You Can't Fail at Being a Buddha: Suffering, Emptiness, and the Practice of Waking Up

Buddhism, the four noble truths, mindfulness, interbeing, and the five mindfulness trainings — Dharma teacher Terry Cortes-Vega brings three decades of practice and teaching to this warm, wide-ranging conversation with Philip Jones. Terry didn't come to Buddhism through calm or curiosity. She came through grief — the death of her father from brain cancer and the rage she directed at the God she'd grown up trusting. What she found instead, at a retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh in Santa Barbara, wasn't doctrine but presence. The moment a small Vietnamese monk floated to a podium without saying a word, she fell in love. This episode traces her journey from Methodist Houston childhood to ordained Dharma teacher, exploring the four noble truths, the wave and the ocean, interbeing, beginner's mind, and why the Buddha's five precepts are not commandments but invitations — ones even the Dalai Lama doesn't follow perfectly. They also explore what it means to teach meditation inside prisons for 35 years, the difference between the wave and the water, why suffering is not the enemy but the teacher, and the twelve-word poem Terry offered at her lamp transmission ceremony: Be still and know. Be still and not know. Be still. Be. Drop a comment below — which of those four phrases lands most for where you are right now? #philphails #buddhism #mindfulness #thichnhathanh #plumvillage #dharma #meditation #personalgrowth #philosophypodcast #suffering #interbeing #contemplativepractice (28) Phil Phails @ Being a Buddha with Terry Cortes Vega | Full Episode About Terry Cortes Vega In 1998 when I was applying to receive the 5 mindfulness trainings at a retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh and his monastics, I was asked: what is your aspiration for receiving the mindfulness trainings? I thought and thought (I’ve since learned that’s not the best way to answer a question.:-) And this is what I said: “One time when I was very unhappy I walked outside under the full moon, looked up (as countless ancient ancestors must have done) and I asked the moon, ‘Now what do I do?’" The moon did not say anything…..until more than 20 years later when the moon spoke through the nuns and monks at the1998 retreat and gave me the name, Awakened Action of the Heart. A couple of years later, when I was ordained into the Order of Interbeing, the monastic community kept the ‘action’ in my name and added: True Virtuous. True Virtuous Action. I received ordination as a lay dharmacharya (Dharma teacher) in March, 2012 and now offer Dharma talks, retreats and Days of. Mindfulness to children, teens and adults in the free world and in jails throughout the United States and in Mexico. As a happy disciple of Thich Nhat Hanh and an Order of Interbeing dharma teacher, those names continue to direct me About Phillip Jones 👨‍👧‍👧 Single dad | 🧠 Neurodivergent & Proud | 🛤️ Path Seeker After a lifetime of personal growth—through self-help, therapy, and endless learning—I'm embracing my unique journey. No more chasing 'normal.' Here to celebrate the quirks, the trials, and the joys of being authentically me. 🌟 Leaving the software world behind, I'm forging a new trail with "Phil Phails," a show that revels in the messiness of life and learning. Catch my latest adventures and dad moments on Austin Public and YouTube. Let’s redefine success together. #PhilPhails 🎬 The Fool's journey is a tapestry of learning, woven with threads of naivety and the vibrant colors of experience. Each step is a dance between innocence and wisdom, a transformation that beckons the curious souls to witness the unfolding of a human in bloom. Embrace this odyssey with open arms, for the path of the unknowing is a canvas for growth, and every traveler a masterpiece in progress. 👉 Follow me on Social Media: Instagram:   / phil_phails   Facebook:   / philphails   TikTok:   / philphails   Twitter:   / philphails   🔔 Subscribe and hit the bell to get notified about new videos:    / @philphails   chapters: 00:00 Introduction 03:15 You Can't Fail at Being a Buddha 08:40 The Wave, the Water, and No Separate Self 15:10 The Four Noble Truths: Suffering Has a Cause 22:30 The Eight Fold Path and Why Lists Matter 28:00 The Five Mindfulness Trainings Explained 35:45 Sexuality, True Love, and the Third Precept 42:20 Right Speech, Deep Listening, and What We Consume 49:10 What a Dharma Teacher's Life Actually Looks Like 55:30 Teaching Meditation Inside Prisons for 35 Years 1:02:00 The Three Gems: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha 1:08:45 Guided Meditation with Terry and the Bell 1:15:30 From Methodist Houston to Thich Nhat Hanh 1:24:00 Grief, Anger at God, and Finding the Dharma 1:33:20 Be Still and Know: The Twelve-Word Poem 1:42:00 Beginner's Mind, Not Knowing, and Just Being