Ep. 142 - The White Lotus, The God Realm and Pop-Culture Dharma
Apr 30, 2025
Dive into a fascinating exploration of 'The White Lotus' as seen through a Buddhist lens. Discover the concept of Dharma Art and how pop culture often misses the mark on meditation. Through discussions on reincarnation and privilege, the juxtaposition of luxury and personal crises unfolds, shedding light on empathy and friendship. Plus, a critique of how Hollywood misrepresents Buddhism invites deeper reflections on mindfulness, storytelling, and spiritual authenticity. Prepare for insightful connections between creativity and spirituality!
38:49
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Culture Reflects Spiritual Worldview
Art and culture embed the dominant worldview and spirituality of a time and place.
A book about time management and how to live a more fulfilling life.
Cloud Atlas
David Mitchell
Cloud Atlas is a polyphonic compendium of interlacing but nonlinear parables. The book consists of six nested stories, each read or observed by the protagonist of the next, progressing in time through the central sixth story. The narratives range from the journal of a 19th-century American notary to the post-apocalyptic memoir of a herdsman, Zachry. Each story breaches time and space, linking through various characters and events. The novel combines elements of metafiction, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and science fiction, showcasing Mitchell's dynamic use of language and literary styles. The book explores fundamental questions of reality, identity, and the universal themes of human predation and redemption[2][3][5].
The Book of Form and Emptiness
The Book of Form and Emptiness
Ruth Ozak
Lincoln in the Bardo
Yannick Garcia Porres
George Saunders
Javier Calvo Perales
The novel is set in 1862 during the American Civil War and revolves around the death of Willie Lincoln, the 11-year-old son of President Abraham Lincoln. After Willie's death from typhoid fever, his spirit finds itself in a limbo known as the bardo, a concept borrowed from Tibetan Buddhism. Here, he encounters a diverse group of ghosts who are also trapped between the world of the living and the afterlife. The story delves into themes of grief, both personal and national, as Lincoln grapples with the loss of his son amidst the broader context of the Civil War. The novel is characterized by its unique narrative style, which includes a multitude of voices and historical quotes, and its exploration of the human experience of suffering and love[1][2][4].
True perception
the path of dharma art
Chögyam Trungpa
In this episode, Ethan does what at least 40 people have asked him to do (special shout-out to Michele S. in Iowa who convinced him to devote a whole podcast episode to it!) - share his thoughts, as a Buddhist, on Season 3 of the Max streaming series The White Lotus. To do so, he explains three different ways to look at the concept of “Dharma Art,” along with a discussion of the three realms. He also ponders why pop culture seems to so rarely depict the act of meditation itself with any experiential accuracy. Note: a few moderate spoilers (though not major ones) are in the podcast, but the first twenty minutes primarily concern Dharma Art and The “God Realm.”
Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions. Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Meditation Group starts up again on May 8th, and a special podcast/meditation on “Intuition” will be released to paid subscribers this Friday, May 2nd. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Spotify, Ethan’s Website, etc).
Check out all the cool offerings at our podcast sponsor Dharma Moon. Free video courses co-taught by Ethan and others, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download.
The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern 
