What We’re Listening to

PODCAST EPISODE

“Jizo Bodhisattva,” Ten Thousand Things with Shin Yu Pai

Poet and podcast host Shin Yu Pai shares a deeply moving reflection on her first pregnancy, which ended in miscarriage. Unable to grieve with her partner, Pai lacked closure until the mizuko kuyo—a Japanese Buddhist ceremony during which an unborn child’s symbolic remains are enshrined in a statue of Jizo Bodhisattva. Finally, Pai was able to “look grief in the eye and let it go.” She is among the modern canon of women openly sharing their experiences of pregnancy loss, which has historically been kept in the shadows.

—WBA

GUIDED MEDITATION

“Mindfulness Meditation with Kimberly Brown 04/06/2023,” The Rubin Museum of Art

Part of the Rubin Museum of Art’s series of guided meditations that each center on a piece from the collection, this installment highlights “Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Bardo.” Tashi Chodron, the Rubin’s Himalayan Programs and Communities Ambassador, gives an explanation of the painting and Kimberly Brown leads the meditation. Inspired by the thangka’s depiction of the mind at the moment of death and the six possible realms for rebirth, Brown explores themes of impermanence, bravery, and lovingkindness.

—WBA

PODCAST EPISODE

“The Dharma of Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Jasmine Wang & Iain S. Thomas,” Ten Percent Happier

In the past year since ChatGPT first became available to the public, the horrors of a robotic future have become increasingly worrisome. But according to poet Iain S. Thomas and technologist and philosopher Jasmine Wang, AI advancements have also opened up new possibilities in understanding world religions. Host Dan Harris expertly frames the conversation in layperson terms, which should appeal to those of us still trying to figure out what AI is, does, and can eventually do.

—WBA

PODCAST SERIES

The Imperfect Buddha Podcast with Matthew O’Connell

If you’re a fan of Tricycle’s in-depth feature articles, you will love this podcast. A proponent of Glenn Wallis’s non-Buddhist philosophy and contributor to the speculativenonbuddhism.com project, host Matthew O’Connell challenges Western popular Buddhism’s anti-intellectualist slant through conversations with the heavy hitters of Buddhist studies, philosophy, history, and criticism. Check your attachments at the door and dine with O’Connell at the cosmic smorgasbord of a truly empty yet marvelous experience. Buddhist geeks, take note!

—FMR-H