Our bodies may be the single most tangible reminder of interdependence. But good health isn’t just related to physical functioning—there are emotional and social components as well. What can a holistic perspective on health offer us? And how do our relationships relate to our well-being?

For centuries people have turned to the image of the Wheel of Life to better understand cause and effect and the very nature of existence. The section of the Wheel depicting the hell realm is the focus of this episode’s exploration of health.

This episode features Tibetan physician, scholar, and founder and medical director of the Sowa Rigpa Institute Dr. Nida Chenagtsang. AWAKEN season 5 is hosted by singer, songwriter, and artist Devendra Banhart. Other guests in this episode include social scientist, physician, and professor Nicholas Christakis, professor of Buddhism and East Asian religions Annabella Pitkin, and Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher and author Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.

Read a transcript, learn about the Rubin, donate, and more: https://rubinmuseum.org/taking-a-wider-view-of-health/

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One of the places we see interdependence at play most clearly is in the natural world. Within our interconnected relationship to the environment comes the potential for humans to sustain great beauty but also create great harm. What does it look like to live in mutual reciprocity with the Earth in small but meaningful ways?

For centuries people have turned to the image of the Wheel of Life to better understand cause and effect and the very nature of existence. The section of the Wheel depicting the animal realm is the focus of this episode’s exploration of ecology.

This episode features Indigenous musician, author, and community organizer Lyla June Johnston. AWAKEN season 5 is hosted by singer, songwriter, and artist Devendra Banhart. Other guests in this episode include social scientist, physician, and professor Nicholas Christakis, professor of Buddhism and East Asian religions Annabella Pitkin, and Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher and author Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.

Read a transcript, learn about the Rubin, donate, and more: https://rubinmuseum.org/connecting-with-the-environment

For centuries people have turned to the image of the Wheel of Life to better understand cause and effect and the very nature of existence. The section of the Wheel depicting the hungry ghost realm is the focus of this episode’s exploration of community.

This episode features journalist and author A.J. Jacobs. AWAKEN season 5 is hosted by singer, songwriter, and artist Devendra Banhart. Other guests in this episode include social scientist, physician, and professor Nicholas Christakis, professor of Buddhism and East Asian religions Annabella Pitkin, and Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher and author Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.

Read a transcript, learn about the Rubin, donate, and more: https://rubinmuseum.org/acknowledging-community-on-a-collective-scale

We may think interdependence is something that needs to be found, but it’s already right here, existing among the people we know and interact with on a regular basis. Our capacity to form mutually supportive relationships is a human drive deeply written in our bodies. What does it look like to seize upon and celebrate those connections?

For centuries people have turned to the image of the Wheel of Life to better understand cause and effect and the very nature of existence. The section of the Wheel depicting the god realm is the focus of this episode’s exploration of community.

This episode features author and futurist Mia Birdsong. AWAKEN season 5 is hosted by singer, songwriter, and artist Devendra Banhart. Other guests in this episode include social scientist, physician, and professor Nicholas Christakis, professor of Buddhism and East Asian religions Annabella Pitkin, and Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher and author Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.

Read a transcript, learn about the Rubin, donate, and more: https://rubinmuseum.org/engaging-with-community-on-a-personal-scale

Interdependence is so foundational to every aspect of our lives that it can be easy to miss. But what happens when we truly wake up to the reality that everyone and everything is interconnected? For centuries people have turned to the image of the Wheel of Life to better understand cause and effect and the very nature of existence. How do the teachings of the Wheel still apply to our world today?

AWAKEN season 5 is hosted by singer, songwriter, and artist Devendra Banhart. Guests featured in this episode include social scientist, physician, and professor Nicholas Christakis, professor of Buddhism and East Asian religions Annabella Pitkin, and Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher and author Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.

Read a transcript, learn about the Rubin, donate, and more: https://rubinmuseum.org/introducing-interdependence

Welcome to Season 5 of AWAKEN—a Webby Honoree podcast about the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to “wake up.” This season explores interdependence, a fundamental concept in Buddhism and in life that describes the mutual dependence of everything and experience. Hosted by singer, songwriter, and artist Devendra Banhart, the series focuses on a painting of the Wheel of Life from the Rubin Museum’s collection to see what it can teach us about the interconnected nature of existence. Experts in the realms of art, social science, Buddhism, and more illuminate how greater awareness of interdependence can be the wake up call that motivates actions for a better world.

Trailer voices in order of appearance: Associate professor of Buddhism and East Asian religions Annabella Pitkin; Tibetan physician, scholar, and founder and medical director of the Sowa Rigpa Institute Dr. Nida Chenagtsang; singer, songwriter, and artist Devendra Banhart; social scientist, physician, and professor Nicholas A. Christakis; pastoral counselor, teacher, and author Pamela Ayo Yetunde.

AWAKEN Season 5 will launch on August 19, 2025.

Read a transcript, learn about the Rubin, donate, and more: https://rubinmuseum.org/welcome-to-awaken-season-5

We might want to believe that there is a definitive end—a clear point where some patterns have died and new ones have been born—but in fact, we are always in a process of realization. It’s a continuous cycle of forgetting and remembering to let go of expectations and remain open to each moment. It might seem small but these shifts in awareness have the potential to be completely transformative.

AWAKEN Season 4 is hosted by actress and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini. Guests featured in this episode include poet and filmmaker Fatimah Asghar, Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Founder and Chief Visionary for Healthy Minds Innovations, Inc. Dr. Richie Davidson, contemplative social scientist Eve Ekman, poet and essayist Ross Gay, artist and writer Jenny Odell, scholar of Tibetan Buddhism Annabella Pitkin, author and transformational thought leader Sonya Renee Taylor, teacher and meditation master in the Bon Buddhist tradition Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and writer, professor, and photographer Ocean Vuong. The Tibetan at the start of the episode is spoken by Tashi Chodron.

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What does it look like to put what we’ve learned about non-attachment into practice? In this episode, all the guests in the series share their practices for working through their attachments and moving toward a more open relationship to oneself and life as a whole. Ultimately, it’s not about having no attachments—that’s almost impossible—but bringing presence and awareness to each moment.

AWAKEN Season 4 is hosted by actress and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini. Guests featured in this episode include poet and filmmaker Fatimah Asghar, chef Reem Assil, Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Founder and Chief Visionary for Healthy Minds Innovations, Inc. Dr. Richie Davidson, contemplative social scientist Eve Ekman, poet and essayist Ross Gay, artist and writer Jenny Odell, scholar of Tibetan Buddhism Annabella Pitkin, author and transformational thought leader Sonya Renee Taylor, teacher and meditation master in the Bon Buddhist tradition Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and writer, professor, and photographer Ocean Vuong. The Tibetan at the start of the episode is spoken by Tashi Chodron.

Read a transcript, learn more about the Rubin, donate, and more.