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The Wisdom Podcast

Toni Bernhard: Self-Compassion and the First Noble Truth (#98) episode / season 1

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In this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with acclaimed Wisdom author Toni Bernard. In this powerful conversation, which was recorded as part of our live Wisdom Dharma Chats program, Toni discusses her most recent book, How to Be Sick: Your Pocket Companion , and shares her personal story detailing how her practice has helped and continues to help her come to terms with living with a chronic illness. Youll hear Toni revisit some of her earliest quandaries: Who am I if Im not a law professor? How can I flourish with so many restrictions on my life? How can I overcome judgment and have compassion for myself and for others in the midst of such difficulty? She also explains how a deeper understanding of the four noble truths has reshaped her experience of suffering and shares practices from her new book that helped her come to terms with living a restricted life. As an expert at living with a chronic illness that often requires her to stay at home, Toni offers an unparalleled view on how to live well and practice compassion in a pandemic. Toni was a law professor for twenty-two years at the University of California before illness forced her into an early retirement. Since then, Toni has written many popular books on her experiences, which have changed many lives. Some of her titles include How to Be Sick: A Buddhist-Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers , as well as How to Live Well with Chronic Pain and Illness , and How to Wake Up. The post Toni Bernhard: Self-Compassion and the First Noble Truth (#98) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

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episodes

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: The Nalanda Approach (#243)

Venerable Bhikkhu Anlayo: The Perfection of Wisdom (#242)

H. E. Gyalwa Dokhampa: The Restful Mind (#240)

Thupten Jinpa: Illuminating the Intent – An Encore Presentation (#236)

Venerable Robina Courtin: Discovering Your True Nature (#234)

Bhikkhu Bodhi: Translating the Buddha

H. H. the Karmapa: Vegetarianism, Online Education, and Nuns’ Ordination

Elijah Ary: The First Western Geluk Tulku

Ven. Thubten Chodron: An American Buddhist Abbess

Jamyang Rinchen 1: Translating for the Dalai Lama

David Loy: Modern Buddhism

Jamyang Rinchen 2: My Guru, the Dalai Lama

Deborah Schoeberlein David: The Meaning of Living Mindfully

Stephen Batchelor: After Buddhism

Jeffrey Hopkins: The Life of a Buddhist Scholar

Elsie Walker: The Dalai Lama and the Presidents Bush

Robert Thurman: A Life in Buddhism

Lama Alan Wallace: Dzogchen and the Science of Mind

C.W. Huntington and Francisca Cho: Emptiness and Fiction

Pascal Auclair: Living Buddhism from the Heart

Jet Li: Beyond Life and Death (#229)

Brendan Barca and Pema Sherpa: The Daily Buddhist (#220)

Jeffrey Hopkins: In Remembrance: The Life of a Buddhist Scholar (#190)

Anne C. Klein: Being Human and a Buddha Too (#174)

Lama Alan Wallace: Meditation for Balanced Living

Alan Wallace: Solitude and Resilience (#118)

Chris Ives: Meditations on the Trail (#115)

Bhikkhu Bodhi: The Buddha on Social Harmony

Alan Wallace: Dzogchen and the Science of Mind

Christina Feldman: Meditation as Cultivation

Shaila Catherine: Mastering the Jhnas

Gerry Stribling: Buddhism for Dudes

Sharon Salzberg: Faith and Doubt

Steve Armstrong: Insight Meditation in America

Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen: Drikung Teachings

Joseph Goldstein: Bringing the Dharma from the Masters to the West

H.E. the 7th Ling Rinpoche: The Training of a Tulku

Jay Garfield: Engaging Buddhist Philosophy

Koshin Paley Ellison: Zen and the Art of Caregiving

Dan Harris: 10% Happier

Mingyur Rinpoche: Stories of Wandering and Awakening

Bhikkhu Anlayo: The Satipatthana Sutta

Guy Newland: A Buddhist Grief Observed

David Nichtern: Awakening from the Daydream

Geshema Kelsang Wangmo: Becoming the First Female Geshe

Kamala Masters: Dhamma in Daily Life

Malcolm Smith: Translating Dzogchen Texts

Jan Westerhoff: Ngrjuna and Madhyamaka

Barbara Bonner: Reimagining Courage and Generosity

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche: In Praise of Spiritual Teachers

H. E. the 12th Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche: The History of the Zurmang Kagyu Tradition

Kathleen Dowling Singh: Grace and Awakening

Joanne Cacciatore: Bearing the Unbearable

Alan Wallace: Meditation for Balanced Living

Harold Talbott: Remembering Thomas Merton’s Encounters with the Dalai Lama

Josh Korda: Honoring Transparency and Disclosure

Andy Rotman: The Divine Stories of Early Buddhism

Marcus Perman: Translation and Transmission of Tibetan Buddhism in the West

Ross Bolleter: The Intimacy of Zen Koan Practice

Sharon Salzberg: Loving-Kindness: More than Just a Concentration Practice

Janet Gyatso: Tibetan Buddhism, Animal Ethics and Compassion

Sumi Loundon Kim: Mindfulness for the Whole Family

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Foundations for the Flourishing of Dharma in the West

Karl Brunnhlzl: Stories of Translation and Transformation

Leonard van der Kuijp: Discovering Tibet with a Leading Scholar

Bhante Gunaratana: A Special Teaching on Mindfulness

Sonam Thakchoe: In the Laboratory of Meditation

Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche: Lineage and Transmission in the Nyingma Tradition

Karen Derris: A Professor and Her Students Engage H. H. the Karmapa

Dungse Jampal Norbu: A New Generation of American Buddhists

Malcolm Smith: The Seventeen Tantras of the Great Perfection

H. H. the Sakya Trichen: Learning from the Lives of Great Masters

Lama Tsultrim Allione: Path of the Sacred Feminine

Richard Salomon: Early Buddhism in Ancient Gandhra

Ani Choying Drolma: A Voice for Nepalese Buddhist Nuns

Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel: On Faith and Dependent Arising

Thupten Jinpa: Translating for His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Christopher Ives: Zen, Ethics, and the Wildness of Nature

Bhikkhu Anlayo: Rebirth in Early Buddhism

H. E. Dza Kilung Rinpoche: Jigme Lingpa and the Longchen Nyingtik Tradition

David Nichtern: Mantra and the Power of Pure Sound

Geshe Tashi Tsering: From Monk to Abbot at Sera Mey Monastery

Mark Van Buren: Actual Happiness

Charles Hallisey: Reimagining Buddhist Scripture

H. H. Karmapa: Vegetarianism, Online Education and Nuns Ordination

Narayan Helen Liebenson: The Immediacy of Freedom

Barry Magid: Psychologically Minded Zen

Robert Thurman: The Practice of Deity Yoga

Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche: Prioritizing Aspirations Along the Path

Ajahn Brahm: Letting Go, Stillness, and Vanishing

Ajahn Brahm and Shaila Catherine: Dialogue on the Deep States of Samadhi

Alejandro Chaoul: The Bn Tradition and the Art of Tibetan Yoga

Shohaku Okumura Roshi: Stories from Modern Zen Masters

H. H. the Sakya Trizin: Preservation of the Dharma and the Sakya Tradition

John Dunne: Dharmakrti, Perception, and Cognitive Science

Graham Coleman: Preserving Tibetan Culture in the Digital Age

Koshin Paley Ellison: How to Forgive

Cyrus Stearns: Translating for the Great Sakya Masters

Larry Rosenberg: Early Pioneer of Buddhism in the West

Tara Brach: Radical Compassion

Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche: Spiritual Heir to a Tibetan Master

Norman Fischer: A Poet’s Path to Awakening

Gil Fronsdal: The Wisdom of Many Traditions

John Dunne: Dharmakrti, Conceptuality, and Antidotes for Distorted Thinking (#96)

Evan Thompson: The Conversation Between Buddhism and Science (#97)

Venerable Robina Courtin: Understanding the Buddhas Teachings for Ourselves

Daniel Goleman: The Mind and Meditation

Alejandro Chaoul: Body, Breath, and Mind in Tibetan Yoga (#99)

Malcolm Smith: Translating The Tantra Without Syllables and The Blazing Lamp Tantra

Anne C. Klein: Finding Wholeness in the Dzogchen Path (#104)

John Brehm: The Dharma of Poetry (#106)

Jessica Pimentel: Tibetan Buddhism, Creativity, and the Work of the Imagination (#95)

His Holiness the Dalai Lama: Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics (#100)

Roger Jackson: Mahmudr in the Geluk and Kagy Traditions (#94)

Michael Mendizza: Conversations with Samdhong Rinpoche and J. Krishnamurti

Malcolm Smith: Translating the Tantras (#108)

David Nichtern: Buddhist Wisdom for Realizing Your Creative Vision (#101)

Mark Van Buren: Your Life Is Meditation (#107)

John Tarrant Roshi: Koans, Uncertainty, and Insight (#103)

Thupten Jinpa: Illuminating the Intent (#109)

Venerable Thubten Chodron: In Praise of Great Compassion (#102)

Michael Imperioli: Acting, Success, and the Buddhist Path (#105)

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche: Peaceful Heart: The Buddhist Practice of Patience (#110)

Episode 110

Leo Babauta: Zen Habits (#111)

Episode 111

Sarah Harding: Dharma Journeys of Practice & Translation (#112)

Episode 112

Thupten Jinpa: Inspiration for Practice and Study (#113)

Episode 113

Lama Migmar Tseten: The Play of Mahamudra (#114)

Episode 114

Christopher Ives: Meditations on the Trail (#115)

Episode 115

Rima Fujita: Illustrating the Dalai Lamas Life (#116)

Episode 116

Donald S. Lopez Jr. : Encounters with Great Texts and Great Lamas (#117)

Episode 117

Donald Lopez: Encounters with Great Texts and Great Lamas (#117)

Episode 117

Lama Alan Wallace: Solitude and Resilience (#118)

Episode 118

Ven. Sangye Khadro: How to Meditate (#119)

Episode 119

Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche: Lineage, Renunciation, and Engaged Buddhism (#120)

Episode 120

Guy Armstrong: Illuminating Emptiness (#121)

Episode 121

Vesna Wallace: Exploring the Kalachakra Tantra (#122)

Episode 122

Robert Thurman: Mind, Self, and Reality (#123)

Episode 123

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Dharma for Difficult Times (#124)

Episode 124

Koshin Paley Ellison: Making All of Life a Place of Practice (#125)

Episode 125

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo: Emptiness, Dzogchen, and Women in Buddhism (#126)

Episode 126

David Nichtern: Unsheathing the Sword of Prajna (#127)

Episode 127

Achariya Doug Qapel Duncan and Catherine Pawasarat Sensei: Journeying Across Traditions (#128)

Episode 128

Karl Brunnhlzl: Milarepa’s Kungfu (#129)

Episode 129

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche: 84000 App Launch Celebration (#130)

Episode 130

Pamela Weiss: Real Health, Real Freedom, and Fierce Feminine Buddhism (#131)

Episode 131

Alexander Berzin: Dharma for Everyone (#132)

Episode 132

Ven. Bhikkhu Anlayo and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Early Buddhism and Dzogchen (#133)

Episode 133

H. H. the 42nd Sakya Trizin, Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, & B. Alan Wallace in Conversation (#134)

Episode 134

Alejandro Chaoul on Body Buddhism (#135)

Episode 135

Daniel A. Hirshberg: Nyingma Lore and Lineage (#136)

Episode 136

Venerable Robina and Venerable Chokyi: Liberation Prison Project (#137)

Episode 137

Shaila Catherine: Beyond Distraction (#138)

Episode 138

Matthew Kapstein: The Reluctant Professor (#139)

Episode 139

Mahmudr: A Practical Guide (#140)

Episode 140

Rabkar Wangchuk: Mystery of Life (#141)

Episode 141

Mystery of Life (#141)

Episode 141

Henry Shukman: Radical Simplicity (#142)

Episode 142

Ven. Anlayo: Early Buddhist Oral Tradition (#143)

Episode 143

Karma Trinlay Rinpoche: Life as a Tulku (#144)

Episode 144

Heidi I. Kppl: Roots of Duality (#145)

Episode 145

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Recognizing Awareness (#146)

Episode 146

Klaus-Dieter Mathes: Mahamudra and Shentong (#147)

Episode 147

Malcolm Smith: Dzogchen, Sakya, and Translation (#148)

Episode 148

James B. Apple: Stairway to Atia (#149)

Episode 149

Thupten Jinpa: Tsongkhapas Madhyamaka (#151)

Episode 151

Thupten Jinpa: Tsongkhapas Mdhyamaka (#151)

Episode 151

Mark Siderits: Buddhism as Philosophy (#152)

Episode 152

Geshe YongDong: Calm Breath, Calm Mind (#153)

Episode 153

Khandro Kunzang Dechen Chodron: Immersion in the Ngagpa Tradition (#154)

Episode 154

Koshin Paley Ellison: Untangled (#155)

Episode 155

Robert Thurman & Susan A. Landesman: The Tr Tantra (#156)

Episode 156

Cortland Dahl: Meditation and Neuroscience (#157)

Episode 157

Shaila Catherine: Beyond Distraction (#158)

Episode 158

His Eminence the 12th Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche: Mahmudr (#159)

Episode 159

Karl Brunnhlzl: Sounds of Innate Freedom (#160)

Episode 160

Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi: Reading the Buddhas Discourses in Pali (#161)

Episode 161

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Dharma in the Modern World (#162)

Episode 162

Geshe Tenzin Namdak: Freedom Through Correct Knowing (#163)

Episode 163

Karl Brunnhlzl: Sounds of Innate Freedom: Volume 3 (#164)

Episode 164

Khandro Kunga Bumma: Bodhicitta, Happiness, and Interdependence (#165)

Episode 165

Malcolm Smith: Dzogchen: Ten Key Terms (#166)

Episode 166

Lama Tsomo: Ancient Wisdom for Our Times (#167)

Episode 167

Thupten Jinpa: Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics (#168)

Episode 168

H. E. Kalu Rinpoche: The Yoga of Niguma (#169)

Episode 169

Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche: The Yoga of Niguma (#169)

Episode 169

Venerable Bhikkhu Anlayo: The Signless and the Deathless (#170)

Episode 170

Geshe Tenzin Namdak: The Mind and Knowing (#171)

Episode 171

Jay Garfield: Buddhist Philosophy In-Depth (#172)

Episode 172

Sangye Khandro: The Parinirvana of Venerable Dhomang Gyatrul Rinpoche (#173)

Episode 173

Charles Manson: The Second Karmapa (#175)

Episode 175

Alejandro Chaoul: Trul Khor (#176)

Episode 176

Geoffrey Barstow: Was the Buddha Vegetarian? (#177)

Episode 177

Dr. Richard J. Davidson: Meditation and the Effects on the Brain (#178)

Episode 178

Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi: Noble Truths, Noble Path (#179)

Episode 179

Thupten Jinpa: Stages of the Path (#180)

Episode 180

John Brehm: Dharma Talk (#181)

Episode 181

Peter Skilling: Buddhas Words for Tough Times (#182)

Episode 182

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Dorje Drol and the Power of the Mind (#183)

Episode 183

Cortland Dahl: Mahamudra and Daily Life (#184)

Episode 184

Tim Olmsted: Spontaneous Teachers, Spontaneous Student (#185)

Episode 185

H. E. Kalu Rinpoche: Illusory Body and Mind (#186)

Episode 186

Klaus-Dieter Mathes and Pter-Dniel Sznt: Sarahas Spontaneous Songs (#187)

Episode 187

H. E. Khangser Rinpoche: Rebirth, Meditation, and the Path to Joy (#188)

Episode 188

Dr. Joanne Cacciatore: Embracing Grief: Meditation, Journaling, and Self-Reflection (#189)

Episode 189

Thupten Jinpa: Mind Training (#191)

Episode 191

H. E. Khangser Rinpoche: A Monks Guide to Finding Joy (#192)

Episode 192

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche: Dream Yoga (#193)

Episode 193

Marcia Binder Schmidt: Meeting Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (#194)

Episode 194

Erik Pema Kunsang: Timeless Teachings with Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (#195)

Episode 195

Tsoknyi Rinpoche: Insights from My Father and Teacher, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (#196)

Episode 196

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: Tulku Urgyen Rinpoches Legacy (#197)

Episode 197

Geshe YongDong Losar: Exploring Breath, Yoga, and Meditation (#198)

Episode 198

Venerable Losang Gendun: Bridging Traditions, Building Communities (#199)

Episode 199

Venerable Thubten Chodron: Vajrayna and the Culmination of the Path (#200)

Episode 200

Michael Tweed: Lessons and Laughs (#201)

Episode 201

Lama Alan Wallace: Dzokchen Dialogues (#202)

Episode 202

Justin Kelley: Beyond Scholarship: The Meeting of Dharma and Education (#203)

Episode 203

Christopher Ives: Zen Ecology (#204)

Episode 204

crya Malcolm Smith: The Dzogchen Aural Lineage (#205)

Episode 205

Douglas Duckworth: The Great H (#206)

Episode 206

Chkyi Nyima Rinpoche: The Legacy of Tulku Urgyen and the Path to Kindfulness (#207)

Episode 207

Alejandro Chaoul, Richard Freeman, and Mary Taylor: Yoga for Meditators (#208)

Episode 208

Cortland Dahl: A Meditators Guide to Buddhism (#209)

Episode 209

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche And Robert Thurman: Buddhism in Daily Life in Conversation with Two Great Masters (#210)

Episode 210

Sarah Harding: Severance (#211)

Episode 211

Mark Siderits: Buddhism as Philosophy: Part 2 (#212)

Episode 212

James Apple: Atias Stages Of The Path To Awakening (#213)

Episode 213

Rangjung Neljorma Khandro Tseringma Rinpoche: Presence, Insight, and Compassion: A Guide to Happiness (#214)

Episode 214

Venerable Matthieu Ricard: Presence, Insight, and Compassion: A Guide to Happiness (#215)

Episode 215

Anu Gupta: Breaking Bias (#216)

Episode 216

Lama Alan Wallace: amatha and Vipayan: Part 1 (#217)

Episode 217

H. E. Khangser Rinpoche: Buddha-Nature and Beyond (#218)

Episode 218

Dasho Karma Ura: The Pursuit of Happiness in Bhutan (#219)

Episode 219

David M. DiValerio: Mountain Dharma (#221)

Episode 221

Wisdom Dharma Chat | Tenzin Choegyal – December 2025

Episode 222

Professor John Dunne: Buddhist Philosophy and the Nalanda Tradition (#223)

Episode 223

Khamtrul Rinpoche: Exploring the Drukpa Lineage – Special Video Episode (#224)

Episode 224

Eva Natanya: amatha and Vipayan: Part 2 (#225)

Episode 225

John Makransky: How Compassion Works (#226)

Episode 226

His Eminence Kalu Rinpoche and Michele Loew: The Yoga of Niguma (#227)

Episode 227

Lama Justin von Bujdoss: Dark Retreat (#230)

Episode 230

Gerardo Abboud: Translating the dharma (#231)

Episode 231

Geshe YongDong Losar and Jesse Moussa: Becoming The Master On The Course And In Life (#232)

Episode 232

H. E. Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche, Atisha Mathur, and Fabrizio Pallotti: Buddhist Education in the Modern World (#233)

Episode 233

crya Malcolm Smith: A Dzogchen Perspective (#235)

Episode 235

H. E. Khangser Rinpoche: Wisdom from Gyuto Monastery (#239)

Episode 239

Thupten Jinpa: The Nature of Reality (#241)

Episode 241

See all Podcasts

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