logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
1h 7m

The Truth About Paradise (It's Not What ...

Jonathan Fields / Acast
About this episode

What if paradise was real? But, instead of searching and traveling a journey to the far ends of the earth to find it, you could touch it at any moment, in any place, no matter how amazing or awful the setting or circumstance. 


And what if paradise or peace is something completely different than this all-perfect place or feeling a lot of us believe it to be? What if that feeling we so yearn to experience, is here and now, dead center in our lives of complexity and paradox? And, we just had to know what to do to feel it?


Today's guest, Pico Iyer, has spent much of his life searching, living, and listening for insight and answers to life's big questions. A full-time writer and essayist since 1982, Pico's insightfulness and quest for meaning have led him to places and people all across the world. From Iran to North Korea, from the Dalai Lama’s Himalayas to the ghostly temples of Japan. He has shared his travels and lessons learned in his 15 books on subjects ranging from the Dalai Lama to globalism and the Cuban Revolution to Islamic mysticism.


In our conversation, Pico and I dive deeper into his story and the events in his life that have led him to some powerful revelations that he shares in his latest book, The Half-Known Life: In Search of Paradise. We talk about some key ideas that make up a good life of peace, happiness and meaning. Pico opens up about the losses, opportunities, and, often, paradoxical feelings and experiences that helped him find paradise here on Earth. 


You can find Pico at: Website


If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Robert Thurman about meaning, Buddhism, and life.


Check out our offerings & partners: 

  • My New Book Sparked
  • My New Podcast SPARKED: We’re looking for special guest “wisdom-seekers” to share the moment you’re in, then pose questions to Jonathan and the Sparked Braintrust to be answered, “on air.” To submit your “moment & question” for consideration to be on the show go to sparketype.com/submit. 
  • Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes
  • Peloton: Access high-energy workouts, instantly. Discover Peloton: streaming fitness classes to you live and on-demand. New Members who choose monthly billing get a 30-day free trial, or choose annual billing and get 12 months of Membership for the price of 10.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
The 4 Chemicals That Secretly Run Your Life (and How to Rebalance Them) | Tj Power
What if your phone is actually training your brain to feel less motivated, less connected, and more stressed?In this fascinating conversation, neuroscientist TJ Power, author of The DOSE Effect: An Inspiring Self-Healing Guide About the Mind-Body-Hormonal Connection, reveals how ... Show More
1h 4m
Jul 7
Reclaim Your Free Time: Simple Strategies to Take Back Your Life | Jenny Blake
What if working less could actually make you more effective? In this perspective-shifting conversation, Jenny Blake (author of Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business) reveals how she runs multiple successful companies working just 20 hours a week, and shares her revolut ... Show More
1h 24m
Jul 3
Finding Joy in a Life You Never Saw Coming | Jessica Slice
From high-flying real estate mogul to proud disabled mother, Jessica Slice's transformative journey will shake you awake to your own yearnings. In this candid conversation, the Unfit Parent: A Disabled Mother Challenges an Inaccessible World author exposes medicine's dehumanizing ... Show More
57m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2020
Pete Holmes on Discovering Spiritual Truths
Pete Holmes is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and podcaster. He is both a hilarious comedian and a deeply contemplative, spiritual person. In this episode, Eric and Pete discuss his book, Comedy Sex God where they go into detail about how Pete views and experience ... Show More
1 h
Feb 2022
Steve Hagen on What We Know But Don't Believe
Steve Hagen was ordained a Zen priest in 1979 and in 1989 he received Dharma Transmission (formal endorsement to teach) from Jikai Dainin Katagiri Roshi. He is the author of several books on Buddhism, science, and philosophy. These include Buddhism Plain and Simple, his most popu ... Show More
46m 56s
Feb 2021
Like Streams To The Ocean: Jedidiah Jenkins
Today we get esoteric on the things that matter most—ego, family, friendship, love, work, death, and the soul. The value of living an examined life. And how sharing our uniqueness gives glimpse into the universal. Returning for his third appearance on the podcast, our cipher for ... Show More
2h 12m
Mar 2021
The Profound Upside of Self-Diminishment | George Saunders
There is a powerful scene in a novel called Lincoln In the Bardo, where President Abraham Lincoln has come to the cemetery where his young son, Willie, is soon to be buried. Willie had passed away at the White House where he had gotten sick. Lincoln is so distraught that he goes ... Show More
1h 8m
Sep 2018
Pico Iyer: The Art of Stillness
Best-selling author and travel writer Pico Iyer discusses the benefits of bringing stillness into our lives. Pico, a lifelong traveler who has journeyed all over the world, from India to Ethiopia to Cuba to Kathmandu, realized our lives are crowded, chaotic and noisy. He says the ... Show More
33m 51s
Jul 2023
Space, Time, and The Ultimate Dimension (Episode #54)
Welcome to episode 54 of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives ... Show More
1h 50m
Sep 2022
Is Heaven Real? ...with Lee Strobel
Abide Radio is an award-winning interview podcast presented by the Abide app that connects you with Christian mindset leaders making an impact in the world with real lifestyle experiences of God’s grace and redemption. In Episode #10, host Bonnie Curry talks with atheist-turned-C ... Show More
45m 29s
Jul 2021
Mingyur Rinpoche on Falling in Love With the World
Mingyur Rinpoche is a much-loved and accomplished Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher. When not attending the monasteries under his care in Inda and Nepal, Rinpoche spends time each year traveling and teaching worldwide. In this episode, Mingyur Rinpoche talks about his book, In ... Show More
52m 13s