A Christian and a Buddhist walk in to a bar
Jacob is a Christian, Jamal Is a Buddhist. Together they meander around theology, spirituality, religion, philosophy and whatever else happens to come to mind. A weekly podcast for anyone interested in what shenanigans a Christian and a Buddhist can get up to when given a few mics.
Episodes
7 days ago
Becoming a non-monk - part 1 - Before
7 days ago
7 days ago
What is it like going through a spiritual journey. Jamal is starting a lay-ordination process and in part 1 of this series, talks about what he is doing, why he's doing it, and what his hopes and fear are.
https://www.lionsroar.com/what-is-jukai/
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
The Role of Fasting
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Its a special time of the year for multiple religions at once. And it all has to do with limiting our intake of food, and reflecting instead on the spiritual path. Today we talk about the coalescence of Ramadan, Lent and the Bahai Fast, and what role fasting plays in religion.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/10/three-religious-traditions-overlap-this-year-providing-a-rare-opportunity-for-collective-reflection?
Thursday Mar 13, 2025
Do cultures evolve?
Thursday Mar 13, 2025
Thursday Mar 13, 2025
Today we ask a very old question - is cultural evolution a thing? (bet you cant guess our answer...)
https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/the-lamb-enters-the-dreaming-9781921640476
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Stan Grant and Christmas in March
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
Tuesday Mar 04, 2025
We love Stan Grant here in the Christian Buddhist Bar. So we did an episode on a wonderful article of his on Christmas. Someone get Stan to listen to the pod!
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/comment/topic/2024/12/14/seeking-the-soul-christmas
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Wrestling with cults
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Today we approach the thorny topic of religious cults, and what can happen if they really go too far.
TRIGGER WARNING - this pod discusses a recent manslaughter and death of a child.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-29/elizabeth-struhs-diabetes-insulin-witheld-verdict/104863074?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other
Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
Divine Music: To Be Alone
Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
Tuesday Feb 18, 2025
We have more divine music! This week looking in to the ephemeral Sarah Blasco, her life growing up in a cult, and how its created her sound and message.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/08/sarah-blasko-i-just-need-to-conquer-this-mountain-album-interview?CMP=share_btn_url
Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
Hoping for enlightenment?
Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
Tuesday Feb 11, 2025
Today, Jacob has a question. What is the role of hope?
This launches us off on one of our regular rambles, on all things hope, reincarnation, Buddhism and everything in between.
Monday Feb 03, 2025
Divine Music: The Way
Monday Feb 03, 2025
Monday Feb 03, 2025
Meshell Ndegeocello is a legend. A legend that so few have heard of. Today we unpack her song 'the Way' from her 1996 album, Peace Beyond Passion. We go in to how some artists just are drawn by the music, and how a song can convey so much more than what the words say.
Enjoy!
https://open.spotify.com/track/3txICxEvBgCBV63B4ednNB?autoplay=true
Monday Jan 27, 2025
A session at the Zendo
Monday Jan 27, 2025
Monday Jan 27, 2025
We are back! kicking off 2025 with a ramble about Jamal's recent experiences on a Zen retreat. How he found it, how it was different to others, and what he'll take away.
Tuesday Dec 24, 2024
The 2024 Buddhamas Special
Tuesday Dec 24, 2024
Tuesday Dec 24, 2024
Merry Buddhamas all! As you gather around the Christmas tree to listen to this years episode, we thought we'd share a bit about where this holy tree came from. And look in to... is it Christian? or is it Capitalism in disguise?Have a great holidays, we will take a few weeks off and be back mid January
https://theconversation.com/a-story-of-legends-families-and-capitalism-a-candid-history-of-the-christmas-tree-196278 https://ltm.org.au/tract/view/37140-the-lights-of-the-christmas-tree

Who let these guys in?
Jamal Blakkarly:
After realising that 99% of what he believed in philosophically was kinda Buddhist anyway, and then going on a way-too-intense mediation retreat, Jamal became a Buddhist in his early 20's. He has spent time in monasteries around the world, and practises mainly in the Theravada Thai Forrest tradition, with a bit of Zen thrown in for good measure.
Jacob Traeger:
Jacob grew up in a Christian family, but when he got to uni faith seemed less relevant to him. Through a non-Christian friend, God pulled him into a faith community where he could ask all sorts of questions: is belief rational? Did Jesus really exist? Does God care about my life? He’s convinced that life is better when God’s a part of it, and now he’s finishing a theology degree and leading a new church community in Canberra.
please send any questions, comments and complaints to christianbuddhistbar@gmail.com