Podcast: Zen Is Stupid

This is the other podcast I listen to most often as I walk to and from work. After Coffee Break French (gotta get my studies in first), I switch over to Gwen Bell and Patrick Reynolds as they examine their Buddhist practice and modern -- especially Western -- Buddhism. Which is to say: they take any pretentious, Zen-er-than-thou bluster out of modern teachings and knock things down to ground level, focusing on ways Buddhism informs how they live their lives on a daily basis.

I'm not a Buddhist, nor am I likely to take up the practice. I came to the podcast by a circuitous online route that began when Gwen decided to follow me on Twitter. I read through her recent tweets, found them positive and energetic, and then noticed she lives in Boulder, practices yoga, and has an intense interest in social media -- three things that gave us common ground. So I followed her, too.

Pretty soon, I found she co-hosted this podcast and checked it out on iTunes. Co-host Patrick is Gwen's longtime friend and business partner in a yoga studio they opened in Japan (which Patrick still runs)(the yoga studio, not Japan).

I like listening to them talk through different themes. In a lot of ways, they're really different from each other, but of course they have some form of Buddhist foundation in common. I don't always agree with what they say, but their voices have become part of my walking commute and make the Riverwalk that much more enjoyable.


[image via Zen Is Stupid]
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