Buddhability

As we enter into a most unusual holiday season, we’re thinking a lot about what family means and how tapping into your Buddhability can impact your loved ones. If you’ve ever felt unsure of your place in your family, or like you wish you could connect with them better, this story is worth a listen. Priya Gunaseharan shares the story of how she found her own voice by helping her grandmother find hers, entirely through a series of phone calls. Key takeaway: If you try your best to accept others the way they are, you’ll find you can finally do the same for yourself.Cheat sheet:00:35 Introduction to the episode3:25 How Priya started chanting5:17 Why she struggled to express herself within her family9:18 How she decided to start calling her grandma14:47 What to do when you love someone who can be also hurtful18:03 What Priya chanted about24:46 What her dream for her family is28:04 What she learned about her grandmother29:58 How Priya feels in her family now 

This week’s episode is about how to build the confidence to pursue a big dream. Seon Yeop Jung shares how he using chanting and goal-setting to rebuild the confidence he lost due to bullying. By pursuing one small goal after another, he discovered his dream of being a scientist and educator. Key takeaway: If you don’t believe in yourself right now because of whatever you may have faced in the past, it’s OK. Just start wherever you are with one small goal and you’ll discover your purpose along the way.Cheatsheet:0:35 Introduction to Seon4:30 How bullying affected his childhood8:29 What he realized when he started chanting11:59 Why he set a goal of studying for 10 hours13:50 How achieving minor goals can build your confidence 16:58 How to apply chanting to specific goals19:08 What if you get stuck?23:16 How having supportive friends can help24:53 What Seon’s dream is now27:24 3 keys to never giving up29:46 Seon’s advice to anyone pursuing a dream30:44 Today’s key takeaway

This week, we’re talking about love. Well, specifically what it takes to be in a committed relationship for the long haul. Ian and Audrey McIlraith, who are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this year, tell us the story of how they overcame their own fears of being alone and of being good enough, to create a happy family. Here are their secrets: if you want to find a life partner and stay together through life’s storms, you need to be willing to confront your fears, see yourself honestly and strive for a shared goal.0:39 Introduction to today’s topic2:01 Introduction to Ian, Audrey and how they met4:15 How they each starting practicing Buddhism6:30 What their mindsets toward relationships were before they met16:23 How they challenged fears of being alone, and being good enough18:30 How chanting helped them overcome an accident and a long journey to have kids 21:56 Why self-transformation and respect are so key to relationships27:11 Their advice to anyone struggling with a relationship (or finding a partner)

This week, we speak with Rory Arnaud about what a daily Buddhist practice in the morning can do for you. The fact is, most of us haven’t even scratched the surface of what we are capable of accomplishing, learning and giving in this lifetime. Today’s key lesson is that if you can consistently win over yourself in the morning through chanting, you can unearth a treasure trove of wisdom, energy and courage and completely transform how you see yourself and the world.0:37 Introduction to today’s topic 1:52 Rory’s story 7:00 What losing a friend taught him about life 8:50 What his mornings used to feel like 10:00 How they changed after he started chanting 11:57 How he decided to start a company 17:12 What winning in the morning means 19:20 What he’s up against each morning 22:56 The question that keeps him motivated every single day 27:04 Advice for Rory’s younger self (or anyone listening) 

This week, we speak with Abe Uccello about working for change in Florida’s prison system, even when he couldn’t see any forward movement. He explains how chanting can help you build trust and respect with anyone, and what unity actually means. Hint: You have to unlock your own wisdom and compassion first. Cheatsheet: 1:50 What we’re trying to understand today 4:02 Introduction to Abe5:02 How chanting helped him feel like he had control over his life again10:54 His experiences working with the prison system16:20 How chanting helped him figure out what to do17:20 What a tenacious effort to build trust helped him achieve25:10 Why he didn’t give up28:32 How to maintain hope even when you see the darkest parts of humanity32:33 What the end goal in Buddhism is35:46 Advice to anyone feeling stuck or overwhelmed by uncertainty38:02 What “happiness for self and others” means45:39 What else to read on Buddhability about feeling stuck and making change 

Great artists are authentic. It’s how they are able to connect to enormous audiences, yet each person experiencing the music, or art, feels directly spoken to. What would you do if you could go through life with this kind of genuine, inspiring power? Being yourself, truly yourself, is hard. Today, we speak with legendary Grammy-winning jazz musicians Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding about how Buddhism has helped them become their most authentic selves. P.S. The book mentioned in the episode is called Reaching Beyond: Improvisations on Jazz, Buddhism, and a Joyful Life. Cheatsheet: 1:25 Introduction to Wayne & Esperanza2:41 How Esperanza discovered Buddhism5:22 Why Wayne started chanting7:11 How Wayne discovered a deeper purpose to playing music8:10 How chanting helped Wayne see himself more clearly12:23 Esperanza on authenticity as a musician17:35 Wayne on how Buddhism can help you check yourself19:25 Esperanza on how to unlock your own capacity20:34 Some notes on Esperanza’s “life force”21:48 On Wayne & Esperanza’s friendship23:33 Wayne’s advice to anyone who feels stuck with their art or work24:57 A key lesson from today’s conversation

Deciding on your career is hard. If you’ve ever felt like what you’re passionate about and what you do for work don’t align, this episode is for you. Climate activist Roberta Giordano shares how she found the courage to make the bold decision of committing full time to fight climate change and how, through chanting, you can do the same, whatever your passion or cause might be.Cheatsheet:1:22 Episode Intro2:14 Intro to Roberta Giordano4:15 How her childhood fears influenced her career7:08 How she started practicing Buddhism in college12:00 The first steps she took to fight climate change15:21 How chanting helped her decide what impact she could make18:35 The difference between actually believing in yourself vs. telling yourself to19:50 How chanting can help you process your feelings and take action22:11 How Roberta found the courage to choose a career in climate finance27:00 What to do when you feel small or overwhelmed along your way31:00 Key takeaways from Roberta’s story

This week, we speak with psychotherapist Sean Grover about how therapy works, what its limits are, and what it takes to actually change yourself for the better. He also shares insights from his own Buddhist practice and what chanting can offer in the journey of self-transformation.  Key takeaway: Human beings heal through relationships, so how you show up in relationships matters … a lot. If you want to be really, truly happy, you have to learn to care for yourself well, to be yourself around other people, and also learn to care for other people well. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and having a supportive community can help you do all of the above. Cheatsheet: 1:14 Episode Intro2:12 Introduction to Sean2:36 Why he started practicing Buddhism6:16 What brings people to therapy8:14 The difference between temporary and sustainable happiness11:05 The growth of self-awareness practices16:15 The limits of therapy and mindfulness18:23 How Buddhism can tackle the ego20:27 Why changing yourself is so hard22:19 What the Bodhisattva vow is, in plain English25:42 Why mastering human relationships is the key to most problems26:25 Creating a culture of caring for others29:43 How not to get drained by giving to others33:14 How therapy and Buddhism can work together37:08 Next week’s show 

This episode is a masterclass in how to get the world to see you the way you see yourself. We speak with trans rights activist, actress (you might recognize her as Candy from FX's Pose) and founder of TransTech Social Enterprises, Angelica Ross. She constantly shares about Buddhism in interviews, but today we’re talking about a deeply personal part of her life that chanting helped her transform: her relationship with her mom. For more from Angelica, also see our recent IGTV video. Cheatsheet: 0:00 Welcome to Buddhability 0:34 Intro to Angelica Ross 1:20 How Angelica transformed her relationship with her mom  7:06 What chanting allowed her to bring out of her own life despite the hurt 15:19 How chanting helps her navigate so many projects and relationships 19:46 Angelica explains Nichiren Buddhism for new listeners   21:26 What Angelica’s chanting (and daily) routine looks like 24:03 Angelica’s dream for the rest of the 21st centuryYou can also subscribe to Buddhability on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get podcasts. 

Welcome to Buddhability, a new weekly podcast about the amazing ability people have to change their lives and the world.On this episode, we welcome you to the show and Buddhability universe, and speak with Cynthia McCright about what Buddhability is and how you can tap into it.You can also subscribe to Buddhability on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.Cheatsheet:0:00 Welcome to Buddhability1:38 Basics of Buddhism3:39 How and why Cynthia started chanting6:58 What she was able to tap into by chanting10:25 What believing in yourself actually means14:35 How chanting can help you transform your biggest fears20:11 Why working hard at the thing in front of you can impact all parts of your life23:14 How chanting gets deeper over time, and chanting vs. mindfulness28:11 Cynthia’s big takeaway for everyone listening28:49 Recap of today’s discussion