The Elephant in the Meditation Room | Christopher Ford

The Elephant in the Meditation Room | Christopher Ford

Today's episode is the culmination of a long search to find a countervailing force: a Buddhist Trump supporter. This search was born out of the Buddhist impulse to find the other side. What is talked about as cultivating non-attachment to views and also called "beginner's mind." As you will hear, after a lot of searching, we finally found our person. Christopher Ford is a longtime Republican who worked for Trump (albeit indirectly) at the State Department. Ford wrote a pair of fascinating and provocative articles for the Buddhist magazine Lion's Roar. One was entitled, Zen and the Moral Courage of Moderation. The other was called, The Elephant in the Meditation Room.

Christopher Ford is a lay chaplain in the Soto tradition of Zen Buddhism. His teacher is Roshi Joan Halifax, who has been on this show a couple of times and is herself a longtime progressive. From January 2018 until January 2021,he served at the state dept as Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation. He's also worked at the National Security Council, and as a congressional staffer.

This episode explores:

  • Ford's argument for a Buddhist conservatism
  • Ford's experience in the Trump administration and his assessment of our current political state
  • The personal tools Ford recommends using in day-to-day life, some of which go right to the issue of not being attached to our views

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/christopher-ford-420

Avsnitt(1032)

Election Stress Special (Bonus Episode!)

Election Stress Special (Bonus Episode!)

In the midst of what some are calling the ugliest election ever, millions of Americans say they're feeling more stressed, anxious and just plain exhausted from it. One therapist even coined a term for...

16 Okt 201649min

Jason Stirman, Ex-Twitter, Medium Exec Turned App Entrepreneur

Jason Stirman, Ex-Twitter, Medium Exec Turned App Entrepreneur

Jason Stirman went to his first meditation class when he was working at Twitter. An early employee there, he eventually quit Twitter with founder Ev Williams with the intent of starting a new company ...

12 Okt 201646min

Eileen Fisher, Fashion Icon

Eileen Fisher, Fashion Icon

Eileen Fisher weaves mindfulness and social consciousness throughout her multimillion-dollar clothing company and in her personal life. After being in business for over 30 years, her collections are s...

5 Okt 201650min

Tony Wright, Exonerated After 25 Years (Bonus Episode!)

Tony Wright, Exonerated After 25 Years (Bonus Episode!)

Tony Wright spent 25 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. This past August, a Philadelphia jury acquitted Wright of the 1991 rape and murder of an elderly woman after his lawyers, including t...

4 Okt 201628min

Spring Washam, Meditation and Dharma Teacher

Spring Washam, Meditation and Dharma Teacher

Spring Washam was selling timeshares and struggling with depression when she decided to embark on a journey to work on her mind. After looking into psychology texts, self-help books and various forms ...

28 Sep 201644min

Alan Cumming, Actor, Author, Activist

Alan Cumming, Actor, Author, Activist

Alan Cumming is an award-winning actor on the Broadway stage and on-screen, a New York Times best-selling author, director, comedian and activist. He's best known for his roles in Broadway's "Cabaret,...

21 Sep 201635min

Elizabeth Vargas, ABC News Anchor

Elizabeth Vargas, ABC News Anchor

Elizabeth Vargas has been known throughout her 30-year career for her strong reporting around the world, her tough interviews and her steadiness during breaking news coverage. But now for the first ti...

14 Sep 201645min

Chef Eric Ripert

Chef Eric Ripert

Chef Eric Ripert, of the famed Le Bernardin in New York City, is one of the world's best chefs, an Emmy-winning cooking show host and a cookbook author. But while Ripert was building a name for himsel...

7 Sep 201650min

Populärt inom Hälsa

somna-med-henrik
rss-bara-en-till-om-missbruk-medberoende-2
rss-jossan-nina
inga-beiga-morsor
angestpodden
rss-vuxna-pa-latsas
not-fanny-anymore
sexnoveller-deluxe
rss-viktmedicinpodden
johannes-hansen-podcast
sova-med-dan-horning
rss-the-house-podcast-3
rss-sjalsligt-avkladd
sa-in-i-sjalen
sag-det-bara
brottarbroder
rss-angra-inget-3
sex-pa-riktigt-med-marika-smith
tyngre-radio
rss-fet-fakta-podcast