Pragmatic Buddhism

Why do we call it Pragmatic Buddhism? Glenn of the Columbus sangha starts by discussing the Western pragmatists (Peirce, James, Dewey, and Rorty). But then he runs and experiment by asking AI to draft the rest of the...

We all want to do the right thing but what is the "right thing"? Most people come to Buddhism hoping for a rulebook. Do these three things, avoid those five, and you'll be fine. This episode is about the ethical conduct...

What is the difference between reacting and responding, and can you train the gap between the two? In this episode, Glenn from the Columbus sangha takes Buddhist practice off the cushion and onto the ice. He treats...

What does it take to see your own life clearly, and then actually act on what you see? In this episode, Danielle teaches the wisdom basket of the Eightfold Path: skillful view (often called Right View) and skillful...

In this dharma talk from the Order of Pragmatic Buddhists, Curtis explores the relationship between compassion and wisdom, two qualities the Buddha identified as essential to awakening. Curtis argues that compassion...

<p>What if Buddhism's core teaching wasn't a set of beliefs to accept, but a diagnosis and a prescription? In this dharma discussion, Danielle introduces the Four Ennobling Realities and the Eightfold Path and explains...

<p>We constantly take a mood, a moment, or a memory and turn it into who we are. "I'm an anxious person." "This is just how my life goes." "That's who they are." In this talk and discussion from the Columbus sangha, Joe...

<p>Is prayer a Buddhist practice? More than we might think. In this dharma talk, Joe shares how his work as a chaplain transformed his understanding of prayer — from something he scoffed at to something he now considers...

<p>Aaron returns to lead the St. Louis Sangha through the second part of Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, this time exploring "right attitude." The group reflects on the paradox of sitting without seeking...

<p>What does Bach's organ music have to do with sitting zazen? For Glenn, everything. In this talk from the Columbus sangha, he shares a realization that struck him during morning physical therapy: truly listening to...

<p>What if the hardest thing in the world is simply sitting still? In this episode, Aaron from the St. Louis sangha leads our community through the opening of Suzuki's classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, and the...

<p>We live in a world built for distraction — scrolling, streaming, multitasking, always doing something else. But what if awakening isn’t somewhere far away, but right here in this moment? In this talk, Glenn explores...

<p>The Three Marks of Existence can sound stark: everything is impermanent, clinging leads to dissatisfaction, and there is no fixed self. But these teachings aren’t pessimistic; they’re liberating. In this episode...

<p>The Buddhist teaching of “no self” can sound confusing or even alarming. Does it mean we don’t exist? That our personality is an illusion? In this talk, Douglas and the St Louis sangha unpack what “no self” actually...

<p>The solstice marks a turning point—either the longest night or the longest day—and invites us to pause. In this episode recorded on the solstice, Glenn and the Columbus sangha reflect on what it means to stand at a...