PODCAST
On Being with Krista Tippett, “Mary Oliver: Listening to the World”
Mary Oliver, the Pulitzer Prize– and National Book Award–winning poet beloved by many in the Buddhist community and beyond, died in January at 83. Krista Tippett sat down with the very private poet in 2015 to talk about how poetry and nature helped her escape the sexual abuse she experienced as a child, her daily habit of reading Rumi, and her method of writing while walking that will make you want to drop everything and head deep into the woods.
onbeing.org
PODCAST
Hidden Brain, “How Science Spreads: Smallpox, Stomach Ulcers, and ‘The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary’”
The Buddha advised his followers not to take his word for it but to test the teachings out for themselves. But when it comes to the Earth revolving around the sun (and not the other way around), we have to trust authority figures to tell us the truth. This brainy but accessible conversation between host Shankar Vedantam and philosopher of science Cailin O’Connor is a fascinating exploration into where our beliefs come from and why scientific evidence is not always strong enough to change them.
npr.org
MEDITATION
Sarah Blondin, “Accepting Change”
Real talk: this guided meditation helped yours truly through the uncertainty and unraveling of everything that followed an international move. Blondin is a British Columbia–based meditation teacher and host of the Live Awake podcast, a series of guided meditations based on her own journal entries. Blondin’s velvety and hopeful voice gives you permission to loosen your grip on whatever you’re trying desperately to hold on to, and perhaps take a step toward acceptance.
insighttimer.com/sarahblondin/guided-meditations/accepting-change
MUSIC
Landfall, Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet, $12.49 download
The composer and musician Laurie Anderson is best known for her avant-garde work, but there is something more collective about Landfall, her Grammy Award-winning collaboration with Kronos Quartet. In 30 tracks, it tells the story of both her personal loss during Hurricane Sandy, including her cache of instruments and papers, and the collective devastation from the powerful storm. As a whole, the album is a haunting yet cathartic experience of a natural disaster and everything that follows.
nonesuch.com/albums/landfall
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