In this candid conversation, Ivan welcomes Lodro Rinzler, Buddhist author and teacher, to the podcast. Friends for more than two decades, they bring an easy warmth to an exchange that moves naturally between humor, personal history, and Buddhist practice.
Lodro reflects on growing up in a Buddhist household and the retreat experience that made meditation feel like a path of his own. He speaks about his father’s long illness and how practice helped him remain present through loss. Ivan and Lodro also revisit the early years of Lodro’s teaching and writing—including the publication of The Buddha Walks into a Bar . . .— and consider what it means for a book to make a difference in even one person’s life.
Turning to his newest book, You Are Good, You Are Enough, Lodro explores the teachings of basic goodness and how the view that we are fundamentally whole, even when we make mistakes, changes the way we may view our relationships in a culture that’s quick to judge both ourselves and others. Lodro also shares how fatherhood has changed his sense of identity and deepened his practice of paying attention.
The episode closes with Lodro sharing two simple daily practices: the importance of offering your full attention to the person in front of you and beginning the day with a moment of gratitude.
Watch this interview or read the episode show notes at shambhala.com/podcast.
Timestamps
00:00-Meet Lodro Rinzler: Buddhism, Friendship & Humor
04:32-Growing Up Buddhist & Finding His Own Path
12:38-Loss, Impermanence & Being Present for His Father
17:09-Becoming a Meditation Teacher at 18
21:32-The Story Behind The Buddha Walks Into a Bar
30:01-From “Cool Kid Buddhist” to Fatherhood
33:24-You Are Good, You Are Enough: Rediscovering Basic Goodness
41:36-Parenting, Patience & a Toddler’s Playlist
45:49-Finding Joy in Small-Town Life & X-Men
48:18-Everyday Practice: Presence, Gratitude & Starting Your Day
Books by the Author
