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Buddhist Teacher: No One Is Talking About This Hidden Epidemic! The Western Lie Behind Depression and Anxiety

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Buddhist Teacher: No One Is Talking About This Hidden Epidemic! The Western Lie Behind Depression and Anxiety

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

2025/06/23
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

2025/06/23
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

From 6 years in isolation to sounding the alarm, Buddhist Gelong Thubten reveals the hidden epidemic no one is talking about with Stress, Depression, Buddhism, Meditation, Mental Health and more. Thubten is one of the UK’s most influential meditation t...

Highlights

In a world increasingly defined by distraction, disconnection, and emotional unrest, meditation emerges not as an escape, but as a profound tool for transformation. Gelong Thubten, a Buddhist monk with years of deep retreat experience, offers a candid exploration of the mind, revealing how modern suffering is less about external circumstances and more about our relationship with inner pain, fear, and identity.
01:15
Running from pain is futile; facing it through meditation leads to transformation
03:14
Constant persuasive information from phones increases stress and feelings of lack
03:54
The 'wanting mind' is insatiable and drives our search for purpose.
09:45
What we're looking for is already within us.
11:39
The root of my unhealthy relationship with my mind lies in early-life traumas I didn't know how to handle
16:58
It's hard to get expelled from Oxford, but I was thrown out due to non-functionality.
19:03
Tara invited me to Samyaling to heal from a heart condition
19:53
A one-year retreat plan led to 30 years of monastic life.
20:54
Celibacy led to deeper, heart-based friendships
22:25
Celibacy in Buddhism is about transforming desire, not suppressing it.
24:26
The deepest addiction is to our own thoughts.
27:06
Buddhism is more accurately described as the science of awareness rather than a religion with worship or creator gods.
29:48
Meditation is not about clearing the mind.
31:33
Realizing the mind has wandered without judgment is the core of meditation practice.
36:45
You are bigger than your pain — observe your mind like the sky watching clouds
44:03
Calmness in meditation means keeping a cool head under pressure, not being overly relaxed
48:41
Buddhist concept of emptiness discussed as a path to understanding impermanence
48:53
We suffer not because of pain itself, but our attachment to it as identity
57:37
One should not make life-changing decisions during a panic attack.
1:01:27
Acceptance means deep compassion, not grim endurance.
1:04:49
Feeling love for a scared part of oneself is possible by focusing on bodily sensations instead of memories.
1:09:04
Sending love into the pain helped with forgiveness and making peace with death.
1:10:26
Flood traumatic feelings with love to transform them
1:16:15
Suffering can be transformed into compassion through understanding others' confusion.
1:20:16
The host invites 10,000 people to join the private 'Diary of a CEO' community, offering access to exclusive content and direct interaction.
1:22:14
Digital news media uses fear to attract readers
1:25:06
Micro-moments of meditation in traffic jams or queues can change your brain's response to stress
1:27:19
Meditation helps us pause and choose a response instead of reacting impulsively
1:28:17
After four days of 10-minute daily meditation, visible brain changes can be seen.
1:31:24
I initially hated meditation and felt more unhappy because I was using it like a drug to get high
1:38:23
Brain scans show visible changes from meditation in four days
1:42:31
Working on the mind is an ongoing process, not a one-time achievement
1:43:15
Meditation offers freedom and happiness similar to what people seek from addictions.
1:45:30
Buddhist centers offer retreats without pressuring people to convert
1:45:54
Everyone has the potential to awaken, like a crystal beneath layers of mud.
1:50:25
Don't feel like a failure when your mind wanders in meditation—it's part of the practice.

Chapters

Intro
00:00
Why Is Thubten's Message More Important Now Than Ever Before?
02:32
Thubten's Concerns About Western Society
03:02
Where Does Life Purpose Come From?
03:51
Is Search for Purpose a Misplaced Pursuit?
05:15
Why Is Western Society Increasingly Unhappy?
06:28
Is It Wrong to Find Meaning in the Pursuit of Goals?
08:55
What Led Thubten to Become a Monk?
11:38
Gelong's Difficult Past and Its Impact on His Mind
13:50
Where Do Negative Internal Voices Originate From?
18:06
Who Influenced Thubten to Go to a Monastery?
19:03
Thubten's Heart Condition
19:53
Key Aspects of Living as a Monk
20:49
What Are the Advantages of Celibacy?
22:25
Is Abstinence Sufficient to Overcome Compulsive Behaviour?
24:23
What Is Buddhism?
27:06
Thubten's Journey of Healing
29:43
What Is Meditation?
31:33
Benefits of Buddhist Practices
36:38
Can a Buddhist Mindset Go Hand in Hand With Effectiveness at Work?
41:12
Ads
46:45
How Does Buddhism Think About Victimhood and Trauma?
48:41
Breaking Free From Suffering
51:51
Can We Run Away From Our Pain?
58:16
How to Love Yourself When You Feel Broken
1:04:49
Coping With Grief and Loss
1:05:56
Focusing on the Pain in a Loving Way
1:10:21
The Practice of Forgiveness
1:13:17
Ads
1:20:16
Are We Living in a Culture of Fear?
1:22:12
How to Protect Yourself From Fear
1:25:06
The Gap Between Impulse and Action
1:27:13
Incorporating Meditation Into Your Daily Life
1:28:13
Live Meditation
1:31:21
How Can Meditation Change Your Life
1:38:21
Why Did Thubten Take Vows for Life?
1:41:39
Does Working on Your Mind Ever End?
1:42:26
The Gap Between Knowing and Doing
1:43:15
Is Meditation Retreat a Good Idea to Get Started?
1:45:17
Is Buddhism a Solution to the Current World Problems?
1:45:54
Question From the Previous Guest
1:47:54

Transcript

Gelong Thubten: We're all at the mercy of our own minds. But the problem is, is that in modern life, we're constantly made to feel we're not good enough? Something's always missing, and I will be happy or unhappy if this or that happens to me. So we become...