Creativity, Spirituality & Making a Buck with David Nichtern

AI scientist and Buddhist teacher Dr. Nikki Mirghafori explores the mystery of consciousness, the ethics (and limits) of AI, and the irreplaceable power of human connection.

This time on the CSM Podcast, Dr. Nikki & David discuss:

• Cooling the fires of greed hate and delusion
• Cessation within the Theravada tradition of Buddhism
• “Visiting” rather than dwelling on any particular experience
• Artificial intelligence and the ways it lacks nuance
• Ethical considerations in using AI for dharma teachings
• Mr. Potato Head and our tendency to anthropomorphize inanimate things
• How science still doesn’t fully understand consciousness and the book The Blind Spot
• Repairing our own consciousness and becoming a vehicle of service for all beings
• A Buddhist book recommendation from Dr. Nikki: What The Buddha Thought
• Accessing the full range of teachings across traditions

“In our business, being held, being met by another conscious human being, it does something to your heart—you feel seen. Another bot, no matter how sycophantic it is or how it tries to make you feel seen, in the back of our minds we know we’re interacting with a bot.” –Dr. Nikki Mirghafori

Check out some of Dharma Moon’sself-pased courses on Buddhism, mindfulness and more.

About Dr. Nikki Mirghafori:

Dr. Nikki Mirghafori is an Artificial Intelligence scientist and an internationally recognized Buddhist teacher. She serves as a Stewarding Teacher at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, where she is also on the Board of Directors, and a Dharma Teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. She teaches with clarity and warmth on topics ranging from mindful leadership to cultivating kindness, with a rare expertise on mindfulness of death. Dr. Mirghafori is widely published in AI, has led international research collaborations as a Berkeley academic, and advised technology startups. She is of Persian heritage, an advocate for wisdom and compassion in daily life, as well as ethical AI in our zeitgeist. Learn more and connect via her website HERE.

“Bringing it back to A.I. and consciousness, it’s a big question mark, it’s too naive to make predictions or assumptions one way or the other, we don’t even know what this thing is- this thing being alive, having consciousness, how can we describe it to this other thing that as a black box is spewing out patterns. I am open to being surprised, but conservative.” –Dr. Nikki Mirghafori

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Exploring Rigpa, the nature of mind, Loch Kelly and David Nichtern discuss transforming trauma through the love and presence inherently within us.

This time on the CSM Podcast, Loch & David discuss:

• Distinguishing mahamudra practice from everyday mindfulness
• The love and presence that is inherent within us
• Learning from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche
• Melding together the relative and the ultimate
• Small glimpses of pure awareness repeated many times
• Calming the nervous system, body, and mind
• Working with deeply ingrained habits
• Loch’s holistic work in nondual therapy and effortless mindfulness
• Using rigpa (the nature of mind) to work with trauma and identity

“The nature of mind, rigpa, is necessary. If you look at the problem but you just deconstruct it without giving a new 'who', you don’t have an experience of now ‘who am I’ or ‘what has the capacity’. The nature of mind has the capacity more so than the small self to be with and even titrate unconscious material and trauma.” –Loch Kelly

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About Loch Kelly:

Loch Kelly is the creator of the new groundbreaking meditation and wellness app, Mindful Glimpses. An award-winning author, psychotherapist, and non-dual meditation teacher, Loch is the founder of the nonprofit Effortless Mindfulness Institute. Loch has master’s degrees from both Columbia University and Union Theological, where he was awarded a traveling fellowship to Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. There, he trained with some of the great meditation masters of the modern era. Informed by modern neuroscience and psychology, Loch teaches Effortless Mindfulness, an ancient form of non-dual meditation. His nondual mindfulness talk on Sam Harris’s Waking Up app was the most-listened-to audio of the year. Loch has co-taught with IFS-Founder Dick Schwartz and collaborated with neuroscientists at Yale, UPenn, and NYU to study how awareness training can enhance compassion and well-being. He also worked as a community mental health professional in NYC for over 30 years. Loch is known for his unique practical methods and warm sense of humor. He has a talent for leading people to their true nature, which he frames as the next stage of human development. In theMindful Glimpses app, Loch introduces Effortless Mindfulness through simple yet advanced micro-meditations. These short meditations open the door to well being, clarity, and compassion. Mindful Glimpses weaves together ancient non-dual practices, cutting-edge psychology, and neuroscience research. Keep up with Loch on his website.

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From wrathful love to Buddha-nature, Noel Coakley and Victoria ‘Vee’ Wikler discuss the next generation of Buddhism and waking up the ‘sleepy Buddha’ in us all.

In this episode, Noel, Vee, and David explore:

• The creation of Noel’s book, Wake Up Sleepy Buddha
• The concept of ‘wrathful love’
• Inherent goodness and the Buddha-nature within us all
• Living with both relative and ultimate truth
• Taking a feminist perspective on Buddhism
• Looking to the next generation of Buddhas
• Direct practice as the real teacher
• Blending together psychology and Buddhism
• Therapy as an external mindfulness practice

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About Victoria ‘Vee’ Wikler:

Victoria B. Wikler (Vee) is a mindfulness meditation teacher, peer counselor, doula, tattoo artist & Thai-American witch. She has over 10 years of training in Mindfulness and Zen meditation, 6+ years of Tarot consulting experience, and expertise in supporting altered state experiences. Check out Vee on Instagram.

About Noel Coakley:

Noel is a mental health counselor (LMHC) with a Master's degree in Counseling from Lesley University and Special Education from UMass Boston. He is also a certified yoga instructor, supporting a holistic, mind & body approach to wellness. His experience from years as a special education teacher benefits his ability to support differentiated learning styles and needs. Noel has been practicing meditation since 1996, beginning initially with the Indo-Tibetan traditions and then the Yundrung Bön tradition since 2013. Over the years, Noel has been fortunate to learn from over 100 teachers, includingHH the Dalai Lama andHH the 34th Menri Trizin. Noel recently authored the book Wake Up Sleepy Buddha, which provides a 600+ page, fully illustrated guide to Buddhist practice beyond mindfulness. Noel’s book bridges ancient wisdom, modern psychology, and everyday life.

“We all feel weird and alienated when we’re in this story of not realizing our Buddha nature…but we’re just hidden from our Buddha nature. I think about this in my psychotherapy. Anybody I meet with, the task is: can I see their already perfectness, their level of being where nothing needs to be improved or changed?” – Noel Coakley

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Founder of Shambhala Publications, Samuel Bercholz, reflects on a lifetime of dharma and encourages us to challenge our often distorted perceptions of reality.

Check out Dharma Moon’s free online talk this September, Light & Shadow on the Spiritual Path.

This time on the CSM podcast, Samuel and David explore:

• Samuel’s new book, Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path
• Shaking up our concepts of reality and social phenomena
• Working with our addictions and habits
• The unpredictability and spontaneous manifestations of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
• Learning how to walk the Bodhisattva path
• Intergenerational dharma and having an enlightened family
• Practical Buddhism and simply being ‘dharmic and decent’
• How Buddhism has traveled from East to West

Sign up for Dharma Moon’s world-class 100-hour mindfulness meditation teachertraining and join Dharma Moon this fall to learn about The Business of Teaching Meditation.

About Samuel Bercholz:

Sam Bercholz is the founder of Shambhala Publications, one of the leading independent publishers of Buddhist and Eastern spiritual literature. He started the company in Berkeley in the late 1960s and later moved it to Boulder, Colorado, where it grew into a major publishing house for authors like Chögyam Trungpa and Pema Chödrön. A senior teacher in the Nyingma and Kagyu lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, Bercholz studied closely with both Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, who empowered him to teach dharma. He has taught Buddhist philosophy and meditation across North America, Europe, and Australasia for over forty years, and is also the author of the new book, Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path.

“The way I perceive and most humans perceive is 180 degrees from the way things actually are. For the most part, we live in a fantasy world of make-believe, and we believe it.” –Samuel Bercholz

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Reflecting on a lifetime of practice, Joseph Goldstein explores how an intimate investigation of suffering can open the doorway to liberation.

Join Dharma Moon for a free online talk Key Elements of Teaching Mindfulness Meditation

In this week’s episode, Joseph and David explore:

• Joseph’s spiritual lineage and tying the concept of bodhicitta to his motivation for practice
• The inseparability of compassion and emptiness
• Holding an intense interest in whatever we are experiencing
• A tip from Joseph: ‘Don’t waste your suffering’
• The mental energy it takes to investigate our suffering
• Teaching from the heart of Buddhist suttas
• ‘Tuning in’ to the gratitude channel and thanking the universe for the blessings of our lives
• Utilizing Ram Dass’s concept of ‘how can I help?’ as the north star of life

Join Dharma Moon this fall to learn about The Business of Teaching Meditation.

About Joseph Goldstein:

Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and loving-kindness meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. He is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where he is one of the organization’s guiding teachers. In 1989, together with several other teachers and students of insight meditation, he helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. Check out Joseph’spodcaston Be Here Now Network or one of his numerous books.

“When my mind is distressed in some way or other, it piques my interest. I want to understand what the cause of the suffering is. That’s a little different than enduring it until we get to a happier place; it’s using the suffering as fuel and as the impotence to investigate.” –Joseph Goldstein

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Honoring both psychological and spiritual work, Trudy Goodman explores how she built resilience through years of dharma practice.

Join Dharma Moon for two, free online talks: How To Make a Living Teaching Meditation and Key Elements of Teaching Mindfulness Meditation

In this week’s episode, Trudy and David explore:

• Trudy’s voiceover work on The Midnight Gospel, playing ‘Trudy the Love Barbarian’
• How meditation and dharma practice strengthen resilience
• Both Trudy and David’s work in Buddhist Psychology
• Looking inwards through both therapy and mindfulness
• The three personality types within Buddhist Psychology: deluded, greedy, and aversive
• Hitting the “jackpot”: Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman’s love story
• Reflecting on life as an answered prayer and Trudy’s upcoming memoir

“To come back to resilience, I really credit the dharma. I think through meditation and dharma practice, we open our consciousness, our hearts, our awareness.” –Trudy Goodman

Join Dharma Moon this fall to learn about The Business of Teaching Meditation.

About Trudy Goodman:

Trudy Goodman, PH.D., is the founding teacher of InsightLA and cofounder of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy. She has taught at universities and retreat centers worldwide for over 40 years. Trudy has trained in Insight meditation and Zen since 1973, holds a graduate degree in developmental psychology from Harvard, and was one of the first teachers of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction with Jon Kabat-Zinn. She is a senior Buddhist teacher in the U.S., a faculty member at Blue Spirit Costa Rica and a psychotherapist who is widely known for her role as the voice of Trudy the Love Barbarian in the Netflix series "Midnight Gospel”. Trudy is a contributing author: Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness (Springer, 2008); Compassion and Wisdom in Psychotherapy, (Guilford Press, 2011); Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, (Guilford Press, 2013). Learn more about Trudy at http://trudygoodman.com/.

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Contemplative Scholar Andrew Holecek joins David Nichtern to delve into the powerful practices of dark retreat, bardo yoga, and dream yoga.

Grab a copy of Andrew’s book, Total Eclipse of the Mind, to discover more about the power of darkness for creativity, healing, and transformation.

In this episode, Andrew and David explore:

• An inquiry into the nature of mind and reality
• How asking questions is much more important than having answers
• Going into dark retreat and practicing bardo yoga
• Entering spiritual teachings as if immersing into a different realm
• The Buddha as the ultimate lucid dreamer
• Dream interpretation and liminal dreaming for insights into the self
• Working mindfully with artificial intelligence
• The balancing principle that darkness represents
• Becoming sensitive to other beings and archetypes when in dark retreat

Join Dharma Moon to learn about The Business of Teaching Meditation

About Andrew Holecek:

Andrew Holecek is an interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner in Tibetan Buddhism and other nondual wisdom traditions. He is the Resident Contemplative Scholar at the Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, and a research consultant for the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at Northwestern University. His work involves studies on dream yoga and the practice of dark retreat. Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the author of nine books, and a concert pianist. He has completed the Tibetan Buddhist three-year retreat and is a frequent subject in scientific studies on meditation and lucid dreaming. His work integrates ancient wisdom traditions with contemporary perspectives, aiming to help individuals navigate spiritual challenges and end-of-life experiences. He is currently writing two books on dark retreat. Holecek holds degrees in classical music, biology, and a doctorate in dental surgery. Learn about his upcoming retreat events.

“I have died so many times with psychedelic experiences, with extended meditations; I’ve been doing dark retreat for 30 years. This is what dark retreat is largely about; it’s fundamentally a bardo yoga designed to bring about highly concordant experiences with the death process.” –Andrew Holecek

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M.J. Schwartz explores how to meet perfectionism with mindfulness and heal the cultural messages that keep us striving for impossible standards.

Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give here: BHNN 10th Birthday Fundraiser

In this episode, David and M.J. chat about:

• M.J.’s introduction to mindfulness and meditation
• How mindfulness was incorporated into M.J.’s work as a doula and midwife
• Learning how to wisely deal with perfectionism
• Healthy striving versus tethering our identity to a certain result
• How childhood parentification can lead to adult perfectionism
• Other-oriented perfectionism and criticizing those who do not meet our expectations
• Picking up perfectionism from the world around us
• Perfectionism’s role in eating disorders and the obsession with body size in our culture
• Synchronizing the mind and body

Join Dharma Moon’s for their Body of Meditation Training or learn about The Business of Teaching Meditation

About M.J. Schwartz:

M.J. Schwartz is the founder of Studio138 Family Yoga and Mindfulness. Having started practicing yoga and mindfulness at age twelve, M.J. is passionate about sharing these modalities with families of all stages and configurations. As a parent and grandparent themselves, they understand the nuances of a practice that evolves alongside life's many changes.

M.J. holds a B.A. in psychology from Smith College, where they studied perfectionism with a leading researcher in the field, along with certifications in mindfulness, yoga, and Intuitive Eating. Before returning to school in midlife, they worked as a doula, childbirth educator, and midwife, and continue to teach pregnancy and postpartum classes that blend mindfulness with evidence-based information. Check out M.J. on Substack.

“Other-oriented perfectionism goes hand in glove with self-oriented perfectionism. If a parent is hyper-perfectionistic, there is a chance that they are then very hard on their children.“ –M.J. Schwartz

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With both insight and vulnerability, Author Annette Knopp explores how our earliest attachment experiences shape the way we love, relate, and walk in this world.

Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and preserve the complete Ram Dass Here and Now archive. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Give here: BHNN 10th Birthday Fundraiser

In this episode, David and Annette chat about:

• Connecting to our own personal experiences within a creative process
• The intersection of healing and liberation
• Annette’s journey through complex post-traumatic stress disorder
• How our unhealed parental projections create issues within our relationships
• Attachment trauma and somatic healing work
• How our psychological blueprint begins as early as the womb
• The theory of being a ‘good enough’ parent 30% of the time
• Offering repair and having a baseline of secure attachment
• Working with our unmet needs through awareness and observation
• Looking at the message (imprint) rather than the messenger (trigger)
• The motherly presence that is within the path of healing

Join Dharma Moon’s for their 100-hour course on teaching mindfulness meditation or for a course on meditation and embodied wisdom

About Annette Knopp:

Annette Knopp is the author of Mystic Nomad: A Woman's Wild Journey to True Connection and co-founder of Blue Spirit Retreat Center in Costa Rica. A meditation teacher, somatic educator, and nature mystic rooted in 30 years of personal contemplative practice, she weaves Indo-Tibetan meditation, Andean earth-based practices, and modern Western approaches to trauma resolution into transformative teaching and mentorship. Her work bridges ancient wisdom and contemporary healing in service of human dignity, wholeness, and embodied connection.

Grab a copy of Annette’s book, Mystic Nomad: A Woman's Wild Journey to True Connection, or join her in Costa Rica for an upcoming retreat.

“These imprints are laid down in phases before we have the brain development to have even a narrative around it. When we work in trauma with people, it’s all about making what has been implicit, explicit.” –Annette Knopp

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Student of The Art of War, Jim Gimian, shares how we can relate constructively to conflict and win without fighting.

In this episode, David and Jim have a conversation about:

• The classic Chinese text, The Art of War, by Sun Tzu
• The refined wisdom of understanding conflict
• ‘Taking Whole’: the concept of winning without fighting
• How leaders (and all people) can learn from The Art of War
• Past conflicts, karma, and vicious coincidence
• Being present for the opportunities that arrive
• Letting phenomena play rather than counteracting
• How the brain is hard-wired for bias and prediction
• Tapping into our natural connection to others
• Ruthlessly evaluating your biases & projections out of compassion for the bigger whole
• Realistically dealing with challenges without perpetuating aggression
•

Check out Jim Gimian's course,Rules of Victory, to learn about leadership strategies for today’s challenges from The Art of War. You can also inquire about getting personalized coaching from him!

Join Dharma Moon’s for their 100-hour course on teaching mindfulness meditation

About Jim Gimian:

James Gimian has been studying and teaching The Art of War (the Sun Tzu Bing Fa) since 1980. He served as the general editor of the best-selling translation The Art of War: The Denma Translation (2001) which received critical acclaim from military officers, business leaders, and Asian Studies scholars. Gimian followed that withThe Rules of Victory: How to Transform Chaos and Conflict—Strategies from the Art of War (2008), co-authored with Barry Boyce.

Gimian has been presenting lessons from the Art of War to business and non-profit leaders in North America, Australia, and Europe since 1985. His work takes the form of seminars, leadership training programs, consulting, and coaching. The core of this work is presenting the text’s profound strategic thought in clear, simple, and accessible training that enables today’s leaders to employ these tools in their work and lives amidst the challenges of an increasingly complex and uncertain world.

Gimian has served in leadership roles in the magazine and book publishing industry since 1972, including stints at Shambhala Publications, publisher of Lion’s Roar magazine, and most recently founding publisher of Mindful magazine and http://mindful.org, a media launch in 2012 that has grown to reach over 2 million people per month. Gimian also founded Trident Booksellers and Café in Boulder, Colorado in 1980, which continues to serve as an employee-owned community institution. He became a student of the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in the early 1970s and has continued the practice and study of the dharma since that time. Gimian currently serves as the Executive Director of the Foundation for a Mindful Society.

“The problem with complex systems to fix things is you never have time to go back and read the manual when shit hits the fan. That’s why this work has to be at the level of being, not at the level of learning tricks because they’re like bandages, they’re going to fall off. You’re only going to respond with whatever is integrated into your being as a way of seeing the world and acting and being in the world.“ –Jim Gimian

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Dr. Sará King and Kierstin Gray join The CSM Podcast to discuss their tech company, MindHeart AI, which uses an interactive map of human awareness for personal health and planetary well-being.

MindHeart AI is a liberatory technology company centering the neuroscience of well being as a catalyst for intergenerational planetary healing. Utilizing the Systems Based Awareness Map, the world’s first interactive map of human awareness, they are building a scalable, equitable platform combined with experiences that they call MindHeart Activations - in person events that support collective healing through combining culturally relevant forms of somatics, contemplative practices, land-based rituals and retreats, music and art. MindHeart AI is designed to create an infrastructure of care as a loving response to the rising loneliness, stress, isolation and depression experienced across the world.

In this episode, David, Sará and Kierstin:

• Taking responsibility for the technology we create
• Reducing the harm that human beings are doing to the planet and each other
• AI as a reflection of ourselves for better understanding of our emotions and identity
• The way that humans influence AI, for better and worse
• Empowering others to create MindHeart Activations in their community
• The connection between water scarcity, trauma, and AI
• Dr. Sará’s contribution to the documentary Every Living Thing
• Holding collective grief and sadness while still tapping into our agency

Join Dharma Moon’s for a free online talk about embodied wisdom on Thursday May 14th or sign up for their 100-hour course on teaching mindfulness meditation

About Dr. Sará King:

Dr. Sará King is a Mother, a neuroscientist, political and learning scientist, medical anthropologist, social entrepreneur, public speaker, and certified yoga and meditation instructor. She is an internationally recognized thought leader in the interdisciplinary field that examines the relationship between complementary alternative medicine, social justice, art, and mindfulness from the perspective of neuroscience. Dr. King is the co-founder of MindHeart AI.

Keep up with Dr. King onInstagram or HERE

About Kierstin Gray:

Kierstin Grey is the program director at Argodesign and the co-founder of MindHeart AI. She is a consultant specializing in using technology and service design thinking principles to bring about transformative change for her clients. She has designed a framework that centers around the building of narratives that use existing talents and skills within an organization to enable innovative change to resolve business problems. Combined with the best practices of design and delivery, she helps businesses implement products and projects that meet their business objectives and cultivate deeper and more efficient engagement with customers.

“If we’re confused, AI is going to be confused. That’s the reason why it's important for us to be clear on who we are, what we believe, who we value, how we love, how we relate to each other—those things influence how we design emergent technologies like AI.” –Kierstin Gray

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Author and executive Bryan Welch shares how the grief of losing his child profoundly reshaped his heart, deepening his capacity for connection and compassion toward others.

Grab a copy of Bryan’s book, The Gift of a Broken Heart, HERE

In this episode, David and Bryan chat about:

• How grief can transform us in a beautiful way
• Bryan’s journey through the loss of his son, Noah
• Developing a deeper sense of compassion through Buddhism
• Grief as a bridge of connection between ourselves and others
• Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable
• Narratives of our own safety as narratives of superiority
• Forgiveness and considering how the ego wants to be responsible
• Our involuntary reactions to grief, when compared to those of animals
• Permission to cry & the relief we can feel from allowing emotions to wash over us

Sign up for Dharma Moon’s upcoming 8-week Buddhist Psychology Course HERE.

About Bryan Welch:

Bryan Welch is an author, business executive, farmer, and entrepreneur. For nineteen years, from its founding, he ran Ogden Publications, Mother Earth News, Mother Earth Living, Utne Reader, and several other leading media brands focused on sustainability and natural health. More recently, he served as co-CEO of Silk Grass Holdings, a family office developing 32,000 acres of regenerative organic farms and wildlife preserves in Belize. He was founder and CEO of B The Change Media, a multiplatform media company focused on business as a force for good in the world; and was CEO of Mindful Communications, a media and corporate meditation-training company; and CEO of Foster Care Technologies, a B Corporation that provides software that improves placements of children in foster care. Welch has served on the boards of the Silk Grass Farms, the Magazine Publishers Association, the Social Venture Network, Down Home Ranch Foundation, and several nonprofits. He has also served on corporate boards of directors and advisory boards of companies involved in natural foods, agriculture, food processing, e-commerce, corporate training, and the media. He holds a master’s degree from Harvard University, where he studied at the Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Business School. As a Buddhist, Welch is a longtime meditator and advocate for mindfulness practices. Keep up with Bryan on Facebook and check out http://thegiftofabrokenheart.com.

“I spent some energy over the course of my life separating myself psychologically from the suffering from others, from the potential for my own suffering, and when I was up against it, I didn’t have those reasons to separate myself any longer. I felt a new sense of kinship with other people who were suffering. It occurred to me that as part of the healing, I wanted to see if I could preserve the new warmth I felt, the new openheartedness I felt. When your child dies of mental illness and addiction, you don’t want the pain and turmoil to be their legacy.” –Bryan Welch

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Blending creativity, business, and parenthood, Jonathan and Miya Eden join David Nichtern to discuss bringing stories to life through animation.

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In this episode, David, Jonathan and Miya explore:

• How Jonathan and Miya met and became both personal and creative collaborators
• The process of animating and creating content for Pengwee and Ruby
• Animating meditative processes and a modified story of the Buddha
• The impact of Miya’s late grandmother on her life and creative process
• A special hello from Arthur, Miya and Jonathan’s young son
• How to hold space for career development, creative pursuits, and being a parent
• The business side of creative work and dealing with finances, problem-solving, etc.
• Why creativity and bringing entertainment to others is so important to Jonathan

About Jonathan and Miya Eden:

With a degree in Character Animation from the California Institute of Arts (CalArts 2012) Jonathan Eden has over a decade of rich experience in the field of Animation. Working currently as an Animator for Comedy Central's Emmy-winning South Park, Jonathan has a history of prestigious work from large networks which include Disney, Hasbro, and HBO; as well as animating projects for the New York Times, Thom Browne, and Cubcoats. Miya, a professional dancer, choreographer, and director, came together with Jonathan to help create quality animation content for Strawberry Moons Media. You can learn more about Jonathan and Miya’s other creative projects, HERE at Nobody Couple Studios.

Check out Strawberry Moons Media on YouTube, where you can find access to entertainment with meaning, mindful living tips, and mindful lessons forchildren.

About David Nichtern:

David Nichtern, founder of Dharma Moon, is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He was one of the initial American students of renowned meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and studied closely with him soon after his arrival in the United States in 1970. He is also a business consultant with companies creating a variety of offerings, integrating meditation in a larger health and well-being context. David is also a multiple Grammy-nominated and Emmy Award-winning musician. David’s journey has crisscrossed with the Maharaji/Ram Dass sangha for decades. He has produced multiple Krishna Das albums and frequently joins the Bhaktettes live on guitar. He considers himself to be a first cousin and an honorary member of the Bhakti community.

“For me, creativity is about expressing yourself and your unique view and doing it in a way that can bring either joy or entertainment to others. Seeing people react to something I’ve animated or a drawing is a great feeling, it’s something you’ve uniquely created with your perspective that no one else can do.” –Jonathan Eden

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Discussing their newest project, Strawberry Moons Media, David Nichtern and Debbie Nutley get into how they truly merged creativity with spirituality and ‘making a buck’.

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

This time on the CSM Podcast, David and Debbie share about:

• The creation of Strawberry Moons Media as a hub for conscious creators and spiritual storytellers
• Having a ‘sky view’ perspective while also staying grounded and executing dreams here on earth
• Experiencing Buddhism and meditation in a way that is accessible, engaging, and entertaining
• Debbie’s inspiration behind Pengwee and Ruby, two mindful penguin best friends who teach compassion and playfulness
• How music bypasses the logical mind, opening the door to intuition and emotional depth
• Rediscovering our natural state as intuitive, spiritual beings
• Breaking down superficiality to reconnect with the sacred and the beyond

Check out Strawberry Moons Media on YouTube, where you can find access to entertainment with meaning, mindful living tips, and mindful lessons forchildren. You can also keep up with Strawberry Moons on Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok.

About Debbie Nutley:

Debbie Nutley is an award-winning children's picture book author, certified meditation instructor and trained to teach mindfulness to children. Her picture books, Pengwee's Breath and Ruby's Heart Song, both contain engaging stories involving two adorable and best friend penguins. Each story weaves lessons of mindfulness and social-emotional learning. Always finding inspiration in music, Debbie collaborated with composer and songwriter Wells Hanley to create a musical rendition of the signature song embedded in the story of Ruby's Heart Song. Debbie has a large extended family with a cadre of kids. Eons ago, Debbie was an accomplished attorney and human resources leader. Then she sat still for a moment, took a few mindful breaths, and forged a path of purpose-driven and creative endeavors. Keep up with Debbie on her Instagram and learn more about her books on her website.

“The whole reason why I decided to publish children’s books about mindfulness, and Pengwee and Ruby are these adorable, mindful, heart-centered penguins, they’re best friends, the whole reason I did it is because I thought it would be great for kids to learn about mindfulness at a young age. That it would be a better world if every kid knew about this stuff.” –Debbie Nutley

About David Nichtern:

David Nichtern, founder of Dharma Moon, is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He was one of the initial American students of renowned meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and studied closely with him soon after his arrival in the United States in 1970. He is also a business consultant with companies creating a variety of offerings integrating meditation in a larger health and well-being context. David is also a multiple Grammy-nominated and Emmy Award-winning musician. David’s journey has crisscrossed with the Maharaji/Ram Dass sangha for decades. He has produced multiple Krishna Das albums and frequently joins the Bhaktettes live on guitar. He considers himself to be a first cousin and an honorary member of the Bhakti community.

Move from practitioner to teacher via Dharma Moon’s 100-Hour Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training,or, consider a year long Buddhist Studies certificate with Ethan Nichtern.

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Dissecting the process of her book, The Power of Meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith joins David to explore bringing depth to our lives via belonging, purpose, transcendence, and storytelling.

Pick up Emily's book, The Power of Meaning, HERE.

This time on the CSM Podcast, David and Emily discuss:

• Positive Psychology: shifting from a focus on what’s wrong to the science of well-being and human flourishing
• How connecting to something greater than ourselves can lead to self-transcendence and deeper meaning
• What scientific research reveals about activities that create a meaningful life
• Making intentional, values-aligned choices instead of following external pressures
• Emily’s four pillars of meaning: belonging, purpose, transcendence, and storytelling
• Finding true community and belonging without reinforcing exclusion or “othering”
• How cultural values are evolving toward greater empathy, compassion, and collective care
• The bodhicitta aspiration: working toward the end of suffering for all beings

Start your journey from meditation practitioner to meditation guide via Dharma Moon’s course, Deepening Your Practice to Teach or step on into their 100-Hour Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training.

About Emily Esfahani Smith:

Emily Esfahani Smith is the author of The Power of Meaning. A psychotherapist and writer, her articles have appeared in The Atlantic, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Her TED Talk, 'There's more to life than being happy,' has been viewed over 15 million times." Learn more on Emily’s website.

“The more I got into the research, the more that I saw that maybe it’s not happiness that we should be pursuing and glorifying, but maybe it’s this concept of leading a meaningful life.” – Emily Esfahani Smith

About David Nichtern:

David Nichtern, founder of Dharma Moon, is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He was one of the initial American students of renowned meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and studied closely with him soon after his arrival in the United States in 1970. He is also a business consultant with companies creating a variety of offerings integrating meditation in a larger health and well-being context. David is also a multiple Grammy-nominated and Emmy Award-winning musician. David’s journey has crisscrossed with the Maharaji/Ram Dass sangha for decades. He has produced multiple Krishna Das albums and frequently joins the Bhaktettes live on guitar. He considers himself to be a first cousin and an honorary member of the Bhakti community.

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Blending together Bhakti and Buddhism, best of friends Krishna Das and David Nichtern discuss the gradual cultivation of practice and finding your ‘niche’ within the dharma.

Join the Wisdom & Wellbeing Week 1 Intensive with Krishna Das & Nina Rao | January 3 - 10, 2026 | Click to Learn More

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In this episode, David and Krishna Das thoughtfully explore:

• Leaning into the dharma and gradually planting seeds of spiritual practice
• Giving oneself fully to whatever one is doing in daily life and in practice
• Deepening concentration and devotion in the Bhakti yoga tradition
• Using the breath as an anchor for mindfulness
• The story of Hanuman and how he represents the strength to remove obstacles
• The Amitabha Mantra, a powerful Buddhist tool for purification
• Krishna Das’ reflections on a bucket list: seeking out more stability, remembrance, and selfless service
• Stability, clarity, and emotional resilience as the byproducts of mindfulness meditation
• Honoring the diversity of spiritual paths and listening deeply to what resonates with the individual soul

About Krishna Das:

Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji. Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.

Join Krishna Das in Boone, North Carolina this August for the fourth annual Ram Dass Legacy Summer Mountain Retreat.

MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT:https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE:/ krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDas

About David Nichtern:

David Nichtern, founder of Dharma Moon, is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He was one of the initial American students of renowned meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and studied closely with him soon after his arrival in the United States in 1970. He is also a business consultant with companies creating a variety of offerings integrating meditation in a larger health and well-being context. David is also a multiple Grammy-nominated and Emmy award-winning musician. David’s journey has crisscrossed with the Maharaji/Ram Dass sangha for decades. He has produced multiple Krishna Das albums and frequently joins the Bhaktettes live on guitar. He considers himself to be a first cousin and honorary member of the Bhakti community.

Head over to DharmaMoon to sign up for The Body of Meditation Teacher Training Course, starting July 10th, 2025.

“There’s not spiritual life and worldly life, there’s just your life—you’ve got to live it. If you don’t develop some inner strength, will, and direction in daily things, when you sit down on the mat it’s not going to be any different. How you sit is how you live, and how you live is how you sit.” – Krishna Das

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Old friends Sharon Salzberg and David Nichtern meet to discuss the calamity of misplaced faith and the expansion that can come from individualized social action.

Join Sharon's Upcoming Course with Tricycle to uncover yourBuddhist Personality Type

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This week on the CSM podcast, David and Sharon have a thought-provoking conversation about:

• Expanding the definition of social action to include art and genuine spiritual practice
• Looking deeper into the root cause of social problems
• Attempting to bring Buddhist teachings into a democracy
• Misplaced faith and the three root poisons in Buddhism - Grasping, Aversion, and Delusion
• Purification: going beyond awareness and into the elbow grease required for actually changing negative patterns
• The building blocks of real mindfulness and incorporating many different practices
• Kali Yuga, considering the state of the world, and trying to remain optimistic
• Understanding the consequences of our actions and our role in the collective
• How we relate to unchosen suffering and chosen suffering

Sign up for Dharma Moon’s Summer 100-Hour Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Course with David Nichtern, starting June 13th. Or, for a shortened version, join Dharma Moon for an Introductory Weekend Course on the Path of Meditation and Mindfulness.

About Sharon Salzberg:

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed five million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond. Learn more about Sharon and her books at http://www.sharonsalzberg.com/

About David Nichtern:

David Nichtern, founder of Dharma Moon, is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He was one of the initial American students of renowned meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and studied closely with him soon after his arrival in the United States in 1970. He is also a business consultant with companies creating a variety of offerings integrating meditation in a larger health and well-being context. David is also a multiple Grammy-nominated and Emmy award-winning musician. David’s journey has crisscrossed with the Maharaji/Ram Dass sangha for decades. He has produced multiple Krishna Das albums and frequently joins the Bhaktettes live on guitar. He considers himself to be a first cousin and honorary member of the Bhakti community.

"There's this saying going around that action absorbs anxiety. If you're feeling really anxious, uptight, take action. Action might not mean marching, signing a petition, or vocalizing, it may mean helping your neighbor." – Sharon Salzberg

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Meditation teacher, Susan Piver, joins David Nichtern to share her profound and ever-evolving connection to The Heart Sutra.

Learn about the heart and mind of practice with David Nichtern and Krishna Das in an upcoming free online talk! Register HERE.

In this episode, David Nichtern and Susan Piver explore:

• The many variations of The Heart Sutra and why it deeply inspires Susan
• Focusing on the sound of the words in The Heart Sutra, not just the meaning of the words
• Considering how a sutra can transform an environment and how an environment can transform a sutra
• The inseparability of meaning, sound, and atmosphere within the Heart Sutra
• A reading of The Heart Sutra from Susan Piver
• Tying our daily lives back to some form of study or practice
• Emptiness as the main theme of The Heart Sutra, and of the Buddhist arena in general
• Why Buddhist emptiness is not nihilism but an expansive, liberating insight
• The transformative value of being around someone wise with skillful means

About Susan Piver:

Susan Piver has an international reputation as an exceptionally skillful meditation teacher. She teaches workshops and speaks on mindfulness, innovation, communication, relationships, and creativity. Susan has been a student of Buddhism since 1995, graduated from a Buddhist seminary in 2004, and was authorized to teach meditation in 2005. In 2012, she founded The Open Heart Project, the world’s largest online-only meditation center. Susan is also a New York Times bestselling author. Her most recent book, Inexplicable Joy: On the Heart Sutra, is now available. You can keep up with Susan on Instagram or on her website.

Join Susan for a 10-day Heart Sutra meditationretreat this August, 2025

“Emptiness sounds like everything’s dead, but empty doesn’t mean that. It means empty of separate existence. You are here due to causes and conditions. You did not get here in a space capsule. So, emptiness could be expressed more accurately as the great expanse, fullness, complete fullness.” – Susan Piver

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Facing the obstacles on a spiritual path, Lama Rod Owens, David Nichtern, and Michael Kammers, discuss the seven sorrows of the new saint.

Grab Lama Rod’s new book,The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors

In this episode, David, Michael and Lama Rod chat about:

• Realizing that liberation is driven by uncomfortable contradictions
• The seven great sorrows of the new saint
• Leaving people behind on a spiritual journey
• Offering space to paradoxes in order to find clarity
• Support on the Boddhisatva path
• Focusing our energy on ourselves
• Prayer as an imperative part of spiritual work
• Being relevant and speaking the language of the times
• Teachers who inspired and helped Lama Rod
• Being yourself and using your own qualities to help others
• Commitment to a reduction of violence
• Getting active in getting free

About Lama Rod Owens:

Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. Author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod is highly respected among his peers and the communities that he serves. From these intersections, he creates a platform that’s very natural, engaging, and inclusive.

For current offerings and programs, click here.

“The whole project of The New Saints was to delve into the frustrations of paradox, of contradictions. One of the things that deepens our suffering is our attempt to make everything make sense. That’s how we get trapped in delusion, trying to make it make sense when instead we are trying to transcend it.” – Lama Rod Owens

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Exploring the themes in his new book, Confidence, Ethan Nichtern chats with his dad, David, about vulnerability, truth, and the state of the world.

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

In this episode, David and Ethan speak about:

• Ethan’s new book and what real confidence is
• False confidence and manipulation
• The current political environment and seeking the truth
• Why authenticity is so important
• Examples of people who radiate confidence and light the candles of others
• How sadness can be an authentic response to the state of the world
• The Eight Worldly Winds and practicing confidence
• How we are all vulnerable to imposter syndrome
• Awareness and tuning into our inner knowing to avoid being caught in emotions
• Remembering our powerful and tender hearts

Check out these on-demandonline courses from David Nichtern and an upcoming course from Ethan Nichtern based around his new book HERE.

About Ethan Nichtern:

Ethan Nichtern is a Buddhist teacher, and is the author of the acclaimed book The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path, which was selected as one of Library Journal’s Best Books of 2015, and one of Tech Insider’s “9 Books That Define 2015.” He also wrote The Dharma of The Princess Bride: What The Coolest Fairy Tale of Our Time Can Teach Us About Buddhism and Relationships and most recently, Confidence: Holding Your Seat through Life’s Eight Worldly Winds.

For the past 20+ years, Ethan has taught meditation and Buddhist psychology classes and workshops around New York City and North America and Europe, along with working with students privately. He has primarily studied in the Shambhala and other Tibetan traditions, but has also studied Theravadan and Soto Zen Buddhism. He is also an avid yoga practitioner. He served as Shastri, or Senior Teacher-In-Residence, for the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York, from 2010-2018. Continue listening to Ethan on his podcast, The Road Home.

“I think there is a compassion element to genuine confidence where you’re using your own confidence to light other people’s candle.” – Ethan Nichtern

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