Finding Bliss Through The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism (feat. Robert Thurman)
While Buddhism is seen as a major global religion, Buddhist ideas, philosophies and practices have long been a source of inspiration for people of other faiths. That’s because it’s more of a spiritual tradition that educates us on how to live well and find inner peace. Get to learn more about it with one of the leading experts on Buddhism and this episode's featured guest, Robert Thurman.
Robert Thurman is a Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University as well as Co-Founder and President of Tibet House US/Menla in service of HH Dalai Lama. He was named by The New York Times the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 2020, for his help in recovering India’s ancient Buddhist heritage. Time Magazine chose him as one of the 25 most influential Americans in 1997.
In this interview, we discuss some of the main concepts covered in Robert Thurman’s new book “Wisdom Is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life.” He offers his insight into Buddhist principles such as Nirvana, Karma and the practice of mindfulness and how we can apply them in our everyday life.
Interview time stamps:
03:29 ︳Robert describes the core values and perspectives of Buddhism and how he tries to make it accessible to people
09:12 ︳What is Nirvana
18:50 ︳How can we attain Nirvana
25:50 ︳Robert shares the altruistic principles of Buddhism based on kindness and peace
46:04 ︳What is heart-centered intelligence and why educating the heart is as important as educating the mind
57:20 ︳How to use lucid dreaming to gain self-awareness
Learn more about Robert Thurman and his new book at his website.