The One You Feed

Bob Thurman on How to Find Bliss

Sep 10, 2021

Bob Thurman, a leading scholar in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and president of Tibet House US, dives into the idea of finding bliss through understanding reality. He discusses his book, Wisdom is Bliss, explaining how our civilization's fear shapes our lives. Thurman shares four transformative facts, emphasizing responsibility and a shift from self-centeredness to altruism. The conversation highlights love as the essence of reality, advocating for compassion and mindfulness as pathways to true happiness. Dive into insights that challenge conventional thinking and inspire personal growth!

51:11

Creator website

Episode guests

Bob Thurman

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

3min

The Two Wolves: Choice and Responsibility

18min

Exploring the Nature of Human Existence and Responsibility

6min

The Burden of Self-Centeredness

12min

Exploring the Essence of Buddhist Principles and Practice

5min

Mindfulness and Compassion: A Path to Freedom

10min

A Heartfelt Conclusion on Balance and Community Support

2min

Bob Thurman is a professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University. He’s also the President of the Tibet House US, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan civilization. He’s also the President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies.

In this episode, Bob and Eric discuss his book, Wisdom is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life

But wait – there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you!

In This Interview, Bob Thurman and I Discuss How to Find Bliss and …

His book: Wisdom is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life
How our civilization is based on fear
The wisdom in the bliss view is that reality is good and that you get back what you put into it.
The Four Friendly Fun Facts he renamed from the four noble truths
How altruism strengthens our sense of self-worth
To be noble means you become more “we” oriented than “me” oriented
The deepest level of reality is love, abundance, energy
First Friendly Fact is to take responsibility to understand our ultimate reality or we will suffer
Second Friendly Fact is the diagnosis- to understand that we are not the center of everything
Third Friendly Fact is the prognosis or needing to unlearn and opening ourselves to what we really are
Fourth Friendly Fact is the “therapy” or the eightfold path of how we can open our own minds to find freedom and bliss
Our tendency to see things as absolute rather than relative
Investigation is the real practice of Buddhism and meditation is a tool
Realistic mindfulness is noticing what’s going on in the real world
The three types of wisdom are born of learning, unlearning, and freedom

Bob Thurman Links:

Best Fiends: Engage your brain and play a game of puzzles with Best Fiends. Download for free on the Apple App Store or Google Play.

If you enjoyed this conversation with Bob Thurman, you might also enjoy these other episodes:

Robert Thurman on Buddhism and The Dalai Lama

Paul Hannam on The Wisdom of Groundhog Day

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.