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Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
Total monthly reach
Estimated from 39 chart positions in 39 markets.
By chart position
- 🇬🇧GB · Buddhism#11300K to 1M
- 🇦🇺AU · Buddhism#12300K to 1M
- 🇺🇸US · Buddhism#15300K to 1M
- 🇩🇪DE · Buddhism#17300K to 1M
- 🇨🇦CA · Buddhism#22100K to 300K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
1.3M to 4.2M🎙 ~2x weekly·340 episodes·Last published 1w ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
2.7M to 8.5M🇬🇧12%🇦🇺12%🇺🇸12%+36 more - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
1.1M to 3.4M
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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
On the show
Recent episodes
333 - Buddha Is Like an Old-Growth Tree: Practice as Human Maturation
Jun 16, 2026
Unknown duration
332 - My Guidelines for Deepening Your Zen Practice
May 31, 2026
Unknown duration
331 - When Confronted with Great Difficulties: Zhaozhou's "Just Right"
May 15, 2026
Unknown duration
330 – Teisho: Awakening Bodhicitta, Seeking Your Heart's Inmost Desire
Apr 30, 2026
Unknown duration
329 - No Buddhist Bible: A Brief Overview of 2500 Years' Worth of Buddhist Texts (2 of 2)
Apr 16, 2026
Unknown duration
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| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/16/26 | ![]() 333 - Buddha Is Like an Old-Growth Tree: Practice as Human Maturation | Sometimes it's difficult to relate to the goal of "awakening" or "enlightenment." Especially if we've gained a hard-won sense of peace with ourselves and our lives, it can seem counterproductive to dwell on some experience or understanding we don't yet have and then drive ourselves to achieve it. I want to share an alternative way to frame your practice that might kindle your Bodhicitta in a different way. | — | ||||||
| 5/31/26 | ![]() 332 - My Guidelines for Deepening Your Zen Practice | For many years now, people have been asking me how to deepen their Zen practice. They wonder, "What's next?" Some lay people are perfectly content guiding their own practice, but others long for more structure – some kind of program to which they can apply themselves. I have long desired to meet such requests, but I wasn't clear how. After teaching Zen for over 15 years, I have developed a clearer sense of what to require of my students if they are asking me to personally guide their practice. I share my practice agreement for formal students here. | — | ||||||
| 5/15/26 | ![]() 331 - When Confronted with Great Difficulties: Zhaozhou's "Just Right" | How can we practice without ignoring the world, but also without being overwhelmed by it? We can learn something from a koan involving the 9th century Chan master Zhaozhou (Joshu): A monk asked, "When a great difficulties come, how should I avoid them?" Zhaozhou said, "Just right." We can include great difficulties in our perception of this life without being destroyed by them, letting our hearts break without rejecting this world or becoming consumed by anger or grief. | — | ||||||
| 4/30/26 | ![]() 330 – Teisho: Awakening Bodhicitta, Seeking Your Heart's Inmost Desire | This is a teisho – like a cross between a Dharma Talk and guided meditation. Teisho are sometimes called "encouragement talks," and they are meant to help listeners connect with the Dharma in the spaciousness and silence of zazen. Teisho are not about explanations or the imparting of information, and they generally are not recorded. They are offered spontaneously, just for the moment, just for those listening. Although you may not be sitting zazen while you listen to this episode, I thought I would offer you a teisho as if you are. | — | ||||||
| 4/16/26 | ![]() 329 - No Buddhist Bible: A Brief Overview of 2500 Years' Worth of Buddhist Texts (2 of 2) | In Part 2 of this episode, I continue giving my "2,500 years' worth of Buddhist texts in a nutshell," an overview of texts in my Zen lineage. In Part 1 I explained what makes a Buddhist text considered legitimate enough to be passed down through the ages. I also introduced the idea of a Buddhist family tree and discussed the original Buddhist canon, the rising of the Mahayana, and the Mahayana sutras. In this episode I cover Mahayana philosophers, Chinese Chan literature, and the writings of two of the main Japanese Zen ancestors in my lineage. | — | ||||||
| 3/31/26 | ![]() 328 – A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Sangha as Community (2 of 2) | In Buddhism, we have three treasures: Buddha, teachers or our own awakened nature; Dharma, the teachings or the truth itself, and Sangha, the community of people who practice and maintain the tradition together. From the beginning of Buddhism, then, community has been considered essential – but in what sense? We may think of Sangha primarily as an impersonal institution providing access to Buddhist teachings and practice. It certainly fulfills that function, but I believe it's equally important that our Sanghas be welcoming, loving, joyful, mature communities: A place where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. | — | ||||||
| 3/31/26 | ![]() 327 – A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Sangha as Community (1 of 2) | In Buddhism, we have three treasures: Buddha, teachers or our own awakened nature; Dharma, the teachings or the truth itself, and Sangha, the community of people who practice and maintain the tradition together. From the beginning of Buddhism, then, community has been considered essential – but in what sense? We may think of Sangha primarily as an impersonal institution providing access to Buddhist teachings and practice. It certainly fulfills that function, but I believe it's equally important that our Sanghas be welcoming, loving, joyful, mature communities: A place where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came. | — | ||||||
| 3/17/26 | ![]() 326 - No Buddhist Bible: A Brief Overview of 2500 Years' Worth of Buddhist Texts (1 of 2) | You may have discovered there are lots of Buddhist teachings and texts. Jews have their Torah, Christians their Bible, Muslims their Quran, and Hindus their Vedas, but Buddhists have no divinely-inspired central text, or even collection of texts, to serve as a definitive source of orthodox teachings. The texts considered authoritative in at least one sect of Buddhism would fill a library. This episode (along with Part 2) is meant to be a brief and broad overview of 2500 years'-worth of Buddhist texts in the Zen lineage. Hopefully, it can give you some context for whatever text you might find yourself reading. | — | ||||||
| 3/1/26 | ![]() 325 – Imagine Yourself as a Buddha and Unblock Your Natural Generosity | In Buddhism, we are guided by the ideal of a Buddha, or awakened being. One of the characteristics of a Buddha is unconditional and selfless generosity, and when your generosity is blocked, you can be sure that some part of you still needs understanding, healing or liberation. On the other hand, when you're able to set aside your self-doubt and imagine yourself as a Buddha, when you look on other beings as if they were your children, you may find your generosity flows more naturally. | — | ||||||
| 2/13/26 | ![]() 324 - Yunmen's "Every Day Is a Good Day" | In koan #6 from the Blue Cliff Record, Yunmen says, "Every day is a good day." I explore this koan, including the way we sometimes imagine our real life is going to happen after something, and the various ways we can experience "good." | — | ||||||
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| 1/30/26 | ![]() 323 – Zazen As Defiant Self-Care | Since the term arose in 1950's, "self-care" has referred to a number of different things. If we consider self-care to be things you do to remain physically and mentally healthy, then Zazen – simple, goalless, Zen meditation – can be seen as excellent self-care. In these troubled times, such self-care can even be seen as defiant – refusing to be broken down by challenging circumstances. Other forms of meditation can also be seen as self-care, of course, but Zazen can be a little difficult to get your mind around. Framing it as self-care may help you appreciate what it's all about. | — | ||||||
| 1/13/26 | ![]() 322 – Q&A: Relationships, Cultural "Zen," No-Self, and Confession | This a Q&A episode based on questions I've received from listeners: Does Zen have anything to say about human relationships? Can we learn anything from the cultural popularization of the term "Zen"? If we have no independent self-nature, what about our sense of enduring self? Do Buddhists practice confession like Catholics? | — | ||||||
| 1/1/26 | ![]() 321 - How Buddhist is Zen? The Buddha's Teachings Compared to Radical Nondualism | Viewed historically, Zen is a form of Mahayana Buddhism that evolved from the original forms Buddhism that were established in India after the Buddha's death around 2,500 BC. Many aspects of original Buddhism are retained in Zen, including respect for Shakyamuni Buddha and his teachings. However, the degree of transformation Buddhism underwent when it took root in China and evolved into Chan (later called "Zen" in Japan) is difficult to overestimate, resulting in a path of radical nondualism. Both the ultimate goal of practice and the means to achieve that goal changed so radically that it's legitimate to question whether Chan is even Buddhism. If you want to walk the path of Zen/Chan, it's essential to understand how it differs from original Buddhism. | — | ||||||
| 12/2/25 | ![]() 320 – Two Ends of the Spiritual Practice Tunnel: Self-Power Versus Other-Power | Zen Buddhism exemplifies practice based in self-power, or jiriki. Pure Land Buddhism exemplifies practice based in other-power, or tariki. These are very different entry gates, but when we examine self-power and other-power more closely, we see that the ultimate goal of practice requires both. | — | ||||||
| 11/21/25 | ![]() 319 – Q&A: Universal Life, the Bodhisattva Vow and Monasticism, and Other Traditions | This is one of my unscripted Q&A episodes, where I answer questions submitted by listeners. If you have a question, go ahead and send it to me at zenstudiespodcast.com. I discuss: What does Kosho Uchiyama mean in his book Opening the Hand of Thought, when he talks about "settling as universal life?" Isn't the Zen emphasis on monastic practice and self-liberation at odds with the Bodhisattva Vow to free all beings? What can we learn from practicing with other Buddhist traditions than our own, and is this recommended if we don't live near a Zen center? | — | ||||||
| 11/16/25 | ![]() 318 – Loving Your Enemies: Extending Metta Does Not Mean Capitulation | Unlike Jesus, the Buddha didn't explicitly instruct us to "love our enemies." However, he did instruct us to extend goodwill, or Metta, to all beings unconditionally – including, of course, our enemies. In this time of growing divisiveness, what does it really mean to follow this teaching? Most people will admit that nurturing resentment and hatred is probably a bad idea, but on the other hand it feels completely unacceptable to capitulate to – surrender to or stop resisting – those who we perceive as causing harm. Fortunately, there are many benefits to loving our enemies, and doing so does not mean capitulating to them. | — | ||||||
| 10/31/25 | ![]() 317 – Keizan's Denkoroku Chapter 1: Mahakashyapa's Smile | In this episode I read and reflect on Chapter One of Keizan's Denkoroku: Record of the Transmission of Illumination. In it, Shakyamuni Buddha holds up a flower and blinks. Keizan says, "No one knew his intention, and they were silent." Then Mahakashyapa gives a slight smile, and the Buddha acknowledges him as his Dharma heir. What is going on in this koan? Keizan challenges our ideas about awakening, time, causation, and the nature of self. | — | ||||||
| 10/20/25 | ![]() 316 – Buddhist Communities and Public Political Stands: A Moral Quandary | When should Buddhist communities take public stands on issues that could be seen as political? If politics is about how we make decisions in groups (local communities, towns, cities, states, nations), are Sanghas really be free from politics when they are embedded in these larger groups? Silence can function as tacit approval, so is maintaining neutrality in keeping with our Buddhist values? On the other hand, there are many good reasons for Sanghas to avoid bringing discussions of politics in their places of practice, and I discuss them. | — | ||||||
| 9/30/25 | ![]() 315 - Bad Zazen: Not Just an Oxymoron | The form of meditation we do in Zen, unless we're working on a koan, is called shikantaza – nothing but sitting – or silent illumination. It's been called a "method of no method," in which we let go of any striving whatsoever – even to control our meditative experience. So can we do "bad zazen?" Theoretically, there's no such thing, and yet it sure feels like there is! What is this about? | — | ||||||
| 9/24/25 | ![]() 314 – Q&A: Comfort in the Precepts, Anger at Injustice, and Accidental Kensho | How do you find comfort in the precepts? What is the relationship between anger, forgiveness and justice? What about anxiety due to abrupt insight into emptiness? This is one of my unscripted Q&A episodes, where I answer questions submitted by listeners. | — | ||||||
| 9/14/25 | ![]() 313 – Ten Fields of Zen, Field 7 – Learning the Self: This Very Body Is Buddha (3 of 3) | This is the third part of three of my episodes on "Learning the Self," one of my Ten Fields of Zen. In the first episode I discussed why we "study the self" in Zen, and what "self" we're talking about if – according to the teachings – the self is empty of any inherent nature! In the second episode I talked about what is meant by "studying" or "learning" the self. I also explained the idea of Karma and discussed why it's valuable to work on it. In this episode, I cover how we do Karma Work. | — | ||||||
| 8/31/25 | ![]() 312 – Ten Fields of Zen, Field 7 – Learning the Self: This Very Body Is Buddha (2 of 3) | Part two of three of my series on "Learning the Self," one of my Ten Fields of Zen. Last episode I discussed why we "study the self" in Zen, and what "self" we're talking about if the self is empty of any inherent nature! Now I move on to what is meant by "Learning the Self." This part of our practice has two essential aspects. Karma Work is taking care of your Phenomenal Self - becoming intimately familiar with your own body and mind and learning to live in accord with the Dharma. Realization of your True Nature involves seeking out, questioning, and seeing through your belief in an inherent self-nature, thereby awakening to your True Nature. In this episodes I begin my explanation of Karma Work. | — | ||||||
| 8/25/25 | ![]() 311 – Ten Fields of Zen, Field 7 – Learning the Self: This Very Body Is Buddha (1 of 3) | Ultimately, if you want to experience Realization and have it transform your life, you need to commit yourself to Learning the Self. This means becoming intimately familiar with your self - your mind and your body. A lifetime path of practice becomes deeply personal, asking you to face your Karma, take responsibility for it, and use it to find your gateway into awakening. This isn't just about transforming yourself into a Buddha through your Zen practice, it's about awakening to how your very body - your unique, imperfect, human manifestation - is Buddha. | — | ||||||
| 8/16/25 | ![]() 310 - Three Paths: The Value of Monastics, Clergy, and Lay Practitioners in Western Zen | Since the Buddha's time, certain practitioners have chosen to leave the household life to dedicate themselves completely to formal Buddhist training. Undergoing a ceremony of ordination in which they took monastic vows, these monks and nuns lived the remainder of their lives within a Sangha – community – of other ordained people. In modern Western Zen, you will find a thoroughly confusing situation where ordained people who live fully monastic lives are rare, most ordained people are called "priests" and live householder lives, and practitioners who are not ordained often teach the Dharma and lead lay Sanghas (functions historically reserved for ordained people). What is the use – if any – of continuing with a tradition of "ordination?" I discuss the value of monks, priests, and lay practitioners in the context of Zen as it is currently manifesting in the United States. | — | ||||||
| 7/31/25 | ![]() 309 - Dana, the Paramita of Generosity: Buddhist Teachings on Giving (2 of 4) | I discuss the oldest source of Buddhist teachings on Dana as a bodhisattva perfection – the Jataka tales, or stories about Shakyamuni Buddha's remarkable actions during previous lifetimes. Such stories inspired people to follow the bodhisattva path in both Theravadin and Mahayana Buddhism, so I spend some discussing the Theravadin paramis, and particularly the parami of Dana. | — | ||||||
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Chart Positions
48 placements across 39 markets.
Chart Positions
48 placements across 39 markets.

























