Singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart is a guest host on this episode featuring publisher, author, and Buddhist teacher Sam Bercholz for a warm, searching, and frequently hilarious conversation about wakefulness, suffering, friendship, and the unruly business of being human.

At the center of the episode is Sam’s new book, Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path, a book that resists polished self-improvement in favor of meeting life’s confusion, failure, and “muck” directly. Devendra reflects on the relief of finding a spiritual book that makes room for messiness rather than just asking you to become a better version of yourself.

Together they explore Buddhist ideas of deity, compassion, habitual patterns, death, and no-self without losing sight of the everyday comedy of distraction. The two consider how easily we miss the suffering of others, how social and personal habits become convincing stories, and how compassion may arise naturally when perception begins to clear.

Devendra also revisits Sam’s graphic memoir A Guided Tour of Hell, where their exchange turns to an intimate conversation about mortality, spiritual teachers, and the rare warmth of encountering genuine wisdom.

Watch this interview or read the episode show notes at shambhala.com/podcast.

Timestamps 

• 00:00—Introduction

• 01:18—Deities, Wakefulness & the Mess of Life

• 13:20—A Guided Tour of Hell & Seeing Others’ Suffering

• 19:51—Tantra, Wise Teachers & Guru Devotion

• 23:40—Death, Intimacy & Rude Awakenings

• 28:45—Advanced Buddhist Teachings

• 31:24—What Is Frivolous—and What Actually Matters?

• 34:17—“Don’t Buy It and Don’t Blow It”

• 39:36—Sam’s Next Book & His Wild San Francisco Years

• 44:12—How Devendra Became a Dharma Person

In this episode of This Very Moment, we are joined by author and Zen teacher Cuong Lu for a deeply personal conversation about freedom, grief, spiritual practice, and finding one’s way home through it all.

Born in Vietnam, Cuong moved to the Netherlands at age twelve. After his father died just two years later, he found himself grieving, disoriented, and searching for a way to live peacefully in an unfamiliar country. At eighteen, he met Thich Nhat Hanh. What struck him first was not a particular teaching but Thich Nhat Hanh’s presence. Cuong saw a Vietnamese person who seemed truly at home, peaceful, and free.

That recognition set the direction of his life. Cuong was drawn to Plum Village, where he entered monastic life and spent 16 years studying and practicing under Thich Nhat Hanh. His teacher’s guidance was both tender and compassionate, like a father and, uncompromising like a true spiritual teacher.

The conversation follows Cuong through the painful decision to leave monastic life and the identity he had built around it. Though it felt like losing his teacher, his community, and his place in the world, he eventually discovered a freedom beyond the pursuit of happiness itself. In releasing the need to be happy, spiritually accomplished, or seen as a teacher, Cuong found a much deeper peace.

Today, Cuong’s work includes service as a Buddhist chaplain in Dutch prisons and his teaching through the Mind Only Institute. He continues to share the message that “suffering is not a problem at all. You don’t need to transform suffering; you just need to come home.”

Watch this interview or read the episode show notes at shambhala.com/podcast.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction to Cuong Lu

00:44 – At Peace, Filled with Joy & Rethinking the Dhammapada

06:10 – Tradition, Truth & “Non-Buddhism”

13:15 – Growing Up in Vietnam & the Impact of War

18:24 – Discovering Meditation & Meeting Thich Nhat Hanh

24:37 – The Path to Plum Village

29:44 – Becoming a Monk & 16 Years of Practice

34:07 – Leaving Plum Village & Becoming “Nobody”

40:51 – Working as a Buddhist Chaplain in Dutch Prisons

50:32 – Life After Prison Work & the “Invisible Monk”

Select Books by the Author

At Peace, Filled with Joy

Wait

Happiness Is Overrated

In this warm and wide-ranging conversation, Pema Chödrön reflects on her life, practice, teaching, and making Buddhist wisdom accessible in everyday experience as the milestone of her 90th birthday approaches.

Pema shares what “winding down” looks like for her, and why, at the urging of Anam Thubten Rinpoche, she continues to teach. At the heart of the conversation, Pema unpacks her new book’s (Another Kind of Freedom) central question: what does freedom actually mean? It’s not the conventional idea of escaping one situation for a better one, but a deeper, unconditional freedom found by moving toward experience rather than away from it.

The conversation touches on counterintuitive teachings on disappointment and boredom as spiritual signposts, the art of working with people without getting overwhelmed, and why praise and blame are equally superficial, illustrated by a perfectly timed airport story.

Pema also offers a memorable image for “inviting all sentient beings as guests” without overwhelming our nervous system and shares how, in this later chapter of her life, formless practice and the aspiration to live free from fixed mind guide her day to day.

This heartfelt conversation is a profound look at what lifelong practice can become.

Watch this interview or read the episode show notes at shambhala.com/podcast.

Another Kind of Freedom: https://www.shambhala.com/another-kind-of-freedom.html

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction

00:37 What Pema is up to at This Very Moment

04:32 What is true freedom?

08:44 Teaching from experience instead of theory

12:28 Why Pema wrote her new book, Another Kind of Freedom.

15:46 Encountering the Myth of Freedom for the first time

17:02 Working with praise and blame

21:22 What Pema’s focusing on in her teachings

23:00 Working with disappointment and boredom as a tools

27:30 Working with people, the good and the bad

34:05 Pema's personal practice

In this episode of This Very Moment we are joined with Larry Mermelstein, a longtime student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and a founding member of the Nalanda Translation Committee.

Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Rochester, New York, Larry recalls growing up in a Jewish household with mixed religious observance. His father, raised Orthodox with a Hasidic grandfather, described himself as a “non-observant Orthodox Jew,” while his mother came from a Reform background. Larry attended Hebrew school reluctantly but found genuine engagement in the musicality of Jewish prayer during his study for bar mitzvah. However, as he grew older and began reading the English translations of Hebrew prayers, he found the meaning uninspiring, and his interest in Judaism faded.

As a teenager Larry found refuge in a spiritualist minister in New Jersey, who opened him up to the idea that this reality is not the only reality. He continued studying with him through his last two years in high school.

Watch this interview or read the rest of the episode show notes at shambhala.com/podcast.

Timestamps

00:00:00 — Introduction Larry Mermelstein on Buddhism, translation, and the early days of the Trungpa community

00:01:47 — Little Larry: Growing Up Jewish Childhood, family, faith, and early influences

00:05:59 — The First Spiritual Disillusionment Why Judaism stopped feeling alive—and what came next

00:18:57 — From Mysticism to Buddhism The path from spiritual seeking into the Dharma

00:30:12 — Meeting Trungpa Rinpoche The first encounter that changed everything

00:40:58 — Becoming a Translator How language and Dharma became a life's work

00:49:04 — Who Was Ugyen Shenpen? Remembering a pivotal figure behind the scenes of Tibetan Buddhism

00:58:39 — Building Naropa and the Early Community The pioneering years of Buddhist education in the West

01:04:53 — Why So Many Jews Found Buddhism Exploring one of the great demographic mysteries of Western Dharma

01:09:47 — Does Buddhism Have a Future Here? Translation, culture, music, and reaching new generations

01:17:48 — What Inspires You Now? Larry on legacy, younger practitioners, and what's alive today

01:19:38 — The Future of the Trungpa Lineage Tulku questions, succession, and Rinpoche's predictions

In this episode of This Very Moment, we sit down with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, a revered master of the Bön tradition of Tibet.

Rinpoche traces the distinctive qualities of Bön, from Dzogchen to astrology, cosmology, and elemental practices. Though often misunderstood and overshadowed, Bön’s core teachings share a common ground with Buddhist traditions, particularly the Nyingma tradition with Dzogchen as its core component.

Rinpoche describes his unique upbringing, as he was raised by a Gelug father and a Bön mother, and how he was educated in a Christian boarding school. Later, he trained in a Bön monastery under his primary teacher, Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak.

The highlight of the conversation is his exploration of the Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep. He introduces his newest concept of “Free Identity Zones,” explaining how sleep gives us the opportunity for true freedom and healing. During deep sleep, the body is temporarily free of the mind, allowing for deep restorative rest. Likewise, during REM cycles, the mind has a chance to be temporarily free of the body, allowing for cognitive growth and emotional healing. Both of these moments of Free Identity are essential for healing physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Beyond the meditation cushion, Rinpoche shares his unexpected passions for longevity science, tracking health biomarkers, and breaking out of traditional boxes to embrace modern knowledge.

Finally, Rinpoche reflects on his teachers, Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak and Lopon Sangye Tenzin, and the profound influence they had on him. After nearly 40 years of teaching in the West, Rinpoche remains an inspirational voice in the Bön Buddhist community, specifically Ligmincha International, where he serves as the founder and director.

In addition to his ongoing teaching and non-profit work, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche will be teaching a special course on Tibetan Dream Yoga this summer. Click here to learn more.

Timestamps

02:38 – What “Yoga” Actually Means Breaking down the deeper meaning beyond physical practice

09:02 – What Is Dream Yoga? Foundations of dream practice and why it matters

10:37 – Using Dreams to Understand Yourself Lucidity, awareness, and interpreting dream experiences

14:07 – Sleep, Biometrics & Daily Awareness Tracking HRV, REM, and how habits affect consciousness

19:52 – Living Beyond Identity The idea of an “identity-free zone” and conditioning

31:12 – Letting Go of a Fixed Life Path Living without rigid goals and trusting what unfolds

34:47 – Fear, Upbringing & Human Potential How fear shapes (or limits) development

45:02 – Mortality & Living Fully Why awareness of death sharpens how we live

Episode 7 of This Very Moment features Zen teacher, meditator, and author Diane Musho Hamilton in a rich conversation about learning to be with life as it is.

Diane shares how early encounters with loss and grief left her existentially overwrought. Despite being raised in a family with strong spiritual roots in the Mormon tradition and surrounded by a nurturing natural landscape, she felt that life’s deeper questions were left unanswered. Literature and philosophy were helpful guides, but she needed something more. That something was first discovered at the Naropa Institute (now Naropa University), later deepened with her teacher Genpo Roshi, and further expanded by her training and practice with Ken Wilber and the Integral Institute.

According to Diane, “If Trungpa Rinpoche revealed the Dharma world and Genpo Roshi introduced me to emptiness and to the depths of zazen, then I would say that Ken Wilber gave me permission to evolve and to consider questions and perspectives about spiritual practice that are really pertinent to our time.”

Modeling the profound impact of her Buddhist training, Diane vividly describes how she uses life’s suffering and hardship as a path to awakening, relying on “the confidence that there is something profound, enduring, and inherent that knows how to be with what is.”

In a final comment, Diane summarizes key themes of her newest book, Waking Up and Growing Up, coauthored with her student Gabe Kaigen Wilson, explaining the importance of training in contemplative depth and relationship skills for contemporary practitioners. The conversation closes with her current focus on succession, community, and the simple, enduring happiness of tending a garden.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction   Host framing the conversation and Diane’s work.

00:00:56 – Childhood & Early Life in Rural Utah  First question begins about her upbringing and earliest memories.

00:02:10 – Mormon Culture & Family Religious Influence  Deeper shift into Mormon identity, family structure, and worldview.

00:08:36 – Discovering Buddhism & Naropa Institute  Clear transition into her exposure to Buddhism and formal study.

00:12:59 – Zen Practice & Spiritual Teachers  Shift into deeper training, including Zen lineage and mentorship.

00:16:03 – Mediation Work & Conflict Resolution Path  First explicit pivot into her professional work in mediation.

00:28:07 – Communication, Shadow Work & Facilitation  Expansion into applied work: communication, conflict, and integration.

00:50:52 – Presence, Awareness & “This Very Moment”  Conversation lands in core philosophy of awareness and lived practice.

In this episode, musician and visual artist Devendra Banhart sits down with Ivan Bercholz for an intimate conversation about how Buddhist practice, books, and subculture have shaped his life and work, leading him to This Very Moment.

From his early years of skateboarding (before it was cool) to his segue into indie-folk music, Devendra has always leaned into counterculture, providing the perfect foundation to esotericism and the Buddhadharma. Raised in a spiritual home, Devendra’s parents practiced and studied with a Hindu teacher; however, through his own exploration and experience, he discovered that the Buddhist teachings are the one true support for his life, art, and music. With honesty, depth, and humor, Devendra describes his interactions with his root teacher, Neten Chokling Rinpoche, as well as Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, which pushed him to go beyond doubt, hardship, and insecurity both as an artist and a practitioner. Through winding storytelling, Devendra shares his deep appreciation of the universal spiritual principles that he’s encountered through books, teachers, and music, while returning again and again to his personal devotion to the Buddhist teachings.

Watch this interview or read the episode show notes at shambhala.com/podcast.

Timestamps

00:00 Devendra Banhart on Spirituality, Music & Creative Life

09:04 Religion, Culture & Finding Community

15:38 Skateboarding, Freedom & Everyday Joy

21:14 Stage Fright, Performing & Substances in Music

27:51 The Sacrifices of a Creative Life

34:00 Why Spiritual Certainty Can Be Dangerous

39:36 Laurie Anderson and Other Influences

54:00 Performing Against My Will & Working with Fear

01:03:46 Lamas Are Superheroes

In this intimate conversation, eminent Tibetan Buddhist master and scholar Ringu Tulku Rinpoche traces his extraordinary life shaped by exile, rigorous study, a lifetime of practice and teaching across cultures, leading him to this very moment.

He describes his early years studying and practicing under Khenpo Tsöndrü, the Sixteenth Karmapa, and his main teacher Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, as well as a variety of teachers from the Kagyu Nyingma, Geluk, and Sakya traditions lending to his rimé (nonsectarian) training. Rinpoche also highlights two major lay influences: Professor N. C. Sinha, who shaped his understanding of history and ethics, and Freda Bedi, who nurtured his English, cross-cultural awareness, and early teaching activity.

Reminiscing on his early education, Rinpoche describes his experiences studying at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in Sarnath and later his unanticipated 8-year appointment translating textbooks into Tibetan for the education department in Sikkim, followed by 17 years of teaching Tibetan Language and Literature at the college level before “retiring” and continuing his teaching internationally.

Since 1990, Rinpoche has been traveling and teaching Buddhism at over 50 universities, institutes, and Buddhist centers in Europe, Australia, Asia, and North America, as well as participating in interfaith dialogues and academic conferences, making him a true nomad and advocate of the nonsectarian impulse.

Watch this interview or read the episode show notes at shambhala.com/podcast.

*Photo of Rinpoche courtesy of Gerry McCulloch.

Timestamps

00:00:38 – Growing up in Kham

00:05:19 – Early memories and inspiration

00:12:27 – Meeting his root guru, Digo Khyentse Rinpoche

00:25:32 – The friendship between Khyentse Rinpoche and the 16th Karmapa

00:27:41 – Non-Buddhist influences (Professor N. C. Sinha and Freda Bedi)

00:32:32 – The transition from student to teacher

00:41:06 – Teaching internationally

00:54:09 – The production of the Lazy Lama Looks at Buddhist Meditation book series

00:57:15 – Current projects and activities

01:03:50 – The most important teaching

Books by the Author

• Path to Buddhahood: Teachings on Gampopa’s Jewel Ornament of Liberation
• The Ri-me Philosophy of Jamgön Kongtrul the Great: A Study of the Buddhist Lineages of Tibet
• Confusion Arises as Wisdom: Gampopa’s Heart Advice on the Path of
• Daring Steps: Traversing the Path of the Buddha
• Mind Training