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Do Not Try to Become a Buddha is a collection of short essays, Irish Soto Zen priest Myozan Ian Kilroy describes how he came to practice Zen, introduces some basics of Zen philosophy, and recalls the challenges of establishing a Zen Buddhist community in Catholic-dominated Ireland.

A former journalist, Rev. Myozan’s clear yet entertaining storytelling style paints a clear picture of how Zen has adapted to the culture and traditions of Ireland. Rev. Myozan describes how he came to practice Zen, introduces the basics of Zen philosophy, and recalls the challenges of establishing a Zen Buddhist community in Catholic-dominated Ireland. He also explores the rituals and practices that Zen brings to everyday life, from holidays to weddings to birth ceremonies to funerals.

Dana and Claire Parsons, Tattooed Buddha columnist and blogger at Brilliant Legal Mind, sit down and chat with Rev. Myozan about rituals and teachings, his history of working as a journalist, his current job for the last 16 years at the school of media at the Technological University Dublin. He has represented Buddhism on national radio and television, in advisory panels for the Taoiseach (Ireland’s prime minister), and in the National Day of Commemoration in Ireland, which remembers all Irish people who have died in past wars.

We talk about the current state in global politics and how Zen fits into that, and into every day life.

Podcast editor: Hallie Gornall

Do Not Try to Become a Buddha

Rev. Myozan's YouTube Channel

zenbuddhism.ie

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Ethan Nichtern is the author of Confidence: Holding Your Seat through Life’s Eight Worldly Winds and several other titles, including the widely acclaimed The Road Home. A renowned contemporary Buddhist teacher and the host of The Road Home Podcast, Ethan teaches meditation and Buddhist psychology classes and retreats online via Dharma Moon and around the US.

Kellie Schorr and Claire Parsons talk with Ethan about his new book and the concept of confidence and the idea of it being a practice. We also discuss how fear can play a role in our culture and how it can effect our ability to build confidence.

Check out the promo video where he talks about this book here. You can find his book on Amazon here.

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If you meditate, chances are you may have heard of or have used Insight Timer.

This app was brought to my attention because it wasn’t just a timer—it has classes, courses, talks and most especially it has a community. Our culture and society has become more and more digitalized. Socializing is done via messaging, texting and by using likes, dislikes and emojis. We meme, we snap, we gif, along with many other nouns that we now verb—all from our phones. It’s amazing and has connected us from one side of the globe to another.

Unfortunately it has also divided us from one side of the globe to another.

What I like about Insight Timer is that it uses this technology to connect—to find likeness and community—and brings it to the practice of meditation. In our busy-ness of life, sometimes getting to a meditation group is not ideal. Sometimes it is actually not even possible depending on where we live. Old school practices may push back, and while it is true that there is nothing better than actually meditating in a group, Insight Timer elects to fill this gap of those that need a social network of meditators.

So when one of our writers brought to our attention the open call by Insight Timer for interviews and podcasts, we jumped. Was I nervous about meeting Christopher Plowman, the CEO of Insight Timer? Yes. But that quickly faded after a he popped up on our screens and began chatting about his new puppy.

You know how people will say that someone is unexpectedly down to earth despite the fact that person is a little famous? Christopher Plowman was exactly that. In just a minute we felt like we were a group of friends chatting about meditation, and the power of one idea that snowballs into a dream.

As just a small start up company, the people at Insight Timer have worked tirelessly to keep up with technology and to stay one step ahead of what we as meditators are looking for in an app that is not only functional but a bridge to those who are all looking to find a little peace, a little connection, a little understanding, and best of all, it is at no cost.

Grab some coffee or tea and listen as we talk about how Insight Timer was born and what they hope to accomplish in the future.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! Interested in being a guest on our podcast? Contact us at editor@thetattooedbuddha.com.