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PODCAST

Two Buddhas

Two Buddhas is a fresh take on Nichiren Buddhism for the 21st century—warm, curious, and free of dogma. Hosted by author and teacher Mark Herrick, this podcast explores Ren Buddhism, a contemporary path rooted in the chanting of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, the wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, and the power of personal awakening. Two Buddhas blends deep Buddhist insight with everyday relevance, spiritual questioning, and the courage to let go of rigid systems. Real stories, real practice, real life—this is the

religion & spirituality buddhism

All Episodes

00:15:10

The Enemy Within

Two Buddhas ·

2026/02/09

This podcast argues that modern America is facing a terminal civilizational crisis driven by internal decay rather than external threats. Drawing on Buddhist philosophy and the concept of the three poisons—greed, hatred, and delusion—the text asserts that institutionalized versions of these vices have hollowed out the nation’s fiscal and social foundations. The author examines how excessive military spending, massive national debt, and algorithmic social media have shattered the shared reality

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00:14:37

Yearning to see the Sacred

Two Buddhas ·

2026/02/06

This episode explores the profound spiritual intersection between Celtic Christianity and Nichiren Buddhism, specifically focusing on the concept of "the efficacy of desire." Drawing from a podcast featuring John Philip Newell and the author's own work on the Lotus Sutra, the narrative suggests that sincere yearning is not merely a path to enlightenment but is the act of awakening itself. This deep longing, represented by the word Namu, functions as a spiritual magnet that collapses

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00:15:26

The Path of Primes

Two Buddhas ·

2026/01/26

This podcast explores a unique isomorphism between the first several prime numbers and the foundational tenets of Lotus Sutra Buddhism. The author posits that primes serve as "numerical atoms" that mirror the irreducible structures of spiritual reality, beginning with how the exclusion of the number onereflects the unconditioned nature of the Dharmakaya. The analysis links the number two to the non-duality of the Two Buddhas and interprets the numbers three, five, and seven as mathematical

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00:12:07

Language Sound and Metaphor

Two Buddhas ·

2025/12/25

This video explores the philosophical tension between language as a metaphorical tool and the status of the Odaimoku as a sacred, ultimate reality. While modern linguistics and philosophy often view words as mere approximations or maps of experience, the author uses Tiantai Buddhist doctrine to argue that the chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo transcends this divide. Through the Threefold Truth, the text explains that the sounds are simultaneously empty of fixed essence and functionally real, embodying

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00:13:25

The Power of Sound to Shape our world

Two Buddhas ·

2025/12/24

This podcast explores the transformative physical and spiritual power of vibration, illustrating how sound waves act as a fundamental force that organizes reality. The author bridges modern scientific breakthroughs—such as using acoustic frequencies to extinguish fires and engineer human heart tissue—with ancient contemplative traditions that utilize chanting for neurological and spiritual awakening. By examining sound's impact on environmental, physiological, and neurological levels, the source

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00:04:10

The Cosmos in a Seed

Two Buddhas ·

2025/12/23

This podcast utilizes the metaphor of an apple seed to illustrate the Buddhist concept of Dependent Origination and the necessity of active spiritual practice. It emphasizes that while every individual possesses the innate potential for enlightenment, represented by embryonic Buddha figures within the fruit, this potential remains dormant or at risk of decay without the proper conditions. Drawing on the teachings of Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra, the source explains that chanting and consistent

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00:10:52

The Dragon, The Ghost, and The One Vehicle

Two Buddhas ·

2025/12/18

"The Dragon, The Ghost, and The One Vehicle," offers a chronological re-evaluation of classical Chinese thought, arguing that Daoism, typically attributed to the "Old Master" Lao-Tzu, likely emerged afterConfucianism as a rebellious reaction against its rigid structure. The source then explores the synthesis of these indigenous Chinese philosophies with imported Indian Buddhism, highlighting how early translators used Daoist concepts to explain Buddhist ideas. The central focus

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00:04:53

Zhiyi's Six Healing Sounds: Buddhist Synthesis and...

Two Buddhas ·

2025/12/12

This video discusses the lesser-known medical contributions of Zhiyi (538–597 CE), primarily recognized as the systematizer of Tiantai Buddhism. Zhiyi’s genius lay in his integration of Indian Buddhist and Ayurvedic medical theories with the existing Chinese system of Qi and the Five Elements. His most enduring medical legacy is the Liu Qi, or Six Healing Sounds, a unique contemplative medical practice described in his manual, the Mohe Zhiguan. This practice involves shaping specific exhalation

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00:14:18

The Algorithm of Loneliness: AI's Adult Mode

Two Buddhas ·

2025/12/11

"The Algorithm of Loneliness," critically examines OpenAI's decision to introduce an "adult mode" offering age-verified access to erotic content and AI companionship, which the author, Nichiryu Mark Herrick, views as the monetization of isolation. Herrick argues that this business model doesn't promote adult autonomy but rather reinforces loneliness by training users to prefer non-reciprocal, narcissistic interactions with AI over the messy reality of genuine human

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00:12:42

Nichiren: Orthodox Tendai Through Radical Practice

Two Buddhas ·

2025/11/24

a deep examination of the relationship between Nichiren Buddhism and its precursor, the Tendai school, arguing that Nichiren was a reformer of practice, not doctrine. The author contends that Nichiren’s radical simplification of practice to solely chanting the daimoku was the result of taking Tendai’s core philosophical concepts, particularly Zhiyi's radical non-dualism(e.g., defilements ARE enlightenment), to their logical conclusion. This methodological reform rejected the complex esoteric

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00:13:57

The One Vehicle Key to the Heart Sutra

Two Buddhas ·

2025/11/23

"The One Vehicle Key," presents a comparative analysis of the Lotus Sutra and the Heart Sutra, arguing that the latter's wisdom of emptiness functions as a provisional teaching within the context of the Lotus Sutra's ultimate doctrine of the One Vehicle. The author asserts that the One Vehicle gathers all Buddhist teachings as skillful means toward universal Buddhahood, which is the via transformativa that follows the Heart Sutra's preparatory via negativa of conceptual

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00:12:12

Zen Exceptionalism and Western Buddhist Elitism

Two Buddhas ·

2025/11/17

Exploring the prevalence of spiritual elitism within contemporary Western Buddhism, arguing that the modern mythology surrounding Zen creates an exclusive culture that discourages ordinary practitioners. Specifically, the text argues that Zen exceptionalism misrepresents the historical tradition by stripping away its reliance on texts, doctrine, and gradual practice, instead promoting an idealized view of immediate, effortless enlightenment accessible only to the spiritually gifted. The author uses

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00:43:07

The Cosmic Paradox Solved - Nichiren's Gohonzon...

Two Buddhas ·

2025/10/28

an essay by Nichiryu Mark Herrick, Renshi, is an extensive examination of the Gohonzon, the calligraphic mandala created by the Buddhist reformer Nichiren. The source explains that the Gohonzon is not merely an object of worship but a dynamic, textual representation of the Dharma's self-expression, embodying the core teachings of the Lotus Sutra and the principle of Three Thousand Realms in a Single Thought-Moment (Ichinen Sanzen). It details how Nichiren created a performative mandalaby

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00:15:59

The Myth of Final Nirvana

Two Buddhas ·

2025/10/25

"The Myth of Final Nirvana," authored by Nichiryu (Mark Herrick), which critically examines the traditional interpretation of "final nirvana" in Buddhist scripture. The author argues that within the Tiantai and Nichiren traditions, the Buddha’s final awakening is understood not as an escape or cessation from life, but as a realization of the Dharmakaya's eternal presence manifesting fully in the world. Citing foundational texts like the Lotus Sutra and the Nirvana Sutra,

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00:13:50

Nichiren, Zen, and the Folksy Tendai Lineage

Two Buddhas ·

2025/10/19

"The Irony of ‘Folksy’: Nichiren, Zen, and the Lost Lineage of Tendai," where the author explores the meaning of a Zen practitioner calling Nichiren Buddhism "folksy." The author begins by discussing their initial reaction to the term, feeling it implied condescension or lack of sophistication, before reframing it as a description of Nichiren Buddhism's accessibility and connection to ordinary people. The text then traces the shared roots of both Zen and Nichiren Buddhism

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00:14:01

Cycles of Time: Apocalypse, Mappo, and Sacred History

Two Buddhas ·

2025/10/13

This episode offers a comparative analysis of apocalyptic narratives and cyclical timeacross different traditions, primarily contrasting Christianity's linear End Time with Buddhist cosmology's cyclical view of spiritual decline and renewal. The analysis highlights that while mainstream Christianity focuses on a cataclysmic, divine judgment at the end of history, Buddhist concepts like the Latter Age of the Dharma (Mappo) emphasize a period of spiritual degeneration that is nevertheless a

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00:13:02

The Trickster: Agent of Spiritual Renewal

Two Buddhas ·

2025/10/13

This episode explores the Trickster archetype functions as a necessary agent of renewal during periods of spiritual or cultural stagnation, often referred to in Buddhist cosmology as the Latter Age of the Dharma. This archetype, embodied by figures like Loki, Coyote, or the Buddhist layperson Vimalakīrti, challenges fixed structures and hollow ritualsby employing chaos, paradox, and irreverence. The text argues that this disruption is not destruction for its own sake but a prerequisite

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00:15:10

The Limits of Western Knowing

Two Buddhas ·

2025/10/09

"The Limits of Western Knowing: Why the Analytic Mind Stumbles Before the Dharma," authored by Nichiryu Mark Herrick, analyzes the common trajectory of Western intellectuals who abandon theistic frameworks, often moving toward agnosticism or secular humanism instead of practice-based non-theistic spiritual traditions like Tendai or Nichiren Buddhism. Herrick argues that this choice is heavily influenced by the academic culture's institutional bias, which prioritizes analytical,

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00:14:15

Beyond Panentheism: Zhiyi, Nichiren, and Non-Obstruction

Two Buddhas ·

2025/10/08

"Beyond Panentheism: Zhiyi, Nichiren, and the Logic of Non-Obstruction" critiques the limitations of Western concepts like pantheism ("All is God") and panentheism ("All is in God"), arguing that they rely on spatial or dualistic grammar. The author proposes that the Mahayana Buddhist ontology, specifically the Tiantai school founded by Zhiyi, offers a more sophisticated framework through the Threefold Truth (Emptiness, Provisional Existence, and Middle Way), which

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00:15:50

Awakening Sooner: The Spiritual Journey of Repentance

Two Buddhas ·

2025/10/06

"Awakening Sooner: The Spiritual Journey of Repentance" by Nichiryu Mark Herrick, dated October 6, 2025, which examines the concept of repentance not as an act of guilt, but as a path to spiritual maturity and heightened awareness. Herrick outlines a three-stage progression of repentance—after the mistake (hindsight), during the mistake (vigilance), and before the impulse arises (foresight)—to illustrate the refinement of consciousness. The essay draws heavily upon various Buddhist

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