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PODCAST

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern

The Road Home podcast with author and teacher is Ethan Nichtern is a contemporary exploration of Buddhist teachings and conversation with thought leaders interested in Psychology, Art, Culture, and Politics through the lens of mindfulness practice. Since 2002, Ethan has taught meditation and Buddhist psychology classes and workshops around the United States and online. He is the author of multiple books, including The Road Home: A Contemporary Exploration of The Buddhist Path. He is currently the

religion & spirituality buddhism

All Episodes

58:10

Ep. 172 - Invoking The Muse: Dharma Art with Josh Ritter

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2026/03/26

"Intuition doesn't seem to act aggressively." -Josh Ritter Ethan welcomes his friend, contemporary folk musician and novelist Josh Ritter for a conversation about creativity, inspiration, spirituality and art-making. They discuss where great ideas come from, how the "protocols" of practice influence both creativity and the spiritual path, and the meaning of relative and ultimate truth found within Josh's song "Truth is a Dimension (Both Invisible and Blinding)" off Josh's most recent album I Believe

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49:03

Ep. 171 - How To Make Use of Your Broken Heart

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2026/03/18

Sometimes life breaks your heart. Right now, the world is breaking most of our hearts. And if it isn't breaking your heart, you're not paying attention. But what does a broken heart have to do with the awakened state of mind? In this solo episode of The Road Home podcast, Ethan examine the two main aspects of our consciousness - thinking mind and feeling mind. Feeling mind might be better understood as our "Awakened Heart,"which is a not-quite-literal translation of the term Bodhicitta. Most of the

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56:43

Ep. 170 - Worldly Enlightenment and The Path of The...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2026/03/10

In classic Buddhism, there is often a meaningful emphasis on going very deep into the spiritual life, often through leaving the world behind for long periods of time and even becoming a lifelong yogi or monk. Is this the only way to move toward full awakening? There is often a lesser emphasis on a different path to awakening, the so-called "householder"— the student of mindfulness and awakening who doesn't want to—or simply can't— leave this world behind, but wants to turn their practice directly

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52:20

Ep. 169 - On Mindful Democracy with Jeremy David Engels

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2026/02/26

What's wrong with democracy these days? Can it be rescued? Can it be made more mindful? Can we work together to build something better? What's the role of compassion in building community? What's the role of conflict in building community? Why do yoga and mindfulness communities often seem so averse to taking a stand and diving into different political or communal issues head on? Why does our world treat politics as some sort of childish, dirty game, like reality tv, instead of sacred duty? For the

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51:52

Ep. 168 - How (and When) Do We Practice Compassion...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2026/02/16

Ethan tackles an age-old dharma question: how do we generate compassion for those who do harmful things? Should we even try, or does that make things worse? In the age of ICE lawlessness, totalitarian governments, and coming to terms with toxic relationships of all kinds, this question intensifies. This conversation often feels misunderstood. Whether the perpetrator is a dictator, a difficult ex, or a manipulative boss—or whether the harm is something we ourselves have caused—the question of

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01:02:37

Ep. 167 - The Fire Inside: A Conversation with Dr....

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2026/02/05

Ethan talks to author, scholar and teacher Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad about her insightful new book The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. Mixing scholarship, memoir, and a deep reverence for the spiritual insights of two of the greatest writers and thinkers of the 20th century, Dr. Vesely-Flad's newest work approaches Buddhist teachings from an angle that is deeply human, literary, and personal. How did these two great authors touch on such dharmic topics as the truth of suffering,

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01:00:15

Ep. 166 - Kindness, Innocence, And Emotional...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2026/01/27

What is the relationship between Metta (lovingkindness practice) and developing, or rediscovering, a childlike innocence? How can Buddhist meditation help both kids and adults with emotional regulation and resilience? Is there anything about the way kids meet thoughts and emotions that we grown-ups can learn from? And, as Ethan wonders, are all children Democratic Socialists? Ethan welcomes dear mentor and friend Sharon Salzberg—now author of a children's book called Kind Karl (and it's an excellent

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44:42

Ep. 165 - Against The Stream: Karma, Mindfulness, and...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2026/01/19

Ethan continues recent conversations on tech, mindfulness and dharma to examine how much of our karma (ie "habit energy" according to the late master Thich Nhat Hanh) is determined by pre-chosen and manipulative algorithms. How can we use our mindfulness practice to understand the internal and external forces influencing our patterns of behavior, and use our dharma practice to create more gaps of genuine awareness, gaps in which our intention and agency create a space for right action, or at least

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59:19

Ep. 164 - What is Engaged Buddhism? A Conversation...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2026/01/10

At a recent event in support of Dharma Moon's Yearlong Buddhist Studies program on January 6th, Ethan was joined by the great Roshi Joan Halifax, to discuss the practice, history and theory of Engaged Buddhism. Why is this integrated approach to the dharma so crucial now? Ethan begins with an impassioned plea after the ICE murder of the Renee Good in Minneapolis to come together as sangha and practice engaged dharma this year. And every time the thought arises "I could do something but it won't

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01:09:49

Ep. 163 - The Astrology of 2026: Revolutionary...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2025/12/26

Ethan welcomes back bestselling author and Buddhist Astrologer Juliana McCarthy (Ethereal Culture, The Stars Within You) to dive headfirst into a discussion of the momentous year ahead. They break the discussion into four areas: spiritual practice, creative practice, technology and politics. Juliana predicts big personal and collective moments ahead in February, April and especially in July 2026, including a massive revolutionary placement of planets that coincides directly with July 4th, the 250th

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33:51

Ep. 162 - One Samsara After Another: An End To Gun...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2025/12/16

After a heavy weekend on Earth, Ethan discusses violence and gun violence via the mass shootings at his alma mater of Brown University and the Jewish community in Sydney at Bondi Beach, along side the movie One Battle After Another and the murders of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer. Ethan contemplates the first precept (to refrain from killing) as both a personal and a political practice. He also argues that the American love of "free speech" and our widespread addiction to guns are directly at odds

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47:05

Ep. 161 - Cover The World In Leather - Seeking...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2025/12/11

Ethan welcomes Dan Harris, one of the leading voices in the mindfulness movement, for a live (and lively) conversation about the quest for stability in an unstable world, and to present the 2026 Yearlong Buddhist Studies Program. When Ethan mentioned a classic quote from the Indian master Shantideva about "covering the world in leather," Dan responded with one of his slightly irreverent and not-safe-for-the-monastery quips. It was a great conversation. Check it out! A former ABC news anchor, Dan

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48:44

Ep. 160 - The Cosmic Joke: Developing A Sense of...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2025/12/04

The path of awakening is often treated as serious business for serious people. This approach can make us rigid about our experience of reality, when what we want to develop is greater flexibility, appreciation, and openness to ouselves and others. For that, we need the path to include a great sense of humor. So when is the spiritual path funny? When is humor an obstacle or a neurotic defense mechanism? How can comedy point us toward Ultimate Truth? In this solo episode, Ethan explores where comedy

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59:31

Ep 159. - Radical Change with Adriana DiFazio

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2025/11/25

Ethan is joined by old friend and teacher Adriana DiFazio for a wide ranging discussion of the limitations of a Western Buddhism that focuses on individualism, individual liberation, and "secular" practice. They discuss how to create a Dharma that is more focused on intersectionality and systems, along with a truly spiritual approach. Enjoy! Adriana DiFazio is a Buddhist meditation teacher, scholar, chaplain, and parent whose work explores the intersections of Buddhism, critical theory, and social

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45:45

Ep. 158 - Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Buddhist Socialism,...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2025/11/11

How did NYC become the epicenter of all the tensions and promise of American society and politics, and do the Buddhist teachings have anything to offer to understanding this political moment? Using the rise of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in his home city—a city of perpetual immigrants—Ethan explores themes of community engagement, sangha, social democracy and the power of standing up for what you believe in to talk about this chaotic (yet potent) moment on Earth. Please support the podcast via

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47:28

Ep. 157 - How Am I (Really?) Doing: The Power of...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2025/10/29

Drawing on concepts from his latest book, Confidence, Ethan explores how it is that our self-assessment can be so off the mark so frequently, especially when it comes to seeing our progress along a long-term path like meditation, or the deeper journey of spiritual and psychological . Why is it so hard assess our traits, and to see our strengths as well as our stuck places, clearly? How can we overcome our negativity bias and meet the inner critic more skillfully in everyday life. What does it mean

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37:48

Ep. 156 - The Myth of (Conditional) Freedom

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2025/10/21

Ethan is back with a solo episode to discuss the Buddhist experience of liberation and (moksha) and how we can glimpse an experience it in our awareness and meditation practice. He also discusses the related question of the collapsing American mythology of “freedom.” In the discussion, he highlights several categories of freedom, first “conditional” freedom versus “unconditional” freedom. Then he discusses individual, or personal freedom versus “collective” freedom. Please support the podcast via

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57:44

Ep. 155 - What Should a Teacher Say? with Francesca...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2025/09/22

Ethan is joined by friend and yoga teacher Francesca Cervero to talk about becoming a teacher as a livelihood, the duty of the teacher when it comes to building community in a post-pandemic world, and how to be clear and open with students about the ethical teachings of Buddhism and yoga in a world of chaos, violence and oppression. Francesca Cervero (she/her) has been a full time yoga and meditation teacher since 2005 and offers private and group yoga classes as well as yoga teacher mentoring and

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51:06

Ep. 154 - How Do I Know If I’m Enlightened?

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2025/09/09

In this episode, Ethan discusses the crucial question of “enlightenment,” better translated as “awakening.” What does this word mean? What doesn’t it mean? How would we know if we were really there? Is awakening a big deal? And most importantly, how can we glimpse it, or notice the glimpses we are already having of our awakening, and build off of those powerful moments with confidence in our development? Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly

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56:48

Ep. 153 - You Won’t Heal Until You Love It : Inside...

The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern ·

2025/08/26

16 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

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