The Modern Buddhism Podcast

In today’s episode, Gen Kelsang Sherab shares the remarkable journey that took him from being a professional musician in Israel and the Netherlands to becoming a Buddhist monk and meditation teacher. Looking back on his early search for meaning, he describes the quiet sense that something was missing from his life, even when everything appeared successful from the outside.
His encounter with Kadampa Buddhism introduced him to teachings that helped him understand the nature of samsara, the importance of moral discipline, and the possibility of transforming the mind through meditation. He recalls the books that first captured his attention, including Clear Light of Bliss, Tantric Grounds and Paths, Introduction to Buddhism, and Joyful Path of Good Fortune, and explains how these teachings gradually changed the direction of his life.
Sherab also reflects on his mother’s death, difficult experiences with his family, his decision to give up music, and the painful process of realizing that the Buddhist path he had built for himself needed to be completely rebuilt. Throughout the conversation, he explores the role of the Dharma Protector, the importance of learning from our mistakes, and why meditation is not about fighting the mind but learning to understand and work with it.
Ultimately, this is a story about discovering what truly brings happiness, having the courage to change direction, and finding a deeper purpose through Dharma practice.00:00 From Musician to Buddhist Monk05:01 Searching for a Spiritual Guide10:05 Discovering Kadampa Buddhism and Books15:00 Samsara, Sorrow, and Losing His Mother20:00 Choosing Ordination Over Music25:02 Family Conflict and Spiritual Growth30:00 Understanding the Dharma Protector35:00 Virtue, Truth, and Samsara

Book References
by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso📖 Introduction to Buddhism: https://kadampa.org/book/introduction...📖 Clear Light of Bliss: https://kadampa.org/book/clear-light-...📖 Tantric Grounds and Paths: https://kadampa.org/book/tantric-grou...📖 Joyful Path of Good Fortune: https://kadampa.org/book/joyful-path-...Want More?
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#KadampaBuddhism #Buddhism #Meditation #BuddhistMeditation #GenKelsangSherab #ModernBuddhism #Dharma #SpiritualJourney #BuddhistMonk #InnerPeace #Samsara #DharmaProtector #JoyfulPathOfGoodFortune #MindTraining #Happiness

In today's episode, Kadam Michelle draws on 25+ years as a student of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso to explore how to find peace amid genuine uncertainty. Recounting her years as a resident teacher through three major hurricanes in Florida, she describes what she calls the "cone of uncertainty" - the idea that our entire life, not just a storm's path, is already pervaded by unpredictability.
She explains the practice of patient acceptance: peacefully accepting whatever arises rather than rejecting it, since rejection never changes reality and only adds mental pain on top of an already difficult situation. Michelle shares how thinking of our possessions, and even our own bodies, as merely "borrowed" for this life helps loosen the grip of attachment, and how meditating on death - not to create fear, but to clarify what truly matters - transforms daily interactions into something meaningful.
She also addresses a common objection: doesn't real change require anger? Drawing a distinction between the destabilizing energy of anger and the stable, wise energy of compassion, she makes the case that a peaceful mind is not passive, but is in fact the most effective foundation for helping others and for living, and eventually dying, well.00:00 Introduction: Life in Florida's Hurricane Season04:45 Patient Acceptance and Letting Go of Attachment10:06 Community, Compassion, and Helping After Disaster16:06 Uncertainty, Impermanence, and Life's Storms21:04 Training the Mind Through Patient Acceptance26:08 Is Anger Ever the Right Response?30:17 Building an Inner Refuge Through Meditation34:24 Meditating on Death to Live MeaningfullyBook ReferencesHow To Transform Your Life by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso https://howtotyl.com/The New Meditation Handbook by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso https://kadampa.org/book/the-new-medi...Subscribe to get notifications of new episodes.Want More?Find a meditation center near you:https://kadampa.org/nkt-center-search...Listen to teaching clips:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QPCFEy...
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#KadampaBuddhism #PatientAcceptance #Impermanence #Meditation #InnerPeace #BuddhistWisdom #GesheKelsangGyatso #MindfulLiving #Detachment #MeditationOnDeath #Compassion #NewKadampaTradition #ModernBuddhism #Resilience #SpiritualPractice

In today’s episode, Gen Chodor reflects on a powerful feeling he had as a young person - that life seemed almost dream-like - and how this sparked a deep search for meaning and purpose. Drawing on the wisdom of Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, he explores how meditation can help us see reality more clearly, free ourselves from distraction, and discover a deeper, more lasting sense of inner peace.
The conversation explores the transformative impact of meeting authentic spiritual teachings, the decision to dedicate one's life to Dharma practice, and the profound benefits of training the mind. Through personal stories and practical insights, Gen Chodor shows how genuine happiness and purpose arise not from external achievements, but from developing wisdom, compassion, and a positive state of mind.

Chapters
00:00 Questioning Reality and Finding Buddhism
05:21 Meaning, Happiness and Inner Development
10:09 Morning Meditation and Setting Direction
13:03 Leaving Corporate Life Behind
20:18 Death, Impermanence and Living Without Regret
28:35 Why Spiritual Life Brings Meaning
31:17 Discovering Your Authentic Self
36:07 Grasping, Reality and the Dreamlike Self
43:20 The Extraordinary Potential of the Mind
49:04 Books and Final Advice

Book References
How To Transform Your Life by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
How to Understand the Mind by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

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In today's episode, Gen Kelsang Chökyong - a Buddhist monk from Wales - shares the story of how he stumbled into a Dharma class while sheltering from the rain with a kebab, and never left. Drawing on nearly thirty years of practice and teaching within the New Kadampa Tradition, he explores why the mind - not external circumstances - is the true source of all our happiness and suffering. He explains the Buddhist concept of self-grasping ignorance and how this single delusion drives everything from daily irritation and relationship problems to the world's largest conflicts.
Gen Chökyong highlights how meditation and compassion gradually erode this grasping, revealing a natural peace that was always there. He shares life-changing insights into the nature of feelings - pointing out that most of what torments us is just a feeling, and feelings always pass. He concludes with a very helpful approach to making mistakes. Instead of turning on ourself, we can realize that without making mistakes it’s unlikely that we’ll learn and improve. Warm, funny, and deeply practical, this episode is a masterclass in how Buddhist wisdom applies directly to modern anxiety, relationships, and the art of letting go.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Finding Dharma
05:00 Seeing Through the Fantasy of Worldly Life
09:20 How the Mind Creates Its Own Suffering
15:00 Buddhism's Relevance for Modern Life and Young People
22:40 Confidence, Self-Image, and Letting Go of Comparison
27:20 Working with Difficulties
28:45 Feelings and the Power of Letting Go
33:55 Compassion and Learning from Mistakes

Book References
In this episode Gen Chökyong references:

How to Solve our Human Problems
 - https://kadampa.org/book/how-to-solve-our-human-problems
How to Transform Your Life
 - https://howtotyl.com/

Gen Chökyong is a senior teacher within the New Kadampa Tradition, an international Buddhist tradition with over a thousand meditation centers worldwide.



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n today's episode, Kadam Mick Marcon explores one of the biggest challenges in life - how to cope with uncertainty. Drawing on his own experience of losing his mother, witnessing a stranger's fear on a turbulent flight, and years of practising and teaching within the New Kadampa Tradition, he reveals why our struggle with uncertainty runs far deeper than the unpredictable events of the outside world. He explains how unrealistic expectations - the wish for things to be permanent in a world defined by impermanence - are at the very root of our suffering, and why no amount of external change has ever, or will ever, resolve this inner conflict.

Kadam Mick walks us through the tools Buddhism has to offer for working with the mind - from breathing meditation to the contemplation of impermanence - and distinguishes between the pain of attachment and the freedom of genuine love. Whether you are struggling to let go of a past relationship, facing the loss of someone you love, or simply overwhelmed by the chaos of the modern world, this episode offers a genuinely transformative perspective on how to truly be at peace with uncertainty.

Chapters00:00 Introduction - Uncertainty and Human Nature 05:10 Bushfires, Escape Artists, and the Unprepared Mind 08:00 The Travel Blogger on a Turbulent Flight 11:00 Why Taming the Mind Feels Impossible 15:38 Informal Meditation - Becoming a Student of Life 18:07 The World's Problems and the Internal Answer 23:27 Unrealistic Wishes and the Root of Suffering 30:08 Letting Go of a Painful Past 36:03 Relationships, Meaning, and Inner Development 38:14 Detachment vs. Non-Attachment Explained 42:47 Love, Attachment, and the Teachings on ImpermanenceSubscribe to get notifications of new episodes.

Want More?
Find a meditation center near you - 
https://kadampa.org/nkt-center-search/?lang=en
Listen to teaching clips
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#Kadampa #Buddhism #Meditation #Impermanence #Uncertainty #LettingGo #MindTraining #InnerPeace #Attachment #NonAttachment #Acceptance #BuddhistTeachings #MindfulLiving #GesheKelsangGyatso #Kadampa #SpiritualGrowth #Dharma #Podcast