From SGI USA, I'm Cassidy Bradford, and this is bootability.

The weekly series where I talk with Buddhists from all walks of life about the power we each have to change our lives and the world around us.

I think we can all agree that heartbreak can make us do some pretty wild things.

But can it really help us do something good for our lives?

If you've listened to even one other episode of bootability, you probably already know.

Buddhism teaches us that every problem we

encounter is an opportunity for our growth and happiness, as long as we take action to make it

so. Today's guest is Alex Shefflin, a PhD student at Columbia University. He turned a period

of heartbreak and hopelessness into a pivotal moment for his academic career. He shares how chanting Namio Hore Nge Kiel helps him cultivate strength and happiness.

All right, Alex, thank you so much for joining the bootability podcast. I'm excited to have you here.

I always start things out with the guests just introducing themselves so you can share your name, where you're from, how old you are, and just like what you do for work or school.

Yeah, thanks so much.

So I'm Alex Shefflin.

You know, I'm originally like grew up near Seattle in a suburb close to Seattle, but I moved to New York in, like, the summer of 22 to start a PhD in math at Columbia. So that's what I do for work and also what I study. So. Yeah, we were talking a little bit earlier about math because I know pretty much nothing.

It seems like a very interesting kind of work and kind of fun to be able to just like spend

all of your time.

Well, maybe it's not all of your time, but like spend your time like really focusing in on

puzzles and answering questions and

doing research um but of course we're going to talk about Buddhism as well today so um

maybe you could just tell me a little bit about like your life growing up and how you started

practicing Buddhism.

Um great yeah you know so um I'm half Japanese right my mom is mom is Japanese. Okay, that's why you were speaking

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