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The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Ethan Nichtern
The Road Home podcast with author and teacher is Ethan Nichtern is a contemporary exploration of Buddhist teachings and conversation with thought leaders interested in Psychology, Art, Culture, and Politics through the lens of mindfulness practice. Since 2002, Ethan has taught meditation and Buddhist psychology classes and workshops around the United States and online. He is the author of multiple books, including The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of The Buddhist Path. He is currently the head of the Yearlong Buddhist Studies Program for Dharmamoon.com. More info at EthanNichtern.com
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 2 days ago41 min
Ep. 185 - Trump in The Bardo
With apologies to Buddhist author George Saunders, this title came to me as I was reflecting on the recent American midterm elections and their implications for the practice of democracy, interdependence, and what it means to inhabit the gap between past and future without grasping onto habitual projections. What just happened? Where do we go from here? Enjoy this special episode of The Road Home podcast. (Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.) (This and all episodes available wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place). More cool resources Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! Thinking of joining us for the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program next year? You can join in 2027 on Tuesday evenings for the first Yearlong Buddhist Studies Course or you can join the Advanced Buddhist Studies Group on Wednesdays. Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place). Image of the Hungry Ghost realm via Lions Roar magazine.
- 3 weeks ago42 min
Ep. 184 - You're Definitely Going To Die, But Probably Not Today
On the latest episode of The Road Home podcast, I talk about classic Buddhist teachings that remind us about the basic facts of life, and go over a recent conversation I had with my 9-year-old daughter about her interest in—and aversion to—to the truth of death. Using a classic list called the Five Remembrances, we discuss how to shift our relationship to the truth of impermanence in a more positive (dare I even say, happier?) direction while keeping in mind, in the words of one Buddhist teacher, that "You can't attend your own funeral." (Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.) (This and all episodes available wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place). More cool resources: Here is the link to the text of the Five Remembrances as translated by Thich Nhat Hanh. Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! Thinking of joining us for the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program next year? Sign up free for this evening discussion of the program and why it might be Time to Go Deeper: Why The Dharma Matters Now. You can join in 2027 on Tuesday evenings for the first Yearlong Buddhist Studies Course or you can join the Advanced Buddhist Studies Group on Wednesdays. Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).
- Sep 17, 202642 min
Ep. 183 - Conscious Parents, Conscious Daughters, Conscious Sons with Dr. Shefali
On the latest episode of The Road Home podcast, I am joined by bestselling author, clinical psychologist and Buddhist meditator Dr. Shefali. Her work combines Western psychology with Eastern wisdom, and explores the challenges facing both parents and children (and the inner child in all of us) from a crucial perspective of authenticity and presence. This week she simultaneously released not one but two new books at once: Raising Conscious Daughters and Raising Conscious Sons. We discussed working with fear, insecurity, perfectionism, aggression, and the longing to connect with others. We also discussed screens! Of course we discussed what to do about our kids—and our own—screens. Have a listen. (Last year, with your subscriptions via substack, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.) Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). Dr. Shefali is a clinical psychologist, a New York Times bestselling author, and the founder of the Conscious Parenting movement, redefining how families understand selfhood, connection, and the inner life of children. She works where psychology meets consciousness, tracing the hidden forces that shape identity, relationships, and the way weinhabit the world. Trained at Columbia University, she has spent decades guiding families to move beyond patterns of control and fear toward presence and authenticity. Her work brings Western psychology and Eastern wisdom into lived practice, creating a path for children—and the adults who raise them—to know themselves fully. This week she simultaneously released two new books at once: Raising Conscious Daughters and Raising Conscious Sons. (This and all episodes available wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place). More cool resources: Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! Thinking of joining us for the Yearlong Buddhist Studies program next year? Sign up free for this evening discussion of the program and why it might be Time t
- Sep 8, 202646 min
Ep 182 - The Three Poisons
On the latest episode of The Road Home podcast, we dive into one of the deepest and most crucial teachings of Buddhist philosophy of the mind: the three poisons. These could also be called the three confused habitual responses to the present moment. In this dharma talk, we go "under the hood" of how our moment by moment experience unfolds, and how our observation of our confusion can be simplified to the exploration of three simple momentary experiences, as well as our three confused reactions to them. The episode ends with a simple and practical labelling practice which the Buddha taught to begin to watch how—when we're not paying attention— the three poisons develop out of our natural and healthy responses to the present moment. Enjoy. (Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.) (Episode available wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place). (Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.) Show Notes and More cool resources: Read the book The Road Home for more insights into the mechanism of the three poisons and how we can transform our experience of them. For the mentioned book by John Welwood, you can find Toward A Psychology of Awakening here. Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! A new free video course from Ethan on Metta (lovingkindness) meditation is now available at this link. Sign up for our Fall retreat at the Garrison Institute at this link. Stay tuned for registration for the 2027 Yearlong Buddhist Studies program (and The Advanced Buddhist Studies Program), which begins on 26th, 2027. Registration coming very soon. Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).
- Aug 3, 202654 min
Ep. 181 - You Must Be Somebody Before You Can Be Nobody with Noel Coakley
On the latest episode of The Road Home podcast, Ethan was joined by friend Noel Coakley. A brilliant and kind psychotherapist and Dharma teacher, Noel has a style as a spiritual thinker and teacher all his own. They discussed his journey into working with the mind, his interest in relational mindfulness and psychology, how The Beastie Boys got him into the Dharma, and what it's like to teach Buddhist meditation at a Bluegrass festival. Ethan also tried to rope Noel into Ethan's controversial theory that Siddhartha Gautama demonstrated the path of awakening for an individual with an avoidant attachment style. Finally, we discussed Noel's teaching work and his new book, Wake Up Sleepy Buddha. (Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.) Noel Coakley has more than thirty years of experience as a meditation practitioner and dharma teacher, primarily within the Yungdrung Bön and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. For the past fourteen years, he has also worked as a licensed psychotherapist, integrating contemplative practice with contemporary Western psychology. His work focuses on making authentic Buddhist teachings approachable without diminishing their depth, helping people find a clear and welcoming path beyond introductory mindfulness. Through meditation retreats, classes, clinical work, and now his book Wake Up Sleepy Buddha, Noel bridges traditional Buddhist wisdom with modern life through direct experience, practical application, and plainspoken language. Learn more at: www.wakeupsleepybuddha.com/about (Episode available wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place). (Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here.) Show Notes and More cool resources: The quote which titles this podcast is from an interview between Wes Nisker and Psychologist Jack Engler. Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! A new free video course from Ethan on Metta (lovingkindness) meditation is now available at this link. Sign up for our Fall retreat at the Garrison Institute at this link. Sign up for the August online visualization meditation workshop here. Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place).
- Jul 7, 20261h 4m
Ep. 180 - What's Up With The Dudes? with Dr. Chris Willard
Recently I was talking to my friend Dr. Chris Willard, and he mentioned a desire to have a conversation about the effects of patriarchy on men, and especially younger men, from both a psychological and spiritual perspective. Like myself, Chris is a progressive Buddhist dad, and like me, he cares about helping people develop a more emotionally attuned approach to life. Chris has a particular clinical focus on working with younger people, including younger boys and men. What followed was a wide-ranging (and only slightly rambling, but hey, it's a podcast!) conversation that explored the current (troubled) state of masculinity from a spiritual, psychological, scientific, cultural and political perspective. Dr. Christopher Willard, (Psy. D.) is a clinical psychologist, author and consultant based in Massachusetts. He has spoken in forty countries, and has presented at two TEDx events. He is the author of twenty books, including Alphabreaths, Growing Up Mindful, Feelings are Like Farts, and The Neuroscience of Negotiation. His thoughts on mental health have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, mindful.org, cnn.com, and elsewhere. He teaches at Harvard Medical School. Subscribe now (Episode available wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, Substack and every other pod place). Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here. Show Notes and More cool resources: Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! A new free video course from Ethan on Metta (lovingkindness) meditation is now available at this link. Sign up for our Fall retreat at the Garrison Institute at this link. Sign up for the August visualization meditation workshop here. Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). Subscribe now You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc).
- Jun 22, 202654 min
Ep. 179 - The Power of Women Spiritual Teachers with Erica Bassani
After a brief memorial to the late Tenzin Robert Thurman, Ethan welcomes author and seeker Erica Bassani to discuss her new book, Women in Love with the Divine. Erica's book explores what it means to be a woman committed to a relationship with the sacred in today's world. On a quest to answer this question for herself, Erica Bassani shares stories from her encounters with a dozen women spiritual teachers from Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Nondual traditions. They discuss her own spiritual journey, beginning with the study of the earliest Buddhist teachings, and explore her encounters and interviews with women wisdom holders from a wide variety of traditions. Erica Bassani is a writer based in Italy, and the author of the recently released Women in Love with the Divine. A graduate of the Academy of Storytelling in Turin, she spent a year living in a Theravadan Buddhist monastery at the age of 23. Since then, she has turned to female spiritual teachers from diverse traditions to help her navigate her inner journey. She created the Women Awakening Project—an initiative that highlights the wisdom of female spiritual role models and explores spiritual practice through the lens of women's experiences—to share their wisdom and create a bridge between generations of seekers. Bassani is also the Italian translator of The Four Noble Truths of Love by Susan Piver. <img class="sizing-normal" src= "https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mDZa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5976176-2fc2-4bd8-a39e-53e00c69794e_2460x1640.heic" sizes="100vw" srcset= "https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mDZa!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5976176-2fc2-4bd8-a39e-53e00c69794e_2460x1640.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mDZa!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5976176-2fc2-4bd8-a39e-53e00c69794e_2460x1640.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mDZa!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5976176-2fc2-4bd8-a39e-53e00c69794e_2460x1640.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mDZa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc5976176-2fc2-4bd8-a39e-53e00c69794e_2460x1640.heic 1456w" alt="" width="468" height="312.10714285714283" data-attrs= "{"src":"https://substac
- Jun 9, 202641 min
Ep. 178 - What Acceptance Means (and What It Doesn't)
In this solo episode, Ethan takes on the practice of "acceptance." He gets into the nitty gritty of how frequently we spiritual folks misinterpret the meaning of acceptance, turning it into an unhealthy bypass of what we're actually experiencing. By doing so, we miss the transformative (and not at all passive!) possibilities of what practicing acceptance can truly do for ourselves and others. He offers a three-step practice for working with acceptance, and applies this to practicing acceptance of both painful and pleasant circumstances. Along the way, he discusses the tantric concept of "one taste" and analyzes why we get caught up saying "someone pinch me" when good things happen to us. (Episode available here now, or wherever you get your "pods," Apple, Ethan's Website, and every other pod place after 12pm ET on Tues June 9th). Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here. Show Notes and More cool resources: Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! A new free video course from Ethan on Metta (lovingkindness) meditation is now available at this link. Sign up for our Fall retreat at the Garrison Institute at this link. Sign up for the August Daylong Retreat on Visualization Meditation at this link. Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website.
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About The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern
The Road Home podcast with author and teacher is Ethan Nichtern is a contemporary exploration of Buddhist teachings and conversation with thought leaders interested in Psychology, Art, Culture, and Politics through the lens of mindfulness practice. Since 2002, Ethan has taught meditation and Buddhist psychology classes and workshops around the United States and online. He is the author of multiple books, including The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of The Buddhist Path. He is currently the head of the Yearlong Buddhist Studies Program for Dharmamoon.com. More info at EthanNichtern.com
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