Blessed by the Dalai Lama: The Story of a Rural Dharma Center

Blessed by the Dalai Lama: The Story of a Rural Dharma Center

For 50 years, the Dharma Center has been a sanctuary for awareness, practice, and community in the heart of our rural town. In this rich and heartfelt conversation, I sit down with Timothy Clark and Ken Berman to explore the remarkable history of the Dharma Center. We follow the threads of many traditions that have touched and shaped this place, from Tibetan Lamas and great Zen teachers, to the connection with Redwoods Monastery and Thomas Merton. We hear how His Holiness the Dalai Lama blessed and named the Dharma Center, and we reflect on what it means to create a place where people can gather, sit in silence, remember what matters, and return to their own true nature. Together we explore questions at the heart of practice: What is Buddha nature? What is enlightenment? And how does a place devoted to awareness, compassion, and awakening survive and thrive for 50 years in a small rural community? This episode is a celebration of lineage, devotion, spiritual friendship, and the quiet power of creating places where practice can take root. It is an invitation to remember how much a sanctuary matters, especially in times when the world feels fragmented and fast. May this conversation inspire you to pause, listen deeply, and honor the places and people who keep the flame of awareness alive.

Mindfulness for Teens, Retreat, and Real Connection with Devon Sangster Rath and Anthony Maes

In this episode of Mindful Mud, I speak with Devon Sangster Rath and Anthony Maes ("T") about mindfulness for teens, the deep support a retreat setting can offer, and the kind of authenticity that is needed when working with adolescents. We explore the work of Inward Bound Mindfulness, also known as I Be Me, and talk about how retreat can become a safe and powerful space for real transformation. Devon and Anthony share their personal paths into mindfulness, what makes teen retreats both deep and accessible, and why no tech can be surprisingly healing for young people. We speak about connection, the importance of feeling safe enough to be real, and the kinds of shifts that can stay with teens for life. We also talk about Dharma Homies, their daily relational mindfulness group on Zoom that is open to everyone. This is a heartfelt conversation about presence, belonging, and the healing power of mindful community.

Renshin Bunce, Hospice Chaplain and Zen Priest: The Sacredness of Living and Dying

In this intimate and unflinching conversation, I speak with Zen teacher and former hospice chaplain Renshin Bunce about life, death, and the tender space where they meet. We do not shy away from naming things as they are. Renshin shares personally from her own path, her years of hospice chaplaincy, and the many different ways people approach dying. With honesty, warmth, and a clear Zen flavor, this episode explores what it means to show up with presence at the threshold of death, how our culture often avoids this sacred reality, and why talking about dying matters so deeply. Renshin shares stories, reflections, and insights into the spiritual and practical dimensions of end of life, reminding us that death is not separate from life, but intimately woven into it.

Healing Together in a Time of Climate Crisis with Ecopsychologist Hanna Nielsen

In this episode of Mindful Mud, I speak with ecopsychologist Hanna Nielsen about how we can stay present, human, and connected in a time of climate crisis, grief, anxiety, and overwhelm. We explore what ecopsychology is, what an eco chaplain offers, and why so much of our suffering is rooted in our disconnect from nature, from each other, and from ourselves. This is a conversation for anyone longing for real hope and grounded tools. We talk about healing in community, nervous system support, the power of grief as an expression of love, nature meditation, and how resilience can grow through deep inner work and shared practice. Hanna also shares about the 10 step Good Grief Network approach and her own offerings that help people reconnect and not burn out in the work for climate justice. A rich and heartening conversation about healing together, and remembering that another way of being is possible.

Dr Yang Jwing-Ming: Qi Gong, Tai Chi, and the Meaning of Life.

On today’s Mindful Mud episode, I speak with Dr Yang Jwing-Ming, world-renowned martial arts master and founder of YMAA. I’ve been fortunate to train with him for over a decade in Qi Gong and Tai Chi Chuan. In this conversation, we explore the depth of these practices and the philosophy behind them. We begin with Dr. Yang’s own path into martial arts, then explore what Qi is, what Qi Gong is, and why feeling matters most in these practices. We talk about the Yin and Yang dimension of life, the role of breath, and the difference between true relaxation and collapse. From there we open into more explorations: the connection of our physical health and spiritual life, wisdom mind and emotional mind, and the deeper essence of Qi Gong and Tai Chi Chuan as a way to live with more clarity, steadiness, and joy. Come listen if you’re ready for less stress, more vitality, and a path that supports a wiser, more meaningful life.