Shows
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEpisode 16: Sid Avoids Getting Tied up in KnotsSid, suddenly feeling abandoned by the Buddha, decides to try "peace is every step." After a minor mishap he ends up in a hardware store where he contemplates the uses of rope with a famous Inquisitor. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-06-0314 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 15: Sid and the Buddha Have some Great Realizations.While doing research at the local library, Sid and the Buddha discover that they aren't given credit for many of the books they wrote; are almost run over by a oblivious teenager pushing a cart full of books; try to determine the difference between "Idiots" and "Dummies"; and eventually deconstruct and reconstruct four the famous Eight Realizations. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-06-0216 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 14: Sid and the Buddha Deconstruct the Dharma.Sid tells Marcus about his trip to the cancer center as they walk to the store early one morning to get coffee, apple cider donuts, and the morning paper. There, Sid, with more than a little help from the Buddha, gives his own revisionist perspective on the formerly famous Four Noble Truths. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-06-0211 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 13: Sid Learns That Some Things Aren't Jokes.Things get a little wild in the MRI machine when Sid passes out, leaving the Buddha to deal with Adolph Hitler's revisionist spiritual history. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-05-1414 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. #12: Sid and the Buddha Meet a Real Bodhisattva.* (podcast)After wandering aimlessly around the atrium of the cancer center, admiring the art and architecture, Sid is inexorably drawn to the information desk, where a Bodhisattva in the guise of a volunteer helps guide him in more ways than one. Even the Buddha is impressed with her compassionate nature.Click here to read the episode.Return to Podcast Episode #1. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-05-0310 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 11: Sid and the Buddha Pay it Forward. (podcast)In this episode of The Man Who Woke up the Buddha, Sid learns more than anyone needs to know about golf balls, testicles, and tumors He's then joined by LJ, a "park person" who shares his theories of life and marketing and gives Sid news about the latest overdose in town. He, Sid, and the Buddha shake their collective heads philosophically and speculate on how the person will reincarnate.Click here to read the episode. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-04-2611 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 10: Sid and the Buddha Play Doctor. (podcast)Sid, Di, and the oncologist discuss his rare cancer anaplastic ependymoma, as well as the technicalities of road biking including a ride in Vermont called L.A.M.B. which features more than 10,000 feet of climbing over 112 miles. The Buddha provides color commentary while musing on the cycles of life and death. Click here to read the episode. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-04-2613 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 9: Sid's Open Secret. (podcast)It turns out learn that the Buddha is part of a long lineage of dead poets, politicians, warriors, and holy men and women who, over the years, have temporarily set up shop in Sid’s boundless imagination—including Agamemnon, Torquemada, and Harriet Tubman. Which, at times, was embarrassing for his kids and could wreak havoc at the dinner table back when he tried to get them to help him guess who the hell was invading his porous imagination. Click here to read the episode. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-04-1413 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 8: Sid Preaches to the Choir. (podcast)Sid gives his first “Dharma talk." It's by invitation only...and the only people invited are his five grandchildren, except that Di insists on attending to make sure he doesn't go off the rails in his description of the night of his stroke. Zoey keeps interrupting with know-it-all facts about Buddhism until her big sister Courtney convinces her to be quiet before her brother Junior hits her. This is the first real introduction to all the grandchildren. Click here to read the episode. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/su...2025-04-0714 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 7: Marcus's Wife Leila Fills in Another Piece of the Puzzle. (podcast)Marcus returns home in time to have a nightcap with his wife Leila who, in some ways, knows Sid best of all. Together, they reflect on Sid's idiosyncrasies including the times he impersonated Teddy Roosevelt...and later, Al Capone. Click here to read the episode. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-03-3111 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 6: Marcus Gets Pulled Every Which Way. (podcast)Marcus stops by to see Sid before leaving the next morning. Finally, after doing endless errands for Di, he escapes. He spends most of the ride thinking about his history with Sid which includes Sid’s rather complex relationship with Marcus’s sister Julia. He calls Julia to give her an update.Click here to read the episode. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-03-2308 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 5: Sid Consults an Expert. (podcast)Sid talks to Marcus’s more-or-less enlightened friend Kesey who runs a Zen monastery in New York State and is able to give Sid some pointers about being the Buddha.Click here to read the entire episode.Background on Kesey and Marcus's relationship. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-03-1613 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 4: Sid and the Buddha Get on the Same Wavelength. (podcast)Marcus looks on helplessly as Sid and his nurse Ivan engage in some spiritual one-upmanship over Sid’s claims of Buddhahood during which Ivan the Terrible makes a brief appearance. Ultimately, nurse Ivan leaves shaking his head and Marcus suggests that Sid consult an expert on Buddhism...namely, his friend Kesey who's allegedly a Zen master.Click here to read the episode. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-03-0910 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 3: Zoey Seeks Enlightenment. (podcast)Having heard that her grandfather is the Buddha, Sid’s precocious 12-year-old granddaughter Zoey embarks on a quest to learn everything she can about Buddhism in order to prepare for discussing the situation with her “Uncle” Marcus. But soon he’s asking her difficult spiritual questions even she has trouble answering.Click here to read the episode. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-03-0209 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 2: Sid Makes A Confession. (podcast)The episode begins with background on how Sid became Marcus’s de facto big brother during Sid’s college years after a chance encounter during a frisbee game. Then the scene returns to Sid’s hospital room where, ultimately, after extensive fooling around, Sid gets serious and confesses to Marcus that he’s the Buddha.Click here to read the post. Get full access to Fields of Vision at davidblistein.substack.com/subscribe2025-02-2313 min
The Man Who Woke up the BuddhaEp. 1: Sid Realizes He's the Buddha. (podcast)At 10:33 pm one summer evening, an irrepressibly irreverent, sixty-something businessman from Boston named Sidney has three transcendent experiences: An orgasm. A seizure. And the realization he is the Buddha.In this opening episode, between surgery, time in the ICU, and then settling into his hospital room, he tries to understands what it means that he is the Buddha. He thinks it might be just some post stroke psychosis but every time he tries shrugging the thought off, a bolt of lightning goes through his head. The Buddha clearly means business.Click here to read the...2025-02-1611 min
The Man Who Woke up the Buddha#55: I Love Trish.In late September, I speculated on the “odds” of four of my friends making a major life change in the next 24 hours. So far, all bets have been off. Chuck turned out to be a shameless manipulative liar with the total complicity of his partner Vicky. My friend Melissa’s relationship with the truth was equally tenuous, although more complicated. Which brings us to Trish. [I’ve been calling her Sally, but she told me to use her real name.]In Street Cred #5, there’s a photo of Trish standing on a street corner. I blurred th...2024-12-2311 min
The Magic of Storytelling, in Your Pocket With Full AudiobookMayo Clinic: Faith, Hope, Science Audiobook by David BlisteinListen to this audiobook in full for free onhttps://hotaudiobook.com/freeID: 531178
Title: Mayo Clinic: Faith, Hope, Science
Author: David Blistein, Ken Burns
Narrator: Graham Winton
Format: Unabridged
Length: 01:54:47
Language: English
Release date: 11-16-21
Publisher: Recorded Books
Genres: Health & Wellness, Naturopathy & New Age
Summary:
On September 30, 1889, W.W. Mayo and his sons Will and Charlie performed the very first operation at a brand-new Catholic hospital in Rochester, Minnesota. It was called Saint Marys.
The hospital arose out of the devastation of a tornado that had struck the town six years earlier. After the storm, Mother Alfred Moes of the...2021-11-161h 54
The Addicted Mind Podcast114: The History of Opium with John Halpern & David BlisteinOpium has been around but what many people don't realize is how much it has shaped society and culture. The United States has spent over $1 trillion on drug enforcement since President Nixon declared a war on drugs. And by any measure, that crisis has become worse. Could we ever imagine a time where humanity is finally free of these substances? On today's episode, Duane talks with John Halpern and David Blistein, co-authors of the book, Opium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World, where they talk about the history of opium and the reasons they w...2021-01-2145 min
The History of Drugs In Society2. Opium as a Medicine - Ancient-1800s (Season 1.1)In the first full episode of the History of Drugs in Society, we explore opium as medicine. This will take us from its origins thousands of years ago until the early 1800s. One of the main points of this episode is to see when opioid usage started in the doctor's office.
Intro clip takes audio from Dr. Lydia Kang's talk entitled Origin of Opium and Heroin Treatment from C-SPAN on 12/11/2017.
Some main sources used include:
Opium by John Halpern and David Blistein
Milk of Paradise by Lucy Inglis
Opium's Human History by Lucy Inglis, Natu...2020-04-0724 min
History Unplugged PodcastOpium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our WorldIn 2017, over 47,000 Americans died as the result of opioid overdoses, more than died annually in this country during the peak of the AIDs epidemic, and more than die every year from breast cancer. But despite the unprecedented efforts of regulators, activists, politicians, and doctors to address the overdose epidemic, it has only become more deadly, the legion of quick fixes often falling into the very same traps that have foiled humans attempting to tame the scourge of opium addiction for centuries. To understand and combat the overdose crisis, we must understand how it came to be. Today I'm...2019-09-1252 min
Let Free Audiobook Transport You to New WorldsOpium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World Audiobook by David BlisteinListen to this audiobook in full for free onhttps://hotaudiobook.com/freeID: 390595
Title: Opium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World
Author: David Blistein, John H. Halpern
Narrator: Peter Ganim
Format: Unabridged
Length: 08:44:23
Language: English
Release date: 08-13-19
Publisher: Hachette Book Group USA
Genres: History, Non-Fiction, World, Science & Technology, Social Science
Summary:
From a psychiatrist on the frontlines of addiction medicine and an expert on the history of drug use comes the 'authoritative, engaging, and accessible' history of the flower that helped to build (Booklist) -- and now threatens -- modern society.
Opioid addiction is fast becoming...2019-08-148h 44
Find Best-Selling Full Audiobooks in History, WorldOpium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World by John H. Halpern, David BlisteinPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/390595 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Opium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World Author: John H. Halpern, David Blistein Narrator: Peter Ganim Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 8 hours 44 minutes Release date: August 13, 2019 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 2 Ratings of Narrator: 5 of Total 1 Genres: World Publisher's Summary: From a psychiatrist on the frontlines of addiction medicine and an expert on the history of drug use comes the 'authoritative, engaging, and accessible' history of the flower that helped to build (Booklist) -- and now threatens -- modern society. Opioid addiction is fast becoming...2019-08-1303 min
Find Best-Selling Full Audiobooks in History, WorldOpium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World by John H. Halpern, David BlisteinPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/390595to listen full audiobooks.
Title: Opium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World
Author: John H. Halpern, David Blistein
Narrator: Peter Ganim
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hours 44 minutes
Release date: August 13, 2019
Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 2
Ratings of Narrator: 5 of Total 1
Genres: World
Publisher's Summary:
From a psychiatrist on the frontlines of addiction medicine and an expert on the history of drug use comes the 'authoritative, engaging, and accessible' history of the flower that helped to build (Booklist) -- and now threatens -- modern society. Opioid addiction is fast becoming the...2019-08-138h 44
Unlock Top Full Audiobooks in Non-Fiction, Social ScienceOpium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World by David Blistein, John H. HalpernPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/390595 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Opium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World Author: David Blistein, John H. Halpern Narrator: Peter Ganim Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 8 hours 44 minutes Release date: August 13, 2019 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 5 of Total 2 Ratings of Narrator: 5 of Total 1 Genres: Social Science Publisher's Summary: From a psychiatrist on the frontlines of addiction medicine and an expert on the history of drug use comes the 'authoritative, engaging, and accessible' history of the flower that helped to build (Booklist) -- and now threatens -- modern society. Opioid addiction is fast...2019-08-1303 min
Mouse RantsEpisode 154: Characters Don’t Talk: Volume IICHARACTERS DON'T TALK: VOLUME II
(a Mouse Rants musical)
(part 3 of 3)
(an homage to the works of Tarantino that takes place entirely in and around Epcot Center)
written and edited by Jerry Skids
directed by Simone DeMilo & Jerry Skids
Cast
Jerry Skids - Facilier, Marius, Prince Charming, Prince Eric, Ron Stoppable, Gaston, Jack Sparrow (singing voice), Jeffrey Bigwig, Bonzai
Simone DeMilo - Aurora, Jessica, Violet & Showkeeper
Teresa Hui - Mulan, Aurora (Singing Voice), Jessica (Singing Voice) & Showkeeper (Singing Voice)
Corinne Chandler - Belle
Julie Schoenthal - Jasmine2018-12-032h 43Mouse RantsEpisode 152: Character’s Don’t Talk: OriginsCHARACTERS DON'T TALK: ORIGINS
(a Mouse Rants musical)
(part 1 of 3)
(an homage to the works of Tarantino that takes place entirely in and around Epcot Center)
written and edited by Jerry Skids
directed by Simone DeMilo & Jerry Skids
Cast
Jerry Skids - Facilier, Marius, Prince Charming, Prince Eric, Ron Stoppable, Gaston, Jack Sparrow (singing voice), Frat Guy #1, Frat Guy #3, Interview #1 & Interview #3
Simone DeMilo - Aurora, Jessica & Violet
Teresa Hui - Mulan, Aurora (Singing Voice) and Jessica (Singing Voice)
Tim Realbuto (IndieFest Award Winner for Best Leading Actor)- Aladdin2018-11-201h 58