This week, we will be discussing compassion. What is it, how do we practice it, and what are some of the challenges that come with practicing in? Oftentimes, we tend to view compassion as a passing feeling. In Buddhism though, it is something to be practiced. Not just on the meditation cushion, but practiced throughout our lives in every action we do ..read more

Hello everybody! We are back, and with a new cohost! Catherine has become a nun, and so will be spending the next few years offline as she goes through monastic training. Meet Bertin—a college student from Australia and our new regular member on the podcast. This season, we will be reviewing some foundational Buddhist concepts while building up to the larger theme of the Land and Water Dharma Service, which is happening in Australia this March. A lot of times, these long services seem grueling and unnecessary, but with a bit of Buddhist background, they become incredibly profound modes of prac ..read more

Hi there! It’s been a while! Catherine and I have been really busy with school, work, and all sorts of temple happenings, so we are grateful for your patience with our episode frequency. This time, we’ve come out of hibernation to talk about the importance of voting. In Buddhism, it might seem like we are focusing inward, and that can often be misinterpreted as we should avoid any sort of interaction with the external world. However, being members of the society that we live in and can never be separated from, we must fulfill our role and engage with society. This is exemplified in the practic ..read more

We would like to first acknowledge that this episode covers a sensitive topic, specifically recent policies by the US government that have brought great harm to immigrants. This was recorded a while ago, when the media was focusing on government policies separating children from their families. Due to various temple responsibilities, we weren’t able to get it out as soon as we had hoped, but I feel like posting it now is also powerful because it has been over a month since we’ve recorded the episode, and there are still many children and families who are still going through immense suffering ..read more

When stepping into a temple for the first time, most new visitors feel overwhelmed by the amount of rules and regulations. In this episode of BuddhaPod, Catherine and Andrew talk about Buddhist etiquette—its purpose, its significance, and some personal stories regarding their experiences with monastery life ..read more

The precepts are a critical part of Buddhism. In fact, they are the very foundation that practices such as meditation and the pursuit of wisdom rely on. With the precepts being such an important part of Buddhist living, we decided to cover the topic in our fourth episode of BuddhaPod. And so, Catherine and Andrew talk about the five precepts for laypeople—the significance of the precepts, their purpose, and how we can incorporate the five precepts into our own lives. For more information, check out this amazing blog entry by Winson Yang ..read more

After attaining awakening, the Buddha traveled throughout India to teach. Along the way, he used different methods to help people of different backgrounds. In this episode, we will focus on just three of these stories. The first is of the Buddha inviting Nidhi into the Sangha, who was seen as impure and lowly by others. The second is of the Buddha teaching Angulimala, a serial killer, to stop his violence. Lastly, we discuss the story of the Buddha teaching Rahula, a young novice monk at the time. These stories express the spirit of the Buddha’s compassion—when he attained awakening, he said t ..read more

The central figure of Buddhism is the Buddha, but what does it mean to be the Buddha? Let’s get to know the Buddha as more than just a statue and learn about his life. Upon doing so, we find that our lives aren’t too different from the Buddha’s… SoundCloud Transcript Links to resources referenced in the podcast: The Biography of Sakyamuni Buddha by Ven. Master Hsing Yun and translated by Alex Wong is a book that tells the story of the Buddha according to the Chinese Mahayana tradition, covering the entire tale starting from the Buddha’s birth up until his passing into final nirvana. For furth ..read more

In the pilot episode of BuddhaPod, cohosts Catherine and Andrew introduce the podcast and discuss their paths to finding Buddhism and how it has played a part in their lives as college students. SoundCloud Transcript Ultimately, practice has to start somewhere, and although we have spent a considerable amount of time in traditional monastery settings, that kind of extended retreat experience is not always an option. For those who have other commitments, getting started in Buddhism means finding a community. This community can be in any school of Buddhism—whether that’s Theravada, Mahayana, or ..read more