Teaching to students of film, theater and the visual arts during a recent online gathering with UCLA Professor Peter Sellars, Robert Thurman leads an imagination expanding and heart centered conversation on the compassionate inner sciences flowering from the Buddhist cultures of India and of the Himalayas.

Opening this week’s episode with an introduction to the Buddhism’s ritual bell and dorje, Professor Thurman guides listeners through an overview of their symbolism and relationship to the transformational tools, insights and perspectives offered by the Buddha and the Buddhist philosophy.

This week’s podcast includes: An examination of the dangers of materialism, absolutism and nihilism, A short introduction to the Nalanda Tradition, A guided meditation to inspire and expand imaginative creative and critical thinking, A discussion of the effects of popular media and the value of appreciating fictional entertainment and the need for more films, books and music which help individuals develop the innate wisdom and compassion found in all human beings.

Podcast concludes with an extended guided meditation and a call to action to examine the negative, self defeating and delusional narratives passed down by modern Western consumer culture.