The Bad Buddhist Podcast Edgar Hartley

From Sakyong Mipham, leader of Shambhala, one of the largest Buddhist organizations in the West, to the Karmapa Lama, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage, powerful Buddhist teachers seem not to pay attention to the teachings of the Buddha himself for monastics: No Sex! None of these so-called enlightened teachers, even well-known American yogis like Lama Surya Das, seem to be able to practice the wisdom and compassion of non-harmful, appropriate student/teacher boundaries.&nbsp...

In this episode we sit down with international interfaith artist Kiki McGrath (www.kikimcgrath.com) to continue our series on defining what Buddhism is for both Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. We clarify and define terms specific to Buddhist practice so that we can have a more full conversation about the challenges facing Vajrayana Buddhism in America. As a practitioner of Catholicism, Kiki's questions emphasize an honest curiosity in faiths outside her own and, at ...

Stay tuned for more interesting and exciting interviews, personal stories and informational series that shed light on the challenges facing Vajrayana Buddhism in America today. Join our discussion as we explore what can be done to best promote safer practice environments and more supportive instructional systems within tantric Buddhism. We're working on even more great content so please tune in or go to the BadBuddhistPocast.com webpage for links to resources, podcast episod...

To help layout a clear path to understanding Buddhism, in this first part of a short series of episodes, we try to clarify some important terminology and introduce the main types of Buddhist practice and what makes them different from each other. We discuss the four main schools of Vajrayana Buddhism, their philosophical views and how they came to be and, finally, the importance of taking refuge and what that means. It's my hope that we'll come away with a better grasp of al...

In this audio essay the host shares some of his personal experiences with Vajrayana Buddhism, both life changing and beneficial as well as those that brought about a great deal of harm and confusion. He discusses practices he thinks need improvement in Tantric Buddhism before it can be successful in the West and those that need to be discarded, with an eye toward creating a safe space for other Buddhists who have encountered abusive or exploitative situations in their practice to ...

Introduction to season one of the Bad Buddhist Podcast, which will tackle some of the challenges facing the Vajrayana in America along with some informational deep dives about Buddhism and discussions about how, if possible, to incorporate these timeless teachings into a modern lifestyle.