Zoltán Cser (Buddhism)

EPISODE N. 25 | Welcome to SEASON 3 of Dawn of an Era of Well-Being, the podcast that brings together some of the world’s most innovative thinkers to weigh in on matters concerning the future of ourselves and our planet—and to discuss that future not as something to be predicted, but to be created. In this third season we will be doing something slightly different by dedicating our focus on a survey of the world’s religions and investigating how they offer wisdom to humanity at a time when it is greatly needed. In the past, religion has often been used as an instrument of division, but these discussions will be conducted with the purpose of finding commonality in the human experience, discovering how religion and spirituality can help serve a function in bringing the world together to a more harmonious condition; supporting a paradigm shift in civilization and help usher in an era of well-being. We also want to give a warm welcome to our new moderator, Nora Csiszar. We think it is very appropriate to start things off with a discussion on Buddhism, and are honored to have as our guest, Zoltan Cser, the Director and Vice-Rector of the Dharma Gate Buddhist College in Budapest, Hungary. In his conversation with Ervin, Fred, and Nora we will discuss the importance of Buddhism as a spiritual practice which joins the heart and the mind to help us gain a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us. In this sense, we suggest that Buddhism is a critical source of insight for ushering in that era of well-being which this program advocates. Zoltán Cser was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1970. He started to practice in a Buddhist Chan Community at the age of 16 to become a monk in 1992. Later on, he enrolled at the University of Economics, but after two years, he decided to continue his studies at the newly founded Dharma Gate Buddhist College (DGBC). In 2004, he returned to DGBC as a lecturer, teaching Buddhist ethics, meditation techniques, Buddhist liturgy and breathing methods as well as to organize and lead Buddhist ceremonies. In 2003, Zoltan began to practice in the International Dzogchen Community under the guidance of Choegyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. In 2010 he became a Vajradance and Yantra Yoga instructor in the International Dzogchen Community. Between 2008–2016, he served as the Vice-Rector of Education at DGBC. Zoltan was accepted as a doctoral student at ELTE University Budapest in partnership with the Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU) International Buddhist Studies College Thailand. He became the Director of the Dharma Gate Buddhist College and since 2020, he serves as the Vice-Rector again at the same educational institution. His main focus of research is in the various meditation technics of Buddhism, while he enjoys leading regularly Buddhist retreats, teaching online and in person. tkbf.hu/oktato/cser-zoltan/