Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Robert Frost famously wrote that the world could end in two ways: in fire or in ice. In 2026, we are seeing both. We see the fire of greed burning up our norms, and the ice of hatred freezing out the vulnerable.
In this video, we look at the current political moment through the lens of the Three Fires (Greed, Hatred, and Delusion). How do we stay informed without being incinerated by outrage? How do we bear witness without becoming intoxicated by propaganda?
We'll see four specific Dharma practices to help us navigate this difficult era, moving from "Doomscrolling" to "Right Action."
🧡 If you find this material useful, check out my Patreon page and get fun benefits like exclusive videos, audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: patreon.com/dougsseculardharma
🧡 You can also make donations through: paypal.me/dougsdharma
📙 Check out my book, A Handbook of Early Buddhist Wisdom, with a Foreword by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi: books2read.com/buddhisthandbook
☸️ Free mini-course at the Online Dharma Institute: onlinedharma.org.
🎙Check out my podcast with Jon Aaron, Diggin' the Dharma: digginthedharma.com
✅ Sutta referenced:
The Fire Sermon (SN 35.28) -- suttacentral.net/sn35.28/en/sujato
✅ Podcast mentioned:
Engaging in Compassion; a chat with Ben Connelly of the Minnesota Zen Center -- digginthedharma.com/episodes/ben-connnelly
✅ Poem mentioned:
Robert Frost, "Fire and Ice" -- poetryfoundation.org/poems/44263/fire-and-ice
✅ Other resource:
Paul Krugman, "Billionaires Gone Wild" (Feb. 18, 2026) -- open.substack.com/pub/paulkrugman/p/billionaires-gone-wild
#Buddhism #Politics #Dharma #Mindfulness #Community #RightAction #SecularBuddhism
Webpage: dougsdharma.com
Facebook: facebook.com/onlinedharmainstitute
Mastodon: https://mindly.social/@dougsdharma
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Threads: threads.net/@dougsdharma
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❤️ Thanks to Patreon Patrons:
Anonymous (4)
Omar
John Oborne
Debbie Mattison
Ron Peat
Michael S. Kearns
Anne
Matthew Smith
Shantha Wengappuli
Karma_CAC
Jorge Seguel
Christopher Apostolof
GailJM
David Bell
T Pham
VCR
Upayadhi
Andi and Erik
Michael Scherrer
khobe schofield
Alex Perdomo
Benji Forsyth
Sonny Flink
Steve Marlor
Joy L Lee
Andrew Tom
Anthony Tucker
Karlee R
Ethan M
Billy in Singapore
Olivia Otter
Carl Lennartson
xiao mao
Jeff Harvey
Andrew Ingrouille
Kenneth Grandchamp
Rene Gariepy
Russell Needham
Smoggyrob
Mac Roja
Clémence Ortega Douville
Kwan Alex
Scott Johnston
Richard J Beninger
Nathanael O. Arnquist
SaturnianMandala
Trin P
Letesa Isler
Dorien Izel
Robert Paterson
Jake Tobiason
Steve S.
Richard Rappuhn
Sarah Kress
John Aaron
Paul Niklewski
Kong Ing Kai
rhys reed
Osanda Wijeratne
Scarlett Farrow
BJ - RetreaTours™
Roland Harris
Rob
John
Jenn A.
Hieu Chi Tran
Kenneth Sorensen
Will Mosse
Sharon E.
Marc Belanger
Kyaw Thurein
noted bones haver maia cash
Rebecca Duncan
Satibacon
Brooks Fleet
James Ravencroft
Gil
Martin Dinov
Karl H
Bob Fyke
DrMiles
Note: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon links are affiliate links where I will earn a very small commission on purchases you make, at no additional cost to you. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of making these videos. Thank you!
Robert Frost famously wrote that the world could end in two ways: in fire or in ice. In 2026, we are seeing both. We see the fire of greed burning up our norms, and the ice of hatred freezing out the vulnerable.
In this video, we look at the current political moment through the lens of the Three Fires (Greed, Hatred, and Delusion). How do we stay informed without being incinerated by outrage? How do we bear witness without becoming intoxicated by propaganda?
We'll see four specific Dharma practices to help us navigate this difficult era, moving from "Doomscrolling" to "Right Action."
🧡 If you find this material useful, check out my Patreon page and get fun benefits like exclusive videos, audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: patreon.com/dougsseculardharma
🧡 You can also make donations through: paypal.me/dougsdharma
📙 Check out my book, A Handbook of Early Buddhist Wisdom, with a Foreword by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi: books2read.com/buddhisthandbook
☸️ Free mini-course at the Online Dharma Institute: onlinedharma.org.
🎙Check out my podcast with Jon Aaron, Diggin' the Dharma: digginthedharma.com
✅ Sutta referenced:
The Fire Sermon (SN 35.28) -- suttacentral.net/sn35.28/en/sujato
✅ Podcast mentioned:
Engaging in Compassion; a chat with Ben Connelly of the Minnesota Zen Center -- digginthedharma.com/episodes/ben-connnelly
✅ Poem mentioned:
Robert Frost, "Fire and Ice" -- poetryfoundation.org/poems/44263/fire-and-ice
✅ Other resource:
Paul Krugman, "Billionaires Gone Wild" (Feb. 18, 2026) -- open.substack.com/pub/paulkrugman/p/billionaires-gone-wild
#Buddhism #Politics #Dharma #Mindfulness #Community #RightAction #SecularBuddhism
Webpage: dougsdharma.com
Facebook: facebook.com/onlinedharmainstitute
Mastodon: https://mindly.social/@dougsdharma
Instagram: instagram.com/dougsdharma
Threads: threads.net/@dougsdharma
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/dougsdharma.bsky.social
❤️ Thanks to Patreon Patrons:
Anonymous (4)
Omar
John Oborne
Debbie Mattison
Ron Peat
Michael S. Kearns
Anne
Matthew Smith
Shantha Wengappuli
Karma_CAC
Jorge Seguel
Christopher Apostolof
GailJM
David Bell
T Pham
VCR
Upayadhi
Andi and Erik
Michael Scherrer
khobe schofield
Alex Perdomo
Benji Forsyth
Sonny Flink
Steve Marlor
Joy L Lee
Andrew Tom
Anthony Tucker
Karlee R
Ethan M
Billy in Singapore
Olivia Otter
Carl Lennartson
xiao mao
Jeff Harvey
Andrew Ingrouille
Kenneth Grandchamp
Rene Gariepy
Russell Needham
Smoggyrob
Mac Roja
Clémence Ortega Douville
Kwan Alex
Scott Johnston
Richard J Beninger
Nathanael O. Arnquist
SaturnianMandala
Trin P
Letesa Isler
Dorien Izel
Robert Paterson
Jake Tobiason
Steve S.
Richard Rappuhn
Sarah Kress
John Aaron
Paul Niklewski
Kong Ing Kai
rhys reed
Osanda Wijeratne
Scarlett Farrow
BJ - RetreaTours™
Roland Harris
Rob
John
Jenn A.
Hieu Chi Tran
Kenneth Sorensen
Will Mosse
Sharon E.
Marc Belanger
Kyaw Thurein
noted bones haver maia cash
Rebecca Duncan
Satibacon
Brooks Fleet
James Ravencroft
Gil
Martin Dinov
Karl H
Bob Fyke
DrMiles
Note: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon links are affiliate links where I will earn a very small commission on purchases you make, at no additional cost to you. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of making these videos. Thank you!
