Ep. 276 – Kid's Series: Sumi Loundon Kim

Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg

Be Here Now Network

Society & Culture, Sharonsalzberg, Metta, Salzberg, Meditation, Beherenownetwork, Buddhism, Religion & Spirituality, Beherenow, Compassion

4.6 • 682 Ratings

🗓️ 24 December 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For episode 276, we are continuing a new series on the Metta Hour, centered on kids, in honor of Sharon’s first children’s book, Kind Karl, released on December 9th!

Written with Jason Gruhl, this illustrated picture book is for 4-8 year-olds and is a children’s adaptation of Sharon’s beloved book Lovingkindness.

In this podcast series, Sharon speaks with educators, caregivers, and researchers about the ways meditation, mindfulness, and lovingkindness can impact children of all ages and the family systems that support them.

For the fifth episode of the series, Sharon speaks with Sumi Loundon Kim. Sumi is the Buddhist chaplain at Yale University. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, she is the founding teacher of Buddhist Families of Durham (NC). She is the author of Blue Jean Buddha; The Buddha’s Apprentices; Sitting Together and of the children's book Goodnight Love: A Bedtime Meditation Story.

In this conversation, Sumi and Sharon speak about:

Sumi’s early life in Zen community
Sumi’s first visit to IMS at age 16
The value of spiritual practice during adolescence
Teaching meditation to kids through song
Benefits of group practice for parents and kids
Working with the five senses
Implicit learning, leading by example
Nurturing kindness in self-talk
Creating a home as a sanctuary
Designated device-free family time
Meditation for college students
Social connection promoting self-regulation
Psychological fluency
A bedtime meditation for kids: “Goodnight Love”

Get a copy of Sumi’s book “Goodnight Love” right here.

You can learn more about Sharon’s brand-new children’s book, Kind Karl, right here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Many people come to meditation looking for relief from the stress of everyday life.
0:07.3	But Buddhist practice invites us to meet our experience directly, even the parts we'd rather avoid.
0:15.3	On Tuesday, January 6th, join renowned Buddhist teachers, Ethan Nichtern, and Roshi Joan Halifax, for a free, live,
0:24.4	online discussion on how engaged Buddhism can help us navigate upheaval with a clearer mind,
0:31.2	more emotional resilience, and the capacity to engage without burning out.
0:36.8	They'll also discuss the Dharma Moon's year-long Buddhist
0:39.6	studies course beginning January 26, which offers an immersive study of meditation, Buddhist philosophy,
0:48.7	psychology, and the foundations of socially engaged Dharma.
0:57.3	Visit Dharmamoon.com backslash engaged.
1:01.4	That's Dharmamoon.com backslash engaged. For more info and to reserve your spot
1:04.4	for the free online event on January 6th.
1:31.6	Hello, and welcome to the Meta Hour podcast with Sharon Salzberg. I'm Lily Cushman. I produce this podcast and we're returning today with another episode of our kids series, episode 276 on the Meta Hour.
1:42.2	Today Sharon is speaking with Sumi Lowndon Kim.
1:47.0	Sumi is the Buddhist chaplain at Yale University. She's a Harvard Divinity School graduate,
1:53.8	and she's a founding teacher of the Buddhist families of Durham, North Carolina. She's
2:00.3	the author of several books, including Good Night
2:03.7	Love, a bedtime meditation story. And Sumi's one of the first people we thought of for this
2:10.7	kids series that we wanted to elevate her work in this arena. So if you're just joining us for this kids series, this is the
2:21.5	fifth episode, and we're doing this in honor of Sharon's very first children's book,
2:27.8	Kind Carl, which was released on December 9th. It was written with the lovely Jason Gruel,
2:35.5	and it's an illustrated book for four to eight-year-old children.
2:40.3	It's kind of an adaptation of Sharon's book, Loving Kindness,
	...

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