Using the recent solar eclipse (and a few suprising responses to Ethan celebrating it) as a jumping off point, Ethan looks at the worldviews of scientific materialism and animism, Ethan looks at the role of magic in developing a grounded but awe-inspired approach to our spiritual practice. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training starting June 14. Also check out  upcoming in-person retreats in May and June. ...

How do you go from a life in fashion to being a well-known and respected spiritual teacher and icon? Ethan is joined by friend, teacher and author of the brand new book Spiritually, We (out now) for a discussion of Sah's path into meditation, Buddhism, developing his own movement-based practice system and becoming a teacher and healer. Check out all the cool offerings at our sponsor Dharma Moon, including upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training starting June 14. Also check out  ...

Starting off from the recent work—and calling out—of scientist and wellness personality Andrew Huberman, Ethan explores the relationship between trying to control one's biological reality in relationship to controlling one's environment and relationships. Ethan looks at discipline from a Buddhist perspective, and how the practice of discipline leads us—ironically—to let go of control and perhaps, in turn, experience real joy. Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including...

Is "Buddhist Guilt" a thing? How does it stop us from meditating? Using his own experience with himself, students, and the classic teachings, Ethan's gives tips for how to work with obstacles that stop us from meditating and that obstruct our practice when we get to the meditation seat. Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including the upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training beginning March 22, 2024. Also check out upcoming in-person retreats in May and June. ...

Using American political media's obsessive focus on (only one of) the presidential candidate's advanced age, Ethan examines a Buddhist view on the ways in which aging brings about both greater wisdom and, perhaps, greater stuckness, and the ways in which youth includes great imagination and also impatience. Ethan examines the concepts of eldership, mentorship, and lineage from a Buddhist perspective and examines his own growth path "aging" as a person, as a Buddhist student and teacher, over...

Ethan discusses the Buddhist practice of generosity by looking at an amazing billionaire's gift by Dr. Ruth Gottesman, another famous billionaire's apocalypse bunker, and, of course, the annual headache of doing your taxes. Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including the upcoming Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training beginning March 22, 2024. Also check out upcoming in-person retreats in May and June. For an easily downloadable, self-paced video course to establish a...

Holding the awful events of the world in mind, Ethan discusses anxiety as we try to hold together our personal world, our relationships, and the larger world in chaos. He goes further into the nooks and crannies of the four noble truths in relation to generalized anxiety, and closes by offering a guided meditation to work with your anxiety right now.   Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including the free online event on Feb 27 with David Nichtern and Robert Thurman, "Teaching...

In this inventive episode, Ethan discusses our obsession with apocalyptic thinking using the four noble truths. A lifelong fan of science fiction, he discusses the Buddhist roots of dystopian obsession, and the confusing craving to annihilate existence in the question for peace.  Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including the free online event on Feb 27 with David Nichtern and Robert Thurman, "Teaching Mindfulness and The Role of The Teacher." Also check out upcoming...

Ethan is joined by author, teacher and writing coach Lisa Weinert.  They discuss the power of storytelling as both a spiritual and psychological method for healing. They also talk about why the act of writing is so excruciating, as well as the relationship between storytelling and embodiment. They definitely do not discuss their 9th Grade English teacher, Mr. Hubner. Lisa is the author of the book Narrative Healing: Awaken the Power of Your Story (Hachette, 2023). She has taught and lectured...

Ethan discusses the often confusing term "Basic Goodness." He breaks down some thoughts on why the term—and the transformative experience it points toward—can be elusive and confusing. He also goes into some of the historical origins of the term that illuminate its meaning and offers tools for how to work with it to ask wise questions about our experience in both meditation and everyday life. Check out all the cool offerings at Dharma Moon, including the free online event with David Nichtern...

Ethan is joined by author and teacher Deborah Eden Tull. Eden’s Buddhist teaching emphasizes the personal, interpersonal, transpersonal, societal, ecological, mystical, and global impacts of awareness practice. Her current focus is Sacred Activism, empowering people in conscious response and regenerative leadership as we collectively navigate the climate crisis. She is a member of the national Eco-Dharma Advisory Committee of Buddhist teachers and leaders in the eco-dharma movement. Eden’s...

Ethan gives his "hot takes" as an active participant and casual observer of American politics on the severely compromised state of American democracy. He addresses the idea that we are all burnt out on America, and discusses the three aspects of compassionate action, and why, for the benefit of ourselves and others, getting off our screens and into simple participatory action is key. For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com Also, check out Dharma Moon’s upcoming...

Ethan is joined by author, teacher, Nonviolent Communication trainer and Somatic Experiencing practitioner Oren Jay Sofer. They discuss being "dharma dads," not having enough time to practice meditation with a kid, how to make classic teachings modern, Oren's new book Your Heart Was Made For This, and Oren's complex experience of being a Jewish and Buddhist American in the wake of the atrocities in Palestine and Israel.  Oren has practiced meditation in the early Buddhist tradition since...

Ethan is joined by friend, author, meditation teacher, and mutual aid activist Shelly Tygielski. They discuss the grind of modern work life, the experience of Enoughness, alternative economic models and the power of mutual aid. Shelly runs a popular Instagram feed, @mindfulskatergirl. As a philanthropist and social activist, Shelly Tygielski has been hailed by individuals ranging from President Joe Biden to Arianna Huffington and Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn to Maria Shriver. She is the founder of...

Ethan discusses the question of "God" from a Buddhist perspective, examining the ideas of theism, atheism, and non-theism. He delves into ways the concepts of God, gods, and goddesses are already relevant to Buddhist thought, and also talks about the salvation that does and doesn't happen at a Taylor Swift concert. For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com Also, check out the  upcoming free online lecture (Jan 9): Right Livelihood - What Buddhism Can Learn From...

Ethan discusses the difference between resolution, intention and aspiration as we head into the New Year, along with the wellness phenomenon of "Quitter's Day." For more info on Ethan visit  EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com Also, check out the  upcoming free online lecture: Right Livelihood - What Buddhism Can Learn From Capitalism  and  Dharma Moon’s Yearlong Buddhist Studies program . For an easily downloadable, self-paced video course to establish a mindfulness meditation practice,...

Ethan is joined by friend, bestselling author, dharma practitioner and astrologer Juliana McCarthy. They discuss the odd scientific precision of astrology and this moment in astrological history, which McCarthy calls arguably "the most significant astrological moment in human history."  Juliana runs a popular Instagram feed, @etherealculture. She gives talks regularly and leads various workshops and retreats. If you’re interested in online talks, videos, and class, visit her Patreon page...

In this episode, Ethan talks with his friend, mentor and teacher Sharon Salzberg about the power of studying Buddhism within a supportive community for working with one's mind and other's effectively and compassionately at a time of turmoil. Ethan also presents a deep overview of Dharma Moon's Yearlong Buddhist Studies Program which begins on Tuesday, Jan 23, 2024. For more info visit EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com. For more info on Sharon Salzberg, please visit SharonSalzberg.com

In this episode, Ethan discusses the importance of reflecting in meditation on the past (the past year, in this case) as a means of working with our karma or habitual patterns before we set resolutions or intentions for the time ahead. He also wonders, as a parent, how so many Encanto and Taylor Swift songs made it onto his streaming service playlists for the year in review. For more info visit EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com.

Ethan is joined by friend and Yearlong Buddhist Studies teaching colleague Lou Sharma to discuss her funny pandemic invention called DRAIN meditation, the pros and cons of the strategies we employ to deal with ourselves when the world is on fire, and the pitfalls of corporate life and trying to teach both mindfulness and ethics in the corporate world. For more info visit EthanNichtern.com and DharmaMoon.com Lou Sharma is a meditation teacher and brand strategy consultant based in Charlotte,...

In this relaunch of the podcast, Ethan explores the dangers of trying to have emotional conversations in algorithm-driven online spaces, and explores the relationship between perception, emotion, and concepts when we try to listen to ourselves, listen to each other, and hold space for the atrocities of the world. Visit http://ethannichtern.com for more info and visit http://dharmamoon.com for online programs, free events, meditation teacher trainings, and to here more about the Yearlong...

Discussing the dharma of politics, Ethan Nichtern delves into the creation of suffering and shifting into a more intentional era in 2023. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow Registration is almost closed for Dharma Moon’s Yearlong Buddhist Studies Info Session with Ethan Nichtern ET: Learn More “I like the teachings within the complexity that bring us back to...

Ethan Nichtern welcomes David Nichtern back to the show for an extremely moist conversation around communication, community, interdependence, aging, and much more.  David Nichtern is the Founder of Dharma Moon and the host of the Creativity, Spirituality & Making a Buck podcast on Be Here Now Network. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow Register now for Dharma...

Exploring relativity and ultimate truth, Ethan Nichtern and Author Caverly Morgan discuss reconciling what we learn in our practice with the noise of the world. Caverly Morgan is a meditation teacher, author, speaker, and nonprofit founder. She is the founder and Lead Contemplative of Peace in Schools—a nonprofit which created the nation's first for-credit mindfulness class in public high schools. She is also the founder of Presence Collective, a community of cross-cultural contemplatives...