Buddhist Books Podcast
Hosted by Buddhist Books
A solo host reads English translations of Buddhist scriptures aloud, offering unscripted commentary and humorous asides from his home in India.
A comprehensive, multi-year audio journey through the English translations of Buddhist scriptures. The host, Edward Reib, reads texts from the Tipitaka, Zen masters like Dōgen, and Tibetan figures like Padmasambhava, pausing frequently to offer his immediate, unedited reactions. These asides range from grappling with complex philosophy to questioning translations and sharing moments of personal confusion or humor, creating an unfiltered record of a modern practitioner engaging with ancient wisdom.
“The show's distinctive quality is its sheer scope—attempting to read the entire Buddhist canon—combined with the host's raw, layman's commentary. Unlike a lecture, it captures the live experience of wrestling with dense texts, complete with the host's confusion, skepticism, and occasional moments of clarity, making the ancient material feel accessible and alive.”
Who hosts this show
Hosted by Edward Reib, an American author and yoga teacher living in India, this podcast is a long-term project to read the entire Buddhist canon in English. Reib, who is not a formally ordained monk, provides approachable and sometimes skeptical commentary as he works his way through various traditions, from the Pāḷi Canon to Zen and Tibetan texts. His father, John Dan Reib, was a writer on esotericism who taught him Tibetan Buddhist meditation from a young age. Before moving to India in 2018, Reib worked in the entertainment industry and has since become a certified yoga and Thai Yoga Bodywork practitioner.
Credentials & credits
- Author
- Yoga Teacher (200-hour, Mukti School & Yogadarshanam)
- Thai Yoga Bodywork Practitioner (IMOSHA)
- Podcast & Movie Producer
Other ventures
- Author of fiction and poetry
- Esoterinerd Podcast
- Chicken Philosophy (podcast)
- Gwydion's Astral Coffeehouse (podcast)
- Travels (YouTube Series)
What kind of podcast
- Country
- India
- Region
- india
When new episodes drop
- 01Padmasambhava - Part 24Jun 25, 2026 · 52 min
- 02Mūlamadhyamakakārikā - Part 2Jun 13, 2026 · 50 min
- 03Zen Buddhism - Part 20Jun 3, 2026 · 1h 00m
- 04TIPIṬAKA 211 • Cullavagga IV - Part 1May 30, 2026 · 44 min
- 05TIPIṬAKA 210 • Cullavagga III - Part 6May 26, 2026 · 34 min
- 06Shingon Buddhism • Part 12May 20, 2026 · 41 min
- 07TIPIṬAKA 209 • Cullavagga III - Part 5May 11, 2026 · 38 min
- 08TIPIṬAKA 208 • Cullavagga III - Part 4Apr 28, 2026 · 33 min
Notable episodes
- 01Mūlamadhyamakakārikā - Part 2
Demonstrates the host grappling with Nāgārjuna's dense philosophical arguments, comparing them to sophistry while also finding moments of appreciation.
- 02Zen Buddhism - Part 20
The host reveals a personal connection to Dōgen's Shobogenzo, explaining how reading this text started his entire book collection, showcasing the personal nature of the project.
- 03Padmasambhava - Part 24
An example of the narrative-driven series, where the host reads the fantastical life story of a Tibetan master and reacts with candid confusion to the plot.
What you'll be asked on this show
This is a solo reading and commentary show; it does not feature interviews. The host's questions are rhetorical, directed at the text he is reading, its author, or its translator.
This is a solo-host reading show with no interviews. Each episode consists of Reib reading a portion of a Buddhist text, frequently breaking to provide personal commentary, question a translator's choice, or express his own confusion or appreciation. The production is minimal and authentic, with occasional background noise or audio imperfections noted by the host, reflecting its home-recorded nature in Goa, India.
Signature segments
- · Systematic reading of Buddhist texts by series (e.g., 'Tipitaka', 'Zen Buddhism')
- · Unscripted commentary and asides during readings
- · Questioning the text or translation when confused
- · Opening with 'Welcome back, this is Buddhist Books Podcast, Episode...'
- · Humorous or skeptical personal reactions to the material
Topics covered repeatedly
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
No sponsors or advertisements were detected in the episodes provided. The podcast appears to be a personal project supported by the host.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch Buddhist Books
People also ask
- What is the host's real name?
- The host's name is Edward Reib.
- What is the podcast's format?
- It is a solo show where the host reads English translations of Buddhist scriptures aloud and provides his own unscripted commentary. It is not an interview podcast.
- Is the host a Buddhist monk?
- No, the host's website clarifies that he is not a formally ordained monk, but a lay practitioner and yoga teacher.
- Where is the podcast recorded?
- The host records from his home in Goa, India, which is sometimes audible in the background.
- Is the podcast still running?
- Yes, it is actively releasing episodes on a near-weekly basis.
- What texts does the show cover?
- The show is structured in rotating series covering major Buddhist texts, including the Pāli Canon (Tipitaka), Zen texts (Shobogenzo), Tibetan biographies (Padmasambhava), and Indian philosophy (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā).
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Edward Reib • Author • Yoga • Podcasts • Moviesedward-reib.com
- [02]Buddhist Books Podcast - Edward Reibedward-reib.com
- [03]Edward Reib • Yogaedward-reib.com
- [04]Buddhist Books Podcast on Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [05]Edward Reib's YouTube Channelyoutube.com
- [06]Edward Reib • Authoredward-reib.com
- [07]"Transformations" by John Dan Reibedward-reib.com
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