022
Women and Misogyny in Zen Buddhism
On a recent YouTube video I talked about misogyny in Buddhism and the pro-female ideas Dogen expressed in Shobogenzo. In this talk from March 16, 2016, I go into greater depth about both subjects in front of an audience at a retreat at Mount Baldy Zen Center.
Jun 24, 2022
Dogen’s ”Mind Alone is Buddha”
This is a talk I gave at the Rochester Zen Center on April 24, 2016 about Dogen and his essay "Mind Alone is Buddha." What the heck did he mean by that? Here's my attempt at answering that question.
Jun 14, 2022
God is Closer Than Your Jugular Vein
Here's a conversation I had with Sufi sheik Ingo Taleb Rashid at Benediktushof Meditation Center in Germany on September 27, 2017. We talk about God and Star Trek and take questions from the audience.
May 16, 2022
Preview of My NEW BOOK! The Other Side of Nothing
In this episode I read from the chapter "Who Walked My Dog" from my new book, The Other Side of Nothing: The Zen Ethics of Time, Space, and Being." It's a sneak preview of the book, which is available now, and of the forthcoming audiobook.
Feb 4, 2022
The Samadhi of Receiving and Using the Self
This is a lecture I gave in Vienna in 2018 about Dogen's famous essay "The Samadhi of Receiving and Using the Self."
Jan 21, 2022
The Grand Canyon and Enlightenment
Here's a talk I gave in Phoenix, Arizona in 2012 about the Grand Canyon and Enlightenment.
Jan 10, 2022
Good Zazen vs. Bad Zazen
In this Q&A session from 2019 in Finland I talk about what it means to be a Zen teacher and then we get into the subject of "good zazen" vs. "bad zazen."
Dec 17, 2021
No Self in a Bar in Texas
In 2016 I spoke in a bar in Texas about the concept of "No Self" as expressed in Dogen's most famous essay Genjo Koan (The Realized Universe). Here's the recording!
Dec 10, 2021
The Heart Sutra and Hitler‘s Golden Elevator
Here's a talk I did in 2015 at Felsentor, a Zen monastery in Switzerland that was established by a dharma heir of Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi, my first Zen teacher's teacher. It's about the Heart Sutra but I also talk about some other stuff including Hitler's golden elevator. Enjoy!
Dec 3, 2021
Are We Wasting Our Time
In today's podcast I ask a group of Germans at a Zen retreat "Are we wasting our time doing this?" I also present a long quote from Kobun Chino Otogawa Roshi, one of the greatest contemporary Zen teachers.
Nov 26, 2021
Did Dogen Believe in Reincarnation and Does It Matter If He Did?
Lots of people ask what Zen teaches about life after death. Here is my really long answer!
Nov 19, 2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Six
The explosive conclusion of my series of commentaries on Dogen's essay Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas!
Nov 12, 2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Five
What do Buddhists do when they have a "bad hair day"? Here is Zen Master Dogen's answer! Plus an explanation of the universe as it really is.
Nov 5, 2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Four
Part Four (4! Count 'em!) of my commentary on Dogen's essay Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas. In this one I say some weird stuff about astrology and astronomy.
Oct 29, 2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Three
Part Three of my translation and commentary on Dogen's essay Yui Butsu Yo Butsu, aka Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas.
Oct 22, 2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part Two
Part two of my paraphrase and commentary on Dogen's essay Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas.
Oct 15, 2021
Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas Part One
My paraphrase of Dogen's essay "Buddhas Alone Together With Buddhas" in the style of the Dogen paraphrases I did for my books Don't Be a Jerk and It Came From Beyond Zen.