In this special episode, Robert Thurman pays tribute to the heroic citizens of Ukraine and their president Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the invasion and attempted occupation by Russia.

Celebrating President Zelenskyy’s former career as a comedian, Robert Thurman makes a call to action for a world with more leaders with humor - and joy- based artistic and creative backgrounds, interconnecting recent world history, modern politics, climate science and the common sense compassion-based teachings of Buddha and all spiritual traditions.

This episode includes a recommendation of Bill Mckibben's recent article in The Guardian, an introduction to Buddhist history, cosmology, meditation practice and the concept of enlightenment, a discussion of mother earth as Bodhisattva, and a deep dive into the absolute and the relative.

It concludes with a teaching on the Buddhist and philosophical perspectives on: joy, love, bliss, and the infinite possibility of creating compassionate communities worldwide through developing inner and outer peace. Ukraine, Russia & The Buddha's Wisdom - Ep. 286 of the Bob Thurman podcast photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash.