PODCAST · religion
Suburban Dharma
by Steven Subodha Nuñez
Steven Subodha Nuñez is a Dharma Teacher at the International Buddhist Meditation Center. He shares the Kammatthana Forest Tradition of Buddhism through the stories of the Buddha and his disciples and lessons from his own life and experiences, illustrating how the historical lessons of the Buddha are just as relevant today as they were 2,600 years ago.
Episodes
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Spooky Visitors
A talk at the IBMC.
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The Fifth Recollection
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on September 21, 2025, Subodha shares his thoughts on the autumn equinox as a time of balance. He shares how balance is often paired with equanimity and acceptance and how all are often mistaken for the goal of the…
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Dependent Co-arising Demystified
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on July 20, 2025, Subodha discusses the 12 causal conditions in paticcasamuppada (dependent co-arising) and relates them to our direct experience in the present moment, asking us to pay attention to what originates in...
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Brahmaviharas on Father’s Day
In this Dhamma talk on June 15, 2025, at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles, Subodha reflects on Father’s Day and how the Buddha says that part of a parent’s job is to teach children how to be in the world. Subodha discusses the brahmaviharas, the sublime attitudes of...
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Helping Others
In this Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on May 25, 2025, Subodha shares his thoughts on how we use Buddhism to help others, especially those going through a time of crisis. He shares stories from the Pali Canon and the commentaries while also reflecting on...
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Grateful To Be Here
In this Dharma talk given at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on May 11, 2025, Subodha talks about the importance of being a person of integrity and teaching others by example and how that is the way the Buddha says we truly repay our parents for bringing us into the world...
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Real-Life Buddhism
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on April 20, 2025, Subodha contrasts the Buddhism on display in a recent season of a popular TV show with the Buddhism that exists in real life and leads to the end of all stress and suffering.
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Grasping the Dhamma
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on March 16, 2025, Subodha discusses some of the common ways that we grasp the Dhamma incorrectly in the West and what it means to confidently practice the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma.
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Transcending Love and Hate
In this Dhamma talk given on February 16, 2025, at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles, Subodha talks about love and hate in the Pali Canon and how goodwill, metta, transcends both. He also shares the work of John O’Donohue to articulate the importance of knowing ourselves…
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Peace on Earth
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on December 15, 2024, Subodha shares his thoughts on people out in the world celebrating and approving of taking a life. He shares the Buddha’s instructions on having goodwill for even the smallest of lifeforms and…
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Seclusion in a Confusing World
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on November 17, 2024, Subodha shares his thoughts on a world that often seems to make little sense and the pain and stress that comes with living in it. He shares the story of Christopher Thomas Knight, who, seeking...
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Unwholesome and Wholesome Roots
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on October 20, 2024, Subodha discusses the unskillful qualities and skillful qualities inside us. Attention is given to how the Buddha talked about the unwholesome qualities and how important it is to abandon them in...
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Bases of Power
On this talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on September 15, 2024, Subodha shares about his ongoing recovery from Bell’s Palsy and his reflections on the bases of power as a means of cultivating consistency in cultivating the Dhamma.
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Seeing the Buddha as a Father
In this Dhamma talk at IBMC on 6/16/24, Subodha discusses the Buddha’s fear and discontent that made him leave his home and become a renunciant. There is a brief summary of the Buddha’s lesson to his son, Rahula, and how this lesson aligns with the factors for becoming a stream-enterer.
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Protect Your Goodwill
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on May 12, 2024, Subodha talks about how all Buddhist traditions train in developing goodwill and compassion for all beings. He also elaborates on why we must protect our goodwill and our hearts if we want to ensure…
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Skillful Conduct Now and Later
A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on April 21, 2024. In this Dharma talk, Subodha discusses Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood as well as how Buddhist karma differs from Jain karma. The Kumara Sutta, Udana 5:4 in the Khuddaka Nikaya is also...
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Knowledge and Vision
In this Dhamma talk at IBMC on March 17, 2024, Subodha talks about a bad movie he watched in 2002 and uses it to have a larger discussion on knowledge and vision on the path as outlined in the Kimattha Sutta (AN 11:1).
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Intention and Purpose
In this Dhamma talk at the international Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on February 25, 2024, Subodha discusses Samma Sankappa, Right Resolve, and how we are encouraged live purposeful lives of renunciation, non ill-will, and harmlessness.
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Getting Caught in the Vines
In this Dhamma talk on January 21, 2024, Subodha discusses right view and right resolve and their importance on the path. An example of the importance of right view comes in the form of a commonly shared story in American Buddhist circles and the lessons we might take from it.
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The Snake and the Raft
In this Dhamma talk at IBMC on December 17, 2023, Subodha talks about the Alagaddūpama Sutta (MN 22) and how unskillful views can be a detriment to our path and an obstacle to unbinding. In this, there is a discussion about things that might be allowable for laypeople but defeat a monastic…
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Householder Renunciation
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on November 19, 2023, Subodha talks about some questions he came across by lay Buddhists in regard to their spouses and romantic partners and attachment. Subodha touches upon the theme of letting go while being a...
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Being Dependent on the World
In this Dhamma talk at IBMC on October 15, 2023, Subodha shares a concern that a friend of his shared that the Dhamma is harder to practice today in contemporary life than it was in the time of the Buddha and his disciples. Subodha gives an answer to this concern based on the conditions of the...
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Seeing Lessons Everywhere
In this Dhamma talk at the IBMC Los Angeles on September 17, 2023, Subodha discusses how, once we are well established in the Dhamma and the Buddha’s categorical truths, we are able to confidently derive Dhamma lessons from unlikely sources. Subodha then illustrates this by looking at The Four...
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Avoiding a Thicket of Views
In this talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on August 20, 2023, Subodha discusses the growing dichotomy between religion and science in our current discourse and how that has led to some Buddhists distancing themselves from Buddhism as a religion and turning to…
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Trading Aging for the Ageless
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center on July 16, 2023, Subodha reflects on getting older and the maturity that we often gain over the passage of years. This is contrasted with the maturity that comes from studying and practicing the Dhamma, which is an ageless...
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Start with Yourself
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on June 18, 2023, Subodha reflects on his complex relationship with Father’s Day and the harmful messages from family and society that we internalize. Proposed as ways to think and act skillfully with ourselves and...
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The Dhamma Pure and Simple
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on May 21, 2023, Subodha discusses five of the six characteristics of the Dhamma and how they relate to a teaching from the late Upasika Kee Nanayon, a laywoman Dharma teacher from Thailand. The translation of her...
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The Buddha’s Austerities
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on April 16, 2023, Subodha discusses the misconception that it is the torture and strict asceticism that the Buddha did while still a seeker that led to his awakening. It is his overcoming of his fear of pleasurable...
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Ven. Thich Thien-An and Three Essentials of the Path
In this Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 3/19/23, Subodha shares his thoughts on Ven. Thich Thien-An’s legacy as the founder and first abbot of IBMC. Sharing from Ven. Thich Thien-An’s book, Zen Philosophy, Zen Practice, Subodha gives his interpretation…
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Escaping Mara’s Grasp
A Dhamma talk given at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 2/19/23. Subodha shares his first encounter with Buddhism as a child and the story of the Buddha overcoming Mara, the Buddhist personification of death that appears in several stories attempting to dissuade people...
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Mistakes and What Comes After
A Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 1/15/23. Subodha shares a story from the Pali Canon about two monks who get into a fight and one commits a transgression that the other does not forgive. The Buddha weighs in on the matter, saying what is unwise and wise...
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Defining True Happiness
A Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 12/18/22. Subodha shares lessons from the Pali Canon on what constitutes true happiness and why it is worth pursuing.
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Breathing and Mental Seclusion
A Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 11/13/22. Subodha shares thoughts on living a quiet life in the forest being a waste if the mind is not also secluded. He shares a reading from the Viveka Sutta (SN 9:1) on the importance of training the mind away from…
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Dhamma for the Real World
A Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 10/23/22. Subodha discusses what it means to practice the Buddha’s teachings in our modern time and place.
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A Murder of Crows
A Dhamma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 9/18/22. Subodha shares a story about driving by a casino and then shortly after witnessing a murder of crows making a game out of consuming roadkill as they dodge oncoming cars. These events are then related to the…
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Being Kind to Snakes
A talk at IBMC Los Angeles on 8/14/22. Subodha begins with a story about an encounter with a rattlesnake to build on the themes of kindness, skillfulness, and discernment.
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The Map and the Terrain
A talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 7/10/22. Not getting caught up on arguing over maps when they can be so different from the terrain. Maps are useful when they an accurate guide and put to use, but we still need to be innovative and adapt when needed. And we...
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Mindfulness and Other Treasures
A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 6/5/22. Subodha shares his experience of practicing meditation while sick and severely short of breath.
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I am Metta
A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 4/24/22.
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Anxiety in the Mind
A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 3/13/22
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Resolutions for the New Year
A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 1/2/2022. Subodha shares the Yoga Sutta (AN 4:10) and the four burdens of sensuality, becoming, views, and ignorance. Craving and clinging to these burdens impact the way we think and our existence in the present and...
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Simplicity and Contentment
A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles on 12/12/21. Subodha reflects on the importance of simplicity and contentment on the path especially as it relates to the hectic holiday season.
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Precepts are About Freedom
A Dharma talk at the IBMC Sunday service on Zoom 11/21/2021. Subodha talks about the problem with the modern temptation to view traditional Buddhism as repressive and unnecessary in the pursuit of a peaceful mind. He shows how the precepts, especially those kept by dedicated lay disciples of the...
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Living and Dying Well
A talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles Sunday service on 10/10/21. In memory of his late friend, Subodha gives a Dharma talk on the seven treasures as a guide to living and dying well.
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Dealing with the Five Hindrances in Troubled Times
A Dharma talk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center Los Angeles Sunday Zoom service on 9/12/21. Tragedies large and small are discussed, including the attack on September 11. The five hindrances are framed as coping mechanisms for troubled times. And then some tactics for working with…
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The Power of the Present Moment
A Dharma talk at the IBMC Sunday service on Zoom, 8/15/21. Subodha shares how the lesson he is preparing for the kids in Dharma school on the Eightfold Path reminded him of a book he read over twenty years ago called Way of the Peaceful Warrior. He then contrasts one of the teachings from the…
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Buddhism the Holistic Way
A Dharma talk at the IBMC Sunday service on Zoom 7/25/21. Subodha shares some of his thoughts on teaching the Noble Eightfold Path to children at an online Dharma school. This leads to a reflection of how Buddhism and the Eightfold Path encompass one’s whole life.
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Happiness: The Opposite of Suffering
A Dharma talk given at the IBMC Sunday Service on Zoom, 6/20/21. The Buddha’s lessons on developing path factors to a reliable happiness and transcend suffering and stress are shared as a contrast to the popular view that the stresses of life are to be accepted.
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Paving the Path with the Five Aggregates
A Dharma talk at the IBMC Zoom Sunday Service. Subodha talks about the five aggregates not as an objective description of a human being, but as the Buddha’s explanation of why we suffer and how to find liberation by changing the activities of the mind by abandoning desire and developing dispassion.
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How to Know You Are Making Progress on the Path
A Dharma talk at the IBMC Sunday service on Zoom, 4/25/21. Subodha discusses the Devadaha Sutta (SN 22:2) as a good summary of the path and why we follow it. He also talks about meditation and its role in measuring progress, looking at heart and mind. When developing skillful mental qualities and...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Steven Subodha Nuñez is a Dharma Teacher at the International Buddhist Meditation Center. He shares the Kammatthana Forest Tradition of Buddhism through the stories of the Buddha and his disciples and lessons from his own life and experiences, illustrating how the historical lessons of the Buddha are just as relevant today as they were 2,600 years ago.
HOSTED BY
Steven Subodha Nuñez
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How many episodes does Suburban Dharma have?
Suburban Dharma currently has 81 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Suburban Dharma about?
Steven Subodha Nuñez is a Dharma Teacher at the International Buddhist Meditation Center. He shares the Kammatthana Forest Tradition of Buddhism through the stories of the Buddha and his disciples and lessons from his own life and experiences, illustrating how the historical lessons of the Buddha...
How often does Suburban Dharma release new episodes?
Suburban Dharma has 81 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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You can listen to Suburban Dharma on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Suburban Dharma?
Suburban Dharma is created and hosted by Steven Subodha Nuñez.
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