The Wisdom Seat Podcast

Welcome to this very special edition of the Wisdom Seat Podcast. In August 2026, Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche traveled to Halifax, Nova Scotia to give a week of empowerments and abhishekas. A number of us from The Wisdom Seat traveled there to attend. It was a celebratory, wonderful week, and Rinpoche agreed to an interview with Joanna Rotté. Joanna asks Rinpoche about his life and upbringing. He talks about being born in Chandigarh, growing up with his grandfather Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche from the age of four or five, and learning one on one instead of attending a monastic college. He explains how the tulku system works, tells the story of his enthronement at Rumtek with the 16th Karmapa, and shares memories of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He also describes becoming responsible for Shechen Monastery as a teenager. Near the end, he talks about his plans for Bhutan. Recorded by Bill Moriarty on August 6, 2026 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Interview by Joanna Rotté. Audio and video editing by Alec Simmons. About Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche is the grandson and spiritual heir of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and the seventh in the line of the Rabjam succession. He began receiving teachings from his grandfather at a young age and was raised by him. Since 1991 he has carried responsibility for transmitting Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's teachings. He is the abbot of Shechen Monastery in Nepal, where about 450 monks study and practice, and he oversees schools, a nunnery, and other humanitarian projects. His book, The Great Medicine, is available in English. About The Wisdom Seat The Wisdom Seat is a group of Buddhist teachers and practitioners in the Mid-Atlantic region who sponsor meditation retreats and support those on the Buddhist path. Learn more: https://thewisdomseat.org/

Michele Martin has two graduate degrees in literature from Yale University and has been a Buddhist practitioner in the Karma Kagyu lineage for over forty years. She is a founding board member of the Tibetan Buddhist Research Center and has spent more than thirty years studying with and translating for Tibetan lamas in Nepal and India. She is the author and translator of Music in the Sky: The Life, Art, and Teachings of the Seventeenth Karmapa, and translator of Gaining Certainty in the View. She divides her time between Woodstock, New York and Nepal This interview was conducted in person by Joanna Rotté before a live audience at Sky Lake Shambhala Meditation Retreat Center in Rosendale, New York. Audio equipment and assistance: Steve Gorn. Audio editing: Alec Simmons.

Larry Mermelstein has been a close student of the Venerable Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche since 1971. He is a founding member and Executive Director of the Nalanda Translation Committee, a senior teacher in the Vajradhatu-Shambhala community, and a consultant for Shambhala Publications. He resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This interview was conducted in person by Joanna Rotté before a live audience at Sky Lake Shambhala Meditation Retreat Center in Rosendale, New York.   Audio equipment and assistance: Steve Gorn. Audio editing: Alec Simmons.   Sky Lake Shambhala Meditation Land Center https://skylake.shambhala.org/   Nalanda Translation Committee https://nalandatranslation.org/   The Wisdom Seat https://www.thewisdomseat.org/upcoming-events  

Host Bill Moriarty introduces a 2019 public talk from Anam Thubten: "The Wisdom of Meditation and Everyday Life" in the Dzogchen tradition. Anam Thubten describes meditation with an object (breath, body sensations, mantras, ordinary objects, sound) and meditation without an object (open awareness: "rest in the natural state of your mind"). Anam Thubten grew up in Tibet and at an early age began to practice in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Among his many teachers, his most formative guides were Lama Tsurlo, Khenpo Chopel, and Lama Garwang. He is the founder and spiritual advisor of Dharmata Foundation, teaching widely in the U.S. and abroad. He is also the author of various articles and books in both the Tibetan and English language. His books in English include: Choosing Compassion, No Self No Problem, Into the Haunted Ground, and The Citadel of Awareness. To view Anam Thubten's teaching and retreat schedule, please visit www.dharmata.org/events-calendar. Through the essential wisdom of Buddhism and his personal experience on the spiritual path, Anam Thubten brings alive the timeless teachings and invites everyone to participate. His collection of translations into English can be found at dharmatreasury.org. https://dharmata.org/teachers/  

Andrew is a consultant at Bain & Company, a firm that provides advice to public, private, and non-profit organizations. He's also the president of Applied Mindfulness Training. Andrew and Michael talk shop about "what exactly does a consultant do?" and reminisce about Andrew's father Patton Hyman, founder of AMT and a close friend of Michael's. This episode was originally produced by Applied Mindfulness Training as part of their Mindful Voices series. Learn more at https://www.appliedmindfulnesstraining.org This episode was originally produced by Applied Mindfulness Training as part of their Mindful Voices series. Learn more at https://www.appliedmindfulnesstraining.org  

Michael Carroll sits down with Chris Kayser, who has been earning a living as an actor in the Atlanta area for over 40 years. Most recently he performed in a play about death and has been coming to terms with his own cancer diagnosis. He and Michael discuss how both acting and death can bring us vividly into the present, and the role that mindfulness plays on the stage and in life. From: https://www.alliancetheatre.org/blog/chris-kayser-beloved-atlanta-actor-has-died/ "It is with broken hearts that the Alliance shares the news that beloved Atlanta actor Chris Kayser passed away earlier today. Chris was a regular on our stages for four decades, including roles in A Christmas Carol for 22 years, 16 times as Ebenezer Scrooge.  How fitting that a show so focused on the virtues of generosity & community is the show he performed the most.  For those were the exact gifts he freely gave this Atlanta theatre community.  In addition to his work at the Alliance, he was a company member of the seminal Academy Theater for nine years and a resident artist with Georgia Shakespeare for 25 years. Chris also helped found Théâtre Du Rêve, a French language theater. With Théâtre Du Rêve, he was able to tour theater in France six times. He was cited with the Lexus Leader in the Arts award by the city of Atlanta. He has been named Best Actor by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Creative Loafing, and the Suzi Awards." - December 3, 2024 This episode was originally produced by Applied Mindfulness Training as part of their Mindful Voices series. Learn more at https://www.appliedmindfulnesstraining.org

Michael Carroll sits down with Dr. Michael Baime, founder of The Penn Program for Mindfulness to talk about how applying mindfulness helps both patients and doctors manage stress and heal through sharing an authentic human connection. https://www.pennmedicine.org/services/mindfulness?redirect=1&referrer=pennmed&source=fsu https://ppc.sas.upenn.edu/people/michael-baime   This episode was originally produced by Applied Mindfulness Training as part of their Mindful Voices series. Learn more at https://www.appliedmindfulnesstraining.org  

Ron is CEO at Continental Sales lots-4-less, a discount store on the South Side of Chicago. Started by Ron's father in 1965, the store has gained a loyal customer base and sees upwards of 1000 sales a day. Ron and Michael discuss the thrill of treasure hunting and the company's values, which include mindfulness, community, and joy. This episode was originally produced by Applied Mindfulness Training as part of their Mindful Voices series. Learn more at https://www.appliedmindfulnesstraining.org  

Michael talks with Jacqueline Gallo, Chief Operating Officer of Whitcraft Group, about how applying mindfulness at work helps weather change, make tough leadership decisions, and even see around corners. They also discuss Whitcraft's highly successful prison work release program. This episode was originally produced by Applied Mindfulness Training as part of their Mindful Voices series. Learn more at https://www.appliedmindfulnesstraining.org  

Susan Piver is a Buddhist teacher, New York Times bestselling author and founder of the Open Heart Project, a community of support for living an awakened life. Michael sits down with his long-time friend, Susan Piver to talk about community, creativity, pain, loneliness, and other things we're afraid of. They also discuss how applying mindfulness impacts how we run a business, how we teach, and how we learn.    This episode was originally produced by Applied Mindfulness Training as part of their Mindful Voices series. Learn more at https://www.appliedmindfulnesstraining.org