A Christian and a Buddhist walk in to a bar

A Christian and a Buddhist walk in to a bar

Jacob is a Christian, Jamal Is a Buddhist. Together they meander around theology, spirituality, religion, philosophy and whatever else happens to come to mind. A weekly podcast for anyone interested in what shenanigans a Christian and a Buddhist can get up to when given a few mics.

Episodes

June 30, 2025 39 mins

Today we are back at the bar to tackle the topic of...being at the bar too much?  We look in to the role of intoxicants in the Buddhist precepts and discuss how one can better have a positive relationship with all things that cloud the mind. 

https://open.substack.com/pub/oldster/p/ask-a-sober-oldster-23-nadia-bolz 

 

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This week on the podcast, Jacob finally converts and Jamal reveals that he's been a universalist the whole time. 

 

That's right! we are talking about lying, and how it interacts with the Buddhist precepts. Plus, stay turned for our brutal takedown of Kevin MacLeod.... nah I can't lie about that one. 

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Sex is a complicated topic. But the Buddhist precepts has the answer! Maybe? We'll find out this week as we continue exploring the journey in to the zen precepts. 

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June 9, 2025 32 mins

We have a new Pope! And he's from Chicago, which makes him Da Pope. Today Jacob and Jamal learn all about the new head of the Catholic church, and dig deep in to the dish to find our about what they think this might mean for one of the worlds biggest religions.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0ln80lzk7ko
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June 2, 2025 39 mins

We continue our exploration of the Buddhist precepts and Jamal's journey in to being not a monk. Or maybe kind of a monk? or perhaps just a stand up dude. 

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May 26, 2025 43 mins

Today we explore a listener question about the lesser known faith of Bahai. 

What is it? What do they believe? and is it an answer to the inherent conflicts between other religions like Christianity and Buddhism?  https://www.bahai.org/ 

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May 19, 2025 38 mins

Jamal has started working on the 10 Grave precepts of Zen. So we shall kick off our exploration of them with the 1st precept. Not Killing. Easy right? 

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In our last throwback episode, we are back to finish the discussion of  'what does mindfulness look like without ethics behind it?'. This week we  turn the lens toward the mindfulness industry, and investigate the intersection between mindfulness and capitalism while asking: is there a place for mindfulness as a commodity in the market?

 

https://www.theguardian.com/l

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Another throwback this week to an earlier conversation about how mindfulness has also become just a little bit of a capitalist industry. Ne episodes are just around the corner, we promise! 

----------------

Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist technique for achieving enlightenment. It is also a massive capitalist industry, promising to both counter the issues caused by capitalism, and also to bring productivity and riches to all. 

Wh...

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We are diving back in to the archives this week to bring back our conversation on mistakes, different types of love, and a bit about what samsara and enlightenment are.  Hope you enjoy, new episodes will be back very soon! 

 

Article: https://bswa.org/teaching/wisdom-of-silence/ 

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April 7, 2025 24 mins

We return to the D&D tavern with Rebecca. Talking all things religious, fantasy and in between. Who will roll a nat 20 this time around? Tune in to find out! 

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March 31, 2025 33 mins

We have Rebecca back! And this time, its nerdy.  We delve in to the wonderful and spiritual world of Dungeons and Dragons, so see what alignment various characters are, how we might face in the world of D&D and importantly, is God just playing Dungeon Master? 

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March 23, 2025 32 mins

What is it like going through a spiritual journey. Jamal is starting a lay-ordination process and in part 1 of this series, talks about what he is doing, why he's doing it, and what his hopes and fear are. 

 

https://www.lionsroar.com/what-is-jukai/ 

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March 18, 2025 34 mins

Its a special time of the year for multiple religions at once. And it all has to do with limiting our intake of food, and reflecting instead on the spiritual path.  Today we talk about the coalescence of Ramadan, Lent and the Bahai Fast, and what role fasting plays in religion. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/10/three-religious-traditions-overlap-this-year-providing-a-rare-opportunity-for-collective-reflectio...

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March 12, 2025 30 mins

Today we ask a very old question - is cultural evolution a thing? (bet you cant guess our answer...)

https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/the-lamb-enters-the-dreaming-9781921640476
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March 3, 2025 35 mins

We love Stan Grant here in the Christian Buddhist Bar. So we did an episode on a wonderful article of his on Christmas. Someone get Stan to listen to the pod!

https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/topic/2024/12/14/seeking-the-soul-christmas
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February 25, 2025 40 mins

Today we approach the thorny topic of religious cults, and what can happen if they really go too far. 

 

TRIGGER WARNING  - this pod discusses a recent manslaughter and death of a child. 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-29/elizabeth-struhs-diabetes-insulin-witheld-verdict/104863074?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other 

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February 18, 2025 31 mins

We have more divine music! This week looking in to the ephemeral Sarah Blasco, her life growing up in a cult, and how its created her sound and message. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/08/sarah-blasko-i-just-need-to-conquer-this-mountain-album-interview?CMP=share_btn_url 

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February 11, 2025 34 mins

Today, Jacob has a question. What is the role of hope?

This launches us off on one of our regular rambles, on all things hope, reincarnation, Buddhism and everything in between. 

 

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February 3, 2025 34 mins

Meshell Ndegeocello is a legend. A legend that so few have heard of. Today we unpack her song 'the Way' from her 1996 album, Peace Beyond Passion. We go in to how some artists just are drawn by the music, and how a song can convey so much more than what the words say. 

 

Enjoy! 

 

https://open.spotify.com/track/3txICxEvBgCBV63B4ednNB?autoplay=true

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