Shows
The Road Home with Ethan NichternEp. 153 - You Won't Heal Until You Love It : Inside The Neurological Storm with Reggie Hubbard16 months ago, yoga/meditation/sound teacher Reggie Hubbard had a near-death experience, a major stroke. He visits the podcast to describe the experience of his "neurological storm" and the path of collapse and healing that he's been on ever since, and how it has profoundly affected his views as a practitioner, teacher, and his views of the neurological storm that the United States and the world is currently experiencing. If there's such a thing as a "must-listen" episode of this podcast, this it it. Reggie Hubbard is a senior political strategist, certified yoga and meditation teacher, and f...
2025-08-2656 minThe Road Home with Ethan NichternEp. 152 - Crucial Questions: What Is The Bodhisattva Vow?Ethan discusses three reasons we take vows and make commitments from a Buddhist perspective, and gives special emphasis to The Bodhisattva Vow, where we commit to not only pursue our own path of liberation and awakening, but also vow to work for the benefit of all beings, to the limits of space, until all beings are awake. It is a commitment to the collective liberation of all beings. Of course, this is impossible (at least in our lifetimes), so why would we agree to do it? Using the classic structure of the vow, along with modern commentary, Ethan dissects...
2025-08-1355 minThe Road Home with Ethan NichternEp. 151 - Buddhist Geeks, 21st Century Practice, and The Duhkha of PalestineEthan welcomes Buddhist Geeks Co-Founder, teacher, and Palestinian-American Dharma teacher Vince Fakhoury Horn. They discuss the rise of "podcast dharma" in the early 21st century, Vince's path to teaching meditation, Vince's experience of his Palestinian heritage, why it's hard to get Dharma teachers to speak out about the genocide in Gaza, The Buddhist practice of Mohsen Mahdawi, and the complex legacy of Chogyam Trungpa and Tibetan refugees in relation to the Palestinian experience. Vince Fakhoury Horn is part of a new generation bringing dharma, meditation, & mindfulness to life in the 21st century. A computer engineering dropout turned f...
2025-08-061h 01The Road Home with Ethan NichternEp. 150 - The Virtues of Boredom (The Most Boring Podcast Ever!)This is the 150th episode of The Road Home Podcast! Yay, Big Deal! But, it's—as always—also a conversation about the Dharma, and the mind, and how to work with your own experience. And your mind, especially during meditation, can be boring. Very boring. So why is boredom such a difficult, yet important—and creative—experience? What do we do about boredom in meditation practice, as well as boredom in daily life? Using a teaching on working with boredom in three stages, along with teachings from earliest Buddhism on the "hindrance" of restlessness, Ethan unpacks the creative power of bored...
2025-07-3046 minThe Road Home with Ethan NichternEp. 149 - The Whole World Is Gold To Me: Tantra and Generosity(This episode of The Road Home is dedicated to the memory of Joanna Macy—founder of the Eco-Dharma and Deep Ecology Movements—who passed this weekend at the age of 96) On this episode, a follow-up to episode 148, Ethan explores wealth and generosity from a tantric perspective. If you could take the view, for just one moment, that you, your perceptions, and your world were all perfect in being exactly what they were, how would that change your experience of yourself, your resources, and your participation in society? What is generosity ("dana" in the Buddhist languages) from a Tant...
2025-07-2147 min
The Road Home with Ethan NichternEp. 148 - No More Billionaires - Wealth, Livelihood and Generosity in the Hinayana and MahayanaWhat is generosity ("dana" in the Buddhist languages), and how does it relate to our experience of wealth, our consumption, our labor, and our shared values as a society? How can we work with our craving for always have more like one of those a metal claw machines in a video game arcade, leaving us unable to live in the practice of Dana, or "fluid exchange" with our experience? Similarly, how do we create a society that acknowledges the sacredness of labor and the social benefits of collective generosity? How can we as a society generate wealth without the...
2025-07-1456 minThe Road Home with Ethan NichternEp. 147 - Don't Stop Believing - Faith and Awareness in The Six Bardos of Collapse and RebirthHow we work with our minds in the spaces between collapse and rebirth (those uncomfortable gaps in life as well as the huge "gap" after death) hold the key to creating futures that do not replicate the stuckness and suffering of our past. This is true both personally and collectively. As always, with recent world events in mind, we discuss the six bardos of classic Tibetan Buddhism, as well as the three qualities we need to effectively navigate the space between the death of what was and the birth of what will be. Please support the podcast...
2025-06-261h 00The Road Home with Ethan NichternEp 129 - The Astrology of 2025 (Not A Chapter, A Whole New Book) with Juliana McCarthyEthan is joined again by friend, bestselling author, dharma practitioner and astrologer Juliana McCarthy. They discuss the various movements in astrology in 2024 and 2025 from a mindful perspective. Juliana gives her optimistic take on what is to come, calling Mid 2025 onward "Not A New Chapter, But A Whole New Book," why Ethan is praying for Star Trek aliens,and they discuss world events and how the US might avoid what appears to be an astrological repeat of The French Revolution. Juliana runs a popular Instagram feed, @etherealculture. She gives talks regularly and leads various workshops and retreats. If...
2024-12-261h 04The Road Home with Ethan NichternEp. 89 - The Astrology of 2024 (What the ---- is Going On??!!) with Juliana McCarthyEthan is joined by friend, bestselling author, dharma practitioner and astrologer Juliana McCarthy. They discuss the odd scientific precision of astrology and this moment in astrological history, which McCarthy calls arguably "the most significant astrological moment in human history." Juliana runs a popular Instagram feed, @etherealculture. She gives talks regularly and leads various workshops and retreats. If you're interested in online talks, videos, and class, visit her Patreon page here. She also wrote a book called, The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology, published by Roost Books and distributed by Penguin Random House. Learn more a...
2023-12-261h 03
The Road Home with Ethan NichternEp. 21 – The Dharma of Astrology with Juliana McCarthyAstrologer Juliana McCarthy joins Ethan for a conversation about the intersection of astrology and Buddhist practice. For almost twenty years, Juliana McCarthy has been studying and practicing Western Astrology, finding it to be a powerful tool for self-exploration and examining how we relate to others. She loves working with people to help them understand their authentic selves—their complexities, gifts, karma, and life paths. A longtime student of Tibetan Buddhism, Juliana is an avid meditator and spiritual practitioner. She writes articles for her website, etherealculture.com, and runs a popular Instagram feed by the same name: ...
2019-07-2949 min