Archive for May 2016
Episode 248 :: Marlowe Sand :: Unplugged — Paradise and Promises: Chronicles of My Life with a Self-Declared, Modern-Day Buddha
Marlowe Sand Marlowe Sand joins us in this unplugged episode to discuss experiences with living in a cult. Have you ever seen a news item exposing what seems to be extraordinary abuses in a cult? I have, and unfortunately you probably have, too. I think, how does this happen, what is the process by which…
Read MoreOn Modern Mindfulness, Buddhism, and Social Ethics
Introductory note: This is a response to Doug Smith’s recent post here. I think Doug is right on nearly all counts, though he may have misinterpreted some of the contemporary writers he draws from. In any case, I hope this small contribution (cross-posted at Patheos) helps further the discussion. There is much about mindfulness being…
Read MoreOn Some Criticisms of Modern Mindfulness
Is the contemporary mindfulness movement a kind of “fad” that misconstrues the essential message of the Buddha? Pieces by Edwin Ng and Ron Purser (2016a, 2016b) and Stephen Schettini (2014), not to mention the earlier “McMindfulness” critique by Purser and Loy (2013) argue that this is so. Ng and Loy take an overtly “anti-capitalist stance” in their…
Read MoreEpisode 247 :: Bill Merklee :: Instant Dharma Streaming Radio
Bill Merklee Bill Merklee joins us to speak about the recently retired Instant Dharma Streaming Radio. Hi, everyone. As I mentioned in the welcome message, today we’re going to be speaking with Bill Merklee about Instant Dharma Streaming Radio. When Bill was kind enough to join me some months ago to record this interview, Instant…
Read MoreEpisode 246 :: Ira Rechtshaffer :: Mindfulness and Madness: Money, Food, Sex and the Sacred
Ira Rechtshaffer Ira Rechtshaffer joins us to speak about Mindfulness and Madness: Money, Food, Sex and the Sacred. When you hear the phrase, “you’re out of your mind”, what does that call to mind? For me, it’s tinged with madness. And that may not be quite so far from our experience, that when we’re not…
Read More