Episode Description

The Buddha taught a path of awakened living, but how does that manifest in today’s world of constant connectivity and widespread suffering? How do we keep our hearts open without being defined or hardened by the pain that surrounds us, whether personal, collective, or historical? How do we navigate the paradox of holding both pain and joy, without mistaking suffering for punishment or personal failure? Can we infuse our compassion with wisdom and perspective to find the agency to take meaningful action in our communities? In her new series, Engaged Compassion, Sharon delves into these questions and more, engaging in candid conversations with a diverse group of teachers, activists, and changemakers.

For the third episode in the series, Sharon’s speaks with Anu Gupta, marking his fourth appearance on the Metta Hour. Anu Gupta is an educator, lawyer, scientist, and the founder and CEO of Be More with Anu. His work has reached 300+ organizations training more than 80K professionals impacting over 30M lives. As a gay immigrant of color, Anu came to the work of breaking bias due to lifelong experiences with racism, homophobia, and Islamophobia. He is a trained meditation and yoga teacher with over 10,000 hours of meditation practice and has a JD from NYU Law and BA in International Relations and Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies. As a peer-reviewed author, Anu has written and spoken extensively, including on the TED stage, the Oprah Conversation, Fast Company, and Newsweek. His first book, “Breaking Bias” came out in 2024 from Hay House and he currently shares his writings via his Substack, Soul Force for the 21st Century.

In this conversation, Anu and Sharon speak about:

• How to cultivate goodwill

• Bearing witness to suffering

• Working with anger and delusion

• Teachings from Bhagavad Gita

• Compassion’s near and far enemies

• Non-attachment in activism

• Joseph Goldstein’s essential teachings

• Equanimity in practice

• Combining the spiritual, personal and political

• Collective consciousness as an ocean

• Wisdom from Margaret Mead, Gandhi, and MLK Jr.

• Boundaries around media

• Buddha’s five remedies for anger

• The lifelines of Sangha (community)

Additional Resources

To close out the conversation with Sharon, Anu leads a guided meditation. You can learn more about Anu’s work right here and find his Substack writings right here.

Related Metta Hour Episodes

Episode 133 Anu’s first appearance on the Metta Hour, released in 2020.

Episode 213 Anu’s second appearance on the Metta Hour, from Real Life Series, released in 2023.

Episode 249 Anu’s third appearance on the Metta Hour, released in 2024.

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