Pragmatic Buddhism

Is prayer a Buddhist practice? More than we might think. In this dharma talk, Joe shares how his work as a chaplain transformed his understanding of prayer — from something he scoffed at to something he now considers a doorway into mindfulness, compassion, and the lived reality of interdependence. The Columbus sangha joins in a rich discussion about the Serenity Prayer, the Bodhisattva Vow, and what it means to meet people exactly where they are.

Aaron returns to lead the St. Louis Sangha through the second part of Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, this time exploring "right attitude." The group reflects on the paradox of sitting without seeking, the practice of "leaving no trace," and what it means to build the cushion without chasing it. Discussion turns to early misconceptions about meditation, the layered noise of the mind, and the quiet micro-thoughts that surface only when we stop trying so hard.

What does Bach's organ music have to do with sitting zazen? For Glenn, everything. In this talk from the Columbus sangha, he shares a realization that struck him during morning physical therapy: truly listening to Baroque music is its own kind of meditation. The conversation winds through Suzuki Roshi's "don't serve them tea," the eightfold path as guidelines rather than commandments, forest bathing as prescribed medicine, the tyranny of sleep trackers, and why walking into a Buddhist temple on the other side of the world can make you think, "wait, is this even Buddhism?" A warm, wide-ranging discussion about finding presence when the cushion isn't working, and learning to hear the whole field instead of just one line.

What if the hardest thing in the world is simply sitting still? In this episode, Aaron from the St. Louis sangha leads our community through the opening of Suzuki's classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, and the conversation ranges from the pressure to always be productive to what it means to just observe without acting to why being terrible at something might actually be your greatest advantage.

We live in a world built for distraction — scrolling, streaming, multitasking, always doing something else. But what if awakening isn’t somewhere far away, but right here in this moment? In this talk, Glenn explores Buddha nature and the practice of presence with the Columbus sangha, asking a simple but powerful question: What are you doing with your time?

The Three Marks of Existence can sound stark: everything is impermanent, clinging leads to dissatisfaction, and there is no fixed self. But these teachings aren’t pessimistic; they’re liberating. In this episode, monks from the Order of Pragmatic Buddhism explore how recognizing change reduces fear, how understanding dissatisfaction shifts craving, and how seeing the fluid nature of identity softens defensiveness. Far from nihilism, the Three Marks offer a clear-eyed way of relating to life as it is.

The Buddhist teaching of “no self” can sound confusing or even alarming. Does it mean we don’t exist? That our personality is an illusion? In this talk, Douglas and the St Louis sangha unpack what “no self” actually points to and why it’s considered one of the most liberating insights in Buddhist practice. Rather than denying our experience, this discussion invites us to look closely at how identity forms, solidifies, and creates suffering. By understanding the self as a dynamic process rather than a fixed entity, we open the door to greater flexibility, compassion, and freedom.

The solstice marks a turning point—either the longest night or the longest day—and invites us to pause. In this episode recorded on the solstice, Glenn and the Columbus sangha reflect on what it means to stand at a threshold in our own lives. What are we carrying forward? What are we ready to release? Drawing from Buddhist practice, this talk explores the solstice not as superstition or ritual obligation, but as a moment of awareness: a reminder that change is constant, that darkness and light coexist, and that each turning holds possibility. Whether you observe the solstice formally or not, this episode offers space for reflection and renewal.

What’s actually pragmatic about Pragmatic Buddhism?In this talk, Danielle and the St Louis sangha explore the ways that spiritual practice doesn’t have to be about adopting rigid beliefs or signing on to metaphysics. It can be about learning skills. Testing what helps. And building a way of living that holds up in real life.

The word “karma” gets used everywhere from social media to pop culture but what does it actually mean in Buddhist practice? In this talk, Joe and the Columbus sangha unpack karma as a teaching about intentional action and the patterns that follow from it. Rather than framing life as predetermined, this perspective highlights how each moment contains the seeds of future experience. When we understand karma clearly, we see both the weight of our habits and the possibility of change. This episode invites listeners to consider karma not as fate, but as a path toward responsibility and liberation.

Dharma practice isn’t always calm or pleasant. In this episode, Danielle and the St Louis sangha look at how learning to sit with discomfort can deepen awareness, patience, and care for ourselves.

What if meditation wasn’t about clearing your mind, but opening to your life just as it is? In this episode, Glenn from the Columbus sangha introduces zazen as a gentle practice of open awareness, free from pressure to fix or achieve anything.

What do we do when life feels hard or overwhelming? In this episode, Danielle and the St Louis sangha explore how Buddhist practice helps us pause, notice, and choose how we respond.

In this talk, Joe from the Columbus sangha explores what we mean when we talk about “meaning” — and how Buddhism invites us to relate to meaning without turning it into something fixed or absolute.

What if life’s difficulties weren’t obstacles to practice, but the practice itself? With the St Louis sangha, Danielle explores Lojong slogans as cognitive and embodied tools for transforming reactivity, cultivating awareness, and engaging the world with greater clarity and care.

In this Dharma talk from Curtis from the Columbus sangha explores sympathetic joy, the practice of rejoicing in the happiness and success of others. Rather than denying envy or comparison, Curtis looks at how awareness and practice can help us loosen those habits and rediscover joy as something shared, not scarce.

Buddhist practice isn’t meant to happen in isolation. In this conversation, Danielle invites the St. Louis Sangha to reflect on what it means to find refuge in one another — to learn, practice, and grow in community. Through personal stories and shared insight, the talk reveals how Sangha helps us see beyond our delusions, sustain our practice, and remember that none of us awakens alone.

What if happiness isn’t found in getting what we want, but in loosening our grip on craving, aversion, and delusion? In this year-end discussion, the Danielle and the St Louis sangha reflect on the past year’s choices, identifying which actions led to genuine joy and which deepened suffering. Together, they explore how awareness and boundaries can help shape a wiser year ahead.

We often move through life thinking we know what we’re seeing—our surroundings, other people, even ourselves. Joe from the Columbus sangha explores how this habit limits perception, connection, and compassion. Drawing from the Heart Sutra and Zen practice, he shows how “not knowing” can become a doorway to presence and wonder.

Who are you, really? In this Dharma talk, Danielle unpacks the Buddha’s teaching of the Five Aggregates, showing how our sense of “self” is built from changing parts: body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. With warmth and humor, she reminds us that sometimes the thoughts we take so seriously are just… thoughts.

In this episode of Pragmatic Buddhism, Curtis from the Columbus sangha gives his first dharma talk exploring Loving-Kindness (Metta). Not as a feeling we wait for, but as a practice we cultivate. Through reflection and meditation, we learn how to extend compassion to ourselves, to those we love, and even to those we find difficult, creating ripples of peace that reach far beyond our own hearts.

When the Buddha told the Kalamas not to believe something just because it’s written, taught, or widely accepted, he was teaching more than skepticism — he was teaching discernment. In this episode, Danielle from the St Louis sangha unpacks how the Kalama Sutta invites us to question wisely, test truth through experience, and embody a mindful confidence rooted in understanding, not belief.

Every moment is a gate to awakening but most of us rush past it. In this talk, Glenn from the Columbus sangha considers how a single moment of presence can reveal the nature of awareness itself. Through simplicity and attention, we rediscover what it means to truly be here.

How do you know if a teaching is true? Try it and see if it works. In this episode, Danielle introduces pragmatism, the philosophy that shapes Pragmatic Buddhism. With the St Louis sangha, we explore how to test Buddhist ideas through lived experience, why daily rituals matter, and how even brushing your teeth can become a practice in presence.

Like jazz, the Dharma is an art of listening, responding, and letting go. In this episode of Pragmatic Buddhism, Joe from the Columbus sangha reflects on what Buddhist practice shares with musical improvisation: trust, awareness, and the courage to meet each moment as it unfolds.

Why do things happen the way they do? In this talk by Josh from the St Louis sangha, we explore causality, one of Buddhism’s most essential insights. Everything is connected: our suffering, our joy, our choices, and their outcomes. By seeing how cause and effect weave through our lives, we can act more skillfully and respond to the world with clarity and care.

Why is it so hard to show ourselves the same compassion we freely offer others? In this talk, Glenn from the Columbus sangha reflects on the “mirror of rigorous self-honesty” and how it can open the door to self-compassion. Drawing on Suzuki Roshi’s phrase, “Everything is perfect, and it could always get better,” Glenn reflects on how to see ourselves clearly, accept the present moment fully, and embody the Pragmatic Buddhist ethic of awareness, acceptance, and action.

Why do we suffer even when we’re doing everything “right”? In this conversation, Danielle and the St. Louis sangha reflect on craving, aversion, and delusion — and why they keep us stuck in cycles of dissatisfaction. From the middle way to Buddhism’s love of lists, we explore how practice helps us feel more content by accepting life as it is.

We started talking about the Four Ennobling Realities but this episode emerged as an honest conversation about craving and addiction. From grief to donuts to dating apps, Danielle and the St. Louis sangha explore how craving shapes our lives, why avoidance often makes things worse, and how Buddhist practice can open a path toward freedom and contentment.

What’s the difference between a “truth” and a “reality”? In this episode on the Four Ennobling Realities, Danielle explains why Pragmatic Buddhism shifts the language of the Four Noble Truths. Together, the St Louis sangha reflects on suffering, practice, and the power of words to open or close us to insight.

The Buddha said that being human means being shot with arrows of suffering. But too often, we keep stabbing ourselves with the same arrow. In this short talk, Joe from the Columbus sangha shares a candid reflection on how we relate to our pain, sometimes using it for attention, sometimes burying it, sometimes replaying it over and over. Through Buddhist practice, we can learn another way: compassion, presence, and release.

We’re often told to “be true to yourself” but what if the self isn’t a fixed thing at all? In this episode of Pragmatic Buddhism, Danielle reflects on enlightenment and the self, showing how our identities are shaped by experience, culture, and change. Together with the St. Louis sangha, we consider how seeing the self as a story can help us respond to life with more intention and less suffering.

When we meditate, reflect, and live more mindfully, the effects reach far beyond ourselves. In this conversation with the St. Louis sangha, Danielle explores enlightenment as a practice that balances self-care with service to others. Using stories, metaphors, and real-life examples, we reflect on how our drops of practice can help clear the pond for everyone.

What if enlightenment wasn’t something you achieved once and for all, but something you do? In this talk, Danielle discusses awakening with the St Louis sangha as a living, ongoing process. Drawing from Buddhist teachings and everyday experience, we explore how seeing enlightenment as a verb can transform how we approach meditation, compassion, and the choices we make each day.

Enlightenment can sound mysterious, even unreachable. But in Buddhism, realization isn’t about becoming perfect — it’s about seeing clearly. In this conversation with the St Louis sangha, Danielle unpacks what realization means, how it differs from popular myths about enlightenment, and how our practice can help us recognize moments of awakening in daily life.

What if the “self” you defend, protect, and try to perfect isn’t as solid as it seems? In this conversation with the St. Louis sangha, Danielle unpacks the Buddhist teaching of not-self (anatta), the third of the Three Marks of Existence. Together, we explore how this insight can help us relate to ourselves and others with more openness, less fear, and deeper compassion.

We all want to avoid pain, boredom, and disappointment but these feelings are part of life. In Buddhism, this is called dukkha, the second of the Three Marks of Existence. In this conversation with the St. Louis sangha, Danielle unpacks what dukkha really means, why it’s more than just “suffering,” and how accepting its place in the human experience can actually free us to enjoy life more fully.

Everything changes yet we often resist it. In this episode of Pragmatic Buddhism, Danielle explores the Buddhist teaching of impermanence and why embracing change can bring freedom from fear and clinging. Recorded live with the St. Louis sangha, this talk offers practical ways to see impermanence not as loss, but as life’s natural flow.

Everything changes. Stress is part of life. And the “self” isn’t as solid as it seems. In this opening episode of Pragmatic Buddhism, sociologist and Buddhist teacher Danielle joins the St. Louis sangha to explore the Three Marks of Existence — impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and not-self — and how these core Buddhist teachings can help us meet change with clarity, compassion, and mindfulness.