The Lion’s Roar Podcast

Meditations, interviews, dharma talks and audio features to awaken your heart and mind. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’ve been publishing for decades about every aspect of life through the lense of dharma, collecting the works of leading Buddhist teachers on topics ranging from everyday mindfulness practice to facing your fears, protecting and connecting to the Earth, taking social action, and even knowing when not to take action. The Lion's Roar Podcast is where you'll hear the voices of these teachers, as well as practitioners and creative minds who have been inspired by them. Their voices tell the stories of how Buddhist wisdom can fit into your real life whether you’re Buddhist or not. Below you'll find an up-to-date list of our podcast archive. Listen and enjoy! Hilma af Klint and the Five Buddha Families with Kevin Townley. Writer, filmmaker, actor, singer, and meditation teacher, Kevin Townley talks about his latest book featuring women whose work exemplifies each of the five wisdom energies (aka ‘families’) in Tibetan Buddhism, how the energies can show up in daily life, and how the spiritualist abstract artist Hilma af Klint embodied the wisdom energy of emptiness. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind with Zenju Earthlyn Manuel. From her first encounter with Zen to her life as a poet, Black activist, and Zen teacher in Suzuki Roshi’s lineage, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel shares her journey and how it has been informed by the wisdom of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. The New Wave of Mindfulness with Christiane Wolf. Former physician, and internationally known mindfulness and Insight meditation teacher, Christiane Wolf is well versed in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, and classical Buddhist mindfulness. Wolf talks about the early days of the modern mindfulness movement, how Insight and mindfulness communities inform each other, and how mindfulness-based approaches can be used in cognitive therapy and pain management. Travel as a Spiritual Experience with Pico Iyer. Pico Iyer, author of dozens of books including The Lady and the Monk and The Art of Stillness, talks to Lion’s Roar editor in chief Melvin McLeod about the profound wonder that travel invites, how he came to cherish the feeling of wandering in the unknown, and how he came to find a home within himself. Medicine for Internalized Racism with Karla Jackson-Brewer. Karla Jackson-Brewer is a senior teacher with the Tara Mandala Buddhist Retreat Center, and longtime student of Lama Tsultrim Allione. In this conversation, Lion’s Roar’s Pamela Ayo Yetunde Talks to her about internalized racism and the medicine Buddhism can offer to heal it. The Secret to Happiness with Robert Waldinger. Psychiatrist and Zen teacher Robert Waldinger directs the Harvard Study of Adult Development—a 75 year-long study on happiness, spanning lifetimes. He speaks with Lion’s Roar’s Melvin McLeod about the nature of happiness as found in the study, and how it all connects with what Buddhism has to say about suffering. Kinship and Community with Pamela Ayo Yetunde Through the metaphor of Indra’s Net, Lion’s Roar’s associate editor Pamela Ayo Yetunde calls for a “compassion revolution” in her new book, Casting Indra's Net: Fostering Spiritual Kinship and Community. She talks with fellow LR editor Noel Alumit about the deep challenges that lead to violence, and how we can heal from them together. The Dharma of Harriet Tubman with Spring Washam Lion’s Roar’s Pamela Ayo Yetunde talks to Spring Washam, author of The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground, about the power of calling upon the spirit of this veritable bodhisattva to heal the particular wounds of American injustice and tragedy. The Practice of Writing with Natalie Goldberg Zen practitioner, painter, and author of fifteen books, Natalie Goldberg talks to Lion’s Roar editor Andrea Miller about how writing can be a practice of studying your mind. The Evolution of the Mindfulness Movement with Diana Winston Author of The Little Book of Being: Practices and Guidance for Uncovering Your Natural Awareness, and co-author of Fully present: The Science, Art and Practice of Mindfulness, Diana Winston is one of the best-known teachers of mindfulness in the United States. Noami Matlow is a Mindfulness Studies Masters student, and former intern at Lion’s Roar. She asks Diana Winston about significant changes in the mindfulness movement, the relationship between the movement and Buddhism, and what might come next in the evolution of the movement. New Year’s Prayers from Roshi Joan Halifax and Leigh Brasington on The Path to Peace by Ayya Khema Roshi Joan Halifax, Upaya Zen Center founder and head teacher, offers two prayers for the New Year–or any time of the year. Then, the editor of a posthumous release from the trailblazing modern Buddhist nun and teacher, Ayya Khema, talks about the “force of nature” that she was–her adventurous life, her teachings on metta (loving-kindness) and her practices. Editor Leigh Brasington, who practiced and trained with her, also leads a practice in the Ayya Khema style. The Eightfold Path Adult Graphic Novel with Steven Barnes, Charles Johnson and Bryan Moss This Buddhist, Afrofuturist comic book co-authored by Steven Barnes and Charles Johnson and illustrated by Bryan Moss, is an anthology of interconnected parables inspired by the teachings of Buddha. Together with Lion’s Roar’s Pamela Ayo Yetunde, its creators discuss the power and process of storytelling through a Black lens and in a Buddhist context. Why We Meditate with Tsokyni Rinpoche and Daniel Goleman Exactly what is meditation good for? What does it do? Daniel Goleman and Tsokyni Rinpoche talk about their new book Why We Meditate: The Science and Practice of Clarity and Compassion. Calm Abiding and the Divine Abodes with Lama Tsomo Buddhist teacher Lama Tsomo talks about her new book, Deepening Wisdom, Deepening Connection, shamatha meditation, the four prized emotions referred to as the “Divine Abodes,” and how to find your own Buddhist teacher, including a “calm abiding” meditation. The Trauma of Caste with Thenmozhi Soundararajan Thenmozhi Soundararajan, Dalit civil rights organizer and author of the forthcoming book, The Trauma of Caste, speaks with Lion’s Roar associate editor Noel Alumit about being classified as “untouchable,” how caste oppression relates to civil rights in the Western world, and what Buddhists can do about it. Being Open to What Works for You with Mushim Patricia Ikeda Lion’s Roar’s Rod Meade Sperry sits down with Mushim Patricia Ikeda, a teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center with a background in Japanese and Korean Zen and Vipassana. Recently, as she thinks about the passing of time and, ultimately, death, she’s taken a different direction of practice, exploring the end of life in the Vajrayana tradition. Mindfulness of Race with Ruth King Founder of the Mindful of Race Institute, and author of Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out, Ruth King talks to Lion’s Roar Associate Editor Pamela Ayo Yetunde about the Brave Space program, how to approach talking about race, and how mindfulness can heal racial wounds. The Practice of Meditation with Yung Pueblo Diego Perez is the name behind the New York Times bestselling book, Clarity and Connection, written under the pen name, Yung Pueblo. His upcoming book Lighter, promises a “radically compassionate plan for turning inward and lifting the heaviness that prevents us from healing ourselves and the world.” Lion’s Roar Associate Editor Mariana Restrepo asks about his story–his life and family, how he established a consistent practice of meditation, and recommendations for your own practice. First, a quick preview of the upcoming issue of Lion’s Roar magazine from Lion’s Roar’s Melvin McLeod and Andrea Miller. That Bird Has My Wings book review and The Buddhist Enneagram with Susan Piver New York Times bestselling author Susan Piver takes a well-known typology of personality types, and applies Buddhist principles to demonstrate how it can provide support on the path to deeper compassion for yourself and others. Then, Rod Meade Sperry reads a review of That Bird Has My Wings by imprisoned Buddhist author, Jarvis Jay Masters, which was recently selected for Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club. ‘We're Not Who You Think We Are’ with Chenxing Han Author of Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists, Chenxing Han reads her article examining the stereotypes that have marginalized Asian American Buddhists, and the rich diversity of a new generation of practitioners. Beauty in the Bittersweet with Susan Cain and ‘Not Enlightened Yet’ by Miguel Chen Sad music, rainy days – there’s beauty in the bittersweet state of mind. This state of mind can teach us about creativity, compassion, leadership, spirituality, mortality and love. Here, Lion’s Roar associate editor Chris Pacheco talks with Susan Cain about the surprising lessons we can learn from sorrow and longing. Also, Miguel Chen, director of the Dallas Meditation Center, reads his article on how to keep up your spiritual practice when enlightenment and wisdom seem unattainable. The Breath Is Your Partner with Trudy Goodman Mindfulness is effective when used properly, but the deep techniques of the Buddhist form of meditation known as Insight (or Vipassana) are truly the heart of mindfulness practice, and often go unaddressed. Trudy Goodman, Founder of InsightLA, talks about breath awareness, why it’s so important, and how to experience the true grounding power of mindfulness meditation. Racism, Suffering, and the Joy of Freedom with Kamilah Majied Dr. Kamilah Majied is an expert on building inclusivity and equity using meditative practices. She talks to Lion’s Roar’s Pamela Ayo Yetunde about internalized racism in America, the nature of suffering, how to triumph over that suffering as a racialized person, and how we can all find a more freeing, joyous...

The Lion’s Roar Podcast

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