Library
Video: Help on the Path: Wisdom
This recording from SF Dharma Collective features Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D. exploring the Paramita of Wisdom (Prajñā) through a heartfelt tribute to her friend and colleague Robert Thurman. Reflecting on Bob’s life and teachings, Isa considers the nature of wisdom (Skt. prajñā; Tib. ཤེས་རབ་, sherab) and its role on the path of awakening.
The video also includes a special tribute from Thupten Jinpa, Ph.D., a guided meditation, and questions from participants.
Presented as part of SF Dharma Collective’s Help on the Path series, these teachings explore questions about Buddhist practice, themes arising in therapy, insights and perspectives from plant medicine, and inquiries into all aspects of personal and spiritual development.
Podcast: Episode 147: Venerable Ani Choyang: A Journey to the Dharma
In this episode, an excerpt from a recent talk by Tibetan Buddhist nun Ani Choyang offers a glimpse into her remarkable journey from Tibet to becoming one of the first Tibetan women on track to earn the Geshema degree in Buddhist philosophy. The degree represents a significant milestone for women in Tibetan Buddhism and has been championed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
A Tenzin Gyatso Science Scholar, Ani Choyang was among the first Tibetan nuns to participate in a two-year science training program at Emory University. She later completed a neuroscience internship at Northwestern University and continues to participate in research exploring lucid dreaming and dream yoga. She currently serves as a science teacher and Coordinator of the Library and Learning Center at Jangchub Choeling Nunnery in Mundgod, India.
Podcast: Episode 146: Remembering Robert Thurman: Part 3: Nothing is Nothing
In the third episode of the special series Remembering Robert Thurman, we return for part two of Bob’s first talk at the Sacred Stream in 2008. With more than 80 people crowded into Laura and Isa’s San Francisco living room, Bob captivated the audience, bringing his extraordinary humor, intellect, and enthusiasm to this gathering of Sacred Stream students and friends. In this part of the talk, he takes us deep into the Buddhist cosmos, exploring the nature of emptiness and challenging our assumptions about what it means to exist. With characteristic delight, he declares that “emptiness is not nothing,” addressing common Buddhist misunderstandings of the concept and challenging scientific materialism and its assumption that we somehow came from nothing and ultimately return to nothing. From there, he leads us into the clear light of the void and toward one of the most beautiful ideas in Buddhist thought: that at the very foundation of reality is bliss.
Podcast: Episode 145: Hal Adler: The Art of Leadership
In this episode, Laura Chandler is joined by executive coach Hal Adler, founder of Leadership Landing and Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D., founding director of the Foundation of the Sacred Stream and creator of Depth Hypnosis.
Hal has spent decades helping leaders and organizations cultivate greater awareness, authenticity, and impact. A lifelong musician and composer, he brings creativity, deep listening, and collaborative spirit of music to his work with leaders.
Isa has spent more than three decades integrating wisdom traditions—including Buddhism, shamanism, energy medicine, and psychology—to help people develop greater self-awareness, resilience, and purpose. Her work has inspired thousands to lead their lives with clarity, compassion, and integrity.
Podcast: Episode 144: Remembering Robert Thurman: Part 2: Buddhism is Realism
In the second episode of the special series Remembering Robert Thurman, we return to one of the first talks Robert Thurman gave at Sacred Stream, in 2008. On that particular fall evening, another event was taking place at the Sacred Stream Center, so Laura Chandler and Isa Gucciardi invited everyone into their San Francisco living room instead. More than 80 people crowded into the house for what remains one of Bob’s most popular Sacred Stream lectures.
This previously unreleased material has been divided into two episodes. At the heart of the first part of this teaching is one of Bob’s favorite insights: Buddhism is realism. He describes the Dharma as an invitation to see reality more clearly and, through that clearer seeing, to discover our true nature. He explores samsara as the world of mistaken perception we construct when we fail to recognize reality as it is, offers a fresh perspective on the Four Noble Truths, and takes on one of the most persistent misconceptions about Buddhism: the idea that the teaching of “no self” means that we do not actually exist.
Podcast: Episode 143: Suzanne Ross: From Awakening to Ascension
On this episode, Laura Chandler talks with Suzanne Ross – inspirational speaker, intuitive guide, and the founder of both the Sedona Ascension Retreat and the San Diego Transcendence Retreat. Suzanne is also the author of the Up! book series—featuring Wake Up! and Rise Up! She has dedicated her life to exploring consciousness, spirituality, and the evolution of human awareness, bringing together some of today’s leading spiritual teachers with seekers from around the world.
Article: Through the Gateway: Remembering Robert Thurman
By Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D.
It was the summer solstice at Menla, the retreat center in New York’s Catskill Mountains. I was there to teach a retreat called The Wisdom Path—a workshop Robert Thurman and I had planned to teach together. Instead, I was teaching alone.
After Bob’s sudden death just days earlier, Laura Chandler, who was traveling with me and supporting the workshops, suggested that we invite our dear friend Thupten Jinpa to offer a few reflections about Bob’s life and a brief teaching on the idea of the Wisdom Path. He graciously agreed and as I sat listening to Jinpa’s comforting voice fill the conference center, I found myself surrounded by reminders of Bob.
Towering thangkas of Tibetan Buddhist deities hung from the walls, just as they had during the countless teachings Bob had given in that room over the years. Outside, butterflies gathered around shallow pools in the dirt road. Foxgloves framed the great stone Buddha overlooking the grounds Bob had walked so many times, while bees moved lazily through blooming milkweed in the summer sun. Inside and out, life felt impossibly vibrant.
Podcast: Episode 142: Remembering Robert Thurman: Part 1: The Dalai Lama & China
In the first episode of the Remembering Robert Thurman series, Laura Chandler reflects on the recent passing of Robert A.F. Thurman—renowned Buddhist scholar, bestselling author, educator, and one of the world’s foremost interpreters of Tibetan Buddhism. A close friend, mentor, and longtime supporter of the Sacred Stream, Bob devoted his life to making the profound wisdom of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition accessible to modern audiences. He was the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor Emeritus of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University, co-founder of Tibet House US, and a lifelong advocate for the preservation of Tibetan culture and the teachings of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
Podcast: Episode 141: Eben Alexander: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey Beyond the Brain
On this episode of Sacred Stream Radio Podcast, Laura Chandler welcomes renowned neurosurgeon and consciousness researcher Dr. Eben Alexander. After a profound near-death experience during a week-long coma, Dr. Alexander’s understanding of the mind, brain, and the nature of reality was forever transformed. His bestselling memoir, Proof of Heaven, which chronicles that extraordinary journey beyond ordinary consciousness, spent 41 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.
In this conversation, Laura and Dr. Alexander explore consciousness beyond the brain, the use of binaural tones and sound technologies to access altered states of awareness, and key insights from his book Living in a Mindful Universe. They also discuss the evolving relationship between science, spirituality, and human potential.
Podcast: Episode 140: Deborah Santana: Loving the Fire
On this episode, Laura speaks with author and activist Deborah Santana about her new memoir, Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom—a story of awakening, courage, and the transformative power of finding one’s voice.
Deborah shares the arc of her life from growing up as the daughter of pioneering interracial parents to her years alongside legendary musician Carlos Santana. While she embraced many roles—partner, mother, and supporter—this conversation centers on the pivotal moment when she chose to step forward fully as herself, reclaiming her voice and redefining her purpose.
Video: Help on the Path: Joyous Effort
This recording from SF Dharma Collective features Isa Gucciardi, Ph.D. as part of the Help on the Path series.
The focus of this session is the Paramita of Virya (Joyous Effort). Drawing inspiration from the recent history of the Tibetan people and their remarkable resilience in the face of adversity, Isa explores how we can cultivate perseverance, enthusiasm, and dedication on the spiritual path. The session includes a discussion, guided meditation, and questions from participants.
Presented as part of SF Dharma Collective’s Help on the Path series, these teachings explore questions about Buddhist practice, themes arising in therapy, insights and perspectives from plant medicine, and inquiries into all aspects of personal and spiritual development.
Article: Aging Well: Reclaiming Vitality Through Depth Hypnosis
By Laura Chandler, Depth Hypnosis Practitioner
Aging is often framed as a slow diminishment—of energy, clarity, resilience, and connection. But what if that story is incomplete? What if the later chapters of our lives hold the potential not for contraction, but for expansion—for a deepening into wisdom, vitality, and a more authentic relationship with ourselves?
At the heart of this more positive perspective is a simple yet profound idea: how we age is shaped not only by biology, but by the state of our consciousness. Our emotional patterns, mental habits, and spiritual connection all influence our physical experience, including how we age, heal, and experience illness. When these factors are all in harmony, the body reflects that alignment. When they are out of balance, we will experience that imbalance on one or more levels, including physically.
Article: Healing the Body through Depth Hypnosis: A Case Study in Energetic Sovereignty
By Joanna Foote Adler, Psy.D., CHT
The mind, emotions, and spirit are inextricably linked to the physical body. Our bodies serve as a vessel that expresses our thoughts, beliefs, and spiritual states; these dimensions constantly mirror one another, meaning dissonance on one level can manifest across the others. Generally, when an unresolved issue persists, it “calcifies”—moving from a spiritual vulnerability into mental patterns and emotional distress before finally appearing as physical symptoms. By the time a pattern reaches the physical body, it has usually gained significant density and momentum.
While external factors like toxins and nutrition play a vital role in our experience of health, chronic physical issues can also emerge from imbalances on the other levels. In Depth Hypnosis, we can track these physical symptoms across the different energetic levels – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual – back to the experiences that initiated the patterns causing problems. By following this trail back to the original energetic imbalance, we can address the root cause and begin to restore the individual to their natural state of wholeness.
Depth Hypnosis Spiritual Counseling has its roots in transpersonal psychology, hypnotherapy, Applied Buddhist Psychology, Applied Shamanism, and Integrated Energy Medicine. These modalities combine in Depth Hypnosis to offer clients a powerful and efficient way to address issues.
Podcast: Episode 139: Joanna Adler: Listening to the Body
Welcome to the Sacred Stream Radio Podcast, brought to you by the Foundation of the Sacred Stream and Red Cow Productions. Hosted by Laura Chandler, this episode features a conversation with licensed clinical psychologist, Depth Hypnosis Practitioner, and executive coach, Joanna Adler.
Together, they explore the wisdom of the body—how it stores information, including trauma, and how learning to listen more deeply to its signals can support profound healing across physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions.
Joanna Adler brings a unique integration of clinical expertise and depth-oriented healing practices. She teaches classes in Depth Hypnosis and Coming to Peace at the Sacred Stream and is co-author of the pilot study “Using Depth Hypnosis to Treat Mood Disorders and Raise Well-Being,” published in the International Journal of Regression Therapy.
She will also be offering a new livestream class through the Sacred Stream, Somatic Wisdom as a Path of Inner Awakening. To learn more about Joanna and her work, visit her website, joannaadler.net.
Podcast: Episode 138: Oneika Mays: Bringing Presence to Prisons
On this episode, Laura speaks with author, yoga instructor, and meditation teacher Oneika Mays. They are talking about her new book, Sit with Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation.
Oneika spent nearly 15 years teaching meditation in yoga studios, hospitals, and correctional facilities, including at Rikers Island. As a queer Black teacher, she emphasizes that meditation isn’t just for those who have it all figured out—it’s for all of us: the anxious, the heartbroken, the angry, the lost, and those who have been marginalized or overlooked.
Pull up a cushion and settle in for this candid conversation on meditation, identity, and showing up as you are. Learn more about Oneika at oneikamays.com.