When we think of Buddhism, Taoism, and other Eastern philosophies, we often imagine achieving a state of permanent inner peace - being completely untroubled by the concerns of this world.Unfortunately, we need to be able to deal effectively with the realities of everyday life, rather than shrink away from them.According to Dr. Mark Epstein, most people have a fundamental misunderstanding about what Buddhism is trying to teach us.It isn’t about dissolving the ego completely, or becoming totally detached from our past and future.Rather, the point of the Buddha’s teachings is to use fundamental psychological truths to become more effective at actually engaging with the difficulties of everyday life.So if you’re struggling with difficult relationships, have difficulties with past trauma, or simply have never been able to understand the point of meditation, then you’re sure to find something valuable in today’s episode.And if you like what you see here, then you should definitely order Mark’s latest book: The Zen of Therapy: Uncovering a Hidden Kindness in Life: https://amzn.to/3NDZxk5Check out our sponsors: ButcherBox: Sign up at ButcherBox.com/impact Athletic Greens: Go to athleticgreens.com/impact and receive a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase! CuriosityStream: Go to https://curiositystream.com/impact and use code IMPACT to save 25% off today, that’s only $14.99 a year. “Awakening does not mean a change in difficulty, it means a change in how those difficulties are met.” - Dr. Mark EpsteinSHOW NOTES:00:00 | Introduction01:27 | Why Eastern Philosophy Is So Attractive09:16 | The Core Tenets of Buddhism19:50 | How Buddhism Heals Trauma35:04 | The Four Noble Truths51:05 | What is the Ego?56:49 | The Eightfold Path1:04:39 | Struggling With Meditation1:19:06 | Psychedelics and TherapyFollow Dr. Mark Epstein:Website: http://markepsteinmd.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/mepstein108Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markepstein108Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markepsteinmd/Order The Zen of Therapy: https://amzn.to/3NDZxk5Are You Ready for EXTRA Impact?If you’re ready to find true fulfillment, strengthen your focus, and ignite your true potential, the Impact Theory subscription was created just for you.Want to transform your health, sharpen your mindset, improve your relationship, or conquer the business world? This is your epicenter of greatness. This is not for the faint of heart. This is for those who dare to learn obsessively, every day, day after day.Subscription Benefits: Unlock the gates to a treasure trove of wisdom from inspiring guests like Andrew Huberman, Mel Robbins, Hal Elrod, Matthew McConaughey, and many, many, more New episodes delivered ad-free Exclusive access to Tom’s AMAs, keynote speeches, and suggestions from his personal reading list You’ll also get access to an 5 additional podcasts with hundreds of archived Impact Theory episodes, meticulously curated into themed playlists covering health, mindset, business, relationships, and more: Legendary Mindset: Mindset & Self-Improvement Money Mindset: Business & Finance Relationship Theory: Relationships Health Theory: Mental & Physical Health Power Ups: Weekly Doses of Short Motivational Quotes  Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3PCvJazSubscribe on all other platforms (Google Podcasts, Spotify, Castro, Downcast, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podcast Addict, Podcast Republic, Podkicker, and more) : https://impacttheorynetwork.supercast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices