logo
episode-header-image
Oct 22
29m 47s

213 - No Water, No Moon

NOAH RASHETA
About this episode

Why are we so uncomfortable with not knowing? We often race toward any answer, even a bad one, just to escape the anxiety of uncertainty. This episode explores the strange and profound world of Zen koans.

Using the powerful story of the nun Chiyono and her breaking water pail ("No water, no moon"), Noah explains that koans are not intellectual puzzles to be "solved." Instead, they are a practice for developing a "don't-know mind" and building our tolerance for ambiguity.

Learn how sitting with confusion can be the most valuable preparation for the inevitable moments of groundlessness in real life. This episode is an invitation to stop trying to "get it" and instead embrace the wisdom that emerges from uncertainty.

Explore more at eightfoldpath.com: full transcripts, guided meditations, courses, and Noah AI, an AI you can chat with about any episode or teaching.


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

Up next
Jan 21
215 - Dying to Live
In this episode, I talk to Andy Chaleff about his book Dying to Live, which explores our societal discomfort with death and how confronting mortality can lead to a more meaningful life. We discuss the "3 AM panic" of existential dread, the concept of "little deaths" as moments of ... Show More
1h 3m
Dec 18
Skillful Means (10-Year Anniversary Episode)
In this episode, I celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Secular Buddhism podcast by announcing a new AI-powered website, EightfoldPath.com, which serves as a modern application of the Buddhist concept of skillful means. Skillful means, or upaya, is the idea that teachings sho ... Show More
25m 26s
Sep 2025
212 - The War Within
In this episode, Noah reflects on the heaviness of living in a world filled with violence, hatred, and suffering. From school shootings to war and personal experiences of pain, he explores the Buddhist teaching of the three poisons: ignorance, greed, and hatred, and how they mani ... Show More
28m 52s
Recommended Episodes
May 2025
how to surrender to the mystery and let go your need for certainty
<p>We’ve been taught to search for answers. Constantly trying to understand the world, to control it, to make sense of the chaos. But what if the search for certainty is actually keeping us stuck? What if the key to freedom isn’t about knowing more, but about learning to live wit ... Show More
15m 55s
Nov 3
Ep. 290 – The Balance Between Emptiness and Compassion
<p><strong>Ram Dass talks about finding a balance between emptiness and compassion, then answers questions from the audience, including on how to deal with fear around current events.&nbsp;</strong></p><p>The Ram Dass community gathers regularly to engage in meaningful discussion ... Show More
52m 56s
Jul 2023
EP 250 From Stressed Out to Peace-Full (Unstuck Summer Series)
When was the last time you felt overwhelmed? Perhaps it was by unknowns in the future, information, the news, disappointment, fear, the needs of the people around you, or something you saw on social media. In this episode, Christine will empower you to get honest with God so you ... Show More
27m 51s
Nov 2023
30.20 - MU Podcast - Cult of the Earth Goddess
The renowned researcher Berthold Schwarz once said, "Psi is a bucking bronco; you cannot know which direction it will take." This is absolutely true for the woman we cover in this episode. She attends a breathwork workshop only to suddenly realize she is speaking in a strange lan ... Show More
1h 23m
May 2025
Ep. 276 – Approaching the Mystery
<p><strong>In this exploration of the fear of suffering as we get older, Ram Dass talks about approaching the mystery of aging and death in the same adventurous manner as his friend Timothy Leary.</strong></p><p>For more on the relationship between Ram Dass and Timothy Leary, ple ... Show More
45m 1s
Sep 2025
Ep. 287 – The Secret of Compassion
<p><strong>In this powerful lecture on responding to suffering, Ram Dass draws on the wisdom of the Buddha, Trungpa Rinpoche, and Wavy Gravy, and offers his insight into the secret of compassion.&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p><p>The Ram Dass community gathers regularly to engage in mea ... Show More
1h 5m
Oct 2024
for anyone who lies awake at night wondering wtf the point is (transforming existential terror into acceptance of life’s impermanence)
<p>Do you find yourself lying awake at night, terrified of death, paralyzed by the concept of forever, and gripped by the fear of losing the people you love? Many of us do everything in our power to distract ourselves from life’s big existential realities and questions. But what ... Show More
38m 10s
Feb 2025
On Singing to the Beloved in Times of Crisis
We live in times of individual, sociocultural and planetary crisis, exacerbated by rising divisions between people. How have humans historically navigated such times of crisis? Yes, we've organized, taken action, and responded as we've been called to respond. But we have also dee ... Show More
2h 7m
Mar 2020
SPECIAL EPISODE! How To Fail: Alain De Botton on embracing vulnerability in the age of Coronavirus
In the second of two special episodes, the renowned philosopher Alain de Botton, returns to How To Fail With Elizabeth Day to talk about how to be human and how to stay (relatively) sane in the grip of a global pandemic. We talk about the fact that, right now, it's rational to be ... Show More
1 h