Secular Buddhism Podcaster Launches AI Buddhist Learning Platform

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Secular Buddhism Podcaster Launches AI Buddhist Learning Platform

By Justin Whitaker
January 13, 2026

From accessnewswire.com

A new digital learning platform drawing from a decade of Buddhist-inspired teachings with artificial intelligence tools has launched this month to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the Secular Buddhism Podcast. The platform, called Eightfold Path, was unveiled on 8 January and is based in Oakley, Utah, according to an announcement released via ACCESS Newswire.

Founded by podcast creator and Buddhist teacher Noah Rasheta, Eightfold Path consolidates more than 200 podcast episodes, multiple books, and online courses into a single digital hub. At the heart of the new platform is an AI-assisted “companion” designed to help users explore Buddhist concepts in relation to their own lives, drawing specifically on Rasheta’s body of work rather than on Buddhist scriptures alone.

According to the announcement, the Secular Buddhism Podcast has recorded more than 16.5 million downloads since its launch in December 2015. The show, which presents Buddhist ideas in an approachable manner, reaches more than 70,000 monthly listeners and has helped foster a community of more than 2,000 practitioners worldwide. Rasheta’s first book, No-Nonsense Buddhism for Beginners (Calisto 2018), also reached number one on Amazon’s Buddhism bestseller list.

“This platform sits at the intersection of two things I’m passionate about: teaching Buddhism and developing with AI,” Rasheta said. “I’m currently pursuing a master’s in AI, and after 10 years of podcasting I had this massive library of content I wanted to make more accessible.” (ACCESS Newswire)

Rasheta explained that the motivation behind the platform was rooted in his own early experiences with Buddhist practice. “When I first started learning Buddhism, I looked for a teacher,” he said. “I contacted several and realized how difficult it was to find someone to actually work with. So I learned on my own, read hundreds of books, and eventually completed a lay ministry program. But that early stage, when you have all these questions and don’t know who to ask, is where most people get stuck.” (ACCESS Newswire)

At the core of Eightfold Path is an AI tool internally referred to as “Noah AI,” which uses retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) technology. Rather than offering generalized responses based on large language models trained on broad datasets, the AI companion is trained on Rasheta’s podcast episodes, books, and courses. The aim, according to the platform’s creators, is to support reflective inquiry rather than to function as an authoritative teacher.

“One core Buddhist teaching is ‘be a lamp unto yourself’—the teacher you’re looking for is yourself,” Rasheta said. “The AI embodies that philosophy. It doesn’t preach or push. It helps people think through their own challenges using these timeless frameworks.” (ACCESS Newswire)

The platform’s launch comes amid growing interest in digital and AI-assisted approaches to Buddhist education, particularly among practitioners who identify as secular or culturally Buddhist. In the United States, where Buddhism remains a minority religion—estimated at around one per cent of the population—podcasts and online courses have become an important means of access, especially for those without proximity to temples or teachers.

Eightfold Path follows a model that keeps all educational content free to access, including the full podcast archive, searchable transcripts, and introductory courses. Optional paid features include expanded AI usage, saved conversation histories, and community tools. The platform’s guiding principle, according to the announcement, is that “people pay for tools, never for teachings.” (ACCESS Newswire)

In describing his broader approach to Buddhist practice, Rasheta reiterated a phrase often associated with his work: “Don’t use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist. Use it to be a better whatever you already are.” (ACCESS Newswire)

Justin Whitaker

Dr. Justin Whitaker is a Senior Correspondent for Buddhistdoor Global (BDG). Previously, he was a visiting instructor at Hong Kong University's Centre for Buddhist Studies. He holds a PhD from the University of London, where his work on comparative philosophy focused on early Buddhist ideas and the ethics of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). He is the author of “Reflecting on Meditation’s Ethics: Ignatian ‘Spiritual Exercises’ and Buddhist ‘Mettā-Bhāvanā’,” (Journal of Inter-Religious Studies, 2014) and co-author with Douglass Smith of "Reading the Buddha as a Philosopher" (Philosophy East and West, 2016) and "Ethics, Meditation, and Wisdom" in the Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics, 2018. He currently lives in Missoula, Montana with his wife, daughter, and their cat after an exciting two years living in Hong Kong. His column, Western Dharma, is published occasionally.

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