The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern

With springtime in bloom, Ethan Nichtern offers a mindful optimism for thawing this bardo, nourishing the soil for rebirth. The question is: Rebirth of What? In this special solo episode of The Road Home, Ethan Nichtern builds from a podcast released this past January, Into the Bardo: What Happens Now, which illuminated the painful collective gap experienced this past winter in regards to coronavirus, politics, uncertainty, and fear. As spring thaws away the ice, moods shift, politics hopefully become less volatile, and vaccines begin to roll out, Ethan shares a cautiously optimistic sentiment, exploring the metaphor of spring through the Buddhist lens of rebirth, investigating the very direct question: the rebirth of what? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of The Road Home, Ann Gleig joins Ethan Nichtern for a conversation about her book, American Dharma, and the state of postmodern Buddhism in the Western world.  Ann Gleig is an associate professor of religion and cultural studies at the University of Central Florida. She is the author of American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Modernity  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Writer, Chenxing Han, joins Ethan to discuss the intersection of race and privilege within Western Buddhism, focusing on giving voice to the Asian American Buddhist minority. Chenxing Han is a Bay Area–based writer whose publications have appeared in Buddhadharma, Journal of Global Buddhism, Lion’s Roar, Pacific World, Tricycle, and elsewhere. She holds a BA from Stanford University and an MA in Buddhist studies from the Graduate Theological Union. After studying chaplaincy at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California she worked in spiritual care at a nearby community hospital in Oakland. Her first book, Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists, was published by North Atlantic Books in January 2021. This episode is dedicated to Chenxing's friend and inspiring fellow crusader in Buddhism and race relations; the late, great, Angry Asian Buddhist, Aaron J. Lee: "The real issue for young Buddhists in the Asian-American community is that there are very few Buddhist communities that they can go to without having to suppress part of their identity." – Aaron J. Lee See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Through the lenses of dharma & collective karma, Ethan Nichtern explores the polarizing political climate & extremism that stoked the January 6th, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Performer Sarah Jones joins Ethan to discuss how her empowered multicultural cross-section of meditation, comedy, & social justice creates such entertainingly potent political activism. Sarah is a Tony® Award-winning performer, writer, comedian and activist. Called “a master of the genre” by ​The New York Times​, Sarah is known for her multi-character, one-person shows, including Broadway hit ​Bridge & Tunnel​, and the critically-acclaimed show ​Sell/Buy/Date​. She has given multiple main-stage TED Talks garnering millions of views and performed for President and First Lady Obama at the White House. Sarah recently launched Foment Productions, a social justice-focused entertainment company aligned with her progressive, intersectional activism. She has appeared in film and TV projects ranging from Sesame Street to ​Marriage Story,​ and she will next be seen in an upcoming Netflix dramedy series, ​On the Verge. Learn more about Sarah's work at sarahjonesonline.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Exploring 2020 through the lens of the Tibetan bardos, Ethan Nichtern illuminates the awareness and aspiration involved in integrating the personal, interpersonal, and collective levels of our being. Returning from a short hiatus, Ethan Nichtern begins the show by sharing rawly about his struggle with seizures at the hands of his recently diagnosed epilepsy. Offering compassion for anyone effected by illness right now, he explains his personal healing journey, before zooming out to the pressing global issue of the surging coronavirus pandemic. Touching on both the gross and acute trauma created through this pandemic, Ethan invites us to step into the bardo, and ask, "What happens now?" See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dharma teacher Sebene Selassie returns to The Road Home for a conversation about her new book, and why we all need to respond to the call for connection. Sebene Selassie has studied Buddhism for over thirty years. She received a BA from McGill University in religious and women’s studies and an MA from the New School, where she focused on cultural studies and race. For over twenty years, Sebene worked with children, youth, and families nationally and internationally for small and large not-for-profits. Sebene lives on unceded Lenape Territory in Brooklyn, NY. Her work has taken her everywhere from the Tenderloin in San Francisco to refugee camps in Guinea, West Africa. She has been teaching meditation workshops, courses, and retreats for over a decade and is one of the most popular teachers on the Ten Percent Happier app. Her first book, “You Belong: A Call for Connection” was published by HarperOne in August. Learn more about Sebene’s offerings at sebeneselassie.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Through a Buddhist lens, Shannon Watts and Ethan discuss harnessing the ancient and cultural power of motherhood to enact change in 2020. Shannon Watts, a mother of five, social activist, and Buddhist practitioner; is the founder of Moms Demand Action, a leading force for gun violence prevention, and is an active board member of Emerge America and Rise to Run, two of the nation’s leading organizations for recruiting and training women to run for office. Watts is a contributor to The Huffington Post and Medium, and her writing has appeared in Vogue, Time, and The Washington Post. Shannon recently authored, Fight Like a Mother: How a Grassroots Movement Took on the Gun Lobby and Why Women Will Change the World. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ralph De La Rosa joins Ethan to talk Western psychology meeting Buddha Nature, mindfulness as psychic survival, and normalizing dharmic rage. Ralph De La Rosa, LCSW, is an author, psychotherapist, meditation teacher, Buddhist philosopher, and student of Amma. He leads healing retreats at Omega Institute, Spirit Rock, and Kripalu, and his work has been featured in the New York Post, CNN, GQ, SELF, Women's Health, and many more. For information on Ralph's ongoing work and his new book, Don't Tell Me to Relax: Emotional Resilience in the Age of Rage, Feels, and Freak Outs, head over to ralphdelarosa.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Committed yogi and political strategist Reggie Hubbard joins Ethan Nichtern for a conversation about the union of politics and spirituality, and the sacred importance of voting.  Reggie Hubbard is currently a senior political strategist for MoveOn, managing their relationships, impact and communications with Capitol Hill. He has previously worked on presidential campaigns for John Kerry and Bernie Sanders. In addition to his political work, Reggie is a certified yoga teacher who has taught members of Congress, sharing techniques for growing peace and ease as a foundation, not an afterthought. Learn more about Reggie at activepeaceyoga.com and follow him on Instagram. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.