Be Here Now Network Guest Podcast

In this heartfelt conversation, Sharon Salzberg and Mirabai Bush explore how mindfulness, forgiveness, and loving-kindness can transform the way we relate to ourselves and others.
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Live from the 2015 Open Your Heart in Paradise Retreat, Mirabai and Sharon discuss:
The relationship between loving everyone and personal practice
Mirabai’s work with SEVA foundation in Guatemala
Loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity
The interconnectedness of all life
An audience Q&A with Sharon and Mirabai
Forgiveness and breaking down defensive behavior
Mindfulness in how we relate to thoughts of ourselves and others
Join us for the 2026 Open Your Heart in Paradise Retreat in Maui or virtually!
About Mirabai Bush:
Mirabai is an author, social entrepreneur, teacher, and spiritual leader. She is recognized for her pioneering role in integrating mindfulness and contemplative practices into secular sectors of American life, including business, higher education, law, and social activism. Mirabai’s contributions include co-founding influential organizations such as the Center for Contemplative Mind in Societyand the Seva Foundation and co-developing Google’s Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. She is also a longtime board member of the Love Serve Remember Foundation. Her latest book, Almost Home, is a memoir published in 2025.
“One of the most important things we need to do in order to love each other is to really listen to each other, to come to know each other so we can be present in a loving way. The Dalai Lama when he listens to someone he sits way on the edge of his chair, listening with his whole body. When you share something with Ram Dass, you never think he’s thinking about something else. That’s what we need to be for each other. We need to be here now.” –Mirabai Bush
About Sharon Salzberg:
Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed five million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond. Learn more about Sharon and her books at www.sharonsalzberg.com and check out Insight Meditation Society.
“We don’t deny the hurt or regret we may feel if it is our own action, but we don’t need to build on that and solidify it. Sometimes we do that so much that our whole sense of who we are and all that we’ll ever be collapses around some comment. That’s what I meant when I said loving-kindness is like a stretch, it’s like asking yourself, ‘anything else happen today? What’s the good within me?’”–Sharon Salzberg

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Outlining the seven factors of awakening in Buddhism, Gil Fronsdal offers an accessible perspective on the glory of the dharma.
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This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil Fronsdal shares:
Seeing the glory of the dharma in all experiences
Mindfulness: the simple offering of presence for what’s happening right now
Being present for our emotions rather than for or against them
Mindfulness as the bridge between the five hindrances and the seven factors of awakening
How differentiation gives rise to wisdom and understanding
The choice between being caught up and letting go
Persisting in our effort to practice, moment by moment
Witnessing when our mind wanders off during meditation
Having an equanimous mind, being both tranquil and alert
This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed
About Gil Fronsdal:
Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma.
“With mindfulness we’re just trying to be present, and in that, find a certain kind of freedom. So, if it’s not simple, it’s not mindfulness.” –Gil Fronsdal
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Vipassana teacher Trudy Goodman shares stories and teachings about the Buddha's one fortunate attachment: sacred longing.
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In this episode, Trudy Goodman gives a lecture on:
Getting ‘everything’ when sitting in meditation practice
Learning how to be present with the experience of suffering
Growing from the mud: the metaphor of the lotus flower
The deadly process of applying ideals of perfection to ourselves
Finding the source of happiness in our own hearts
Looking at grief as another form of desire
Trudy’s explanation of what she calls ‘crooked grief’
Attachment as addressed by Buddhist psychology
The world that opens to us when are not caught in anything
About Trudy Goodman:
Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats, engages in activism work, and teaches workshops worldwide and online. She is also the voice of Trudy the Love Barbarian in the Netflix series, The Midnight Gospel. You can learn more about Trudy’s flourishing array of wonderful offerings at TrudyGoodman.com
This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.
“Don’t be deceived by any others that claim they will bring you lasting love and happiness. Understand that the source of love and happiness is in your own heart, in your own ability to be present, in your own mind. This is what transforms our wants and our longings—the ability to shine this light of presence.” –Trudy Goodman
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Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin of the Nichiren Shu Buddhist Order, explores how she has cultivated community and diversity through interfaith dialogue, spiritual practice, and a commitment to making Buddhist teachings accessible while honoring tradition.
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This week on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin and Vincent chat about:
Being grateful for the good in our lives
Finding support in spiritual community
The emotional process of shaving one’s head for the priesthood
Being a female in a male-dominated spiritual world
Creating community and diversity in Houston, Texas
Working to make Buddhist teachings accessible while preserving the integrity of traditions
Addressing trauma in the prison system and learning how to support each other
Hope for the future and finding common ground in the intersection of faith traditions
The great change that naturally arises from a dedication to practice
Lessons from the Lotus Sutra on respect
Finding the purpose and benefit in all that happens to us
“Everything about us is perfect, whole, and complete for the path that we’re walking. It may be horrible, some of the things that have happened to us, but they’re a preparation for us to walk the path in the way we need to walk it. We have to be able to look at everything that happens to us as a benefit. There is a purpose to this happening to us. We can be a gateway for others to walk a better path for themselves. We are perfectly gifted by the experiences we have had.” –Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin
About Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin:
Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin, stands as a beacon of pioneering spirit, being the first American woman and the first of African Japanese descent to attain full ordination as a Nichiren priest. She holds the esteemed position of bishop for the Nichiren Shu Buddhist Order of North America, the first woman and Westerner to do so. Her guidance emanates from Houston, where she leads as the principal teacher of Myoken-ji Temple. She is among the few westerners, specifically one of three, to undertake and complete the rigorous Aragyo [ascetic practice] at Saijo Inari in Okayama, Japan.
Passionate about bringing Buddhism beyond temple walls, Myokei Shonin actively supports three prison sanghas within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system. Her interfaith endeavors have seen her as a Fellow with Interfaith America, championing dialogue between Buddhists and Muslims in incarceration. Her roles extend to being a board member of Lion’s Roar Magazine and Dharma Relief 2: Healing Racial Trauma.
She's actively engaged in programs such as Healing Warrior Hearts, Texas for Heroes, The Gathering, and the International Western Dharma Teachers Gathering. Beyond these, her contributions span across various socio-religious platforms, underlining her commitment to spreading compassionate teachings. As a writer, her voice echoes through publications in Lion’s Roar and Tricycle magazines, and she has made notable contributions to The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women.
About Vincent Moore:
Vincent Moore is a creative and creative consultant living in San Francisco, California, with over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry and holds a graduate degree in Buddhist Studies. For years, he performed regularly at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, an improv and sketch comedy theatre based in New York and Los Angeles. As an actor, Vincent performed on Comedy Central, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Seth Meyers, Above Average, and The UCB Show on Seeso. As a writer, he developed for television as well as stage, including work with the Blue Man Group, and his own written projects have been featured on websites such as Funny or Die. Additionally, he received a Master's in Buddhist Studies from the Institute of Buddhist Studies with a Certificate in Soto Zen Studies and engages in a personal Buddhist practice within the Soto Zen tradition. Vincent is also the creator and host of the podcast, Paths of Practice, which features interviews with Buddhists from all over the world. Learn more on Vincent’s website HERE.
This conversation was originally recorded on the Paths of Practice Podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube, or your favorite podcast app!
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Joined by long-time friends Nina Rao, Krishna Das, and Sunanda Markus, Mirabai Bush shares stories from her memoir Almost Home.
Pick up your copy of Almost Home over on the Ram Dass Shop today: Click Here To Learn More
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This time on the BHNN Guest Podcast, Mirabai, Nina, Krishna Das, and Sunanda discuss:
Mirabai’s catholic upbringing and working to understand her place in the world
How Mirabai became the only woman to work on the Saturn Apollo project
Mirabai’s meditation studies with Goenka
When Krishna Das, Mirabai, and Sunanda met Maharaj-ji
Learning about the grace in suffering
Knowing that love is real and available to us all
“That hard childhood creates that longing for belonging; with Maharaj-ji I felt like at last I belonged—in this moment, in this body, in this world, because I was so totally loved. He changed my idea of what this life could be. I had such a small idea of who we could be in this world, and it just became vastly expanded with him.” –Mirabai Bush
About Mirabai Bush:
Mirabai is an author, social entrepreneur, teacher, and spiritual leader. She is recognized for her pioneering role in integrating mindfulness and contemplative practices into secular sectors of American life, including business, higher education, law, and social activism. Mirabai’s contributions include co-founding influential organizations such as the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society and the Seva Foundation and co-developing Google’s Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. She is also a longtime board member of the Love Serve Remember Foundation. Her latest book, Almost Home, is a memoir published in 2025.
About Nina Rao:
Nina Rao is a devotional singer. She tours with Krishna Das, singing and accompanying musically, and is also his business manager. Nina has recorded three solo albums, “Antarayaami – Knower of All Hearts”, “Anubhav”, and "Bhumi Devi” . Nina regularly leads kirtan, workshops, and retreats in her home state of New York and around the world. Together with Chandra Easton and Genevieve Walker, the trio released 21 Taras Collective Mantra Mala Vol 1. You can keep up with Nina on her website and find her on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook @NinaRaoChant
About Krishna Das:
Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.” With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category. KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji. Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.
MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT: https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE: / krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDas
About Sunanda Markus:
In India in 1972, Sunanda met her guru, Neem Karoli Baba, as well as studied meditation with Theravada Buddhism teacher Shri S.N. Goenka. She has continued her practice of Vipassana meditation since that time, along with actively practicing yoga.
Currently the finance and operations director for the Love Serve Remember Foundation, Sunanda spent decades as the finance director of a small publishing company, while also being involved in the field of contemplative studies. She spent a dozen years as the program coordinator for the Academic Program of the Center for Contemplative Mind, and then managed the grants program for the Mind & Life Institute. As part of the nonprofit world, Sunanda has served on the boards of the Insight Meditation Society and the Seva Foundation, chairing the foundation for three years. She was an active member of the Seva Guatemala Project, supporting integrated community development.
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