Awaken

For centuries people have turned to the image of the Wheel of Life to better understand cause and effect and the very nature of existence. The section of the Wheel depicting the hungry ghost realm is…

We may think interdependence is something that needs to be found, but it’s already right here, existing among the people we know and interact with on a regular basis. Our capacity to form mutually su…

Interdependence is so foundational to every aspect of our lives that it can be easy to miss. But what happens when we truly wake up to the reality that everyone and everything is interconnected? For …

Welcome to Season 5 of AWAKEN—a Webby Honoree podcast about the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to “wake up.” This season explores interdependence, a fundamental concept in Buddhism a…

What does it look like to put what we’ve learned about non-attachment into practice? In this episode, all the guests in the series share their practices for working through their attachments and movi…

We might want to believe that there is a definitive end—a clear point where some patterns have died and new ones have been born—but in fact, we are always in a process of realization. It’s a continuo…

Freedom from attachment doesn’t require leaving home and renouncing all our ties to family and friends like the Buddha did. It’s something that is available to all of us, in each moment, in everyday …

How does non-attachment awaken us to our interdependence? We cannot exist without each other and the world around us. When we recognize this fact, not only do we free ourselves from self-focus and fe…

The concept of non-attachment seems particularly confounding in the context of love. How can we not be attached to the people closest to our hearts? It’s not about loving or not loving, but rather ho…

Many of the challenges that arise with attachment are related to the ego: who you think you are and how you think others should feel about you. By holding onto our sense of self too tightly, we end u…

It’s almost impossible to have no attachments. So what does non-attachment actually mean? Depending on the context, it can be easily misunderstood. But from the Buddhist perspective, it’s not about l…

To understand non-attachment, we first have to understand attachment. It’s a fundamental part of the human experience. We cling not only to what makes us feel good but also to our identities, beliefs…

Welcome to Season 4 of AWAKEN—a Webby Honoree podcast about the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to “wake up.” Hosted by actress and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini, this season delves i…

Everyone has spent time wondering about it, but no one can say for sure: What happens after we die? In the last episode of the season, all of the guests in the series consider this question and consi…

One thing is for certain: one day you will die. But what happens when you die? And how does knowledge of your inevitable death impact how you live now? In this episode, all the guests in the series r…

If faced with bravery and awareness, conflict can bring great insight into what is right or needed. From the Buddhist perspective, it’s not the conflict itself that matters, but how we react to it. B…

In Buddhism, morality isn’t just about avoiding harm but helping others. It comes down to taking responsibility for our actions. We can never truly know our morals until they are tested. But faced wi…

Aspiration involves desire and ambition, whether it’s the pursuit of a new job or to be a better friend. It’s something that gives us a north star to move toward in our daily life. But what happens o…

Emotions aren’t just the feelings in the body—they reflect neurons firing in the brain, and from the Buddhist perspective, they offer opportunities for profound insight. When we hold too tightly to o…

Welcome to Season 3 of AWAKEN—a Webby Honoree podcast about the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to “wake up.” In this season, hosted by singer and songwriter Falu, artists, writers, s…