Editor’s note: This bonus episode comes fromthe podcast LateTalk, Episode 91. Host: Hanyang. Post-production: Tianshi.

After studying Buddhist thought and religion, host Hanyang developed several questions. Beginning from his own concerns, he and Professor Cheng Qing discuss current misunderstandings of Buddhism.

To what extent is Buddhism treated today as a spiritual painkiller and folded into mind-body-spirit culture? What exactly are young people consuming when they consume Buddhism?

What should one learn when studying Buddhism? Does Buddhism help us become better selves, or dissolve obsession with the self?

A Buddha is an awakened sentient being; a sentient being is a Buddha not yet awakened. Do we still believe today that we too can attain the Buddha’s insight?