Making Waves and Riding Currents with Charlie Halpern

Interview with Charles Halpern, the founding board chair of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, Dean Emeritus of CUNY Law School, and the former President of the Nathan Cummings Foundation.

In his interview with Sunflower Sutras, Charles Halpern dives into riveting stories and insights from his book Making Waves and Riding the Currents: Activism and the Practice of Wisdom. What does it look like to cultivate compassion within ourselves, relationships, communities, and careers? It will look a little different for everyone, but Halpen shares how he has been able to find the courage and strength to jump into this vulnerable and empowering space within himself to create meaningful change in his life and the lives of others. 

Whether it be creating the field of public interest law or collaborating with his friends and Western contemplative leaders– such as the late Ram Dass, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Daniel Goleman– on groundbreaking research and projects, Halpern has cultivated a lifelong practice of listening to his heart and embracing the unknown in order to do his part to help push the Western paradigm forward.