Shows
From the Pure Land PodcastMy Personal Connection to a Higher PowerThis recent post on Kaspa Thompson’s Substack, Just As You Are, got me thinking about a “higher power,” the two words that turn many away from religion. We wonder:Except for nature, is there really spiritual power greater than you and me?Over the years, I’ve met many recovering addicts who were grateful to Buddhism for enabling them to join 12-step programs. As long as they limited their concept of a higher power to the sovereign creator god of Abrahamic religions, they couldn’t get past the first step, which in the Alcoholics Anonymous...2025-07-2707 min
Smart Crypto Investing: Bitcoin, Altcoins & Trading StrategiesCrypto Rollercoaster: Bitcoin Dips, Altcoins Eyed for Breakout | Crypto Willy's Weekly UpdateSmart Crypto Investing: Bitcoin, Altcoins & Trading Strategies podcast.Hey there, crypto enthusiasts! Crypto Willy here, ready to dish out the latest scoop on the wild world of digital assets. Buckle up, because the past week has been a rollercoaster ride in the crypto space!Let's kick things off with the big kahuna, Bitcoin. Our beloved BTC took a bit of a tumble, dropping below the $90,000 mark. Why, you ask? Well, it seems President Trump's executive order on establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve didn't quite live up to the hype. The market was hoping for a bigger...2025-04-0103 min
Everyday Buddhism: Making Everyday BetterBONUS PODCAST: Impermanence by Kaspa Thompson (Inspired by Shan Tao)Enjoy a special release of a Members Only Feature: Bonus Contemplation Podcasts. These are short podcasts for you to use as subjects for contemplation or analytical meditation. I've released this contemplation, "Impermanence", as a birthday gift to my podcast audience, in celebration of my 70th birthday. It is by my friend and fellow Buddhist teacher, Kaspa Thompson. It purposely follows the episode, "Navigating Grief and Loss" by Kimberly Brown. Kaspa directs the Bright Earth with their partner, Satya, and works as a psychotherapist. They has been a Buddhist teacher for more than a decade and...2023-01-1209 min
Everyday Buddhism: Making Everyday BetterBONUS PODCAST: The Five Remembrances wuth Bradley Jinaiyo NussbaumEnjoy a special release of a Members Only Feature: Bonus Contemplation Podcasts. These are short podcasts for you to use as subjects for contemplation or analytical meditation. I've released this contemplation, "The Five Remembrances", as a birthday gift to my podcast audience, in celebration of my 70th birthday. It is by my dear friend and Everyday Buddhism Sangha Leader, Bradley Jinaiyo Nussbaum. It purposely follows the episode, "Navigating Grief and Loss" by Kimberly Brown. I am publicly releasing another bonus podcast, at the same time. It is a reflection on Impermanence and presented by my...2023-01-1211 min
Everyday Buddhism: Making Everyday BetterBirthday Bonus Intro - Impermanence: You Can't Run; You Can't HideIn this episode, I celebrate my 70th birthday, which was yesterday, with the release of 2 special bonus contemplations on impermanence. I saved a couple of Members-only bonus episodes for release following episode 81, "Navigating Grief and Loss" with Kimberly Brown. They are Impermanence with Kaspa Thompson (Inspired by Shan Tao) and "The Five Remembrances" with Bradley Jinaiyo Nussbaum. I know many of you have more of your life ahead of you rather than behind you, the truth is, we can never know. That's the thing about impermanence and that's what these two contemplations are helping us to reflect o...2023-01-1203 min
Rainforest Mind with Kaspa ThompsonRainforest Mind: Gifts, transactions and why it’s hard to stay gratefulWhy are gifts so important? Is everything a gift? What’s the difference between a gift economy and a transaction economy? Why is it hard to stay grateful? Today’s episode was partly inspired by Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass. I also mention this talk by Ven. Shenyn: The Life of a Wondering Monk You can view...2020-02-1500 minRainforest Mind with Kaspa ThompsonShhh, listen. Being, doing and loveI’m standing with my eyes closed in the middle of a busy street and listening. Why? And what can I learn from that experience? I talk about the false opposites of being and doing, and why I prefer lovable to perfect. I mention the Bang And Olafson podcast Sound of the Cities, and an early...2020-01-2800 minRainforest Mind with Kaspa ThompsonLessons from my PuppyA few weeks ago we got a puppy! Wow – what a whirlwind the last month has been. Moments of sheer joy, and moments of fraught overwhelm. As one book Satya was reading put it, there is the honeymoon period, the WTF have I done period, and the I couldn’t live without her period…. Today...2019-05-0700 minRainforest Mind with Kaspa ThompsonBoundlessness with James Ford RoshiWhat a great conversation. James and I spoke about the Unitarian Universalist movement, form and emptiness in Zen, boundlessness, spiritual fluidity and more. James is a Zen Buddhist teacher and part of the Empty Moon Network, he leads a group in Southern California. James’ most recent book is called Introduction to Zen Koans: Learning the...2019-03-2100 minRainforest Mind with Kaspa ThompsonBuddhist Psychology, Climate Change and Spiritual Encounters: In Conversation with Dharmavidya David BrazierI’m talking to my Buddhist teacher Dharmavidya David Brazier. We talk about Buddhist Psychology: what does it mean, and how does Buddhist therapy work? We talk about how encountering ‘awakened’ people can be transformative, and about enduring great suffering. We talk about what supports grounding yourself in the big picture, and how faith helps us...2019-02-2600 minRainforest Mind with Kaspa ThompsonGoing to Wild PlacesHow can we support healing in people, and in the planet? To help answer that question I’m talking about the importance of going outside, and what different kind of outside spaces can teach us. I talk about what wildness means and I talk about the practice of finding a spot to sit in, and sitting...2019-02-1300 minRainforest Mind with Kaspa ThompsonEngaged Buddhism with Ayya YesheIn this episode I’m in conversation with Ven. Ayya Yeshe, about her socially engaged Buddhist work. What led her to social engagement? How does helping fit with Buddhist practice? She talks about how her experiences as a Tibetan Nun helped her to empathise with oppressed groups, and her socially engaged work in India with the...2018-12-1200 minRainforest Mind with Kaspa ThompsonDepression, my companionI'm talking about my experience of depression, and how it is to be a Buddhist teacher and psychotherapist and have the 'black dog' as a companion on the path2018-12-0400 minRainforest Mind with Kaspa ThompsonA Nomadic Life - in conversation with Jayne JohnsonIn this episode I'm talking to Jayne Johnson about life in community, and about the nomadic life.
Jayne got rid of most of her stuff, sold her flat and now lives nomadically.
Why leave the householder life? How do we live in community? And what is it like to leave the settled life? What are the benefits, and the costs?2018-11-2800 minRainforest Mind with Kaspa ThompsonTo the divine mother, with Clark Strand and Perdita FinnIn this episode I'm talking to Clark Strand and Perdita Finn. We talk about Zen, about different kinds of practice groups, touched on the twelve steps, talked about the importance of trees and I heard about the history and importance of rosary practice and making prayers to the divine mother... great stuff2018-11-1400 min