A Buddhist Monk's Honest Advice On Letting Go & Finding Inner Peace

A Buddhist Monk's Honest Advice On Letting Go & Finding Inner Peace

Author: The Modern Buddhism Podcast May 9, 2026 Duration: 38:02

In today's episode, Gen Kelsang Chökyong - a Buddhist monk from Wales - shares the story of how he stumbled into a Dharma class while sheltering from the rain with a kebab, and never left. Drawing on nearly thirty years of practice and teaching within the New Kadampa Tradition, he explores why the mind - not external circumstances - is the true source of all our happiness and suffering. He explains the Buddhist concept of self-grasping ignorance and how this single delusion drives everything from daily irritation and relationship problems to the world's largest conflicts.

Gen Chökyong highlights how meditation and compassion gradually erode this grasping, revealing a natural peace that was always there. He shares life-changing insights into the nature of feelings - pointing out that most of what torments us is just a feeling, and feelings always pass. He concludes with a very helpful approach to making mistakes. Instead of turning on ourself, we can realize that without making mistakes it’s unlikely that we’ll learn and improve. Warm, funny, and deeply practical, this episode is a masterclass in how Buddhist wisdom applies directly to modern anxiety, relationships, and the art of letting go.


Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Finding Dharma

05:00 Seeing Through the Fantasy of Worldly Life

09:20 How the Mind Creates Its Own Suffering

15:00 Buddhism's Relevance for Modern Life and Young People

22:40 Confidence, Self-Image, and Letting Go of Comparison

27:20 Working with Difficulties

28:45 Feelings and the Power of Letting Go

33:55 Compassion and Learning from Mistakes


Book References

In this episode Gen Chökyong references:


How to Solve our Human Problems
 - https://kadampa.org/book/how-to-solve-our-human-problems

How to Transform Your Life
 - https://howtotyl.com/


Gen Chökyong is a senior teacher within the New Kadampa Tradition, an international Buddhist tradition with over a thousand meditation centers worldwide.





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#KadampaBuddhism #Buddhism #Meditation #InnerPeace #MindTraining #GesheKelsangGyatso #NewKadampaTradition #BuddhistTeachings #Mindfulness #LetGo #SelfGrasping #Compassion #Patience #HappinessWithin #BuddhistPodcast



There’s a quiet space between the rush of daily life and the ancient wisdom of Buddhist teachings, and that’s where you’ll find The Modern Buddhism Podcast. Rather than presenting philosophy as a distant theory, this series focuses on tangible, practical application. Each episode features conversations with individuals who are actively integrating meditation and Buddha’s insights into their modern routines, demonstrating how these practices foster genuine resilience and a more steady sense of contentment. The discussions are grounded in real experience, exploring how inner peace isn’t about retreating from the world but engaging with it more skillfully. You’ll hear from a variety of voices within the New Kadampa Tradition, who produce the podcast, sharing their personal journeys and the subtle shifts in perspective that come from consistent practice. This isn’t about abstract ideals; it’s about the texture of daily life-managing stress, navigating relationships, and finding moments of happiness amidst ordinary challenges. Tuning into this podcast feels like joining a thoughtful dialogue where timeless principles meet contemporary questions, offering listeners a resource for cultivating a stronger, more peaceful mind right where they are.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 38

The Modern Buddhism Podcast
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