In this episode, the presenters – Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and journalist Jo Confino – are joined in conversation by Tom Rivett-Carnac. Together, they discuss the power that deep spiritual grounding has to support change in the world, as well as how to bring presence and insight into our daily lives and the global challenges we face; how to cultivate inner peace; and taking steps to make mindfulness a tool for individual and collective awakening.
Tom Rivett-Carnac is a political strategist, author, and podcaster who has spent more than 20 years working to address the climate and ecological crises. He is also a Founding Partner of Global Optimism, co-presenter of the well-known climate podcast Outrage + Optimism, and co-author of bestselling book The Future We Choose.
Tom also talks about his early-life experience as a Buddhist monk; spiritual development; coming together without egoic attachment to find collective solutions; and integrating practice and activism.
Brother Phap Huu talks about practices for collective awakening and how to not lose track of mindfulness in society’s busyness; training for the hard times; communities as support for the practice; touching enlightenment in daily life; finding peace in silence; being the change we want to see; and how Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings can serve people in times of crises.
Jo delves into the power of presence; letting go of views; and why ‘showing up fully at work’ may not work.
The episode ends with a short meditation guided by Brother Phap Huu.
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🔔 The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living is a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives.
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🎙️ The podcast is co-produced by the Plum Village App and Global Optimism with support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation.
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Resources
The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist’s Guide to the Climate Crisis
S.N. Goenka
Sagaing, Myanmar/Burma
Christiana Figueres
The Way Out Is In: ‘The Three Doors of Liberation’ (episode 18)
The Way Out Is In: ‘Free from Views in a Polarized World’ (episode 36)
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Ajahn Chah