Episodes

Dec 8

Leigh Brasington explains how the mind progresses through the four jhānas—from initial access concentration and the energetic, pleasure-filled first jhāna to the progressively quieter states of happiness, contentment, and equanimity—emphasizing their practical characteristics, traditional similes, and their role in supporting insight practice. 💎 The Jhāna Community This recording took place in The Jhāna Community . If you’re interested in accelerating your meditation practice, and want to explore many dimensions of jhāna, consider checking out our community of practice: 💬 Transcript 🤖 AI Transparency : The transcript below was lightly edited with ChatGPT to correct for spelling & grammar errors. Also – we like em-dashes – so we kept them. 🤪 Leigh Brasington : So last week I talked about how to get to the first jhāna. You’ve got to get yourself settled. You’ve got to generate access concentration, which may take a while. There’ll be distractions. Label the distraction, relax, and come back. My favorite label is “story.” I am distracted, and I see I’m telling myself a story, and I just go “story,” and it goes away. Sometimes I’m telling myself a story about something I want to get, sometimes about something that shouldn’t be happening. Sometimes I’m telling myself a story because I’m bored with my breath and I just want better entertainment — and I’m a good storyteller. So: story, and it’s gone. But eventually the mind settles in, I’m not getting distracted, and I’m knowing each in-breath and out-breath. If I’m doing mindfulness of breathing and I stay there for a while, this is access concentration. And then I shift my attention to a pleasant sensation and do nothing else. This focus on the pleasant sensation has the effect of generating a feedback loop of pleasure, which eventually turns into the first jhāna. I’ll read you what the Buddha has to say about the first jhāna. This is from the second discourse in the Long Discourses — the Samaññaphala Sutta, the Discourse on the Fruits of the Spiritual Life: “Quite secluded from sense pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states…” Okay, that’s the abandoning of the hindrances, the getting past the distractions. Basically, you’ve got to abandon the hindrances temporarily. So this is the seclusion. It says one “enters and remains in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by thinking and examining, and is filled with rapture and happiness born of seclusion.” One enters and dwells in the first jhāna. So there’s the actual entering of the jhāna, and then there’s stabilizing it so that it lasts for a while. It says “thinking and examining.” The Pali words are vitakka and vicāra . Vitakka means thinking, and vicāra means examining or pondering. Unfortunately, in later Buddhism those words — but only in the context of the jhānas — got changed to “initial attention” and “sustained attention” on the meditation object. The Buddha would be shocked. I’ve done research on all the places in the suttas where vitakka shows up. There are 979 locations, all right? So it’s an important word, and it means “thinking,” always. I looked through to see if I could find any place where Sujato — I’m just looking at his translations — has “placing the mind” instead of “thinking,” and doesn’t have “keeping connected,” which is his translation of vicāra , and it’s not related to the first jhāna or the second jhāna. And I found all of them: none. Zero. Okay. Although you may hear that it’s initial and sustained attention to the meditation object — and you do have to do that, no doubt about it — but that’s not what these words mean. I suspect the reason for the change is that, as time went on, the understanding of the level of concentration needed to call something a jhāna kept increasing. And then they couldn’t have thinking. With this level of concentration, you couldn’t have any thinking and examining. You had to come up with something else to explain what was there. So they just took something that you did have, changed the meaning of the words — only in the jhāna instance — and stuck that in there. Not helpful. When you’re in the first jhāna, your mind is not really deeply concentrated. It’s like, “Oh wow, this is intense.” Because the next thing it says is that the state is “filled with rapture and happiness born of seclusion.” Rapture is pīti , and happiness is sukkha . And suddenly you’ve got all this excess energy — the pīti — and it’s like, wow. “Oh, this is intense. What’s going on here? Is this… this has got to be the first jhāna. I’m sure it’s the first jhāna. This couldn’t be…” Whatever. You’re commenting on it and you’re thinking about it. Now, it’s true it’s a little bit unstable, and so you do have to keep putting your attention back on it and not get lost in it. But basically what’s happened is that you’ve arrived in a state where the pīti comes up and predominates, and you have all this physical energy, and there’s some background happiness, and you’re commenting on the experience. That’s the first jhāna. It says one drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses one’s body with this rapture and happiness born of seclusion, so that there is no part of one’s entire body not suffused by rapture and happiness. Okay, this is an advanced practice. The first thing to do is get to the first jhāna once. Then get there the second time, which might be a little more difficult because you know it’s there and you want it. Okay? So don’t let the wanting get in the way. And then get in on a regular basis. When you first get in, it may be sort of the upper torso, neck, head — maybe the whole spine, probably not the whole body. Now, some people, when they get to the first jhāna the first time, yeah, it’s a whole-body experience. But for the majority of people, it’s upper body — particularly upper torso, neck, head, and maybe the spine. If you’re good at the first jhāna, then it’s possible to put your attention where it feels strongest — probably in the head area — and then move your attention to someplace where you don’t seem to have any pīti or sukha , like the arm. You’re not trying to move pīti : you’re just moving your attention, but the pīti will follow. And then you do the other arm, the lower torso, one leg, the other leg, and you’ve gotten the drenched, steeped, saturated, suffused. But I’m going to say this again one more time, redundantly: it’s an advanced practice. Get good at getting in and stabilizing what’s there. We have a simile: “Suppose a skilled bath attendant or his apprentice were to pour soap flakes into a metal basin, sprinkle them with water, and knead them into a ball so that the ball of soap flakes would be pervaded by moisture, encompassed by moisture, suffused with moisture inside and out, and yet would not trickle. In the same way, one drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses one’s body with rapture and happiness born of seclusion, so that there is no part of one’s body not suffused by rapture and happiness.” So this gives us an idea of what soap was like at the time of the Buddha. You didn’t go to the store and buy a bar of soap. You got your skilled bath attendant to take a metal basin and pour in the right amount of soap flakes, then the right amount of water, and then mix it together until you had a homogeneous ball of soap. The mixing is kind of frenetic. The energy of the first jhāna is very frenetic. Okay? So that’s really what’s going on. You’re dealing with all this energy, and then, when you’re really good at it, the water totally permeates the soap flakes, and your pīti and sukha totally permeate your body. Notice the body is mentioned here. It’s totally permeated with pīti and sukha . There is still bodily awareness, unlike in the Visuddhimagga , the later commentary. No bodily awareness there — you’re just checked out. But here in the suttas, there’s very definitely bodily awareness. Yeah, you get concentrated enough, you put your attention on a pleasant sensation, the first jhāna arises. The intensity level can vary quite a bit — not per person, but over a group of people. Some people will get it so intense it’s like sticking a finger in an electrical socket, blowing the top of your head off. Other people just get, “Oh yeah, this is kind of nice.” The pīti can show up as movement or as heat or as both. Usually it comes as one or the other — doesn’t matter. And the sukha is the emotional sense of joy or happiness, depending on how you interpret it, but it’s a positive mental state. If it’s mild, you could stay in the state for five to ten minutes. I’d say beyond ten minutes is not useful. If it’s intense, you wouldn’t stay as long. If it’s pretty intense, maybe you stay a couple minutes. If it’s very intense, maybe only 30 seconds. If it’s just way too much, maybe only ten seconds. And then the thing to do is to move on to the second jhāna. The trick for moving on — when you’re ready — is to take a deep breath and really let the energy out. Last week I said that when you’re getting to access concentration and your breath gets shallow, don’t take a deep breath because it takes you away from the jhāna. Yeah. Now that you want to go away from the first jhāna, take a deep breath, and on the exhale just really let the energy out. That will calm the pīti . This enables you to do a foreground–background shift. If this is the pīti and this is the sukha , then you take the deep breath and all of it calms down, but now the sukha is more prominent than the pīti . Pīti is still in the background. Focus on the sukha . That’s how you move from the first jhāna to the second. I’ll read you what the Buddha has to say: “Further, with the subsiding of thinking and examining, one enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which is accompanied by inner tranquility and unification of mind, is without thinking and examining, and is filled with rapture and happiness born of concentration. One drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses one’s body with a rapture and happiness born of concentration, so there is no part of one’s body not filled with rapture and happiness.” Okay? So, the thinking is supposed to all go away. I don’t usually get it to all go away, except maybe if I’m on a really long retreat. But for most lay people learning the jhānas, the gaps between the thoughts get bigger. The thoughts are more like, “Yeah, okay, this is nicer. How long have I been here? How long should I stay here? I’m starting to lose it — oops.” That sort of thing. As opposed to, “Wow, this is too much, I don’t think I want to stay here too long,” or “This is really cool, I’m going to tell so-and-so about it when I get out of my meditation period.” Not that kind of thing. More gaps. It’s getting quieter. Ideally, we get so quiet there is no thinking. The problem is: the kind of instructions you’re giving yourself about how to do this — is that counted as vitakka , thinking? Or is vitakka only the discursive thinking where you’re sort of going on and on? We don’t know. But I’ll say: don’t worry if there’s some thinking, as long as you can keep your attention focused on — now — the sukha , because the pīti is in the background and the sukha is in the foreground. So you’re focused on an emotional state. Unlike if you’re following the breath, you’re focused on a physical sensation; unlike in the first jhāna where you’re focused more on the pīti or the pīti–sukha , which is going to feel more physical. Now you’re focused on an emotional state. It may be a little more difficult for some people, but that’s the key thing you want to be focused on — the emotional state of happiness. And it doesn’t need to be extremely happy. In fact, if it gets too happy, the pīti comes back up, right? So you’re just being happy. It’s like: if this is the happiness, it’s the focus that’s strong, so you’re not getting distracted. The problem is that the emotional state of happiness is far more subtle than the breath or the pīti. I mean, the pīti is not subtle at all. And so you now have a more subtle object to focus on. But the pīti and sukha of the second jhāna are born of concentration. The concentration developed by the first jhāna hopefully gives you enough concentration to remain focused on the more subtle object of the sukha — and the remaining background pīti — of the second jhāna. And so you’re just sitting there being quite happy. The pīti has not entirely gone away; I find that in the second jhāna I’m sort of rocking — maybe this little swaying, something like that. In other words, it’s not still, but it’s not shaking; it’s not a lot of heat or anything like that. For me, the center of the experience has moved down to the heart center. It’s like the sukha is just coming out of my heart. It doesn’t feel like it’s my whole body at first. When you’ve gotten really good at the second jhāna, you could do the drench, steep, saturate, and suffuse again. But again, you’ve first got to find it, find it multiple times, get good at sustaining it. I would say for the second and higher jhānas, you want to learn to sustain them for at least ten minutes, maybe even fifteen minutes. Get in there and be able to stabilize that experience for an extended period. If it’s not full-body after you’ve gotten to where you can stabilize it, then you can play with trying to move it — which is to put your attention where it feels the strongest, like the heart center, and again, move your attention to the other parts of the body. You’re not trying to move the sukha — just your attention — and the sukha will follow along. And eventually, your whole body is filled with sukha. We have a simile: “Suppose there were a deep lake whose water welled up from below. It would have no inlet for water from the east, west, north, or south, nor would it be refilled from time to time with showers of rain, and yet a current of cool water welling up from within the lake would drench, steep, saturate, and suffuse the whole lake, so there would be no part of that entire lake which is not suffused with the cool water. In the same way, one drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses one’s body with a rapture and happiness born of concentration, so there is no part of one’s body not suffused by rapture and happiness.” So the picture is a lake far up in the mountains — no streams coming in, not even any rain — but a spring at the bottom of the lake. And the water from the spring completely permeates the lake, totally fills the lake. This is an incredibly accurate picture of what the second jhāna feels like. When I was first learning the jhānas, Ayya Khema was not reading out the similes, and so I’m back almost a year later for the next retreat, and she reads out the simile and I was blown away by the simile of the second jhāna. After she left the meditation hall, I go running after her: “Ayya Khema! Ayya Khema! It’s just like that — it’s just like that!” I mean, I was so struck by how completely, accurately this simile captures the feeling of the second jhāna — this wellspring of happiness coming out of your heart, for no reason other than you have a concentrated mind. Normally we’re out there looking for something to make us happy, right? Here, you’re just happy because — well — you’ve learned to generate the neurotransmitters of happiness via concentration. This can be kind of an interesting learning experience: the happiness is not out there; the happiness is in here. What’s out there is a trigger, and you find the trigger for generating the neurotransmitters, but you don’t have to have the external triggers. You do have to have a concentrated mind. And you can then trigger your own happiness. This can be a valuable thing. So as I say, you could stay in these states — ten, fifteen minutes is good to learn to do that. You could stay in longer than that. I’ve never stayed — I probably never stayed more than about twenty or twenty-five minutes in the second jhāna or any of the higher jhānas. It may run out. In other words, you have a finite amount of neurotransmitters ready to generate the happiness, and eventually, yeah, it sort of wanders away — which probably will dump you into the third jhāna. Or you can move there on your own. And guess what? The way to move there: take another deep breath and let the energy out. Let things calm down even more. You want to let the pīti calm down completely. It says here: “With the fading away of rapture, one dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences happiness with the body. Thus one enters and dwells in the third jhāna, of which the noble ones declare: ‘One dwells happily with equanimity and mindfulness.’ One drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses one’s body with a happiness free from rapture, so there is no part of one’s entire body not suffused by this happiness.” Okay, so by definition the pīti is gone. It may fade away because you’ve run out of the neurotransmitters that generate it — you’re hanging out in the second jhāna and the pīti just disappears and everything calms down further, and that takes you to the third jhāna. But it’s good to learn how to move intentionally, particularly if you’re on retreat learning the jhānas. You want to move intentionally because when you go home, you’re not going to have as much concentration. And so sitting around waiting until it moves on its own maybe is not going to be an option. But if you know how to move, yeah — you’ve been in second jhāna for ten minutes and it’s like, “Okay, I’ll go find the third jhāna.” You take the breath and the pīti hopefully goes completely away, and the sukha calms down to not so much happiness as contentment — wishlessness, satisfaction. It is a state of satisfaction so profound that if Mick Jagger were to practice the third jhāna, he wouldn’t be able to sing that song. He would be satisfied. Okay. One thing I found that’s helpful: I take the breath, and the intensity level of the sukha — the happiness — starts decreasing. And then I can remember an incident in my life where I was very contented, and pluck the feeling of contentment out of that incident, and then my mind just settles into that. So it’s a transition state — probably takes me, yeah, on retreat maybe two or three seconds. At home, more like five or ten seconds before it settles. So you’ve got to have a brief memory of a contented experience. I don’t know — you’ve just eaten the perfect meal, you didn’t overeat, and you don’t have to wash the dishes, right? Okay. So you remember the feeling of that, and pluck from that feeling the contentment, and focus on that feeling, and it will stabilize. It says, “One dwells in equanimity, mindful, clearly comprehending.” Yeah — you’re pretty much locked into this experience. You’re aware this is a really good place to be. It doesn’t have the agitation of the pīti like the first and second jhānas did. It’s much more equanimous. It’s still pleasant — being contented is quite pleasant. So it’s not emotionally neutral, but again, you’re focused on an emotional state, a positive emotional state. Most people say that going from first to second is a dropping down of the center of the experience. Going from second to third is dropping down even further — slide to the belly or something. I’ve had students come into an interview and they say, “I was in second jhāna and I went down,” and I don’t know whether they meant down numerically to the first jhāna or down kinesthetically to the third jhāna. The kinesthetic dropping is that obvious — really quite a feeling. One time I was doing meditation for science, and I showed up and they wanted to put me in an fMRI so they could look at my brain. And they wanted to tell me when to move between the jhānas. And they said, “We’ll tell you to go up or down.” And I said, “No, no — up or down is not going to work. You’re going to be thinking numerically, and I’m going to be thinking kinesthetically. I’m going to be in two and you’re going to say ‘go up,’ and I’m going to go back to one when you meant for me to go to three. You can say previous and next .” And that’s what we did, and it worked out just fine. The up and down really is quite striking as you go down through the first four jhānas. Again, it probably isn’t encompassing your whole body. Put your attention where it feels the strongest — maybe in the belly — and move your attention, not the contentment, just your attention, to the other parts of your body, and you can feel it. Okay. One thing I found that’s helpful: I take the breath, and the intensity level of the sukha — the happiness — starts decreasing. And then I can remember an incident in my life where I was very contented, and pluck the feeling of contentment out of that incident, and then my mind just settles into that. So it’s a transition state — probably takes me, yeah, on retreat maybe two or three seconds. At home, more like five or ten seconds before it settles. So you’ve got to have a brief memory of a contented experience. I don’t know — you’ve just eaten the perfect meal, you didn’t overeat, and you don’t have to wash the dishes, right? Okay. So you remember the feeling of that, and pluck from that feeling the contentment, and focus on that feeling, and it will stabilize. It says, “One dwells in equanimity, mindful, clearly comprehending.” Yeah — you’re pretty much locked into this experience. You’re aware this is a really good place to be. It doesn’t have the agitation of the pīti like the first and second jhānas did. It’s much more equanimous. It’s still pleasant — being contented is quite pleasant. So it’s not emotionally neutral, but again, you’re focused on an emotional state, a positive emotional state. Most people say that going from first to second is a dropping down of the center of the experience. Going from second to third is dropping down even further — slide to the belly or something. I’ve had students come into an interview and they say, “I was in second jhāna and I went down,” and I don’t know whether they meant down numerically to the first jhāna or down kinesthetically to the third jhāna. The kinesthetic dropping is that obvious — really quite a feeling. One time I was doing meditation for science, and I showed up and they wanted to put me in an fMRI so they could look at my brain. And they wanted to tell me when to move between the jhānas. And they said, “We’ll tell you to go up or down.” And I said, “No, no — up or down is not going to work. You’re going to be thinking numerically, and I’m going to be thinking kinesthetically. I’m going to be in two and you’re going to say ‘go up,’ and I’m going to go back to one when you meant for me to go to three. You can say previous and next .” And that’s what we did, and it worked out just fine. The up and down really is quite striking as you go down through the first four jhānas. Again, it probably isn’t encompassing your whole body. Put your attention where it feels the strongest — maybe in the belly — and move your attention, not the contentment, just your attention, to the other parts of your body, and you can feel it. 🔗 Links * Samaññaphala Sutta (DN 2) * Vitakka & Vicāra (Pāli terminology overview) * Pīti & Sukha (Pāli term definitions) * Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purification) * Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (Foundations of Mindfulness) * Ayya Khema (teacher referenced by Leigh) * Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw (Venerable Pa-Auk) * Manjushri (Bodhisattva of Wisdom) * Mick Jagger * fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 3

🤖 AI Transparency: The transcript below was lightly edited, for both spelling & grammar errors, using ChatGPT. In this talk jhāna teacher Leigh Brasington draws on teachings from his teacher Ayya Khema , offering a clear, practice-based guide to entering the first jhāna, a meditative state of joyful concentration described in early Buddhist texts. A Jhāna Retreat If this sounds like your jam, consider joining Vince Fakhoury Horn & Brian Newman for The Flavors of Jhāna retreat , this coming January in Portugal. 💬 Transcript Leigh Brasington : Very nice to be here, I appreciate the invitation. I always like talking about the jhānas—very interesting topic. So what I’m going to do today is share the basic instructions for how to enter the jhānas as I teach them. I learned them from Ayya Khema . Actually, I stumbled into the first one when I was on retreat with Ajahn Buddhadasa in Southern Thailand. I didn’t know it was a jhāna. They told me I was experiencing pīti . I knew I liked it. It changed my practice from something I knew I should do to something I wanted to do. Just the pleasure of it—yeah, I’m a greed type—okay, here’s a nice source of pleasure. The jhānas are eight altered states of consciousness. Actually, in the suttas there are four jhānas and four immaterial states, and it’s not until much later that they’re referred to as the eight jhānas. That’s convenient if you want to talk about the four immaterial states and the four jhānas at the same time, but they’re definitely different in the suttas. We do find many suttas where there are the first four jhānas and then three or four of the immaterial states, so it’s a pattern that makes a lot of sense. Most of the Buddhist teachings are in three categories: sīla , samādhi , paññā —ethics, concentration, wisdom. Sīla is morality, keeping the precepts. Samādhi is usually translated as concentration, but I actually prefer “indistractibility.” Concentration’s got that furrowed-brow thing—people try too hard and it doesn’t work. That’s one problem with teaching jhānas. I give students two warnings at the beginning of a retreat. First: if you have expectations, you’re in trouble. Expectation is wanting—the first hindrance. Over and over again the Buddha talks about the abandoning of the hindrances as a prerequisite for entering the jhānas. The other warning is that if you start fooling with concentration and you have any unresolved issues, they might come up. Hopefully none of you have unresolved psychological issues—but yeah, seems to be a problem for humans. Then paññā is wisdom. Basically what the Buddha is saying is: clean up your act, learn to concentrate your mind, and use your concentrated, indistractible mind to investigate reality and understand what’s actually happening. The jhānas in the suttas are frequently preceded by the abandoning of the hindrances. You might notice when you’re meditating and get distracted, you could label most distractions with one of the five hindrances: wanting, not wanting, sluggishness, restlessness, remorse, or doubt. What’s really necessary to enter the jhānas is a mind that’s relatively quiet. In later Pali literature it talks about “access concentration.” I’ve adopted that phrase to describe what you have to generate before entering the jhānas—not the deep concentration described in the Visuddhimagga , but good enough to have a chance at the jhāna as described in the suttas. So, basic instructions. Sit in a comfortable, upright posture—comfortable enough that it doesn’t generate aversion, but not so comfortable you fall asleep. Once you’re settled, put your attention on your meditation object. The Visuddhimagga mentions about thirty possible objects for developing access concentration. Most people work with mindfulness of breathing—the most common. Others use mettā meditation, or any of the brahmavihāras . A body scan works too—just slowly noticing sensations through the surface of the body without trying to change anything. Some teachers, like Ajahn Sumedho, teach using the nāda sound—the subtle ringing you can hear when it’s quiet. That can work too, though I don’t recommend it unless you want to hear that sound forever. A fifth option is a mantra. If you do a mantra until the mantra starts “doing you,” that’s a sign of good concentration. If you’re using the breath, you might notice some signs as you get concentrated. A diffuse white light may appear. That’s called a nimitta —just a sign that concentration is strong. Don’t do anything with it; it’s like a road sign telling you where you are. Later Buddhist texts describe a bright circular light, but the suttas don’t mention that. Still, if you see it, good—you’re concentrated. As concentration deepens, the breath may become shallow or even seem to disappear. Don’t worry—you’re not going to die. Your body knows how to breathe. What’s happening is that your body doesn’t need as much oxygen because you’re still and calm. If you notice the breath slowing down, resist the temptation to take a deep breath. That resets the chemistry that helps bring on the first jhāna. So: you sit, settle, put attention on your object. When you get distracted, label the distraction, relax, and come back. Labeling helps disidentify from it and shows where the mind tends to wander—wanting, aversion, past, future. Notice how seldom the distraction is in the present. Relaxation is key because most distractions create tension. Just relax and return to the breath—or whatever object you’re using—letting it flow naturally. Access concentration is being fully with the object, with only wispy background thoughts like, “Is this what he meant?” instead of full-blown planning. Once you realize you’re in access concentration, stay there for five to fifteen minutes. Time will feel distorted, so just hang out. If you’ve been there long enough—or your breath is so subtle it’s not usable as an object—there’s a trick: drop attention on the original object and shift to a pleasant sensation. If you look at statues of the Buddha, he’s always smiling—that’s a teaching. Try smiling slightly and notice the pleasantness of it. Focus on that pleasantness. For some people it’s the hands—a warm, tingling glow. For mettā , the heart center. It could be anywhere: third eye, top of the head, shoulders, feet—whatever’s pleasant. Once you’ve found a pleasant sensation, here comes the hard part: do nothing. Just enjoy it. Anything you do will mess it up. Remain focused on the pleasantness itself. If you stay steady, the pleasantness will intensify gradually, building until it erupts into pīti-sukha —physical rapture and emotional joy. The instructions, in short: sit, settle, focus on your object; label distractions, relax, return; stay non-distracted; find a pleasant sensation; focus on it; do nothing else. The jhāna will find you. You don’t do jhāna—you set up the conditions for it to arise. The most common problem is jumping too soon—grabbing at pleasant sensations before concentration is stable. Wait until you’re really steady. Another problem is trying to make something happen or getting excited when it does—both break concentration. You can’t enter jhāna and stay in control. You have to let go into the experience. Ayya Khema said, “Letting go is the whole of the spiritual path.” That applies here. The first time the jhāna comes, it might feel mild or like it’s blowing the top of your head off—either is fine. The length of time to stay in the first jhāna is inversely proportional to the intensity. If it’s strong, 20–30 seconds is plenty; if mild, up to 10 minutes. When you’ve had enough, take a deep breath to release the energy, then focus on the sukha —the emotional pleasure. The first jhāna is pīti with background sukha ; the second is sukha with background pīti . The purpose of the first jhāna is to get you to the second. If you’re concentrated enough, you can enter any jhāna directly, though that usually takes years of practice. You could think of the mind like a still pond. Normally it’s wavy; concentration calms it. Then you drop in a pebble of pleasure, and the ripples bounce and reinforce until they rise as a geyser—that’s the first jhāna. I suspect pīti involves dopamine breaking down into norepinephrine, and sukha involves opioids like serotonin. I’m a retired computer programmer, not a neuroscientist, but Jud Brewer thought that made sense. Focusing on the pleasant sensation is rewarding—it releases dopamine, which stimulates the nucleus accumbens, generating opioids. The norepinephrine explains the heat or vibration some people feel. So essentially, you’re setting up a feedback loop of pleasure. Everything we experience is neurotransmitters; this is just a skillful way of using them to shift consciousness. The first jhāna alone won’t give deep enough concentration for strong insight—that develops more in the higher jhānas, especially the third and fourth. So, by the time you get to the third and fourth jhānas, your concentration is deeply enhanced. The first jhāna is mostly about learning how to make the mind happy. It’s a wholesome form of pleasure, because the hindrances have been set aside. It’s blameless pleasure. The Buddha said it’s a pleasant abiding here and now. It’s not sensual pleasure—it’s mental pleasure. You can’t be lustful or hateful and be in the jhānas at the same time. The hindrances have to be abandoned first. So, the first jhāna is a good antidote for desire, aversion, restlessness, doubt—all of that. If you look in the suttas, you’ll see that the Buddha talks about entering and abiding in the first jhāna, then emerging and reflecting on it. He often says, “He enters and abides in the first jhāna, then emerges mindful and clearly comprehending.” The reflection part is where insight comes in. You can look back and notice what was present and what was absent. “Okay, in that state, there was one-pointedness, there was rapture, there was happiness. There wasn’t anger, there wasn’t craving, there wasn’t restlessness.” You begin to see the conditionality of mind states—how some qualities lead to happiness and peace, and others to agitation and suffering. That’s insight. Seeing cause and effect directly. And the more concentrated the mind, the more subtle the distinctions you can notice. Now, I should emphasize: the jhānas are not necessary for awakening. There are people who wake up without ever entering them. But they are very helpful. The Buddha himself discovered the jhānas as a young man, then later realized they were a useful foundation for insight. He used them as part of his own path to awakening. The first jhāna trains you to gather and steady the mind, and to be at ease with pleasure that doesn’t depend on external conditions. You can use that stability and joy to look into impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and non-self. It’s like building a campfire. You need enough kindling to get it going, but once the fire is burning steadily, you can cook something useful. Concentration is the kindling; insight is the cooking. People sometimes get attached to the jhānas. It’s understandable—they’re very pleasant. But they’re not the goal. They’re a tool. They show you that the mind can be trained, and that happiness doesn’t have to come from the world—it can arise from the mind itself. And, importantly, they show that pleasure isn’t the enemy. The Buddha didn’t advocate self-torture; he advocated wisdom. Pleasure used skillfully can support wisdom. The pleasure of the jhānas is wholesome because it’s not mixed with craving or clinging. When the Buddha first described the Middle Way, he said it avoids the extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. The jhānas are the perfect expression of that. They’re pleasure that’s blameless, balanced, and leads onward. If you keep practicing, moving through the first, second, third, and fourth jhānas, what happens is that pīti —that energetic, bubbly joy—drops away. The mind becomes more serene, more equanimous. By the fourth jhāna, it’s just pure awareness, neutral feeling, total balance. That’s the foundation for deep insight practice. In that stillness, you can start seeing impermanence very clearly. The slightest movement in the mind stands out. You can watch sensations arise and pass with precision. So, to sum up: the first jhāna is pleasure and joy born of seclusion. You get there by letting go of the hindrances and focusing on a pleasant sensation until it amplifies. The second jhāna is pleasure and joy born of concentration itself—more stable, less effort. The third is equanimous pleasure—contentment without excitement. The fourth is pure equanimity and mindfulness. The jhānas are not something you force; they’re something you allow. You set up the right conditions, and the mind naturally inclines toward stillness and happiness. And then, when you emerge, you use that clarity to investigate. That’s where the liberating insight arises—not in the absorption itself, but in seeing how it all functions. The Buddha described this process as samādhi-paññā , concentration leading to wisdom. The jhānas are simply one way, one very skillful way, to cultivate that. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 26

Vince Fakhoury Horn reflects on his experiences within the Insight meditation tradition, as an authorized teacher in the lineage, arguing that its senior leaders have remained complicit, through their silence, on the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. 💬 Transcript Vince : Today I want to speak to you as an authorized representative of the Insight meditation tradition. I was authorized to teach—empowered to teach—by Trudy Goodman and Jack Kornfield in a public ceremony in Los Angeles several years ago. This is largely going to be a story about my experience with the Insight meditation tradition and a kind of out-loud contemplation and meditation on how this tradition, from my point of view, has ended up two-plus years into what I saw, and see still, as a genocide in Israel with the Gazans—the Palestinians in Gaza—and how the Insight tradition has remained silent, largely silent, on such an important issue, one of the moral issues of our time, I think. And of course, I have to acknowledge as a Palestinian American, my view is informed by my own history. But I also want to say most Americans have no clue what the history is here. And I run into this every single day as I talk to people, as I try to share my honest experience—not hide—to be courageous and open about what it’s like to be a Palestinian living in America today, watching people that I care about be murdered, watching my family in the West Bank be terrified as they live in conditions which I could only describe as concentration-camp-like conditions. Two of my close family members here in Western North Carolina—two members who married into the larger clan of Fakhourys that live here. The last name of my grandfather was Fakhoury—Latif Fakhoury. He raised me; he was my father basically; I called him Pops. A number of family members live here in this area who immigrated here so they could get support from each other. Two of them have shared that they’ve both lost over 200 family members in Gaza. I want that to land with you for a second. Two hundred. That’s a whole family tree. People are losing family trees. So to me, as a Buddhist practitioner and as a Palestinian American—as someone who cares about things like this—I’m just completely, utterly fucking heartbroken, and I have been for the last two years. And I feel like during that time I’ve waited, I’ve waited, I’ve waited for the leaders of my own lineage—for my own teachers—to take a courageous moral stand. And the reality is they have not. And I don’t think they will. And so how in the world did we get here? I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I’ve been looking at my own disappointment and disillusionment around it. And I’ve been disillusioned and disappointed before by teachers—you know, I’m not new to this game. I’ve been a teacher for 15 years. I’ve seen people get disillusioned and disappointed with me. That’s, in part, normal. But this is not. I want to claim that this is not normal. This is an abdication of moral responsibility at the deepest level. And I guess it’s not that surprising to me as I reflect back on my own experience with this tradition. When I first started engaging in the Insight tradition, around 2003, I went up for my first retreat at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. It was with Joseph Goldstein and a number of other teachers, who themselves had just exited a six-week retreat with Sayadaw U Pandita, a famous Burmese meditation master who was christening the new Forest Refuge long-term retreat facility with a retreat for the teachers of the Insight tradition. And for me, this was like falling in love. It was exactly what I was looking for—the hardcore retreat experience. I had been reading Daniel Ingram’s work prior to this—my first teacher—and he advocated for this hardcore contemplative approach. So it was great. I fell in love. I loved the Buddhist tradition. I loved the teachings. I loved the opportunity to go deep and be hardcore in my practice. But I noticed even then—me, a millennial practicing in an almost completely Boomer culture—that the politics of the place were weird. I remember complaining about this many times to my partner and other friends: how we would go on these retreats and the teachers would act apolitical, but then they would proceed to share reams of political opinions in their Dharma talks—some of which I agreed with and many of which I did not. And I found their political views to be quite homogeneous and quite apparent, and yet somehow being couched in apolitical terms. That was the first thing I found odd. So now when I look at it, this is a modernist movement. This is a modern movement. And part of what one does in the modern world, especially in the marketplace, is you depoliticize things. It’s not smart business to bring politics into your product or your offering. Right—but this isn’t exactly a product, and this is, I think, one of the challenges of bringing Buddhism into the modern world, especially into America, the hyper-capitalist capital of the world. How do you not lose the spirit and essence of the Dharma when adapting to a new environment? How do you not leave something transformative and powerful on the table by not being willing to adapt to the new environment? I want to hold this tension here between conserve and adapt throughout this monologue if I can, because I think it’s a really important generative tension. But in my experience with the Insight tradition, when I first started engaging with it in the early aughts, they were caught in a kind of paradox around their own obvious political views—which were liberal, maybe progressive-leaning, leftish. Very Boomer-centric in terms of a particular kind of generational politics. And I found it very awkward and weird practicing in those environments. But it was okay. I could deal with it. I could handle it. Some ten years later, as the times changed and as the traditions changed, I noticed that increasingly the Insight tradition—starting with Spirit Rock, the more liberal of the two major centers in California, and then following that, the Insight Meditation Society—began making the politics more explicit. They started to own the values of inclusion and wanting to make this available not just to young people (which was kind of their initial politics of attracting the next generation), but also to people of color and the LGBTQI community and all of these different historically marginalized groups they wanted to explicitly include and make space for. They began to examine some of the cultural conditions they have around the practice, to see the impact and influence of American WASP culture—White Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture. And they started to realize, “Oh, even though we went to Asia and did all this stuff, of course we still have this conditioning. And it’s fine for us, and it’s fine for anyone like us, but it’s potentially problematic for other people.” An example of this: many people who are non-white come to meditation retreat centers and then are told to be silent. They hear that from a different point of view. They don’t hear it from the perspective of members of the dominant culture, who can just be quiet and be okay. Rather, they’re coming from a point of view of having felt like they were silenced—often systematically silenced—and then they’re entering into an environment where they’re told to be quiet again. This is an example where the Insight tradition, I think—and I want to praise the Insight tradition here—has done a good job of wrestling with these very challenging questions of how to teach Dharma in a multicultural, postmodern world. And this is a transition, I think, from modern to postmodern: when you start to actually include voices that have been historically marginalized; when you start to become aware of those power differentials and the history there; that is a kind of awakening to a new level of understanding. In the developmental psychology world, they would call that Pluralism or Postmodernity . And I think it’s really important, because you can take a view on the modern meta-narrative, on the grand story of what modernity is. It’s about progress and it’s for all people, etc., etc. It’s like, “Oh yeah, that’s beautiful, but in reality, how does it actually work? Where did all this wealth come from that we’ve accrued as modern people? Who’s left out?” These are the questions I think you have to start asking if you want to move past the modern mode. And my teachers did that, and I learned a lot from them in the process. Not just from them— from others as well— but I went through that journey with them as I was training very seriously. I watched their initiatives at their own retreat centers, and that informed how I taught. That informed my views. And I began to believe that, in fact, they were integrating this pluralistic wave of development—this inclusive mindset that can include people regardless of their backgrounds and regardless of their histories: include them financially, include them culturally, etc. Now, of course, in practice this has been a painful implementation. I’ve seen behind the scenes of that quite a bit, having been married to someone who has worked both inside the Insight tradition as a teacher—teaching at places like Spirit Rock—and who also trained for eight years as a mindfulness meditation mentor in Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program. We just called it at home the “MMTCP,” because you couldn’t repeat that many times. So I very much got to see, from their point of view and my own, that the tradition has done a lot in its attempt to include these areas and topics which have historically been excluded. I want to zoom into a particular time period now, which was the murder of George Floyd during COVID. I was leading, along with my wife and several colleagues, an online retreat just after George was murdered. During that retreat, all of the people teaching presented as white and looked white. I probably was the only person on the teaching team who wasn’t completely white. And we went in just teaching the standard retreat that we would. We would talk about politics and we’d talk about the world, but we did it in abstract and universal terms—talking about the importance of connecting these things but in the abstract. And we didn’t really know how to deal with this. Like, we honestly just were not prepared to be able to hold the pain and grief and anger that was triggered, rightly so, for many of the participants—especially the Black American participants. And I remember in one group— a private group that I was holding with like 10 or 15 people— one of the participants, African American, completely lost their shit on me, in the most righteously good way possible. It was just like, “How can you be teaching this stuff and not speaking directly to the issue of George Floyd?” To which I did not have an answer. Because I was scared—that was the true answer. As I sat there for an hour in this group, unable to pretend that I was the authority in the room anymore but also responsible for this retreat, I sat there basically listening and feeling incredible anxiety. Afterwards, that experience really helped shift the balance for me. It tipped me over into a deep inquiry about the racialized harms that I had experienced myself as a Palestinian American—and that were happening for others continuously, beyond my view. It’s not like I didn’t know this was happening. I just wasn’t looking at it. And I didn’t have to look at it in the same way some of these folks do, because it wasn’t my lived experience. But that was no longer sufficient. I had to come to terms with the complexity of ethnic and racial identity, the complexity of racialization, the way that we racialize each other. One of the reasons I’ve always been resistant to the whole pluralistic “woke” movement is because I’ve spent time in those spaces—like at Naropa University, where I did my undergrad; at Spirit Rock; and a number of other institutions that were, I would say, largely pluralistic. And what I found was—particularly from my white colleagues—that they would almost invariably start white-bashing and male-bashing both. And they would assume that I was white and then include me in the bashing, expecting me to jump in and sort of join. And I’d get upset, because I was being “misracialized.” They didn’t know who I was. They were looking at me, looking at my skin color, whatever, and they were assuming stuff about me. And then they were using that to attack me. That was how it felt. And I think that’s how a lot of people feel in America, to be honest with you. And it’s challenging. And it’s problematic in so many ways when we judge each other on such a superficial basis—that’s racialization. We don’t know each other’s backgrounds. We don’t know each other’s cultural or ethnic histories. We just assume, based on superficial characteristics, “I know this person. I know their history.” Okay—that’s problematic. So I was always averse to that kind of culture because I saw it being largely toxic in practice. But it also seemed like there were some important points, you know? It wasn’t completely wrong. And I realized that in a lot of ways I had been hiding behind my own privileged position—where I could actually hide. I could “pass” as white. Passing is a known phenomenon: if you appear racially one way and aren’t, then you can hide. And here’s the thing—it makes sense. It makes sense to hide if you’re actually in a culture where it’s unsafe to be that part of you. As an Arab—ethnically Arab American, Caucasian Arab—I knew it was unsafe to be Arab since September 11th, 2001. Since I was a teenager I saw people in my own family targeted, and systematically targeted. So it really makes sense, I think, on a personal level, when people can pass a certain way, to do so. But what I realized was: I had been passing. I had been hiding. And then I was angry and upset when people didn’t see who I was. You can’t be angry and upset if people don’t see who you are, if you’re not telling them who you are. So I realized I had been a coward. I had not been being who I am, and I’d not been standing for my own people—the people who were part of my heritage: my grandfather and his lineage. I had not been ashamed, but I had not been courageous or willing to own that part of my identity. So I started, from that point on—this was several years ago—owning more explicitly that part of who I am, talking about it more openly, going by Fakhoury in my name, presenting myself with that name. For me that was a huge deal. And I felt that I had the support of my teachers to do that because of the pioneering work they were doing—pushing into those areas. And overall, I think there was a lot of alignment at that time with the Insight tradition. Now, I want to actually go back in time a little bit, because the way that I was authorized to teach is maybe a little unusual. Initially, I was invited by Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman, two of my close teachers. I was living in Los Angeles at the time—this was in 2011—and I was invited to apply to the next Insight meditation retreat teacher program. This is a four-year retreat teacher training. Some 20 or so people are typically in each cohort. It’s considered to be the highest level of training in that tradition. My wife and I were both invited to it—Emily and I were both invited. I filled out an application, and I was told the context was: “We’re inviting 20 or so people to apply, and we’re going to accept 20 or so people.” So the application process—they said they would consider the applications, but it didn’t seem like many people were going to be cut. So I filled out the application. I shared about my Dharma background, about my history, who I’d trained with, and what I was interested in. And I shared my ethnic background. I talked about my Palestinian family. This was really important to share at the time, because this was the time in which that lineage was really pushing hard into the pluralistic space. And so I felt like I really should share that this is part of who I am, and I thought that would be considered welcome. Then after I applied, I got a call from Jack, and he said, “Your application to this training has been rejected.” And the reasoning he gave—he said it wasn’t him; it was other teachers—and I’ll let you figure out who the other teachers were. “These other teachers don’t like your association with Daniel Ingram,” he said. That was the primary reason they didn’t want me in this training. Daniel had been quite critical of teachers at the Insight Meditation Society, and particularly he had been critical of Joseph Goldstein publicly. And I was kind of shocked by this, because I myself had never been publicly critical of these teachers in that way—although I still was associated with Daniel and I’d even give him a place to air his opinions and perspectives. I also was recording with teachers like Jack and Joseph and Sharon. I was giving them a lot of airtime on the Buddhist Geeks Podcast, and I was really interested in their perspectives. So I felt like I had a foot in both worlds. I was holding both the Insight tradition and the Pragmatic Dharma tradition—both of which originally have connections to the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition, the Burmese tradition I mentioned earlier. So for me it was just like, “Okay, these are two squabbling cousins, and I find value in both of them, and I’m not going to let go of either of them because I get different things from each. And I think they’re both important. And together, when you hold both of them, you get a bigger and more inclusive and more integrated whole.” So I was kind of surprised at how petty that reasoning was—how egoic. This was one of my first bigger disillusionments with teachers: realizing, “Oh yeah, they’re human.” Yeah, totally. But at the time it was really disturbing. I got extremely upset. I remember talking to Trudy. At the time, Trudy and Jack were dating—they later became married—but they were dating; they were close. Trudy was definitely more of a close teacher than Jack in terms of access and time I’d spent with her. And she—very much to her credit—went to battle for me with Jack, with the other teachers. She was like, “This is ridiculous.” And she was right. It was ridiculous. And Jack later came back to me and said, “Okay, well, you have a spot if you want it now.” So I was accepted into the program. But at that point I was so upset that I was like, “No. Fuck you.” Basically. Like, why would I want to be participating in a program with people who are offering up these reasons? If my association with Daniel Ingram makes me unqualified to be a teacher—okay. And I felt like at the time Buddhist Geeks was sufficiently big of a thing that I didn’t have to have that reputation or credibility derived from this training. Now, my wife on the other hand didn’t have the same situation. And I encouraged her to do the training. She did the training; she completed it. Later, some years later—probably 2017, somewhere around there—we got a call from Trudy and Jack. We talked to them, and they invited Emily to a lineage authorization ceremony that was happening in LA, and then almost, “Oh yeah, Vince, you should come too.” It was a little awkward in that it was clear to me they hadn’t planned on inviting me until we were all talking. And then it was like, “Well, I guess we’re excluding you, and that doesn’t make sense.” And they did—they invited me to become authorized as a teacher in their lineage. So I accepted. And at that time I had kind of worked through my frustration and anger—this had been years later—and became authorized in that tradition. I’m now part of that lineage. That’s the truth. I’ve looked back—even at the time, but now especially—over that whole situation, where I had a couple of teachers who I had a close relationship with and who were willing to fight for me. Otherwise, that entire tradition did not want my kind of person in the tradition. What kind of person? Loud, outspoken, opinionated, not toeing the party line on a number of issues. And furthermore, I wondered: to what degree was my Palestinianness an issue? Now, it was never brought up. It was never like, “Oh, that’s an issue for us.” But from the very moment that my application was rejected, I had to ask the question: Was that a factor? You know, this is largely a Jewish group of teachers—could they be biased against Palestinians? Now, I had no direct evidence or reason to think that they were, but I had this sort of felt sense of like, “Oh… could be.” And maybe, if they’re biased about my associating with Daniel Ingram, why wouldn’t they be biased about my being Arabic or Palestinian? Quite possibly, given the history. So that planted a seed of doubt—of questioning—in my mind about where people are coming from. Fast-forward now to 2023, October 7th. Of course we know the history. And one thing that I felt like I had always been able to rely on were my teachers. And that stopped being true. And not just with Jack and Trudy. It stopped being true also with other teachers. I suddenly found the entire American Buddhist Dharma scene was progressive on everything but Israel. I felt alone, largely. And I spent the first year after October 7th alone, feeling alone. I didn’t receive contact from any of my teachers—no one reached out to see how I was doing, to see how my family was doing. And I didn’t reach out to them. I felt like it was not appropriate. I felt like as teachers, and as Jewish Americans, and given the context and the situation, it was appropriate for them to make first contact. But they never did. I lost a number of Israeli students as well—students I had been in contact with—who I had personally reached out to after October 7th to check in on them, to see how they were doing, to see if they were safe, if their families were safe. And then all of them vanished afterward. I haven’t heard from them since. And it was just so obvious to me: no one wants to touch this. This breaks the whole fucking paradigm. The whole pluralistic thing. All of this attempting to include all these different groups—this issue breaks that. It’s too complex. It’s too close to home. It’s too real. And what I’ve seen is that, by and large, the leaders of the Insight tradition—Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield; I’ll include Trudy Goodman too, to more or less degrees—have remained silent on the genocide in Gaza. In Jack and Trudy’s case, I think they’ve made some very minimal, performative attempts to include it. In Jack’s case, apparently he referenced it somewhere in an email. I didn’t get this email; I haven’t seen the email; I don’t know what was said in the email. But that was the sort of defensive position that I heard from them. That was their justification for how they had “taken a stand.” And in Trudy’s case, I’ve been following her closely online. You know, we had a very difficult private conversation around this a few months ago when I finally reached out. I was like, “Hey, what the fuck? Why are you completely not showing up for me, or for people who are being genocided in Palestine?” And in her reply… it was something. She talked about Sudan and her closeness to the genocide in Sudan and how much she cared about that. And she has been vocal about that. And I just didn’t understand how that related to anything at all. It was like, “Okay, great. I think that’s awesome. I really admire that you care about the people in Sudan, and that you care about the horrendous genocide that’s happening there. That’s important. You should care. We should care. This does matter.” At the same time—and I pointed this out—the United States’ involvement in that conflict and that genocide is very different from the United States’ involvement in what’s happening in Gaza. The United States is a direct enabler in the case of Gaza. It is sending bombs. It is sending weapons. It is providing political cover for the situation. And not only that—Israel is using Jewish identity as a shield for committing genocide. And so I told her: “As a Jewish American, you have a unique responsibility to speak up against this atrocity. And you have a unique amount of leverage. Your identity is being leveraged as a weapon, and you can fight against that. You are an American; you have influence.” Trudy responded, “I don’t have as much influence as Jack.” That’s bullshit. I told her that’s bullshit. Of course you don’t have as much influence, but you have way more influence than I do. You reach a lot more people than I do. You have a reach. I remember Alexander Bard, the Swedish internet philosopher, said: Reputation equals credibility multiplied by reach. Trudy has a stellar reputation. And so I just didn’t buy that. I thought that was completely an excuse—a defense. And this is not how I’ve experienced Trudy. The conversation and the tenor, the kinds of things she was saying—totally not typical for the kinds of conversations we’d had over the last almost 20 years. I remember at one point she raised this point—she didn’t argue that it wasn’t a genocide—but she did raise this point. She said, “Well, yeah, but in Germany, with the Jews in the Holocaust, you know, they weren’t going and killing Germans.” I said, “Whoa. Okay. Well, yeah. But they also didn’t live in 75 years of apartheid.” She acknowledged that was true. I’m pointing these things out because this is the kind of argumentation—after two years of genocide—that was being used to defend silence. Why am I calling it out now? Because months after having these conversations, nothing has changed. Not with Trudy’s view. Not with what she’s said publicly. Not with Jack. Nothing has changed. Sharon and Joseph—aside from the most anemic, apolitical, both-sideist message I’ve ever seen, that was published by the Insight Meditation Society eight months after the… I’ll call it the genocide started—they put out this letter. And Sharon’s name was penned to it. Okay, so she made a comment. But that’s the only comment she’s made. Otherwise, it’s nothing. There’s nothing said. And now—is this an issue? Should all teachers be talking about this stuff? People ask me this regularly: what am I expecting from people? I don’t expect everyone to be a social activist. I wasn’t an activist prior to this. This situation warranted that for me. I needed to become an activist for Palestinians because I didn’t feel like they have a voice. And if I don’t use my voice on their behalf, who’s going to? It feels like a moral responsibility. Does everyone share that moral responsibility? No. Not everyone’s Palestinian—fair. But everyone, I think, who is training in and particularly teaching in a religious “wisdom tradition” that has, as one of its core pillars—core foundational areas of training—ethics, morality, virtue, sila … If you’re teaching as a Dharma teacher, you are also claiming to be a teacher of morality, of ethics, of virtue. And I think that is one thing to consider: What do teachers actually say or not say about the moral issues of our time? How inclusive are they? How deep and wide is their understanding of the problem—or problems? What kinds of solutions do they seem to support? How does that filter into the way that we practice and what we focus on in our practice, and how we build community? How do we balance contemplation and action? I think all of these are really valid questions. And what I saw happen in the Insight tradition is I saw it contract back to its previous apolitical stance. And I saw these teachers—who are, in pretty much virtually every way other than this topic, progressive on everything but Israel—consistently progressive or at least liberal in their orientation to social issues. But on this, they have not been. On this they’ve remained silent, and thus have remained complicit. If we didn’t live in the United States, would they be complicit by not saying anything? Maybe not. If they weren’t Jewish, would they be complicit in not speaking out against their identity being weaponized? “Never again.” Who does “never again” apply to? What I’ve come to realize is that there are different stages or levels of “Never Again.” There’s the egocentric Never Again: “Never again for me. I’m never going to be put in that position.” There’s the ethnocentric Never Again: “Never again for us—for our group, for our tribe, for our ethnic crew. Never again. Never again will Jews be subjected to this kind of horrendous treatment.” And then there’s the world-centric : “Never again for all of us. No human should ever have to go through this again.” And then the all-beings-centric : “Never again for all beings.” The issue here is that the “Never Again” is primarily ethnocentric, in reality. It’s “never again for our people.” And I also want to acknowledge, with as much compassion as I can muster: people are traumatized—people who have come from a Jewish background, who have ties to the Holocaust. They’re traumatized, and they’re activated. And I get that. I get that better than most. But does being traumatized and activated make it okay to turn your back on the murder of innocent people—on the intentional starvation of innocent people? Does it? No. Especially when you present yourself not only as a religious teacher but now also as someone who’s trained at the highest level as a clinical psychologist—both of my teachers, Jack and Trudy, are clinical psychologists. Both are familiar with the language and experience of trauma. Both have incredible resources at their disposal to be able to work at that level. Who needs to be speaking up? Well, I’m defining what I think are the characteristics of someone who really—if they don’t say something—then you really have to wonder what’s going on. I think the other very important thing is when someone presents themselves as being a social activist or as having that flavor to their Dharma—as an Engaged Buddhist. When they demonstrate a lack of engagement or a lack of care on something that they could influence, then it really highlights the ethnocentrism of the activism. Am I claiming to be beyond that? No. Actually, I think that’s partially normal. But are we all aspiring —are we saying that we’re aspiring—toward being universal in our compassion as Buddhists? Yes. We are saying that. We’re saying that we want to treat the suffering of all beings equally. We want to respond to the suffering of all beings instantly. That’s what we’re training in. That’s the Bodhisattva vow. And that’s the frame that my teachers taught under and taught in, largely. I feel like it’s okay, and appropriate, to hold people to their own stated public values, and to call them out when they fail to live up to those values—even after they’ve been challenged in private and given an opportunity to change. Gabor Maté, who I think has been one of the most illuminating and courageous voices on this issue—Dr. Gabor Maté—he himself was born in the Holocaust. He was a baby in the Holocaust. His whole family was murdered in the Holocaust. And he was a Zionist as a young man—understandably, wanting a place for Jews to be safe. And he pointed out that there was this common phrase used at the time: “A land without people for a people without a land.” This was one of the Zionist catchphrases. And he realized—especially after he went to Palestine during the late ’60s—that this was not true. This simply was not true. There were people on the land. And those people—including my grandfather and his whole family—they were ethnically cleansed from that land, most of them. Many of them. Almost a million Palestinians were driven out of their homes and out of the country. The ones that stayed are the ones who were in Gaza and the West Bank. And of course there’s a huge history here; I’m not going to get into the detailed history. But if you don’t know the history, it’s a good thing to know at this point—the basics of it. But what Gabor realized was that this was completely unethical. It was completely a case of—if you know the Karpman Drama Triangle—the victim-rescuer-persecutor triangle that describes the roles people tend to cycle through when they’re in an ego-contracted state: the victim , the person who feels like the world is against them; the rescuer , the person who tries to rescue the victim; and the persecutor , the one who persecutes the victim. It was so obvious to me—on a collective level—that this is a clear example, and Gabor Maté points this out as well, of a group of people who experienced genuine, true victimization and harm; who then, out of the undigested trauma—collective trauma—of that harm, are now in the persecution role. And you can see it with the Palestinians as well. And this was the point I made to Trudy. After 75 years of apartheid, you get Hamas. You get people who are tired of being oppressed and who—having tried many times to use nonviolent means and to negotiate—have not been able to get their needs met, because the international community does not support them, and thus feel like there’s no other alternative but to resort to violence against innocent people. Now, is that ethically okay? On one level, it’s not. On another level, you can understand why it happens. I can. And that’s the weird thing about looking at history: everyone, you can look at their position and their behavior, and you can understand why it’s justified. You can understand where it comes from. You can even be compassionate toward it if you really deeply understand. But that doesn’t change the cycle of harm. People actually have to be stopped from harming others. And that’s where the rest of the world—and America in particular—I think has totally failed. And I think this is complex. The reasoning for this—I think some of it is actually explainable by, on a collective level, white guilt. When I look at the Jewish people in terms of this larger racial category of “whiteness”—that Jews in America are considered white, right? They’re part of that category, that group of people. And yet, if you look at it in a hierarchical way—which is the reality of how race is held—race is hierarchical, and people often hold it that way. You could say the Jewish people are among the lowest caste of white people—they’ve been treated the worst in Europe. Look what happened. And so Zionism was born out of that. That ideology was born out of abuse at the hands of Western powers. It was enabled by the British and their own Christian Zionists, who would rather have the Jews be elsewhere. That, I think, is known. Our role in this is known. We know what we did. We know what we supported. We know that we’re responsible, in large part, for this. America and the United Kingdom, in particular, held a lot of responsibility post–World War II for this order emerging, and for the seeds of this conflict being planted. So I think we’re guilty—collectively. We’re guilty in the same way that we’re guilty that we took the land from the people who lived here, the Indigenous people of the Americas. There’s still that guilt. And you can deal with it either by being defensive or by making it a constructive tension—as I started to that day in the retreat when I was being called to task for my lack of compassion toward Black Americans. It’s not that I didn’t feel compassion—it’s that I was scared to become oppressed like them. I didn’t want to be in that group. I didn’t show solidarity with them. I was ashamed when I really got connected with it. “Oh… this is so sad.” I see this happening right now with so many people in my family. And I feel for them. I’ve asked them about how they’re doing with Palestine, etc., and they’re like, “Oh, it’s too painful. I can’t even touch it. I can’t even look at it. I can’t—yeah, I can’t talk about it.” They’re not going to stand up for Palestinians. And all of these family members also can pass as white. So they’re hiding. Compassion—I feel for them. And I’m not hiding. I’m done hiding. I’ve been done hiding. And now I’m done tolerating the lack of moral clarity and lack of consistency from my teachers. I’m done pretending like it’s okay, like it doesn’t hurt, like it hasn’t contributed to the murder of tens of thousands of people. Without that complicity, without that silence, this would not be possible. Speaking up does not guarantee results. And I think there are all kinds of practical considerations for why people don’t speak up. I had a friend reach out to me—close friend from long ago, racially white—and he had recently shared something on social media about Palestine. And I was surprised, and grateful, and we ended up talking about it a little bit, privately connecting. And this friend pointed out that when he thought about his behavior and actions around this, he realized he was coming from a place of cowardice—that he was more concerned about the impact that speaking up would have on his relationships, on his prospects, than he was about taking a clear moral stand on what he obviously saw as wrong. And he said he thought about what the implications would be. He thought about the people in his life who would be upset if he spoke up and took the position that he did, and he realized, “Well, actually, yeah, these are some pretty influential, powerful people.” Now—okay—whoa, this is sounding antisemitic. No. This is actually true in his case. It’s actually true in his case. And he thought about who would be upset if he didn’t say anything—and all he could think of was me. Okay. I… maybe I have some influence? I don’t know if I have any influence left. This—what you’re hearing—this is pretty much the channel that people listen to me through. So he wasn’t that concerned with me, and what I could say or do. There’s not really much I could do. And here’s the thing: there’s not anything I want to do. I don’t want to go out attacking my friends who’ve been silent. Now—am I still friends with my friends who’ve been silent? No, not really. If they’ve been completely and utterly silent and haven’t done anything—even behind the scenes—to support Palestinians, but they’re still like, “Oh, Vince, I’m so sorry”—no. I’m not friends with those people anymore. Those people are performing compassion; they’re not actually being compassionate. And I’m interested in being compassionate. What is compassion? Sometimes compassion is saying, “No. This is not okay.” And sometimes compassion is being willing to alienate or upset people with the truth—with reality. So this is my attempt at being compassionate. Am I angry? Am I upset? Am I hurt? Yes—absolutely. Am I going to say something anyway? Yes. Yes. As Americans, I think we absolutely should not stand up and stand with the genocide of other people. We should not be sending bombs. We should not be sending aid. We should not be providing cover for a country that is set on the destruction of another people, whom it has occupied for generations. Gaza has been described as the largest open-air prison in the world. Two million people were living in an open-air prison that had no control over basic things like food and water. Those were controlled by Israel. Their movements are controlled through checkpoints, through surveillance. Their words are controlled. My cousin in the West Bank—she can’t talk about what’s going on. She’s too scared to. And she’s right to be, because all of her words are being surveilled. On October 10th, I remember on Twitter saying that this “is a call to genocide.” And why did I know that? How did I know that? Because Israel turned off the water and food. And they did this very soon after October 7th. That was the almost instant reaction: “Let’s turn off the water and food to the entire population.” How can one see that other than genocidal intent? What intention could there be for turning off access to water and food? And mind you—prior to this—there’s been a documented and well-known control of the amount of calories entering Gaza . Just enough so that people aren’t starving—not enough so that they can flourish. I had a conversation right after October 7th. It was facilitated by Diane Hamilton, and it was organized by a Jewish American colleague who was living in Israel, in Tel Aviv. And we had this quote-unquote “wicked conversation” about Israel and Palestine. The organizer, Miles Kessler, made this point—and I think it’s important to call this point out and then respond to it. He said that many critics of Israel will argue that there is a moral equivalency between the Arabs—Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank—and Israeli Jews. That they’re operating on the same depth of moral understanding. And his claim was: “Actually, Israel is a democracy, we have all these rights, gay people aren’t persecuted in the same way,” etc., etc., etc. All these arguments—which you’ve probably heard—for why Israel is morally superior. Okay. I’m going to go ahead and concede that this may be true. What if it’s true? Okay—let’s just say it’s true. Even if it’s true, that doesn’t change the power dynamics. There may not be a moral equivalency, but nor is there a power equivalency. One group has a power position over the other. It’s called a one-up position. One group is dominating the other—is controlling the other. Facts. It’s still happening. It’s worse now. And the other party has been subjected to conditions that are almost designed to prevent their flourishing. So if you are part of a group that’s being oppressed and you’re not able to get access to the resources you need in order to mature, what’s the problem there? It’s not the failure of the individuals within that group to develop into deeper and broader moral stages. It’s the failure of the environmental conditions to support that natural growth. So Israel is simultaneously engaged in a process of trying to keep Palestinians down while then using the behavior that arises from that hellish environment to justify its ongoing oppression —and to justify their fear that these people mean them harm. Well—yeah. At this point they do. But that’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. And that’s the issue I take ethically, morally, with that kind of argumentation. I’ve also heard the argument from well-meaning people that, “Well, there’s always been conflict. This is a history of conflict in this area. These parties have been fighting and warring for generations and hundreds and thousands of years.” The implication of that argument is that it’s hopeless. There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s like the history is this endless, bloody warring, so this is just the continuation of that, and there’s nothing we can really do—because this is a historical civilizational pattern that goes back way deep. Okay. It’s not true. It’s just not true historically. Look—there was a period of 400 years under the Ottoman Empire when there was not bloody war and conflict between these parties. They existed and they co-existed in relative peace for 400 years—from the 1500s to the 1900s. The Ottoman Empire had a pragmatic system called the Millet System that allowed people who were non-Islamic—because the Ottoman Empire is an Islamic empire—to have their own rules, to have their own communities. Through the Millet System, this very practical system, people could have their own economics, their own microeconomics, and people were able to coexist for 400 years in this very pragmatic, pre-modern, pluralistic kind of society. I’m not saying it was perfect or that there was no conflict. But just: it’s not what people claim. The history is not just one of bloody war and conflict. As a Palestinian American, what I keep running up against over and over again in this conversation are bad-faith arguments . People who are throwing up reasons—like Trudy did, like other people I talk to, like almost everyone I talk to about this does—who don’t know the history, who haven’t spent the time to understand the situation, but who have pat answers for why it is this way and why it can’t change. They basically have argumentation to protect the status quo and to keep themselves from having to look at the conflict and look at their own relationship to it. And this is quite painful. And I think in America it’s particularly hard to do that because of our own history—because of our own history of oppression. When I was speaking to Robert Wright recently on this—in the series on Meditating on Palestine , the episode is called Meditating on Palestine —I was speaking to him about his own history and my own history as Irish people, people who come from an Irish heritage in part, of our own history of persecution. That, in fact, America is built on persecution. So here we are, as a culture: many of us, our ancestors were persecutors, but they were also persecuted. That’s part of why they came here. So again—same cycle. The victim becomes the persecutor, especially when there is undigested trauma, when we don’t look and see. So the Insight tradition is continuing, unfortunately, to perpetuate the harms of persecution by remaining silent and complicit on the genocide in Gaza. The teachers who have the resources—financially, socially, emotionally—have the resources to digest this trauma. I don’t see evidence that they’re really doing it, in part because I’m the only one putting pressure on them. They don’t have pressure. They have a lot more pressure on the other side. If they start speaking up with moral clarity on these topics, do you know how much backlash they’re going to get? They’re scared about backlash from the government—from Trump. They saw how that went with the DEIA movement and the backlash from that. And so they’re hiding. They’re older. They’re getting into their eighties now. They don’t have the energy to fight. Great. Retire. If you can’t stand up for what’s good and right, and you’re too scared, you need to pass on the baton. Pass the torch. Put down the Dharma-teacher role and let other people who are ready and willing take it up. Now, I also think it’s worth noting—it’s worth mentioning—the people and organizations who have stepped up, who have heeded the moral call to courageously and bravely put out an unpopular opinion and taken a moral stand here. I’m not going to be able to name them all, because I don’t even know them all. But I do want to name the people I personally have gotten solidarity and support from, in hopes that if you’re interested in seeing those voices and those perspectives, you can see them too. In my own tradition—in the Insight tradition—there have been people who have spoken up and who have stood for this. It’s not completely ubiquitous, fortunately. For instance, Jack’s teaching partner, Tara Brach, has taken a courageous stand here. Upon the urging of her own students, she realized she needed to speak up. To her credit and to her students’ credit. Bhikkhu Bodhi—from the very beginning, the Venerable monk—has been talking about this openly. He wrote an excellent article called “No Time for Silence” in the summer of 2024. Also, Thanissara, practicing in the same Insight tradition, has been a fierce voice of justice. My friend Theo Horesh—I’m greatly appreciative of. My colleague Ethan Nichtern, who I’ve spoken with about this, invited me to join him in a dialogue about this on The Road Home , his podcast. I’ve heard of communities who are trying to center this as part of their Dharma communities. I’ve seen the Decolonial Dharma community, the Liberation Circle—I’ve seen communities who are really trying to integrate this and I admire it. And I’m doing the best I can in my own teaching and through Buddhist Geeks to make space for this kind of thing to be explored openly and honestly—which honestly is quite hard to do. I understand why it’s so difficult. Because we have a momentum in our communities. A lot of it has to do with the momentum of just focusing on ourselves and our own meditation practice. That’s the heritage of modern Buddhism—Buddhist modernism. But for those of us who want to go beyond that sort of self-focus and who care about social issues, and see that they shape individuals as much as individuals shape them, it’s worthwhile considering that there are people and institutions out there who are still doing the work and who haven’t stopped—who didn’t give up at this point—unlike some of the leadership I mentioned in the Insight meditation tradition. So we can look to them. We can look to them as leaders. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 10

In this Buddhist Geeks episode, Vince Fakhoury Horn and Robert Wright explore the intersection of Buddhism, ethics, and geopolitics as they reflect on Palestine, Jewish-Buddhist responses, moral responsibility, and the role of mindfulness amid global violence. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 18

Vince Fakhoury Horn : The Flavors of Jhāna—I can’t remember where I first heard this term. I think it was from you or from Kenneth [Folk]. Brian Newman : Maybe we should start there. You came to me and said, “What should we call the retreat?” And I said, “Hey, you’re the one who wanted to do it in Portugal—what should we call it?” You threw it back at me, and I said, “Can we call it the name of my half-written book?” So folks, this all comes from a story that’s part of a lineage. This is a Kenneth Folk story, and it’s his way of demonstrating Jhāna on the spectrum. Kenneth says: imagine you’ve got a bunch of strawberries. You crush them into a strawberry smoothie, and you drink it. What does it taste like? A hundred percent strawberries. Now imagine a glass of clear water. You take a strong strawberry extract in concentrated form, drop in a single drop. What does it taste like? Strawberry—but just one tiny drop. And Kenneth’s punchline is, “It all tastes like strawberry, motherfucker.” His point is that it doesn’t matter where you are on the spectrum of Jhāna. On one end, you’ve got the Pa’auk tradition —completely absorbed, so much so that a gun could go off next to your head and you wouldn’t notice. On the lighter end, you’ve got Leigh Brasington , teaching Jhānic factors in a very Sutta-based way, or even lighter approaches. But Kenneth’s point is: it all tastes like Jhāna. Different flavor, same essence. Even the tiniest drop in the ocean still tastes like strawberry. That’s how I understood the story when Kenneth told it. Much of this dialogue centers around an upcoming 10-day meditation retreat on the same topic, The Flavors of Jhāna , that will be co-taught by Brian Newman & Vince Horn. Vince: The Flavors of Jhāna —I can’t remember where I first heard this term. I think it was from you, or from Kenneth [Folk]. Brian: Maybe we should start with that, yeah. So, Vince, you came to me and you said—no, I said to you, “What should we call the retreat?” And you were like, “Hey man, you’re the one that wanted to do it in Portugal, what should we call it?” And you put it back to me. And I said, “Can we call it the name of the book—my half-written book?” And so this is, folks, this is all coming from a story that’s part of a lineage. And I promised we’d tell some of those today. So this is a Kenneth Folk story, and it’s his way of demonstrating Jhāna on the spectrum. So Kenneth says this: imagine that you had—glass—imagine a few different scenarios. You’ve got a bunch of strawberries, and you crush ’em into a strawberry smoothie. And you just have a pure strawberry smoothie, and you drink that smoothie. What would that taste like? And the answer is, that would a hundred percent taste like strawberries, because that’s all that’s gone into the making of the strawberry. Now, what if you just had a glass of clear water and a pretty strong strawberry extract in a really concentrated form, and you dropped one drop of that into a glass of water? What would that taste like? And then the answer is, that would taste like strawberry—with just one tiny concentrated drop. And Kenneth’s punchline on this is: “It all tastes like strawberry, motherfucker.” I believe that’s the punchline. And his point is, it doesn’t really matter where you are on the spectrum of Jhāna. And we could say, when we say the Jhānic spectrum, we’re talking about on one end we have the Pa’auk tradition , which would have you completely absorbed, so much so that a gun could go off by your head. On the lighter end, we would have Leigh Brasington , who teaches Jhānic factors, a very Sutta-based approach—or maybe some even less rigorous, less absorbed type of Jhāna. And Kenneth’s point is: it all tastes like Jhāna. What are you talking about? It’s just a different flavor. And how much of that actual flavor do you need to be able to recognize it? His point is, the tiniest little millionth part in a glass in the ocean would still taste like strawberries, so to speak. Let me know if you have a different interpretation of that story. That’s how I interacted with it when Kenneth told me. Vince: Yeah, no, I have a similar interpretation of what he was teaching there. He was kind of pointing to this depth dimension of Jhāna, and using the strawberry analogy to point out that, yeah, these states are patterns of mind. And even if you experience them at a great depth of absorption or focus, it’s still the same pattern. You can still recognize that pattern. And that’s what we’re calling Jhāna, essentially. Brian: Yeah. So that’s the “flavors” part. And then maybe we could ask—let me raise a question to you then, Vince. So, what is Jhāna? We’ve got this interesting word with this weird hyphen over the A, and even how I think about it over the years has changed. How do you view what Jhāna is these days, Vince? Vince: Yeah, for me too, it’s changed. And I guess maybe that change is interesting. ’Cause I imagine this is the case for you as well, Brian. Maybe for everyone who takes up a Jhāna practice. At first you experience Jhāna in the very specific way that you’re practicing with it—so you’ve got whatever tradition you’re working in, you’ve got the meditation object that you’ve been working with, you’ve got the instructions, and you’ve got a bunch of ideas about what is supposed to be happening, and what constitutes Jhāna. And you’re using all of that to try to get into the states that are being described in that practice system. So for me, like when I first started doing Jhāna practice, it was with Leigh Brasington. He was the first Jhāna teacher I worked with 20 years ago. I went on retreat. Sadly, I left my sick wife at home in the apartment—because I didn’t want to. This is how self-absorbed I was at the time—I didn’t want to get sick, at the beginning of a Jhāna retreat. So I just left her there suffering by herself, to go off and get— Brian: So you could go get concentrated. Vince: Yeah. So that should explain the emphasis on wishing all beings to be concentrated. That’s what I needed a little more of. But yeah, for me it was working within Leigh’s system. And like you said, the emphasis there is on—well, it’s on the breath, but also on the Jhānic factors. And I started to notice when they get strong enough, you can turn toward those factors and just get absorbed in them, which is like getting absorbed in the strawberry. So, long story short though, as I expanded to other practices, and I was doing more vipassanā noting style—which I now call Vipassanā Jhāna—and I was doing other techniques in more depth, I started to notice there’s a deep pattern or structure, which is the same regardless of the practice I’m doing, which object I’m working with, or even what definitions about the states that should be arising. There’s still something that’s the same that happens. And for me now, I consider Jhāna to be just meditation—the most—which is the literal translation of the term Jhāna. It comes from dhyāna in Sanskrit, which is also translated as Zen. Brian: So it goes dhyāna to Chan to Zen in China, then over to Chan . Yeah. Jhāna, Chan, Zen. And the Zen guys diss Jhāna all day long—but the name of Zen actually means Jhāna, which is hilarious. Vince: They just don’t talk about it because they’re being it, I think. So yeah, that’s how I understand Jhāna now. It’s just—yeah, this is what we’re doing. It’s meditation. And whatever you meditate on does change the contours of the state and the experience. And whatever ideals you have certainly change your relationship to what’s arising. Sometimes a state could seem totally inadequate, or like a warmup to something deeper. Whereas for other people, that could be the thing that you’re aiming for. Just, “Oh, I’m in it now, I’m just going to rest or abide.” So I think for me, the world of Jhāna has opened up and expanded a lot over time. Brian: You said there’s some similar quality. Could you say anything more about what that similar quality is? Vince: Yeah. Okay, so, let’s explore that together. Seems it consistent? It gets a little tricky. Yeah, it gets a little tricky because I learned it first through the noting maps, and so I’ll tend to notice—I’ll go there to describe things, even though that doesn’t describe the universal quality. But the stuff you did with the eye posture, like pointing to that, there’s something there where it seems like regardless of which state I’m in, the eyes are moving through this sort of progression. Brian: Yeah. Vince: That seems to be universal. Brian: Yeah. Yeah. Vince: The aperture of attention and how broad or open attention is, and how much it includes the field of experience—that also seems to be a chief characteristic, regardless of the state, or the object I’m working with. What else? Brian: Totally concur with you. Yeah. The aperture. I often call it maybe the—Ingram also says the width of the Jhāna, which is a really weird thing, like what width, how am I going to measure the width? But it’s the width of the visual field essentially, is what’s being pointed to—what’s happening in that space when the eyes are closed. Yeah. Vince: Yeah. Brian: What else is similar there? Vince: I was going to say something about the body, but the body’s something that seems like it changes. Like, the experience of the body changes a lot depending on where one is and the depth dimension. Maybe you could talk a little bit about that, having experienced those sort of really deep exclusive states, where the body is described as having dropped off or dissolved. Brian: Yeah, so similar to—so, let’s say I’ve been doing Jhāna for 15 years, probably Vince a little bit less than you, and we’ve come to a similar conclusion, I think. Which is: I think we’re just talking about meditation here, and Jhāna’s maybe a placeholder for what sounds like a certain technique, but really it’s more than that. And like you, Vince, I’ve come to really feel that Jhāna just means meditation. And from that perspective, when we call a retreat The Flavors of Jhāna , it’s The Flavors of Meditation . And our meditation community is called The Meditation Community. It’s not—Jhāna just meaning meditation. I think that’s totally appropriate. And so the more that I teach, the more what I come to see is we have eight discrete Jhānic states that are sort of pitched in an order of progression. It’s linear. So you start with one and you go to eighth. It makes sense. The practitioner might find something really different though, which is on any given day, in any given emotional state, a different state might be more accessible to me. For those of us that wake up in the middle of a lot of suffering and dukkha ñāṇa, we might find that a blissful third Jhāna is really accessible—maybe for some reasons we can talk about later. So as we start to explore that, then it’s like, you don’t actually have to start at the first to get to the third, do you? You can drop in there some days. There’s many practitioners that will tell you how they can just do a cold start right into the fifth Jhāna. And so if you start following that to its logical conclusion, I think what we start to say is: is it possible that whole meditation traditions have been built out around a single Jhānic state? And my answer to that is absolutely yes. So, Vince, and I think you and I were speaking the other day about what would happen if we said that the best Jhānic state was the sixth Jhāna, and that if we reified that to be the maximum, only, best thing. Many meditation teachers are only teaching the best thing, so let’s be one of those teachers who’s only teaching the best thing. What would that look like? And I think you and I agreed—that would look a lot like Ramana Maharshi, wouldn’t it? That would look a lot like Advaita. “I am the world creator. I’m the world destroyer. I am just pure, infinite, boundless consciousness.” And so my current thinking around this is: Jhānic states could all be reified, so much so that an entire tradition could be built around the fifth Jhāna, or the seventh, or the eighth. And in fact, I think they have been built around that. And if you really love the sixth Jhāna—yeah, go do Advaita. It’s probably your perfect cup of tea. I think we’d say a very similar thing around the fifth or the seventh or the eighth as well. Vince: Yeah. That’s really interesting. So you’re describing how perhaps entire practice traditions might be centered around specific states as the starting point, and then exploring those states or the domain around those states. Brian: Yeah. Brian: And then, so we’re going to—we’ll teach eye postures, folks. And I think some of—but to talk about that real briefly, it’s about the aperture. So, a really tight aperture is a first Jhānic eye posture. Then it gets a little bit bigger with second, a little bit bigger with third, and then real big with this more expansive fourth Jhānic eye posture. So the really interesting question for the formless realm practitioner—ooh, in general I think this makes you become interested in eyes. And then you start to look at other practice. Maybe some of you have a Six Yogas practice, or Dzogchen, you’ve done Mahāmudrā. And if you start to think about that a little bit: where do my eyes go? Or where do one’s eyes go when they do Dzogchen? You start to play with that a little bit and you realize there’s a very distinct eye posture for Dzogchen. If you look at monks, they’ll often practice Dzogchen with their eyes open. Their eyes are flittering all around. They’re doing the eye thing. What would that correlate to, a state in our Jhānic arc? Maybe there’s not really a Dzogchen-like Jhānic arc, I’m not quite sure around that. But each practice seems to have a discrete eye posture—most of which, I think, can be correlated to one of the Jhānic states. That’s a lot of how I think about non-Jhānic practice these days: what is the closest thing that makes me feel like this in the Jhānic practice, and I’m using the eye postures to triangulate around that. As I said all that, it sounded esoteric. Did that sound really esoteric? Vince: Yeah, but for me I was thinking of something very practical—like in the Dzogchen tradition, when I worked with Lama Lena . Her basic instructions are to take a, like, a pebble or rock first. Brian: Yeah. Vince: Yeah. And as you practice what’s called shiné , which is like calm abiding, you focus on the rock, or the pebble. And then there’s another phase of practice in which you just remove the pebble, and then you continue to focus. And so that to me gets at the eye posture of Dzogchen, where previously you had something you were focused on, and then now you’re asked to continue focus without that thing. So that’s like a very practical instantiation of that, where the eye posture is clearly one that’s meant to be open and spacious, but somehow stable and focused as well. Brian: And I love that. So what would that be called? That’s samādhi without object. Vince: Yeah, shamatha without a sign . Brian: And we don’t really talk about that in the Theravāda lineage—which you and I have done probably most of our practice in, Vince. There’s no samādhi without a sign. It’s always a sign. So that’s just so fascinating. That’s really deeply aligned with the yogic tradition, where they have objectless samādhi. And it’s a totally different feeling to do that. And yes—look at something, then take the thing away, and keep looking at it. What is that, other than an eye posture? My story on eye posture is from a lineage—like a very deep practitioner. I’d love to share it with you. I’ve shared it before, but it’s worthwhile to share again. So one of my main teachers, Sayalay Susīlā, who was the chief attendant for Pa Auk Sayadaw for a couple decades while he was traveling around Asia—she would spend time with him in Sri Lanka, several years there cooking his food and being his chief attendant. So very close to Pa Auk Sayadaw, really deeply absorbing his teachings. And one day—I learned eye postures from Kenneth Folk, and I didn’t really need to talk about that with my Pa Auk teacher because she was very traditional. I didn’t want to bring too much stuff in that might make her feel uncomfortable. But one day I accidentally said—I mentioned that I was using eye postures, and I said something about looking toward something. And she said to me in great shock, she goes, “You’re looking with your eyes?” Eyes closed, but still looking. I said, “Yeah.” She goes, “You’re looking with your eyes, like your actual eyes? Not some internal drifty—?” And I said, “Yeah, I’m looking with my actual eyes. I’m like taking a gaze.” And she goes, “If you’re doing it already, just keep doing it.” I thought she was going to chastise me and say, “Never do that again.” But she essentially blessed the practice. So there was something there that was quite profound, I thought. Even from the Pa Auk tradition, they seemed to—I got a little wink, nod, nod on that one. Vince: Nice. I had a similar experience, although it turned out a little differently, with Daniel Ingram. I think I’ve shared this with you, Brian, where I was wanting to explore the kasina object, using the circular orb as a visual focus point. And Daniel Ingram had written the Fire Kasina book, and had been talking a lot about fire kasina in the years leading up to that. But I wasn’t really that into the flame. I was wanting to do it, like, on my computer or whatever. And his instructions were very much to take the kasina object, close your eyes, and then see the afterimage, the eidetic image, and focus on that. And that by using that subtle— which I guess in your tradition would be like the nimitta —by focusing on that sort of internal nimitta, you eventually get absorbed. Well, you go through a process with that, but eventually it’s a kind of a complete absorption in the nimitta. And I understood that, but for some reason I wanted to keep my eyes open doing the practice. It was just like a sort of intuition or an instinct. And maybe it was like a rebellious thing—“I’m going to rebel against what one of my teachers is telling me to do and see if he’s right.” And I found, actually—this was so interesting—that moving through the third Jhāna, which he calls the murk, which for me I experienced as the kasina breaking apart and moving around and dissolving and being difficult to focus on—eventually my eyes actually settled so much that they were just barely open. It was almost like just a tiny slit of my eyes were open. And at some point it shifted into the fourth Jhāna, where all I saw was the color. It was like where I was looking and how my eyes were—and it wasn’t like I was trying to engineer this, I was actually just moving through the state—and I found suddenly that my eyes were closed at just the right amount and looking at just the right place, that all I saw was the color from the kasina and I was completely absorbed. Brian: This is what was supposed to happen. Vince: Yeah, exactly. Brian: That’s a full absorption. How beautiful. With eyes open. So amazing. Vince: And I was like, “Oh, my teacher’s wrong. You can’t just do this—or you don’t only have to do this—with your eyes closed, taking the internal image. You can work with the external image the entire time, through the whole process.” Brian: Yes. Yeah, absolutely. Maybe that’s a great transition. Vince: Sorry, Daniel. Brian: No, and we all love Daniel, and great respect for everything he’s done. It’s nice to have people trying different things out and telling us what actually works. Vince: Yeah. Brian: Maybe we could talk a little about the fact that there are a lot of concentration objects and what we will be offering in the retreat as far as what people might like to do around that. Vince: Yeah, that’s cool. Brian: So folks, actually I don’t have my list on me and I wouldn’t be able to remember this because it’s just too many, but there are traditionally 40 concentration objects. And the breath is one of those. The brahmavihāras, like loving-kindness, would be included. Things like contemplating the foulness of the body—contemplating pus, or contemplating urine or feces—would be considered part of that as well. And then you have all the kasinas, which are really traditional, and also contemplating the dharmas would be a concentration object as well. And so there’s this premise that there are only 40, but every single sutta, or everything in Buddhism, there’s always a sutta that says the opposite. And so what it turns out, there’s a beautiful story where the Buddha meets a person, and the Buddha had the ability to see into people’s past lives. And when he met this person, he could see this person had been a jeweler in a previous life. And so when the person came to him to request his object of concentration—which is how it was done in the old days, you go to your teacher and they give you the most suitable object, which is how it happened for me too in Malaysia, she will tell me what to do, I don’t get to pick, she’s going to pick based on her supreme knowledge, right?—and the Buddha to the jeweler, he says, “Clearly you were a jeweler in a previous life. I’m going to have you concentrate on this big, beautiful red ruby,” because he knew this guy was just going to be fully, really love the jewel, the ruby. So that—so apparently we could say the ruby is the 41st concentration object. But what I think we can actually take away from that story is: you can choose anything as a concentration object. Vince, maybe you want to talk later about your story—about Vince taking the number 1 as a concentration object on a full retreat, which is, whoa. How—where would that go? What’s the sign of the number one, the nimitta? That’s really fascinating. So there are all these different concentration objects. The breath is a wonderful object. I really promote the breath simply because I always have it with me. I don’t need to take a bench with me. I don’t have to have a cushion. I don’t have to have a fancy colored thing. I don’t have to have my computer. I can do it anywhere I am. It’s always with me—the breath. And the breath produces this nimitta, this visual sign that allows us to get fully absorbed as well. Some of the other concentration objects wouldn’t take one to that level of nimitta. And so for our retreat that’s going to be happening on January 2nd, Vince and I’s idea is we would like—we’re very non-dogmatic teachers and we really like a spirit of openness and exploration—and we’re going to invite all the participants to choose their object of concentration. I think probably, Vince, both of us will be teaching from one object. I’ll be teaching from the breath for sure, because that’s my preferred object. But you’re welcome to choose a kasina. You could choose flame if you want. I think we could find a way to have you do a fire kasina somewhere if you wanted, et cetera, et cetera. Water, whatever you might like to work with. Vince, anything you want to add to that? Just how we’re hoping to really keep it open for people on the retreat? Vince: Yeah, this is—it’s an interesting experiment, because most concentration retreats, and I think in both of our experience, the whole group is being taught one object and is usually, though not always, doing one object focus together. And here, the idea is—what, yeah, we’re all going to be focusing on one thing, but that one thing could be different depending on who you are and what you’re resonating with, and where you want to go deep during that retreat. So it’s a kind of interesting balance of the diversity of possible objects that one could be working with, and the universal experience of deepening with your meditation object. So we’re going to be focusing on the universal patterns here, and the universal challenges that arise when trying to focus on anything—whether it be a jewel or a number, or the breath. And so yeah, I’m hopeful that we can weave those two worlds together. And my hope is that the deepening that happens often on retreat, that can be felt, that extra support—that we don’t lose that just because there’s a diversity of objects being worked with. But rather, that it creates something like a more complex field of concentration. Like the complexity of a wine when you drink— Brian: Yeah, complex harmonics. Vince: Yeah, exactly. There’s a complexity there because of the way differences come together. And I guess I felt that in the Jhāna community, with your Śamatha Jhāna and the Vipassanā Jhāna and the Metta Jhāna. There’s something I’ve seen with people that are going to multiple of these groups, where they’re getting more of the flavor of the practice and what it could be like, by dipping into these different subjects. Brian: That’s fascinating. And that metaphor of complex wine is really lovely. And complex harmonics tend to make interesting music. So that’s great. Anything—should we talk about the breadth and the depth? So something that you and I often—so for those who are listening to this, Vince and I will often come across—so Vince and I are fairly non-dogmatic in the sense that we’re really open to all doorways. And certain teachers that have been brought up in strong traditions, they have a really strong idea about what Jhāna is and what it isn’t. Which I completely respect. And I really want to honor those classical traditions as well. I love that stuff and I’m completely drawn toward that as well. But Vince and I think we have a—we know we have a bit of a different approach. What should we say about the breadth and the depth that we’re hoping to cover there? Vince: Yeah. Personally I can say I’ve struggled with this a lot over the years of practice. Brian: Totally. Vince: Having come up as a layperson, I decided not to go the monastic route because of my girlfriend—now wife. I didn’t want to lose that relationship. It felt important. So I was always doing the thing—and I think you had the same experience for a while—going in and out of retreat. Brian: Totally. Vince: And going in and out of daily practice, doing an hour or two a day formal practice, going in and out of a month or so on retreat, coming back. And I experienced the oscillation between daily life and retreat life to be very fruitful on the one hand—where it felt like I kept plunging the depths and then coming back—but then also very challenging and confusing on the other end. Like, how do I bridge these two realities together? It almost could feel schizophrenic at times, coming in and out of that space. And part of what I learned really working with Kenneth—social noting exercises initially and teaching—was, oh, I need to be able to connect these states across my relationships now. That I need to be able to be present in relationship, not just by myself in silence on retreat. I need to find a way to bring this to bear on everything. And also be more okay not being in really concentrated states, since there are times where it’s just going to be hard to do that. I know we’ve talked about your experience—I’ve laughed a number of times thinking about your experience going from super hardcore Pa Auk-style retreat practice to being in Tokyo with your wife, trying to maintain some of that depth while in an environment that just doesn’t seem designed to do that. Maybe you could talk a little bit about your experience trying to maintain the depth. Brian: Just a general comment. This is less about Vince and I being meditation teachers and just trying to be skillful human beings in the world. If your partner’s getting mad at you because of how you meditate, you’re probably not doing it right. There’s something going on that’s probably out of sync. And so what that looked like for me was—I’m going to be the—clearly I needed to be the best Jhāna master ever to live who was a Westerner, I think. Second only or something like that. And what did that mean practically? Trying to live a life where I’m meditating four to five hours a day, while maintaining a full-time job and a marriage. And you know, that’s sustainable for a certain amount of time. But what it actually means you need to do is you need to be dropping into the ānāpāna spot when your wife goes to the bathroom at dinner. And if you’re thinking about that, you’re probably actually thinking about it while you’re eating dinner. And you might even take a moment to touch it while you’re eating dinner. And then the wife will actually notice, and she’ll say, “Stop meditating,” because she’s sensitive to all your moods. Because she’s been living with you. She knows when you’re meditating, even if you think you’re hiding it. And so this is actually failure mode. I don’t think this is a good move. And so it’s exactly what Vince is saying. There’s something super beautiful about learning to get fully absorbed in a Jhānic experience, which tends to take some time for most people. There’s a time-on-the-cushion element to that just because of the relative time it takes to build up the concentrated facility. But we also have lives to live. And there are certain things going on that make it impractical some of the time. So what’s the happy medium? I think what’s actually practical for us as laypeople. Now, one of my dear teachers is Tina Rasmussen. She’s my first Jhāna teacher. And therefore I feel a really strong connection to Tina, who was one of my first Pa Auk teachers. But Tina won’t think that what Vince and I are teaching is Jhāna. Because it—and some of the things that we’re being taught in the Jhānic community—she wouldn’t call Jhāna, because it’s a little bit too far out of the rails of the Pa Auk tradition. And I totally understand that, and I respect that. And maybe Leigh would have his own opinions on that. And all these teachers have all these opinions. I think what Vince and I would like to offer you all is: we’re going to hold all of that. We’re big enough to hold all of that, accept all of that, agree with all of that, and be open to disagreeing with all of that. But we’re going to say, that’s all going to fit somewhere on the spectrum. We’re happy. And in fact, I think within the community we hope we have teachers who could orient you to any part of the spectrum. Because at certain times of your life, some parts will be more interesting than others. If you’re on a month-long at the Forest Refuge, go for full absorption with the nimitta. Why not? What a beautiful thing to have done in your life. If you’re living a layperson’s life and you meditate for about 20 minutes in the morning, maybe just get a little bit of nice pīti going, per Leigh Brasington’s instructions. Because that’s totally accessible in 15 minutes. What’s going to make you feel good? Jhāna ultimately is really being offered as an episodic intervention to suffering. That’s how the Buddha taught it. It’s how he practiced it. And you can read that in the suttas. He entered Jhāna at the end of his life because he was sick. This is exactly how it was taught, and how he still can do it today. Vince: Brian, you mentioned the spectrum, and I know we’ve talked explicitly about the depth dimension as a spectrum. And here I’m like visually imagining this as like a vertical spectrum, where as you go down you get deeper. But I also have been thinking in the Jhāna community about another axis, which is the breadth axis. So if I were to map these together—like depth going vertically and breadth going horizontally—that would give like a bit more like a grid. And I think the breadth dimension—we were talking about this here, and it’s good to make it explicit—which is, you can, and the way I understand the Pa Auk tradition really, is that it’s focused on a very exclusive kind of breadth. Very hyper-focused on the object, and super deep. So it’d be like in the lower-left quadrant of this: super exclusive and super deep. Brian: Yeah. Vince: And what I’ve been realizing I’ve been trying to do in the last decade or so is live on the other side of the spectrum. Which is the more inclusive dimension of Jhāna, which I find you can actually take very deep. And maybe the Zen tradition is the best place where that’s emphasized, where it’s like your practice and your life are all integrated in one. And there’s really an emphasis not on preferencing being in a particular posture or doing a particular thing—it’s just like, your whole life is the meditation. And if that to me is—okay, that’s a more inclusive kind of meditation experience, or Jhānic experience, where everything that arises is part of the practice. And like, thinking of The Karate Kid , it’s like, at the beginning of The Karate Kid , what are they learning? Wax on, wax off. You’re learning every basic movement can be kung fu. And so if you turn everything you do into the meditation, then you can have a kind of inclusive attention or awareness that doesn’t get knocked off by the changingness of the content of experience. Brian: Say more about inclusive, exclusive. And I think you were doing one or the other when you did our guided sit today—you were talking a lot about “may concentration arise for all.” Were you even doing a little bit of a visualization? Visualization—what would the world look like, should we all be so concentrated? Can you point to what you were doing there—whether that was inclusive or exclusive, and how you see those two? Vince: Yeah, that’s a good example, Brian. That was the move toward more inclusiveness. Including the imaginal capacity, which you’d already brought online really with the rails, feeling in the breath. So just working off of that. But also including in awareness more of a sense of others. And I think what I learned from Ken Wilber, of the Integral philosophers, is like we really can include these core perspectives. We can include our first-person experience—which to me, that’s already included, even in the most exclusive, deep Jhāna states. You’re including your own experience, you have to, because that’s where it’s happening. But then you can also include others’ experience. You can open to and include in your awareness other people. And the early Buddhist tradition has good examples of that, like in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta . As they’re describing the kind of mindfulness you want to establish, they said establish this mindfulness internally and externally. And so there’s already there some clear instructions for how you can have a more inclusive kind of focus that includes not just your own experience, but also others. And then the third thing you could include, from an Integral perspective, is the third-person perspective, which is like the external world. Nature, the world of nature. And I—lately I’ve been sitting for 24 minutes a day outside on my back porch. That’s been my practice—just sitting. And it’s a very inclusive practice, because the eyes are open, ears are open, body open, and you’re just sitting and being with whatever is. In my case, it’s with Emily, and with the sounds of what’s happening in the neighborhood. Brian: What a beautiful practice. Vince: That to me is like more inclusive. If you open from your first person to include others and then include the world—if you include all those things—you’re sitting in a very inclusive way. Or walking, or standing, or whatever posture you might be in. Brian: And folks, you know that—what’s the proximate cause for concentration? That’s concentration. We’ve all heard that before. It’s a kind of a funny joke. I think we talk about like Shakti and passing our concentration to others, which I hear a lot—people say when they’re with me they feel more concentrated. I think that’s because I’m including them. I’m trying to include them in that space. I want them to be part of that. And I’m inviting them into mine, and they’re giving me some back, and we’re all kind of building it together. The—a little bit more on the spectrum. So my natural resting place on the spectrum and Vince’s natural resting place on the spectrum are actually at totally opposite ends of the spectrum. I want you guys to know that because I think that’s really great—that you have a teacher who sits on each side, and therefore we can cover all the middle. So I’m a hundred percent exclusive. That’s how I was taught to practice. And so one of the primary things I do when I’m correcting students who come to me to learn Pa Auk Jhāna is: people have been highly influenced by events, or they’ve been highly influenced by The Mind Illuminated —Culadasa. And they’ll come in and then I’ll learn, like on session four, like I hadn’t realized it because they haven’t told me yet, “Oh yeah, I’m always leaving 10% of my awareness in the room to note things before they arise.” And I’m like, “No. You don’t leave any awareness in the room. You put a hundred percent here. We’re never doing anything but that.” And that turns out to be revelatory. People are like, “Oh, I don’t leave any in the room?” And I’m like, “No, this is an exclusive practice. A hundred percent.” And some of us will really be drawn to that. It’s a very—you guys can feel the renunciate vibe of that Theravāda. It tends to be a renunciate practice. That churning is renunciate practice. And those of us who are incredibly drawn to absorption tend to have a little bit of that renunciate vibe. I absolutely have that in myself. Vince, on the other side, has taken—all great teachers will have students who will take something they’ve taught and run with it and reify and make it great. And Vince took social meditation from Kenneth. And I took eye postures. Kenneth talked about eye postures a little bit, but I went and made it the whole thing. Kenneth is even surprised by how big it’s got at this point. And I think he’d say the same about Vince in social meditation. So just a little bit there about how we—our natural resting places I think make us really great teaching partners, in the sense that we love to cover the whole end of the spectrum, from our respective ends, which are the exact opposite ends. I think, Vince, that we sit at the opposite ends on that, naturally. Vince: Yeah. But we can meet in the middle, which I think is important. We both have that experience of being on the other side. So yeah—to your point, we’ll do some social meditation on this retreat as well, regularly. And the intention there is to play with extending attention to include more. I was thinking about, what is the core difference between the sort of exclusive and inclusive ends of that spectrum? And it more or less reduces down to whether you’re saying “no” to experience outside of the object you’re working with, or whether you’re saying “yes.” Or whether the object you’re working with includes everything else. And in that sense, I would say all practice is working with that spectrum. Because there are times—even probably in the Pa Auk tradition, I imagine—where something could be arising that actually keeps you from being able to a hundred percent focus on here. And you actually at some point have to maybe turn toward it and deal with it, or address it, so that you can come back to a hundred percent focus here. Is that accurate? Brian: Yeah, so the most radical Pa Auk teacher will say you don’t even do that. And they’re not going to even acknowledge that there’s a hindrance taking you away, because that would almost be like an admission of defeat. Vince: Like you’re feeding it or something? Brian: Yeah, like feeding there something. So it’s just: focus here. That being said, in the more modern Pa Auk teachers, they talk a lot about transformation versus transcendence. And the frame on this is—with Jhāna, we’re aiming for transcendence. We are going to intensely ecstatic states that one would never experience without doing the practice. And these are supernormal human states, way beyond the pale of normal human experience. But sometimes that doesn’t work, because we’re super hungry or we hate our boss, and we’re being pulled away by hindrances, we could say. And then when that happens, we simply can’t concentrate. Focus here is not an option. And the more modern teachers are a little bit more flexible around that, and they say that’s when we shift from transcendence into transformation. And what I mean by that is personality transformation. And they will propose that you do some work around working with the hindrances, so that you can free up that energy to go back to the ānāpāna spot. Any hindrance is just taking something away from energy that could be put always right here. Focus here always and forever, even when you don’t feel like it, is the message of that tradition. Vince: So this is cool. I think that—I’m thinking the way this will probably play out on this retreat is we’ll be offering different perspectives from either side of that. And the exploration is going to be around figuring out how to work with that more inclusive versus more exclusive focus, and finding the sweet spot for you in that spectrum. Brian : I think that’s what we’re offering. I’ve never, folks—I’ve never done a Jhāna retreat that wasn’t full noble silence. So it’s actually quite novel for me to go into a very strong concentration practice, but also have the space to be more inclusive. And that’s what I want to do this time. I think that’s a great approach. I think it’ll bear great fruit for us. Join us in The Jhāna Community –an online community of practice focused on all the flavors of meditation. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 11

Vince Fakhoury Horn : I was thinking about where to start with the 9th Jhāna, and I think the first thing to say is that the 9th Jhāna is not a state. So why in the world are we within a community of practice called The Jhāna Community , which is explicitly aimed at developing and cultivating certain states of mind, or states of consciousness, why would we be focusing on something which is not a state? Let me let me share a little bit where this term came from. So I'm borrowing this term from a researcher who I spoke to some months ago. This is a researcher working on a project studying advanced meditation . They were asking me about my experience with jhāna's and then asked, “Do you have any experience with anything that would be considered like a 9th Jhāna, or anything beyond the eight traditional jhānas.” And I had to think about that because I'd never heard the term, “the 9th jhāna.” I'd heard other things, weird things, but I hadn't heard that one before, so I thought about it and I was like, “Well, I guess the only thing I would describe as the 9th jhāna is just sort of resting in awareness, or just being open and not doing anything, just being”, what I would normally in my own models call Awareness Meditation, and that is the spirit of this exploration today. Want to explore the 9th jhāna with Vince Horn? Join him for another round of The 9th Jhāna in The Jhāna Community beginning September 30th, 2025. The 9th Jhāna is an exploration of how to explore these states of consciousness that arise in meditation naturally and organically when the mind and body are settled, through the doorway of a very different kind of meditation object, which is not an object at all. We take awareness as our “object.” Of course, awareness can't take itself as an object, right? If you could take awareness as an object, that wouldn't be awareness. It'd be some experience. With the 9th jhāna we're learning how to rest in awareness, to be aware of awareness. And there are lots of ways to do that, and there's lots of ways to think about that. So today I wanted to kind of just share a few different frames with you, uh, as an attempt to frame the unframeable. Awareness isn't something which we can frame properly because it's not an experience, or it's not a thing, or state. But we still have to talk about it. Because it's like the whole point of the Buddhist meditative tradition in a certain way. So how can we talk about something that doesn't fit into the normal categories of how we think about reality? One way I think we have to talk about this, and this is a longstanding conversation in the Buddhist contemplative tradition, is we have to talk about how we enter into this awareness of awareness. And there's a longstanding debate here between what in the Buddhist tradition they call the Sudden and Gradual schools. They're not actual real schools, okay. In fact, they're probably not really actual people who really believe either one of these extreme positions anymore. But, over thousands of years, you could say a dialogue has been happening across these different lines of looking at how the path unfolds. And one of the so-called schools says that the path is a gradual process, it's something that you develop through time. In a book called One Dharma by a Teacher named Joseph Goldstein , he does his best to try to make sense of these different approaches and he describes this kind of approach where you're gradually developing stage by stage or step by step. He calls this the Building From Below orientation. But there's also, as he describes it, a way to Swoop From Above with Awareness. You don't necessarily have to spend 20 years and you know, five Goenka retreats, or whatever the amount of stuff that you did, before you realized the basic truth about awareness, which is: good luck trying to not be aware. Ken Wilber, one of my early mentors, he used to always point to awareness, he'd say, “Try to stop being aware of my voice.” And Ken talks a lot [laughs] and he'd just keep talking, talking, talking about how you can't not be aware. And it's true, it's hard to shut awareness off. So here, how do we actually, suddenly realize that we're already aware? This is the Sudden School, which Joseph Goldstein described as Sweeping from Above. You could just realize it's already done. You're already aware, you're already awake. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj , in a book called I Am That he said, “To be aware is to be awake. Unaware means asleep. You are aware anyhow, you need not try to be. What you need is to be aware of being aware. Be aware deliberately and consciously, broaden and deepen the field of awareness. You are always conscious of the mind, but you are not aware of yourself as being conscious.” I like this way of describing awareness practice, because in a way, he's integrating these two, the sudden and gradual approaches. He's not prioritizing one over the other. He's saying both are true. You're always conscious, right? So consciousness is always present, but you're not always aware that you're aware. You're not always conscious of your consciousness. And so there, that's the practice is being aware of being aware. That's it. That's what we're doing here. B. Alan Wallace in The Attention Revolution , another awesome Dharma book, that touches on awareness as a doorway into jhāna, he says, “In awareness of awareness, there is no intentional directing of attention. You simply rest in that flow of knowing, and from time to time gently recognize that you are aware.” I wish it were more complicated than that, sometimes I wish I could just lay it out like kind of like Daniel Ingram did in his book, Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha , and just give you the full, 400 page diagram detail of how to get into awareness. And I'm sure that book exists, and that might be a useful exercise. But for me, the practice is quite simple. And unfortunately, the thinking mind will tend to make this more complex than it is, and that tends to be one of the biggest obstacles that I've noticed in using awareness as a tool for entering into jhāna. So this is one way to look at what we're doing here with the 9th Jhāna. How is it that we're coming into this awareness? Gradually or all of a sudden. Another way of looking at awareness practice, I think that's very important is that if you are taking a gradual approach, if you feel like there's some kind of movement or development or progression through time, what I've noticed is that that progression often takes one of two forms, and this seems to largely depend on the person and the tradition that they're practicing in. One of the ways, in the Christian contemplative tradition, they call this Via Negativa. In the Hindu tradition, they call this Advaita, which is you take all of the experiences that are rising and you recognize that you are not any of those, because they're objects, because they're arising, because you can know them. That means they arise in time that they're changing, and they will vanish. This is the basic truth of vipassana , right? Mindfulness. Yeah, so we can recognize that and we recognize anything that we can be aware of is not ultimately who we are. This is the process of, Neti Neti, as it’s said in Sanskrit, “Not this, Not this.” With this approach you're backing away from the untruth. You're backing away from everything that is not you. You're letting go of all those objects and just resting in awareness that's devoid of any characteristics. Devoid. That's important. This is the path of the void. Not this. Via Negativa. Then on the other side though, you have the opposite path, Via Positiva. “This too, This too.” Nothing is excluded. Anything that arises that appears to be apart from you, you include it in awareness. You fold it back into awareness and see that thing that I thought was out there, over here, this too! Shunryū Suzuki Roshi in Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind , he says, “That everything is included within your mind is the essence of mind.” So, here we're recognizing that everything that arises in the mind is the essence of mind. Another quote from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj , in I Am That : “The mind produces thoughts ceaselessly, even when you do not look at them. When you know what is going on in your mind, you call it consciousness. That is your waking state–your consciousness shifts from sensation to sensation, from perception to perception, from idea to idea, in endless succession. Then comes awareness, the direct insight into the whole of consciousness, the totality of the mind. The mind is like a river, flowing ceaselessly in the bed of the body; you identify yourself for a moment with some particular ripple and call it: ‘my thought’. All you are conscious of is your mind; awareness is the cognizance of consciousness as a whole.” Awareness is the cognizance of consciousness as a whole. Again, we'll use this as our kind of broad definition for what it is that we're meditating on. And of course we don't meditate on awareness. We meditate as awareness. There's no way to take awareness as an object. You can only be that awareness. So how do you be aware? Well, you're already aware. How do you not be aware? That might be a more interesting question. How do we not be aware? How do we avoid this moment? So these are two approaches, “Not this, Not this” (via negativa) and “This too, This too.” (via positiva), are both are valid ways to realize Awareness. I remember the first time I really heard this spoken by someone I respected, it was a teacher at Naropa University. I was in this class called Contemplative Hinduism and learning about the different contemplative approaches in the Hindu tradition. My teacher was a woman named Sreedevi Bringi , and she grew up in India and her family, and her family was close friends with Jiddu Krishnamurti , so she grew up, hanging out with Krishnamurti in her family house. Okay, that should give you a little sense of her background. She said in India there are two basic approaches, and she described it in pretty much the same way I just described them to you, except she said with the Neti, Neti approach, she said in India we call this Advaita Vedanta, radical non-duality. And the other approach “This too, This too”, we call that Tantra. Vedanta and Tantra. And she said both of these are valid approaches. At the time that I heard that, it was really useful, because I'd taken the Via Negativa approach and I thought, “Well, this must be the only way.” I noticed in the beginning when everyone was sharing about your background, I should have probably asked when your first Goenka retreat was, because almost everyone here seems to have experienced that. And that very much is the Via Negativa approach, where you're just breaking down, deconstructing your experience, disidentifying, you could say dissociating from whatever arises. So this is also, I think, an important frame for understanding the 9th Jhāna, that there are different ways in, that are either about backing away from identification with anything, or moving toward identification with everything. Ultimately, I would suggest these lead to the same realizations. And then finally, I want to throw this last frame out to you, which is the Several Ways to Meditate framework. This is a framework that my wife, Emily Horn and I developed over many years now to kind of describe the various approaches to meditation that we have practiced, and we teach, to provide a schema for understanding all the different possible ways there are to do this, and how they connect and relate to each other. If you think for a moment of a hexagram, starting off with a very simple six-sided object. If you look at that hexagram, you can see that there's six points in the hexagram, and each of those points is a style of meditation or a way to meditate. You have Concentration Meditation, bringing attention to a single point. Mindfulness, where we're noticing sensations as they change. Heartfulness, inclining the mind toward opening the heart. Inquiry Meditation where we're using a question as a prompt for discovery, like "What is awareness?" or "Who is aware?" Then you have Imaginal Meditation where you're using internal imagery or other internal senses to kind of put yourself in a position, that you can only imagine, where you're more whole and integrated. And then finally we have Embodiment Meditation where you're working on inhabiting the body. Now obviously there's a lot of overlaps between these styles. It's not that they're completely separate. In fact, they do connect. And if you imagine this hexagram, every point connecting up to a single point, like a pyramid, except this is a hexagramic pyramid. That single point at the top, the apex, is Awareness. Awareness is the only way of meditating that doesn't have a focus. It's the only style of meditation where there's nothing to do, and thus awareness doesn't contradict any of these other styles of practice. You might be missing that you're aware while you're furiously meditating on your breath or something, you might actually miss that, really it's true. But you can be aware and breathe at the same time. Awareness is compatible with everything, and it's the common denominator of all these styles. It's the point that transcends and includes all these different ways to meditate. So in that sense, it's a kind of special approach. And because of that you can use any of those other styles of meditation, in combination with the intention to be aware of awareness, and you can practice that as a doorway into the 9th jhāna. So you can practice Mindful Awareness, you can use techniques that intentionally bring in mindfulness, and also point toward awareness. Or you could do a kind of inquiry into awareness. You could use inquiry meditation to, to hone in on the nature of awareness through asking questions. “What is aware of this experience right now?” Can you find that? You can just sit and be in your body. Embodied awareness. You can take awareness as your concentration object. Shamatha without a sign, which was mentioned earlier. You could move through the jhānas naturally and organically as you just rest in awareness, concentrated awareness. So I mention this model because I'm going to be pulling from a lot of these different techniques over the course of the next 12 weeks. And my hope is that by exploring this from different angles, you can find the approaches to awareness that work for you, to let you in, that are access points for you that are reliable and which you can deepen through. And my experience is sometimes people will find that access point in one place, and it might not be a Goenka retreat, it might be somewhere else. So, here I want to provide as many access points as possible while also continuing to keep the focus centered on the 9th Jhāna. Practice the 9th Jhāna in The Jhāna Community with Vince Fakhoury Horn. Next group starts on September 30th, 2025. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 1

This episode of Buddhist Geeks features a candid and heartfelt conversation between Vince Fakhoury Horn and Tasshin Fogleman about Palestine, the TPOT subculture, and what it means to embody true Bodhisattvahood. They explore the limitations of online discourse, especially around contentious issues, and reflect on the importance of good-faith dialogue, friendship, and spiritual integrity in times of crisis. Join Vince Fakhoury Horn and Brian Newman outside of Lisbon, Portugal at the beginning of 2026 for a 10-day intensive jhāna retreat. There, we’ll be exploring The Flavors of Jhāna . Episode Transcript Vince: Hey Tasshin. Tasshin: Hi Vince. We just talked before I hit record. We just talked still. It's like formally. Hi. Hi. Tasshin: We're here. Vince: Yeah, exactly. That's good to see you. Tasshin: Yeah, good to see you too, brother. Yeah. Vince: Yeah, man, I appreciate you being willing to I invited you to have this conversation on X or my favorite platform to hate, Tasshin: My favorite platform to love. Vince: Great. I was there with you for a while, but yeah, it's getting a little weird. It's it's getting a little Faschy, X but we'll probably talk about that. So I propose that we talk about, this was the theme I proposed to you, which is Palestine, TPOT, and True Bodhisattvahood.. And it's, I guess in response to a lot of frustrated, angry, maybe righteous and not in a necessarily, in all bad sense. But yeah, in some posts that I've been sharing on X since I don't know it's been ongoing since the October 7th in my case. So I guess I wanted to explore that with you because I consider you to be one of my friends in the TPOT subculture, which we can get into and talk about what that actually is, Uhhuh because it's pretty, and it's it's vagueish, but, or decentralized at least. But it seems like you're well respected in this decentralized subculture and I think I'm part of that as well, but I seem to be taking a very different role from you and how I relate to it, which is a little bit more critical and Challenging and, I haven't found that's really endeared me to many people in the community. But some people like yourself have engaged with my critiques in what feels like a good faith way, and I've really appreciated that. So I thought, it'd be cool to have a, an even more personal conversation where people could see potentially if we decide to release any of this. And I don't know, just the human side of this, which doesn't come across often in 280 characters. Tasshin: Yeah. I appreciate all that context. I think that's really helpful and I think it's good to have a conversation about this. I think that I've been really struck by your perspectives on this and in general, I really value your perspectives and your opinions about the path and about practice and, we've had a number of disagreements over the years, but I've always walked away, like really learning a lot. And yeah, I do try to engage in good faith and I think especially one of the practices I have just for any kind of conflict in general is if I feel like text-based mediums especially can only hold so much. I don't even like to discourse or disagree on Twitter. I use it for other things and it's hey, if I'm, I've said this to you before, if we have a disagreement, let's get on a call and actually talk about it. And because it's just, you can actually hear the other person's perspective and where they're coming from in a way that text just really doesn't afford. So I'm glad we're talking about this. Yeah, I think it's great. Yeah. Vince: And the downside of doing that without recording it and sharing it back, because of course then it's just like a private thing that happens Right, and doesn't necessarily filter out in the same way to the collective. Tasshin: Totally. Totally. So Vince: This is cool. Yeah. Thank you. Tasshin: Do you have any suggestions for where you'd like to start or what feels like a good starting place? Vince: I would be curious to see your take on what TPOT is or how you'd describe that phenomena. I did spend a little bit of time reflecting on it, and I came up with a little, like micro definition, but I don't think it's exhaustive this a starting point. But I'm curious even before sharing that, if there's anything, thoughts on TPOT and what it is, if you've thought, have you meditated on that? How do you can, Tasshin: yeah. I love that and I'm so curious what your definition will be. I suspect it'll be spicier than mine, but I liked what you said earlier about it being a decentralized community. because I, I felt a little bit of trepidation before this conversation for really all three of the things you want to talk about. I feel like, so woefully inexpert in and I really don't know as much as I ought to about the war, and I don't know as much. I, I don't know. I'm not, I'm in TPOT certainly, but I'm not, there's no elected four figure leader or something. It's decentralized, as you said. And then also at the Bodhisattva path, I'm like still figuring it out very right. As we all are so right. But yeah, TPOT, I think for me it's very much about specific people, like their specific friends that I've cultivated very deep friendships with, that I've met through Twitter, and developed those relationships through Twitter and their, I think some of my closest friends at this point are people I've met through Twitter and they're friendships that I treasure and I think it is decentralized. I think it's. Spread throughout the world at this point. Like I can go to any major city and meet people who are connected to this network. And I, like my friend Andrew Rose has been talking about it recently as the network where it's yeah, it's not really about Twitter anymore. And it's not really, it's a larger cloud of people that are connected and I think it's not necessarily ideologically on the same page, like people having the same perspectives or even shared practices. There might be shared interests and common overlaps, but I think people have very different perspectives on the world. And it's more, if anything, I'd say it's like a developmental similarity where, for me at least, it really helped me to, I started to enter TPOT. I could go into detail, but as I was individuating from being at the monastery for many years and it's I mean it from a developmental perspective, it helped me jump from three to four in the Keegan stages where it's like I was in a tribal state of mind identified with the maple ideology and worldview and practices, which was great for me at the time. It really was. And then it's, it stopped being great for me and I had to find a new way and being with so many weirdos from around the world who saw things so differently really helped me to find my own way and find my own life. So I feel a sense of connection and intimacy with it, and like indebtedness to it, where it's these are my people and a help that helped me to find myself in the world. Yeah, that's what TPOT is to me at least. Vince: I like what you're saying about the developmental part. I guess I see the phenomena similarly like this is something that. There's a lot of people coming together, not, like you said, around a particular ideology or like framework. Which is very common. Like a bunch of people come together on a specific book or teacher or teaching or whatever. This is different because there are teachers and teachings that are, you see commonly in that community. But it's pretty broad. Yeah. Tasshin: And you don't have to buy into any of them. I think there are major, if anything there's like themes, like non coercion is a big one or Right. And people bring their own interests and you don't have to be interested in the same things other people are interested in. Vince: But there's something, if you put all those themes together, you'd start to see like broader theme of Absolutely. Yeah. The connection there. Yeah. Which I think you're totally right. It's, there's something maybe developmental underneath that. I was thinking about the book, The Postmodern Condition . Which David Chapman originally recommended to me. He's one of the, he's a TPOT Philosopher. Maybe he wouldn't he probably reject that phrase term, but he is a philosopher and well respected in that space. Tasshin: Sure. Vince:And I remember the the author Jean-François Lyotard, he said, simplifying to the extreme, “I define postmodern as incredulity toward meta narratives.” And I find there's something very postmodern about this community where there's a kind of general skepticism toward meta-narratives, of thinking that like one way of describing reality could be totally comprehensive and true for everyone, everywhere, all the time. And I see that as one of the things I really appreciate about TPOT. In terms of it representing a move out of like the modern condition, which was much more like about trying to find the right ideology and all these clashing Isms, Communism versus Capitalism versus all these kind of clashing religions. Who's got the best, which framework is going to come out on top, and everyone's going to eventually believe it's like some, I see that as the more of the modern condition. And so in that sense it feels like a real relief, to see communities, that are forming around. Around this. And it, I guess that's the reason for me, I always connect my experience of coming up in the integral community, Ken Wilber 's community with TPOT because it felt like a very similar kind of vibe there. Where so many people I met were just doing radically different kinds of things. And, there'd be someone who's super into, like spiritual surrender, the lineage of Adi da, who is also like a concert pianist that I'm literally describing an actual person I worked with. And then someone else would be like, super into video production and have no interest in spiritual practice or meditation, but they have a lot of interest in like psychological work. And yeah, I guess that's something I've seen is consistent with the TPOT world. Is this sort of like postmodern incredulity towards meta narratives? Tasshin: How would that fit with it being I've never really understood this, but would you describe TPOT as meta-modern, or not meta-modern. Vince: I guess for me, I would say the center of gravity of TPOT seems to be in the transition between modern to postmodern. Like that I would call that post rational. Because the main mode of modernity is rational individualism. It's this is Ken Wilber's and Jean Gebser's take, but I find that to be true. So people like are questioning the limits of rationality and model making are post rational. I see, and I think as a result they're postmodern. But there's a transition, it's like there's a awkward developmental phase where you're letting go of, the absoluteness of models and you can ken Wilber called it the “performance contradiction.” He said, you can you can absolutize that too, or you can say everything is relative. That statement isn't a relative statement, it's an absolute statement. All perspectives are valid. Okay. That perspective you're saying is more valid than any other perspective, which says that certain perspectives are more valid than others. And so like the whole idea of postmodernity rests on a performance contradiction. That's, or at least the early stages of it where you're deconstructing that mo deconstructive, postmodernism Robert Kegan , would call it. He also has a reconstructive postmodern phase. I don't think TPOT is in the reconstructive postmodern phase, but I think some people in it are. It's like there's a spectrum, within, there's a center of gravity, but there's a spectrum. As well or more, it's like a scatter graph, Uhhuh, where like most of the dots are in the center around this sort of modern to postmodern transition, but then there's like trailing off in both directions. You'll see some people that are more traditional that are there just treating it like a group. I'm sure you saw that probably at Vibe Camp . Probably some people there that are just like. Just drinking the Kool-Aid and don't really, aren't really, maybe vibing in the same way as everyone else. Tasshin: Uhhuh. Vince: And then you find some weird people too that are like aliens even within the space. Who seem to be like a David Chapman I mentioned. He seems like a, an alien to me. Tasshin: An example, Vince: I think he's talking, I think he's a meta-modern Tasshin: thinker. Vince: I don't know. So I, I see a mix, but I mostly see people in the Yeah. Like early postmodern stage, Tasshin: I recently saw a really nice tweet from Mechanical Monk where, which I can link you to later, but he drew this diagram or made like a video of what TPOT is, and he was arguing that like TPOT is a moving target where like i'm thinking of these people. And then you're thinking of these people and there's some overlap, like you and I are both friends with, like Daniel Thorson for example, or. Some other people that we'd have in common, or I know who David Chapman is or whatever. And so there, there's enough overlap that we could be like, oh, we're both pointing at TPOT, but then you don't know some people that I'm pointing to and I don't know some people you're pointing to. And then eventually this is happening more and more. Or people use the acronym TPOT and you're like, I've never seen you. I don't know who you're talking about, and I don't know what you're describing. I think you and I have enough of a shared sense of the thing, but yeah, I thought that was a really good point, that it's not like a homogenous group. Like it has a no, no one likes, this is a very probably like post rat thing to do. Nobody likes labeling it. So it's everyone's unhappy with the term TPOT. Nobody wants to identify as TPOT or as a post rat or whatever. Even the term, Vince: I mean in the phrase the acronym TPOT itself is Tasshin: relative and it's like relational. Vince: This part of Twitter. Yeah, no, you're saying it's like a network and I see that. There was a site for a while, I don't know if you saw it, where you could like, you could see the sort of it was like a ranking or listing of the most sort of central, I do remember that inside of a network, it was like the tea, you could pull up TPOT and see a list. I was like, I'm on that list. Which I would, which I would take myself, I would opt out of that list if I could choose to. But it's not a choice as you're part of this network. Tasshin: Yeah. If you know the acronym ar arguably you are in it. It's just once and. Vince: Yeah. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. So what I hear you saying from like the network perspective is like you, you see it from your point of view of the network. And the network is evolving, it's not static. It continues to grow and change and shift. That's right. So your view of it is changing and shifting with the network. That's right. So you both, you have both a limited view and it of something that's changing. That seems true to me. Which doesn't mean we can't talk about it. Or try to, come up with something useful to say about it. I would describe it this way. I'll tell you how I would describe it. Yeah. Yeah. Let's hear it. Oh boy. I'm not so sure about the last part. No, it's not that bad. So I describe TPOT as a weird, and here I'm using the weird acronym, Western educated, industrialized rich and democratic post rational subculture that's connected by shared interest in self-agency and awareness. Tasshin: That seems good. Something that's popping out to me is just also how much of this is specifically enabled by the internet and Twitter in particular, or I think there's something starting to happen that you could call like a Twitter like Blue Sky is a Twitter or Mastodon is a Twitter. I hope we have other Twitter likes in the future. because as you said, X is becoming fahy. Or to me, the thing that a Twitter is very much like a public library, and then Twitter happens to be a company and it's that has skewed incentives and stuff like that. But any case I'm like, yeah that all, everything you said tracks and then it's I think it is meaningfully enabled by technology, right? And whatever a Twitter like is in particular. Vince: Okay. Yeah. That's good. So that's missing in my description here. I agree. It's enabled by that and there's something too like it. The tech, the technology itself is very postmodern. These platforms and microblogging platforms, like you're getting these really tiny little snippets that are largely decontextualized. And you're just seeing a bunch of decontextualized atomized information flowing constantly through your stream without, you have to put the context together. That's right. The platform itself does not do that. In fact, it, if you're not, if you don't have the capability to do that, it might actually be really problematic because That's Tasshin: true. Vince: Yeah. You don't know. So I'd say it's almost perfectly compliments the subculture, the design of it. Tasshin: That's true. And it makes sense of like why you would feel a resonance with, I wasn't in this myself, but from what I imagine the integral community and then also why that would be different of I imagine Twitter wasn't a huge part of that back then because it, I don't even know what the were, but wasn it wasn't even, it Vince: wasn't, no, Twitter launched the year after I left the Integral Institute. So yeah. It wasn't part of that blogging and podcast or very early, like web two was part of it for sure. But it was primarily an in-person community. It was centered. It was like centered in person and then had a sort of one to many kind of broadcast media kind of web 2.0 media thing to it. So it did look a lot different than that. It occurs Tasshin: to me that, at least in my experience, the technology feels really central to the thing. And the properties you named are almost like emergent or like the kinds of people that would resonate with it or something, or be able to make full use of it or Right. What have you. But it doesn't seem intrinsically necessary, but it does seem to me almost, like that if you have a Twitter, like something like this subculture would arise and I could see different, similar subcultures that had different properties or even an ideology or like different developmental stages or something. But I think that a Twitter is really good at clustering people who can vibe together or relate to each other and in a way that's more emergent. I think a lot about individualism and collectivism and I think that this kind of technology affords the possibility of yeah, basically a Hegelian synthesis of individualism and collectivism where each person can be their own individual, but also be in community with a larger network that respects their individuality, but can coordinate as a whole and. I think Twitter likes uniquely make that possible. And I could see ones that were like clusters that were meaningfully different. You'll see sometimes people talk about this, they're like, maybe there's a whole other cluster that's not connected to us at all that we have no idea about. Almost the I forget what the alien version of that is, but like the likelihood that there's an alien is civilization in any given solar system. It's maybe they're out there. Who knows. Vince: Something like, like the Drake equation would describe the Drake equation, how likely that would be. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's interesting. You're using the term Twitter. I don't know if we've talked about this, but I will explicitly not use that term anymore to refer to X, mainly because I think people are confusing the term Twitter with the term microblogging. Huh? Since it was the original Microblogging platform, I think a lot of times we conflate Twitter with Microblogging. And so when you say Twitter, like I, that's another way to me of saying Microblogging. What's Tasshin: important to you there? Vince: It's important to me to stop being so sentimental about Twitter because Twitter's dead and whatever that it was, is gone. But Microblogging is alive and well and it's probably doing better now than when Twitter was alive. So I think it's somehow by being sent sentimental Twitter, we mask our ability to perceive what's happening in broader terms with microblogging. And we potentially overlook a lot of nasty shit happening on X.com as well by doing that. Tasshin: I see. Yeah I tend to use the word Twitter for different, maybe sentimental reasons as you're saying, but it's an intentional use on my term. On my part. And maybe I'll just use the word Twitter and you can use the word X and we can Vince: Yeah, no, it's fine. Proceed accordingly. It's No, it's fine. I just wanted to point that out. Very good. That's a difference in frames. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. This has been very conceptual so far, but I'm curious to bring it a little downward too, because I remember maybe it was like a week after October 7th Hamas attacked civilians in Israel and. I knew from my own experience having grown up in a, as a Palestinian and American household and having watched this to some degree play out over 40 plus years, 40 years at the time that I was like the blow back from this is gonna be 10 x at least. Because that's consistent. Throughout time it's always Israel will respond with 10 times the amount of violent force at least. And so I was like, if you take the numbers, I was like, that's. That's catastrophic. That's gonna be terrible. And so I knew within the first week, and I shared this on X, that this is going to be a genocide. And so for me, this is the perspective I'm coming from is like I've known that a genocide has been going on for, from the beginning. Have known that the intention or that the likely the likely response was gonna be genocidal. And I think there's a lot of debate about whether or not this is I think that debate is now totally foolish from my point of view. You frame this for instance, as a war, I would call it a genocide. I would say the genocide rather than the war. Or the occupation, which more, more accurate description. because a war assumes that there's two countries, two sides that are equivalent and they're at war. But this is rather like a group of people who've been dispossessed and occupied for decades. Who wrongly lashed out and hurt civilians. But who did so from the point of view of being in a one up, one down power position? So like the group of people or Palestinian people, had been occupied, their movements are controlled. Things coming in and out of Gaza were controlled in terms of water, food, et cetera. Many people described it as an open air prison. Including a colleague of mine who lives in Tel Aviv. He described it that way to me one time. And so from my point of view, it's a lot of times people don't understand when they enter into this, the history of this, that just the basic history of occupation. And so to frame it as a conflict between two equals is a, in a way obscures the power. Dynamics at play where, one group has so much more power over the other and has so much more are literally like nuclear power that's backed by the most powerful military in the world. Who has a lock on the un Tasshin: In Vince: terms of our ability to veto the Americans. So it's David and Goliath rather than, two superpowers going to war. So that's one thing I'll just share is just the frame for me of Palestine. And so I'm, I've been seeing it that from the very beginning. And what I've found with, on, on platforms like X and with the community of TPOT is. Just this sort of maddening silence. Or this sort of schizo, in my experience is like a schizophrenic feed, where on the one hand I'm seeing Palestinian activists and intellectuals and people who are I think doing good work at bringing awareness to an ongoing livestream, genocide. And then an another group of folks more in the TPOT space who are kind of sharing their psychotic explorations and talking about their cool practices and giving, challenging takes and all of which has this other very different vibe which is much more self-focused. And and the two of them in contrast really, that's, for me, that's my, that, that's the tension I'm existing in. And I can totally relate to the self. Absorbed interest in my own transformation and wanting to play around. And it, I totally get that because that's where I've been. Like that's my background as well. But it's, yeah, it's maddening to see these two side by side. And I feel like there's so much missed opportunity with TPOT given that it's so influential right now in culture, in our mainstream culture. And so I guess I, I'm saddened by the fact that I don't see that community having really come around to care much about what's happening in these kind of global situations. Like you, you talked about individualism and collectivism. I feel like it's way more skewed toward individualism in the TPOT world than it is collectivism. So I, that's actually a criticism I'd have. I don't feel like they're both ending it at all. But. Anyway. Yeah, that's just a little bit where I'm coming from, Tasshin: I hear you. Just first off, really mourning and grieving the plate of the Palestinian people that's happening and feeling personally connected to that because of your family and watching the news very closely and really actively grieving that, of just the evil that's happening and caring about that and wanting to see that change and end, and seeing that as a genocide, not as a war. And really appreciating people who are speaking up and being vocal about it and trying to work for change to resolve that crisis and. It feeling used the word like schizophrenic to see TPOT, which seems like self-absorbed and individualistic, where it's like people are talking about whatever they're on about, and it's I got this metaphor hearing you talk about it, of someone who's starving, who's like incredibly hungry, and then they're like next to some rich people who are like having like coffee and talking about, some obstru philosophy and you're like, I'm starving. Can you please give me some of your food? There I'm having a real problem here and you're talking about this stuff that really doesn't matter. And yeah, that being really painful and then also a care about you're like, yeah, TPOTs incredibly powerful and culturally powerful and why aren't you talking about this? You should be talking about this so that we can use your power for good and change the world in that way. Vince: Yeah. Yeah. And I think that's a naive of me to expect that in some way. So this is where I get a little, this is where I feel the bind. It's on the one hand I intellectually get if this really is developmental as we're describing if this cultural phenomena has a developmental dimension to it, then why would I expect the bulk majority of people who are, coming out of individual rationalism to be focused on anything other than that kind of things are related to that. Who would be well Tasshin: positioned to make a change that had positive effect in the world from a developmental perspective? Vince: That's a good question. I guess anyone could. So maybe the issue isn't the underlying development, but it's the culture, the cultural expression of that. In this case, it's, WEIRD is, I think a good way of putting it, white sorry, Western, but those two are connected, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic. It feels like a lot of what you're saying is true because we're, we are in this WEIRD culture in the US largely, especially the educated TPOT, whole US is not WEIRD. A lot of, there's a lot of uneducated people and people without access to resources, but but we're having this weird conversation. And meanwhile in the global Commons, we're like you said, right next to people that are posting videos constantly of people being, shot and killed and assassinated executed, like right there, children starving, et cetera. And it's it, this is the critique that Postmodernism has had for a long time of modernity. It's like the colonialist thing. It's like how is it that we have so much privilege to be able to have these conversations in the first place, because we ourselves are living on dispossessed land. Like we ourselves dispossessed the Native Americans to be able to be here, we ourselves brought African slaves from Africa to be able to take care of our cotton mills and our run our agricultural industry. And so we ourselves built a country on those very foundations and we ourselves as Western people escaped persecution in Europe. Our whole history of escaping persecution and then bringing it with us is what's happening with Israel and Palestine, from my point of view, it's the same basic pattern. I think it's hard to see that when you're focused on you Tasshin: On Vince: your individual journey of transformation and without being able to zoom out into these broader collective patterns that are shaping you as much as you are shaping yourself. And I wonder if sometimes, like we overestimate our agency, or we over-index on our agency in this community. That'd be my, I guess my question or challenge to folks. Tasshin: Can you say more about that? The over-indexing on agency? What you mean by that? Vince: Yeah, so like for me the synthesis of the agency, of agency and communion is what I'm most, most interested in right now. Because that schizophrenic split feels like it's a split of these two, where it's like you have people that are high agency and have lots of opportunity and privilege, and then you have people that have extremely low ability to opt to effectively exercise their agency. They barely can get food. So it's like such a huge contrast there. And what's the difference between these two groups of people? Like historically it's the only reason I'm on this side of the street is because my grandfather was able to get into this country in 1950. And he was lucky, essentially. So like the only difference is basically luck of birth. Like where are you born? And we, I think we take so much credit for the stuff that is, has nothing to do whatsoever with us. It's like when Obama, said you didn't build that and everyone fucking flipped out. You don't know if you remember that he was talking about, I don't know, he was talking about infrastructure and there was a huge backlash from the Right. Like we built that, in hyper American individualism. And it's I think, you know what the genocide and Gaza's taught me is I'm just lucky. I'm just lucky because I have cousins who are in the West Bank right now and they're living in concentration camp type environments. Like they, they're scared to leave their home because people around them are getting shot by settlers and, five Palestinian Americans have died in the West Bank this past year. People who are just going over there to visit family. So it's extremely bad right now, even in the West Bank, which is considered to be the more stable of the two Palestinian regions. In Gaza, I have two family members here in North Carolina and Asheville that are mar married into my family. So they're not direct family members, but their spouses, and they both have lost over 200 family members in Gaza. Which is hard for people even in the West to understand, because they don't, we don't come from big families like that where you could even imagine having 200 family members. But yeah, like whole family trees are essentially being wiped out. Yes. Are cut down. So it's, to me it's very, because I'm in both worlds. I'm teaching meditation and I'm hearing about, what's going on for my cousin in the West Bank, and I'm hearing about what's happening for other Palestinians that I know. I'm like, this is, it's a very hard tension to hold. So for me, the synthesis of agency and communion is I can recognize, like I have a certain amount of agency in part because of the communal situation. Like we have a community that optimizes for agency. And it optimizes for agency at the at the negative at the expense of many other communities, agency and has historically and even presently, like a lot of. The opportunities we have are because of they've been taken rather than, it's like not an omni win situation. So I feel like there's a lack of kind of acknowledgement of that, that often in part because you start to feel really bad. And if there's anything I've noticed about TPOT is like, people don't want to feel bad. Like people wanna empower each other and raise each other up. And I think there's something beautiful about that. But to me it's come, it comes at the expense of valid criticism, of being open to hearing valid criticism. And that's the kind of, that's, that adds how I felt. I've been res largely, my, my criticisms have been responded to. It's oh yeah, this is, you're just like it's I'm a downer. I'm like, yeah, sorry. It's fucking, it is a downer. It really is. How do you, I know that's general and broad, but how do you respond to something like that? Tasshin: Can you ask a, I there's a lot of thoughts running through my mind. Can you ask a specific question? Vince: I'm just curious what your general Yeah. Sense of that is. Tasshin: First off, my heart hurts. It hurts to know that violence is happening at scale and it hurts to hear that. And I'm okay hurting. I know, I've done a lot of, I, I can feel that, but it hurts and I feel sad and I feel grief knowing about this travesty that's happening. And I feel that about a lot of things that I know about in the world now, including this. And that's always, yeah. Hard to be with. And I try to learn how to be with that and, i'm grateful for the opportunity to be reminded of what's happening and to be connected to it. I feel a desire to have change occur that feels like it matters. I would like war, genocide, evil violence to end. I'm a pacifist. My, one of the worst days of my life every year is when I pay taxes. I hate paying my taxes, partly because it's annoying bureaucratically, but even more so because I feel like I'm compromising my own ethics by supporting the US military. And that I every year I decide I'm gonna pay my taxes so that I can contribute, continue to be part of this society in a legal and upright way. I'm not morally opposed to taxes as such, but I am morally opposed to what my government does with those taxes, including I don't know the full extent of this. I'm sure you know much more, but certainly being complicit in this war, genocide, violence, murder. Bombing evil. Yeah. And other evils known and unknown. I know that and I've been around a little bit. So that hurts. That's the first and foremost thing. And I feel for you, having family i's just I went through just a couple years ago my mom dying of cancer, and we knew about it four years before she died, three, four years before she died. And she lived a blessed life, and I felt perfectly ready to let her go. And it was still really hard. And it's imagine my family members being murdered at scale and being starving and being oppressed and in all kinds of ways that I can only imagine. It's that my heart would just be breaking on a daily basis. And I feel for you, my friend, going through that and, for the Palestinian people more broadly, such that I'm connected to them and for all who are subject to war. It's just it's just evil. It's just e that, like you, you wanna call it genocide? I'll just call it evil, like it's, I think violence is evil and war is evil and genocide is evil and bombs are evil and guns are evil. And murder is evil and killing children is evil. And it's just, my heart breaks at that. As far as the other specific things you were saying, I'm reminded of a an argument that I've had or witnessed many times where there's kind of two recurring schools of thought in our culture where how do I summarize this? Because I've seen this in a lot of specific instances, and I don't wanna get into the specific instances, but let's take a simple example like say your relative was a Trump supporter, and you personally didn't vote for Trump and don't want Trump to be president. There are people in our culture at this time who would say the thing to do is to be disconnected from that Trump supporter and to never talk to them and to shame them for who they are and or give them radio silence and cut ties. And that's a whole school of thought that applies to many issues. And then there's a school of thought that says how are you gonna change their mind if you don't stay connected to them, if you don't really understand where they're coming from and listen to them and talk to them and share your own perspective. And I tend to be more in the latter school of thought of connection is the basis of change. Actually hearing other people's perspectives, sharing my own, to the extent that it's possible. And you're not. Beating each other up or whatever shooting at each other. But I think being connected to people is the basis of change. And I'm getting here somewhere here with this, which is to me, I hear you saying, I'm not part of TPOT. These are the people that are in TPOT. They're silent, they have these, I don't know, I hear you talking about like collective blind spots, which I think are very valid. I'm glad you're mentioning them, but it's like those people have the blind spot. And this is their problem. And to me I could be wrong, but think, Vince: It's really the Palestinians problem. They're the ones that are suffering for the collective blind spot. They're suffering a lot more. Tasshin: Yes. I think that. You could usefully see yourself as part of TPOT, and that by staying connected to people in TPOT and speaking to them, you can change their minds. I think you've changed my mind about things about this and had an impact on me and had a causal influence on me. And I see you having that impact on a other people. And I think that if you took that perspective, there's more or less efficacious ways of doing that. Ways that, that, that's a question that's come up for me about this is actually about like theories of change. And just one more thing is I was recently in Santa Fe, my dad moved to Santa Fe and when I was there, there's a lot, my dad is like very near the Santa Fe is the capitol, and he is very near the capitol where the government is. And so there's just always protests there like at least once a week. And I get, I personally, me, Tasshin, get so angry at these protestors because I, in my current worldview, think that their theory of change is just shit. They're like, by going to this place and having a sign, I'm gonna change the world. It, to me, I see that is like by and large, incredibly efficacious and not gonna produce the change that they want. And do I know what the theory, what a theory of change is that would produce it? No, but I am spending all of my time and energy on things that I think will have a positive change in the world. Even if they're not enough, even if they're not direct enough, even if they're not gonna end or resolve all the issues I care about, which are many. I am putting all of my time and energy into things that I believe are efficacious. And presumably they think it's efficacious too. They think this is worth doing because they're doing it. And in a way I'm wrong about it because demonstrably people think that holding a sign in front of a capitol is gonna change the world. But, Vince: It does boost their agency when people protest that's, it's an exercise in agency. Tasshin: I do think there's a critical threshold where if enough people protest something, I can't have a change. Obviously that's happened Vince: Arab Spring. Tasshin: Exactly. So it's not, it's definitely not useless. But my point to you as an individual that I care about as my friend, is I think you're actually incredibly well positioned to have a cultural impact on this group that you already are connected to, and that there are more or less efficacious ways of doing that. Like this conversation is efficacious, right? We're having a real conversation between two people who respect each other. We're recording that so that other people can listen. I think that's actually likely to produce the change that you're desiring to some extent. Is it gonna it's hard to say. Vince: It's hard to say. I hear what you're saying. Yeah, I think you and I have talked about this in the past too. I have, some of the biggest changes I've been through have come through people challenging me even violently. And my whole upbringing, as you can hear, it's rooted in violence. Yes. So it's like the story of my family. Is one of resilience in the face of violence, Tasshin: Uhhuh. So this is the recurring thing we always argue about. Yeah. Or one of the several things. Vince: Yeah. It's an, it's like in a place where we rub, I think, but Yeah. But it's understandable. So I'm a little more Okay. Ruffling feathers and even having active conflict with people because I know that sometimes that's actually good. Sometimes if you're too nice, people won't hear you. If you have something powerfully challenging to say, it will just be like, oh yeah, that's nice. And I can just incorporate that into my worldview and feel good about knowing about it, but actually not really be doing anything significantly differently. So it's like a, I don't know, this is in the abstract, but. Tasshin: There's two things there. What there's one is, which is like, how nice are you? And I actually do honestly believe that you would be more efficacious at seeing the changes you want to see, at least in the local community if you were nicer. In addition to being kind. I do think you're kind, that's not an issue. But separately from that, like you, one of the things we talked about recently on the timeline was you're like, I've just been considering blocking people left and right. And I think that Oh, I have been blocking them lost. Exactly. Vince: I've lost half of my friend network in the last year. Tasshin and so that's where I am. So here let me push back a little bit. I lo yeah. I lo I love what you're saying, but I don't think it's my job to do that. I think it's your job to do that, to, to be the one that can be nice and change people's minds on this topic. Tasshin: Oh, that's true. It is my job. You're right. I Vince: agree with you. Yeah, because because I'm too close to it. It's too painful for me. Like people start saying stuff to me. It is like I'm hearing them deny the entire, like truth of my whole identity, my family identity. It's no, like this is true. I'm not, I'm gonna have argue with you like you are dehumanizing me and everyone that's Palestinian right now. Even by having an argument, having even framing this as a debate, is there a war going on? Who's responsible? Et cetera. So it's like what I find is I want to keep talking because I want, it's like the Buddha, he's, and I'm comparing myself to the Buddha here. I know he is gonna fly really well, there, there's an analogy here where he's I'm awake. Okay. Who can I, teach this to, very few are gonna understand it. Because it's subtle and hard to get grasp. My companions, the ones I was practicing with they seem like they'll get it. They have very little dust in their eyes. So I guess I see my role as really more like the people that have very little dust in their eyes. Maybe I can reach them. What's the difference Tasshin: in this case between someone who has dust in their eyes and someone who doesn't, from your perspective? Vince: Are they, yeah. Are they awake to their complicity in a gen, in an active livestream? Genocide? Are they aware? I pay Tasshin: my taxes and, Vince: That's part of it. That's part of it. Yeah. It's like paying taxes. You, like you said, you can't really stop paying your taxes. My uncle did that. Went to prison. I actively Tasshin: choose Vince: to pay Tasshin: my taxes. I think I could stop paying my taxes. Could, I'm saying every year I considered you can do that. Vince: I seriously Tasshin: consider it. Every you'll to prison. Every year. Vince: You'll, you will go to prison. Tasshin: Yeah, exactly. And I believe I can have more impact, positive impact on the world by paying my taxes and not, and I, every, it's a trade off. Literally every year I make this decision again. Vince: Yeah. So it's, to your point, it's not it's not like a black and white thing where it's like. I'm complicit in this very obvious way that I'm just choosing not to. It's, it, the complicity is deep and it's multidimensional, subtle and Tasshin: systemic and multi-generational. And even, Vince: and yeah, and for me it's I was hanging out with a couple of my cousins recently who are from Palestine. They immigrated here in the early nineties when Palestinians were kicked out of Kuwait. And so they were here, they had to rebuild their life. They lost everything. And I grew up with them. And they're doing advocacy work now in the us And when I hear them, talk about their experience, it's like they're being, they're dealing with shit that I'm not having to deal with. Like one of my cousins recently lost her job. She was a high level exec at a tech company in San Francisco. And she thinks it's likely that she lost it because of her advocacy work within the company. So when I guess when I see. I've lost the thread a bit here in terms of connecting back to what we were talking about. But where was I going with that? Tasshin: You were saying something as my job as being TPOT versus your job. Vince: So like when I talk to, say I'll talk to my great uncle my grandfather's brother who grew up in Palestine, and I'll hear the kinds of things that he'll share. And like I, I don't have those kind of views. Like he's extreme compared to me in terms of like how he's viewing things. This is my interpretation. There's a definitely antisemitic tendencies in, in the family system that I've seen explicit and I understand why. Like I have a lot of compassion. I don't actually let it stand. I challenge it when it arises. Even now. This is this uncle I'm talking about. It's his family and his daughter that's in the West Bank right now. He's considering going to visit her in a couple months. He might get shot and killed while he is there. It's quite possible. For me it's like I, I see I can listen to him and I can hear him talk about stuff and I can sort through the pain and the antisemitism to hear, some of the, what's genuine and sincere and I can be there for him. And then I feel like I can reach out and connect with some people and share my pain and what I'm going through and, offer challenges or whatever to some folks. Recently right after September October 7th someone from he lives in Israel. He is American. We have the same background lineage of a pasta tradition. He invited me on to, to have a dialogue about this about what was happening. And and then after our we split, and we're not able to have any conversations anymore. Because some of the things I saw him writing on X and so the perspectives that he seemed to be taking, and we got to a point where we pulled in a mutual mentor someone someone who's like a master mediator. And their basic feedback was like, sometimes you can't have a conversation. Sometimes it's just not possible. And I feel like that's where I'm getting largely, it's it's just not possible for me to have a conversation with a lot of people right now. Because of how 10 how sensitive this is. And so you say, when you say to or I hear if you were kind or if you were nicer, you'd be more efficacious, if I were able to be, I would. But I'm not. Tasshin: And the second part of what I was saying there is that when you block people, you are closing yourself off from the possibility of changing them. And from what I've just heard from, and I'm okay with that. Yeah, exactly. That makes a bit more sense to me now from what you've said. But Vince: I'm not gonna change a Zionist's mind, I don't think, someone who's like a, Christian or Jewish Zionist, I don't think I'm gonna change their mind by sharing something on like a micro blog. Tasshin: That, one of the really urgent questions for me here is what is a theory of change that produces genuine end to war violence, genocide? What actually resolves that? Actually because if I let me figure out how to put this. I am currently putting my time and energy. Into the things that I think I can do that will have the highest benefit from my current understanding and vantage point. I literally spend every day of my life waking to sleeping, doing the thing that I think is best based on my, admittedly flawed, limited perspective, my own weaknesses and blind spots. But I do that every day. Every day. And if I thought that I could lead to the end of war, genocide, violence, evil in a scaled way I would work much harder to bring that about. I'd have to think about how it fits into all the things I'm doing and balance. But I really wanna know how someone like, I, I would hope for example, that the service guild at some point will have a peace department. Currently, we, as we have a love department, a curiosity department, an empowerment department. I would love for us to have a peace department. I want other departments, us to be able to have infrastructure for other focused crews. At some point it's the Peace Department should be bringing about peace. And I don't know how to do that. Even peace Pilgrim my hero, she spent 30 years working in the way that she knew how for peace. And I don't think she wasted her time far from it. But there is still not peace on earth after her doing that. Vince: Sure. Some of this reminds me, has echoes of the effect of al altruism movement. Yeah. Tasshin: I think they I feel how to put this, I have different aesthetic and ideological views with them on specific points, but I feel very sympathetic to their larger efforts and yeah, what do we actually do to actually have a real impact? I feel very I feel kinship with that, even if there's specific things I disagree with or don't vibe with. So yeah, that's noted. Vince: Yeah, I think if we were to zoom, like not to take the two global perspective of like, how do we stop all genocide, war, et cetera. And that's a good question, but to me it's like, how do we stop this specific one that's happening right now, Tasshin: Uhhuh. Like how, Vince: Because that's sure. So how do we stop it? Obviously you Tasshin: don't have to know, but what a different way of putting the question that's maybe a bit more reasonable. I think it, it's very Vince: noble. Like you, you stop Israel from killing Palestinians. That's how it, okay. And what leads Tasshin: to that causally? Vince: Probably having a Palestinian state would be a necessary part of that. And what leads to that? The US has to stop vetoing it in the us. And what leads Tasshin: to that? Vince: They change in US leadership and change. And what leads to that? People putting pressure and voting and grassroots organ organizing. Ah, that's Tasshin: where you lose me. Vince: Yeah. Look at look at Zohran Mamdani. He's a good example of how that's actually happening right now in the, he's the only candidate, like major candidate that I've seen recent in recent times. Progressive candidate who's actually vocal about this, who isn't on the, both parties, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump both supported the ongoing genocide. They're equally complicit. Tasshin: So basically we should or not leaders that are clear this in your perspective. What I'm hearing is Yeah. Yeah. The salient thing is elect leaders who are clear that this is a genocide who will end us complicitness and help and who are focused on economic populism. Vince: because our country really need, we need that right now. Tasshin: You lost me there. How does, what does that have to do with ending this genocide? Vince: You could it's both and so it's if you look at, this is a good example, I think part of, I grew up in the as probably you did too, in the. In the fading years of the political consensus between the neo-conservative and neoliberal parties, Tasshin: Uhhuh, Vince: who largely agreed on most everything, Tasshin: Uhhuh. Vince: They were both totally fine with military expansion. They were both fine with free trade agreements that hollowed out rural America and towns like in North Carolina, textile towns. Yeah. To save 5 cents, on a shirt made in Vietnam, we're totally fine letting an entire communities die, In towns we haul it out. So it's that kind of mentality, it's like what I grew up in and, it's like the arguments were mostly like stylistic. It's which style of the same ideology do you prefer? Tasshin: Coke versus Pepsi Vince: Ex. Exactly right. Coke and Pepsi. And Obama. He was, you fit right into this. He was not a departure, he was a rhetorician. Tasshin: Yeah, Vince: he sounded like a departure, but wasn't so true. Bestie. Yep. I think when I look at it in those terms, I say, okay what is so interesting about Donald Trump and the MAGA movement? It is actually presenting an alternative to the previous consensus. And I, the way I see American politics right now, and I could be wrong, is there's an emerging, there's a new emerging polarity. That alt left and right, quote unquote yeah, gosh, ne neo fascism and neo progressivism. And there's, and are you saying Tasshin: neo progressivism is the answer here? Vince: I'm, no, I'm not actually Uhhuh. Okay. Although, because some neo fascists don't want us to be sending money to Israel, Tasshin: Uhhuh, Vince: Marjorie Taylor Greene there, there's been a number that recently people who are like, why are we sending billions of dollars to Israel every year when we can't even take care of our own people? Yeah. And so I agree with that Uhhuh, what I actually think is emerging and has to emerge as an alt middle. It's a new. Consensus. And that alt middle will almost certainly not wanna continue propping up an American em military empire. Both alt-right and alt left. That's something they agree on. They don't want to be constantly waging endless wars. They don't wanna be always sending all of our money into our military budget. And is Tasshin: that connected to the populism you're talking about? Vince: Yeah, it is. Okay. It's a it's a strand of populism that's interested in retracting the American Empire and not continuing to create so many problems abroad. And who recognizes that doing so hurts us at home, Uhhuh, and because these things are interconnected. I see. Tasshin: Okay. Thank you for explaining that. Can I recount what I heard just now? Your, I, our, a shared goal that we have is we would like this war, genocide, violence, evil to end. We'd like it to end. And the way that comes about is Israel stops doing what it's doing. And the way that comes about is Palestine is a state and the US stops vetoing certain things at the un. And the way that happens is there's political pressure on the US to show up in a different way. And you're saying that the way that happens is we elect politicians who are want that course of action and also care about this populism and the relationship of how we're spending our money at home. Yeah. And the way that we do that is get involved in local political movements that support candidates that have that perspective. Vince: I think that's one of the most direct ways that uhhuh, that we can as Americans affected this. I'll tell Tasshin: you right now, I, I need to do due diligence on learning more about this, but I will very seriously both take that into consideration for my own voting and then also in how I speak about voting to my friends and people I'm connected to. That's not much. But this is more. That's what I really care about. I wanna make sure that whatever actions I take, I am that I can see. It matters to me that I can see how there could be a causal chain where this actually results in the things that we want, if that makes sense. I don't know why that matters to me so much, but it does. Vince: Yeah. Okay. We haven't talked about Bodhi Safa hood yet. Yes. So maybe I could bring that in. Yeah. Tasshin: Thank God, please. Someone helped me. Yeah. Vince: I don't know if you, it's a Tasshin: struggle out here. Vince: I don't know if you've heard this quote from Ujima Roshi Japanese Zen teacher. He said a Bodhi Safa is an ordinary person who acts like a true adult. Tasshin: I had never heard that before, but I love it. And what does true adult mean to you? Vince: I think a true adult is someone who sees a problem and they respond to it. And. A true adult recognizes the complexity of the situation and acts anyway with that with incomplete information with whatever resources and ability that they have while acknowledging that they're limited. So that's a start. True adult cares about themselves and others. I could even, I could actually inhabit as a true adult. I both take care of my life at home and I care about the impacts that that the country and systems I'm embedded in are having in the world. That I'm causal in, that I have some causal influence over, even if it's minimal. Tasshin: You know what I'm reminded of Vince is video game levels and I feel like. It seems it seems cr crass to pick levels, but I feel like, I don't know, let's say a level eight Bodhi Safa I'm not level one anymore. I'm not even level five anymore, but I feel acutely, like I'm really only level eight and I think it's gonna there are 10 Vince: levels aren't there In this game? I, oh no. Bodhi the boomie, the boom. No. Tasshin: I know what you're talking about. But also that's not the measurement system I'm using. Okay. You're not, Vince: it's not a traditional boomy model. No. Tasshin: I'm thinking like, I never played it, but like World of Warcraft, I'm pretty sure 80 is like a threshold in World of Warcraft. It's I'm pretty sure you need like a level 60 or 70 Bodhi Safa to have global systemic change at the level that's needed for the thing we're talking about. And I'm like I know if I have a friend that has a mental health crisis, like I'm struggling to barely be able to support them in a meaningful way. Like I'm embarrassed by how. Incompetent. I am at even that helping one person that's having a mental health crisis. Like I can help a little bit, but like I know someone who's an extended network right now is having their partner's having a major schizophrenic episode and I'm like, here, I can send you a link that might help you. That's that's so pathetic. That is so disgustingly pathetic for actually having an impact in the world. It's humiliating to admit, but here we are because there's real suffering and you have to do whatever we can to help. And so I would like to it would be great if I ended this year as a level nine Bodhi, that would be awesome. And do I want to have global systemic positive change on a historic scale? Absolutely. I hope that every passing year I'm more and more capable of. Large scale, positive impact, and I'm just so acutely aware of how incompetent I am and how limited I'm really doing everything I can to have a positive impact at the scale that I can right now. And it's it's pathetic and humiliating in the context of this larger suffering. I'm fine with that. I'm not embarrassed to say that, but it is humbling, it's it's not nearly good enough. And I think the more acquainted you are with how much suffering there is in the universe, the more humbled you are by that, by one's own incompetence to, and then you do, that's the Bodhi SA of vows, anyway, is just to be like greed, hatred, and end without end like vow to end it. Like you just, you get up and do something anyway. Vince: Yeah. I've. There's a distinction that's commonly made in like a, I would call it like in the woke pluralistic cultural scene of like intention versus impact. And that's an important distinction when you're starting to get into questions of race and racialization, because people will say things with a good intentions that hurt other people because they're ignorant of the impact that has for someone else. And here I think it's I think of that too with what you're saying, where it's okay yeah, like I want to become a, be a more impactful Bodhi Safa. I want to have a more net positive impact in the world. And on the one hand yeah, I could say, like you're saying it, I feel humbled and maybe embarrassed by how ineffectual I am. And. I also feel humble about the fact that I don't know the impact that I'm having. I don't understand it. And I feel like this is really, you probably have had a similar experience putting media out into the worlds, like with Buddhist geeks when we launched that, the hundreds and hundreds of people that I heard from over the years who are like, that had such a powerful impact on my life. And I'm like wow, okay. I, that was definitely not what I was aiming for. I was just doing something I thought was cool at the time. Honestly. And so that wasn't even necessarily my intention, but that was the impact. And so I'm amazed, I am amazed at how effective people can be without even knowing it. It's like hard sometimes. Hard to know. It's hard to measure. And that's where I would say it's the challenge here with what you're saying is I want to see if I'm effect. You have to be able to measure the effectiveness to be able to know, and we can't fully measure, we can get better at measuring, like we can maybe get more sophisticated in seeing and understanding our impact both negative and positive. But it's really difficult without going into you really have to have an understanding of the whole to be able to see your individual impacts on the whole. And I don't know, where am I going with this? Just to say there's some kind of feedback loop here that I think is like what the Bodhi Safa is driven by. It's like constantly coming back to. A wise or compassionate intention. And then do trying your best to live from that place, even if you're, not effectual. And then doing your best to understand the impacts of your actions So that, you can, that can inform how you act the next time that you're trying to be, coming from this place of genuine wisdom and compassion. And there's some kind of sharpening of like skillful means that happens in this feedback loop. Tasshin: Yeah. Vince: And to me, it's like the Bodhi Safa is one who's engaged in the pro in that process rather than Yes. Then there are different levels then are depths or degrees of skillfulness. And probably in different domains too. Tasshin: Yeah, of course. Multiple axes. Vince: So I hear what you're saying and I think that's valid. Like it isn't up to any, I don't think it's up to individuals to solve the global challenges. Tasshin: No, but I'm also like, I'm aware that I think I am I was just humble, so now I can be a little arrogant. I think I'm uniquely well-suited to create systems that actually do have causal impact on the historic scale over time. It just takes a long time and it takes very careful thought and a lot of care and consideration and love and effort. And so I would like to build systems that have a net positive historic impact on the scale of humanization. And as far as I can tell I'm playing my cards that way, where like I would really hope that if we fast forwarded 30 or 40 years, we would be like, Hey. The Service Guild did really good stuff that was net positive on human society and our civilization and the planet. And of course there'll be fuckups along the way where we mess up and I make just dumb mistakes and whatever. But I would hope that it's net positive and that it has a genuinely historic obvious impact on the world that was positive. So that's part of why my care, that's why I would wanna have this conversation at all, is like, how can I build systems that actually do have that kind of impact on ending, yeah. Including ending violence of all kinds and this conflict, this genocide, this war, this evil in particular. Vince: Yeah. I think that's a great intention. I, there's like a, there's a quote in the Bava Gita that's coming to mind. I can't remember the exact quote, but it's some, something about acting without any thought of results or it's happens in that famous dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna. Yeah, there's Tasshin: a difference in da I, I've been influenced a lot by DAAs strategy, and they talk a lot about the difference between means ends and conditions, consequences. And we're really trying to create the conditions for good consequences. So can I guarantee that we would have a particular result? Absolutely not, but absolutely not. But I think we can create the conditions for historic benevolent beneficent impact. Vince: It's interesting you're talking about a guild. Because to me it's I think of the Bodhi Safa as a more of like a. A relational phenomena. Tasshin: It's Vince: Team Bodhi Safa. Rather than a Bodhi Safa. And so it seems like a lot of the challenge here is around coordinating and connecting and aligning, collective alignment. And these are the things I think are very hard for people who've been trained to individuate and who are focused on their own agency. John Vey, the philosopher, he points out like when you take role, you are rolling yourself into that. You're losing a certain kind of agency by inhabiting a role, say role of father, role of teacher role of whatever you're limiting yourself in that role. And, but, and yet you have to play roles in cult in community Tasshin: to do anything. Yep. Vince: So I guess, yeah I don't know where to go from there. From here. Tasshin: I would summarize our conversation so far as follows. TPOT such as it is an emergent developmental phenomenon that's highly networked, that has some strengths and some weaknesses that we've talked about. There is a great evil being perpetuated that we both would like to see end. That hurts both our hearts. And we would like to do something about, you had some valuable thoughts about what that might look like, how to end that, especially American politics. I think that's the, I Vince: think that's the highest leverage point. Uhhuh, I think there's lots of leverage points and people get more into this. They start seeing the levers that they can, where their age, where their agency has some causal influence. Like it's also matters what kind of products you're buying and, are you giving money to companies that are profit, profiting off of a an economy of genocide, or not. Like I, I was drinking Coca-Cola while talking to one of my pa, my Palestinian cousins who runs a nonprofit in Washington state, and she was pointing out like, Coke is one of these companies. And I, I hadn't, because I've been so focused on the political side of things, I haven't really looked deeply at the, the corporate side. It's but. And that's, for me, I care a lot and I'm still not doing that. Now I've given up Topo Chico, which is a huge, that to me is like the biggest sacrifice I can imagine. What's Topo Chico? Topo Chico is a sparkling water brand. I see. Coca-Cola. Thank you Tasshin: for your sacrifice. Know you're a true Bodhi Vince: SA event. Good job. Exactly. Dude, you have no idea. Go drink a Topo Chico and you'll understand this section. Tasshin: I'm not supposed to though, so you're That's right. You're morally Vince: you can have one just to see, just so you can see how what of a Bodhi Safa I am. I see. Tasshin: I'll believe you. Vince: I believe you, Vince. I already thought Tasshin: you were Bodhisattva, so I'll stick to Polar. Thanks. Vince: Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, I'm just trying to mo point out that the, it's, there are other leverage points there, there are other leverage points that we didn't talk about, and I think that's important because it gets more into a practical conversation of what I can actually practically do. I think the other thing that I suggest to my friends is learn just the basic hist modern history of the situation so that when you open your mouth Uhhuh you don't regret the words that come out. Because right now most of the conversation is if ignorant people talking to ignorant people about things they don't know about. And it's, I, if anything Tasshin: that's how do I say this? I am acutely aware of my ignorance and that's certainly part of what, and that's why Vince: people don't say anything sometimes. Yeah. And that's fair. Tasshin: Yeah. Vince: Like that to me, I would prefer people who are ignorant, not saying anything to saying something. because it's just like they're polluting space. And I'm really grateful to have Tasshin: learned more about it from hearing you speak about it in our conversations both today and previously. It feels important to, one of the skills I really value that I'm trying to get better at, that I also feel incompetent about is like just having a global sense of what's happening on the planet. And like in really lots of dimensions. Not just politically, not just economically, not just socially, not just culturally, not just technologically, but like all of that, right? And like knowing the gestalt of the larger planet and I don't know. It's important to me to at least know what's happening. So I'm grateful to have a slightly better model of what's happening. And I guess what I want to say, yeah, what I feel like summarizing my own perspective here is how do I say this? I aspire to do everything in my power to have positive causal impacts on Yeah, global problems where possible. And I'm still learning how to do that and what the actual leverage points are. But the phrase that's coming up in my head, which I don't fully endorse it, but like I know it feels a little bit sticky, is, but is you better believe I'm gonna do something if and when I know I can. And like I'm clear about what to do and of course I would want this to end. And of course I would. Yeah, my heart fucking breaks, dude. Like looking at this, looking at other things. It's and if I can do something when I'm clear of what I can and do that makes sense with a bunch of variables that we haven't talked about. But like I, of course I will do something and want something. And I think that, yeah, I'll speak for myself there, but. I think it's really good to be in connection too and to just compare notes as Bodhi Safa yeah what are what do you even do? There's all this suffering. What do you what do? So I'm grateful to have companionship in that and to speak about these issues in particular. Vince: Yeah. Yeah. And this has always been a tension in the communities of people who value contemplative wisdom. Contemplation and action. How do you, yeah. How do you hold these two things together? Tasshin: And I'm literally doing everything I know how to do, and I will fully admit it's not nearly good enough, but I hope to get better as the years progress and to have Yeah. And more positive impacts. Vince: And for me, this conversation, again, is not so much about and as it is about TPOT in general. TPOT Yeah. And also the Tasshin: subset of like western Buddhists within TPOT and what they can do. Yeah. Vince: Buddhist modernists and, yeah. Of which I used to be one, and when I was a Buddhist modernist, I wa I wasn't a Palestinian. I, at least I hadn't owned that part of my identity yet. Because I think to live in the modern world, you have to disown many aspects of yourself if you want to be able to function well. Like for instance on LinkedIn, you don't want to be talking about genocide. I should start, you know what, which I do, Vince, you Tasshin: know what, I should really start. It hurts your prospects speaking out about genocide on LinkedIn. I've made like shit posts on LinkedIn before and that was really fun and I would like to stir the pot a little bit more. So I'll work on that. Thanks for that moral feedback. I really appreciate it. Yeah. Yeah. What a better use of. I, yeah. because I'm privileged enough to not have to worry about getting fired or not having to please anybody in particular. I can piss people off and that's fine. Vince: I saw you were you're practicing pissing people off a little more, or you're inhabiting that, that part of you Tasshin: working on, there's some, there's lots of psychological change going on, which actually I do wanna just put a bookmark here. I, we will probably have to have a whole other conversation about this at some point, but we talked earlier about the whole like niceness versus kindness recurring thing that's in our friendship. And I think there's a whole separate thing that we keep bumping up against that I have not fully understood from you that I should probably just go read some books about, and I haven't yet, but about perspective taking and I don't even know, but you're you've perpetually flagged that. You're like, oh, you're doing the thing again where you assume that all perspectives are equal and you should just listen to the other person's perspective. And I would still like to learn that from you in time and see that. Yeah, we can Vince: talk about it. I guess I just mentioned I mentioned John Vicki earlier. I think for post rats, he's probably a good philosopher to tune into. I think he he for instance, points to four different ways of knowing. There's a propositional knowing knowing basically facts and knowledge like chat, GPT kind of knowing Procedural knowing where you're actually know something through doing it. Prac like practice perspectival knowing which is a kind of knowing in terms of perspective taking and then participatory. Participatory knowing where it's like a knowing through participating in something. Thinking here, like my, like a Harry Mack, the legendary freestyler, if you watch someone free, do freestyle rap. It's like a very participatory, Tasshin: how is that different than the procedural one? Vince: So like Harry Mack will practice freestyling of course, but then when he goes in, he's actually freestyling for people. Oh, I see. Tasshin: There's like interaction with other people in a larger group or something like that. Yeah. Vince: And there's ways of embodying, like in the zen tradition, so similar, there's ways of embody like inhabiting what you're talking about. That where you're getting inside of the participation of the moment. I see. Yeah. And I don't fully under, I don't fully understand all these distinctions myself, so I, but I would, so I'd point people to, to John Vei. I see. because I think there's some distinctions here that are really Yeah. It's like really helpful. Like you said, to expand the sort of, the view, philosophically what's happening. And perspective taking is one of those things where, yeah. Where it's. So much of this is about perspective taking from my point of view. It's like I'm, because I'm taking the perspective of someone who has share, shares an identity with these people. So it's and then history. And so I can take that perspective, but I can't actually take the perspective of someone in Gaza right now. Like I I'm unable to do that and but it seems like a worthwhile thing to try, okay. Can I take a perspective of Benjamin Netanyahu? Tasshin: That also seems worthwhile. Vince: Yeah. Yeah. Anyway. Dude I appreciate, I know we, we we've been going for a while here. Tasshin: Yeah. Great conversation Vincent. Thanks Vince: for your time. Yeah. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 15

What is Access Concentration? This is the question I want to bring forward in this talk. I recorded something on this topic many years ago—too many, honestly, to comfortably admit. At the time, I was working on a project that was essentially a secular meditation app. That’s basically been the through-line of my career: building and teaching through these kinds of projects. The app was called Meditate.io, and we had a course titled Concentration Meditation . In it, we aimed to explain the basics of how concentration really works. That course now lives on in The Jhāna Community under the name Concentration 101 . It shares some really good foundational ideas, one of which is the concept of Access Concentration . I found this idea so useful in my own Buddhist meditative practice that I really wanted to bring it into a more secular context. There’s a YouTube clip that gives my best simple explanation of what Access Concentration is, and I won’t go too deep here since that recording already exists. That’s the beauty of recording something—you don’t have to keep repeating yourself. But here’s the short version of how I understand it: Access Concentration is when the object of your focus—whether it’s the breath, the body, a sound, a visual orb, a mantra, or anything else—moves into the center of your attention. It shifts into the foreground, and everything else fades into the background. That background doesn’t disappear entirely; distractions and thoughts may still be there, but now they’re peripheral. The object of your focus becomes primary. This shift is important. It’s a turning point in practice when your attention starts to settle and stabilize. Of course, we can fall out of access. Some people think they’re only in access concentration if they maintain it the entire time they’re sitting—but that’s a much deeper, more stable version that usually takes time to develop. Unless you’re a natural at this—and few are—it takes consistent effort. In any given moment, if your meditation object is the main thing in your attention, you’re in access. And sure, distractions will pull at you—that’s normal. You fall out of access, and then you come back. Return to the breath. Be with it. At first, the breath might not hold your full attention. Maybe it gets 50%, then 30%, then 20%, then something else pulls at you. It’s a dynamic process. In my experience, concentration becomes more fluid and interactive the deeper you go. But at some point, your focus stabilizes: more than 50% of your attention is on the breath. It begins to draw you in—it has gravity. You want to give it more attention. There’s interest. There’s intimacy. In the traditional Buddhist framework, this state is called Access Concentration because it’s the doorway into the jhānas. You can’t access the jhānas without first stabilizing in access—at least, according to later Buddhist sources. And here’s a side note for the Buddhist nerds out there: the term Access Concentration doesn’t show up in the earliest teachings. It came later—about a thousand years after the Buddha’s time. Imagine a thousand years of mostly-male monastics meditating, likely trying to outdo each other, and eventually producing this giant meditation manual called the Visuddhimagga , or The Path of Purification . That’s where we find the term Access Concentration, described in the section on concentration—one of three main sections in the book. According to that model, you reach Access Concentration just before entering jhāna. The Visuddhimagga describes 40 different objects that can lead to access, though I doubt that list is exhaustive. (Hopefully someone caught that Pokémon reference. I know Buddy did.) So, what is Access Concentration again? Another way to understand it is this: it’s one of the five jhāna masteries . To master meditation, you have to be able to access the states you want to enter. In other words, Access Concentration is the ability to get to the object—mentally and emotionally—so you can begin to absorb into it. If we want to use a numerical analogy: Access is when more than 50% of your attention is with something. You’ve entered into relationship with it. And from there, you can deepen that relationship, becoming more absorbed. In the KASINA meditation app I’ve been developing, there's a visual orb that users can move toward them on the screen. As it moves closer, it fills the screen—you merge with it. That’s what happens with the breath, or love, or the body, or even not-knowing. You become one with the object. That’s the beginning of jhāna. And the sequence of jhānas, from one to eight, describes how that relationship deepens and evolves. First, the merger is blissful—like falling in love. It’s magical. But over time, that intensity cools, and you settle into a more steady connection—like the second jhāna and beyond. So, to even enter into that evolving intimacy, we need access. The Visuddhimagga says there are 40 objects that work for this, which implies there are many things that don’t . But I actually disagree with that. I think you could potentially access and merge with anything. But the real question is: why would you want to merge with, say, terror? Could you handle becoming one with being terrified? Some people love horror movies. I’ve never understood that—it feels like life is terrifying enough. But for those people, maybe horror is a doorway. Maybe terror is their access point. Okay, so here’s a simple practice to support this: May concentration arise. That’s the practice. Just wish for concentration to arise. Who are you wishing it for? Start with yourself. That’s why you’re here. Get in touch with the sincerity of that wish—why it’s important to you. Maybe you want to be able to focus better on your relationships, your work, the way you show up in the world. Maybe you want to be healthy, to remember what matters. Concentration helps with that. So: May concentration arise—for me. And then extend it out: May concentration arise for the people I care about. Because when the people around you are focused and well, it affects you too. It creates a feedback loop of clarity and joy. Then go wider: May concentration arise for everyone. Even knowing some will use it for harmful ends, trust the whole. Most won’t. And then: May concentration arise for all beings on Earth. For all beings to be focused on what’s most important to them. Even broader: May concentration arise for all beings, everywhere, throughout all time and space. May all of reality concentrate on what matters most to itself. Wishing concentration for everyone. The Jhāna Community The Jhāna Community is a community of practice dedicated to the art of deep meditation. Check out our 6 new weekly jhāna groups beginning in June: Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 6

By Vince Fakhoury Horn Today, in The Jhāna Community , I want to center our exploration around the completion phase—also known as enlightenment. What is the relationship between enlightenment and jhāna? That’s what we’ll explore. The Goal of Vipassana Jhāna In Vipassana jhāna practice, the goal is insight—clearly seeing the way things are. This clear seeing leads to awakening, within the Buddhist frame. Trudy Goodman uses a beautiful metaphor for this, comparing the phases of insight to the phases of the moon: “Can we appreciate all the phases of the moon, all the stages of our life? Can we see past the patterns of perception that too often eclipse the wonder of being alive? Birth, growth, fullness, letting go, vanishing into the mysterious dark—these are the eternal cycles of life.” The completion phase, in this metaphor, is the full darkness of the moon: the vanishing. Describing the Unconditioned Early Buddhist texts describe the apex of this phase—Nirvana—as a kind of vanishing. Bill Hamilton, Kenneth Folk’s teacher, once said: “Nirvana is an experience of the unconditioned which defies any description. Any description of Nirvana is not a description of Nirvana.” There are no reference points. Concepts can’t contain it. It’s not a “thing.” It’s a different kind of experience. Bodhidharma, founder of Zen, said: “When the mind reaches Nirvana, you don’t see Nirvana because the mind is Nirvana.” Beyond Meditative States I remember talking with Kenneth Folk about how many meditation teachers end up teaching a state —a temporary condition—as the goal. But awakening is not about achieving and clinging to a special state. There are moments of direct contact with the unconditioned. But the next moment might involve answering the phone, cooking dinner, or helping someone. At first, these seem like separate domains. Eventually, they can be integrated. This practice is about learning to release identification with all states—even the expansive and blissful ones. Wanting to Be “Permanently Okay” It’s understandable that we want to find a place where we can be permanently okay. That desire comes from a younger part of us—vulnerable and needing security. But the adult part of awakening is what frees us to be present for life as it is —even the messy, painful, inconvenient parts. Paradoxically, it’s not what we thought we signed up for. We imagined transcendence. What we found was this —the real. The Journey Doesn’t End Here Here’s the good news: the journey doesn’t end at the completion phase. Awakening is recursive. It loops, like the moon’s phases. “To understand recursion, you must first understand recursion.” In early Buddhism, the highest achievement was to break out of saṃsāra. But transformation happens not by escaping, but by cycling with change . Philosopher John Vervaeke says: “Evolution is revolution with change.” If your cycles bring new learning, new understanding—that’s evolution. The Big Picture That’s the bigger picture I love to teach. Meditation isn’t about escaping life. It’s about working with the natural cycles of our minds and lives—and transforming through them. And this isn’t in contradiction to Nirvana. When the realization deepens, you see that every experience, every thought, every person is it . Even the thought, “There’s somewhere else I should be” —that’s it too. Embodying the Mystery So what’s the point of all this state-jumping, deconstructing, and releasing? For me, part of the point is to embody the mystery . Reggie Ray writes in Touching Enlightenment : “To be awake, to be enlightened is to be fully and completely embodied… to be entirely present to who we are and to the journey of our own becoming… with no external observer waiting for something better.” That’s the journey of vipassana jhāna. Nothing left out. Full intimacy with reality. Awakening Is Collective Ultimately, awakening isn’t a personal project. Everyone is on this journey—even if they’d never use those words. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” Awakening leads to the realization that we are in this together . Eventually, the idea of my awakening dissolves into our awakening. So Now What? So the question becomes: How can I show up fully for this moment—this body, this life, this karmic tangle of heartbreak and hope? That’s the real practice. Mastering the Art of Jhāna If you found this article helpful, you may want to check out the community of practice it arose from… Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 22

Overview: In this episode, Vince Horn and Daniel Thorson explore the evolving landscape of Western Buddhism, unpacking the tensions between Consensus Buddhism and Pragmatic Dharma, while reflecting on ethics, teacherly authority, and the possibilities for a more integrated future. Vince Horn: I'm here with Daniel Thorson , hanging out in your office-slash-bedroom. You've been in the Asheville area for what—a year now? Daniel Thorson: Almost two years, actually. Vince: Whoa, really? That’s wild! And this is our first time recording together since you moved here. Doing it in person feels weird—so hyper-intimate. Daniel: Yeah. It’s a whole 3D—or maybe even 4D—experience. Vince: More D than that if you include yourself. Daniel: Totally. Vince: So, I suggested we record because, well, we were going to hang out anyway, and you’ve been writing a really interesting series on your Substack, The Intimate Mirror . Daniel: Yeah, that’s the one. Initially, I was exploring AI as a kind of mirror—how to use and work with it. But I’ve taken a side journey into critiquing Western Buddhism. I’m planning to do some reconstructive work too, eventually. Vince: Especially the American convert Buddhist scenes we’ve been part of, right? Like, the Buddhist Geeks orbit, Insight Meditation world, maybe even broader— Consensus Buddhism , as David Chapman calls it. Daniel: Exactly. My focus is mostly on modern Western Buddhist culture. That includes Insight Meditation, but also Westernized Zen, and even American Vajrayana. It's like a meta-sangha of Buddhist Modernism. Vince: Right. Like the teachers who went to hang out with the Dalai Lama in the 90s and asked, "How can we make Buddhism more friendly to the West?" And now there’s this whole ecosystem. Daniel: Definitely. And I want to be clear: I'm not critiquing individual teachers. It's more about the communities and cultures that have grown around them—looking at their gifts and their shadows. Vince: So you’ve got Consensus Buddhism on one hand and Pragmatic Dharma—what you call the Tech Bro Buddhist scene—on the other. I loved your piece on the " Upper Middle Path and the Tech Bros ." You brought in critiques I’ve seen mostly in academic circles—people like David McMahan and Ann Gleig —but you made it much more accessible and relevant. Daniel: Thanks. That was the goal: take these ideas out of esoteric academic circles and bring them into contemporary discourse. Especially around communities like ours that are immersed in Buddhist Geeks-type spaces. Vince: It felt like a kind of moral responsibility to name the limitations and mistakes we've seen—or made—over the years. Like, I see a lot of younger folks in the liminal web, teapot Twitter, etc., getting into Buddhist modernism the way we were 15 years ago. Daniel: Exactly. And I think it's important we help them avoid some of the pitfalls. Not because we’re better or more advanced, but just because we've had more time to metabolize these dynamics. Vince: Right. I mean, early Buddhist Geeks was full-on modernist—tech, enlightenment, Daniel Ingram’s stage models. But it evolved. Ann Gleig even said she saw postmodern elements starting to emerge in that community. I think she was right. Daniel: Totally. And part of my own evolution, especially through training at the Monastic Academy , has been this inquiry into ethics—specifically, how ethical responsiveness is missing in a lot of Buddhist spaces. That’s especially problematic in a time of planetary crisis. Vince: It’s not just about meditating in caves or on retreat anymore. There's a demand for something deeper and more responsive. A lot of Buddhism as it’s been practiced here feels avoidant—especially to folks with avoidant attachment styles. It’s like a refuge from complexity, not a way of meeting it. Daniel: Exactly. And even in the engaged Buddhist scenes, it can feel like there's a polarity—like the rest of Buddhism is disengaged by default. Vince: There’s been some shifts, especially post-George Floyd. Consensus Buddhism became more pluralistic, more explicitly social justice-oriented. But even then, it can become polarized—like progressive vs. liberal politics. Daniel: Right. And on the Pragmatic Dharma side, you see a resistance to that pluralism. It’s still very focused on individual attainment, hyper-rational, and map-model heavy. It’s like a cultural left/right divide. Vince: I’ve started avoiding the masculine/feminine language because it triggers so many people. I use "self-focused" and "other-focused" instead. Pragmatic Dharma = self-focused; Consensus Buddhism = other-focused. There’s a polarity there. Daniel: That feels accurate. And yet, both scenes are struggling with ethics. The Tech Bro Dharma scene risks erasing the generative function of suffering. There’s this idea that suffering is just a bug to be fixed. Vince: Right. And people like Shinzen Young and Daniel Ingram do qualify that—it’s perceptual suffering, not all suffering. But the popularizers, like Nick Cammarata on X.com, often simplify it down to "eliminate suffering, be happy." Daniel: Which is dangerous. Suffering is supposed to be understood, not eliminated. It teaches us about being in right relationship with reality. Removing it through tech could erase the ethical feedback loops we need. Vince: And that’s not just theoretical. We've seen examples—teachers like Culadasa , who bypassed relational feedback in ways that created real harm. Daniel: Or on the other side, in Consensus Buddhism, where the focus becomes eliminating social suffering through systems change—but sometimes it loses the locus of individual responsibility. It becomes ideologically confused. Vince: Yeah. It’s like both sides are overcorrecting, and what we really need is a new synthesis. Something that honors both individual and collective transformation. Daniel: The best example I’ve seen of that is John Churchill ’s Planetary Dharma . I’m in his Level 1 training, and it weaves individual and relational ethics beautifully. Vince: I’ve heard good things. Also, Tom Huston ’s Kosmic Dharma project seems to be trying something similar, from a more Advaita direction. Daniel: And Robert Burbea ’s Soulmaking Dharma , which really helps people deconstruct secular materialism and reopen to a sacred worldview. Vince: Yeah, I’ve seen that too. Even in the Pragmatic Dharma scene, many of the original rationalists are now post-rational, magical thinkers. Daniel Ingram literally has wands. Daniel: That’s the resilience of the Dharma. Practice sincerely, and it eventually breaks out of those constraints. Vince: That said, I think we’re in a phase of necessary deconstruction before meaningful reconstruction can happen. Daniel: Totally. And we need to talk about ethics now , not wait for the practice to eventually bring people around. Vince: Which raises a tricky question: How do you do this work—invite a new synthesis—without just creating a new brand of Buddhism that becomes subject to the same market dynamics? Daniel: It's hard. But maybe it's less about building one big thing and more about encouraging mutations. Experiments. Some may become new institutions. Others might just be small, temporary communities. I’ve been part of a project called the Church of the Intimate Web that’s experimenting with that. Vince: I love that. To me, anything that includes the three trainings—ethics, meditation, wisdom—is Buddhist, whether or not it uses the label. Daniel: Same. And while I’m deeply grateful to the institutions that formed me, I’m not optimistic about their ability to adapt. This series is, in some ways, a goodbye letter to Buddhism for me. Vince: That might be a key difference between us. I’m still invested in evolving Buddhism from within, even while exploring the edges. Buddhist Geeks is still about that. Daniel: And thank God for that. Because you’re right: we also need bridges. Between elders and newcomers. Between experimental scenes and rooted lineages. Otherwise, we risk losing our moorings. Vince: There’s so much anti-authoritarian energy in these new spaces, and yet the real problem isn’t gatekeepers—it’s often a lack of inner trust. Daniel: Exactly. And until people find legitimate external authority they can trust, it’s hard to develop real inner authority. Vince: We need both elders and experimentalists. And we need to keep honoring the lineage that made any of this even possible. Daniel: Amen. The Jhāna Community Daniel Thorson will be joining Vince and the Jhāna Community next month for a 4-week teaching series exploring how secure attachment to reality can serve as the basis for jhāna practice. Yes, we plan on recording it! Live teaching series w/ Daniel Thorson online : Thursday May 8, 15, 22, & 29 @ 4pm Eastern Time IMPORTANT NOTE : The Jhāna Community will be open for new applicants in the month of May. Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 21

Emily Horn is joined by renowned meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg to share reflections on her beloved teacher, Dipa Ma , a Bangladeshi meditation master, who was known for her extraordinary concentration, profound insight, and unwavering kindness. Sharon recounts her personal experiences with Dipa Ma, highlighting her maternal yet fierce presence, her ability to see deep potential in her students, and her unique approach to integrating mindfulness into daily life. Episode Links : 🔗 Dharmaseed – A library of recorded Dharma talks, including talks from Dipa Ma, Sharon Salzberg, and many other teachers. 🔗 Insight Meditation Society (IMS) – The meditation center co-founded by Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, and Joseph Goldstein. 🔗 Spirit Rock Meditation Center – A meditation center in California, also associated with Jack Kornfield and the wider Insight tradition. 📖 " Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master " by Amy Schmidt – A biography of Dipa Ma, mentioned as a key resource for learning about her life and teachings. 👤 Sharon Salzberg – Official website with her books, teachings, and upcoming events. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 7

In this episode of Our Beloved Teachers , dharma teacher Leigh Brasington reflects on his transformative experiences studying with Ven. Ayya Khema, one of his most influential teachers. Leigh shares how Ayya Khema's clarity, discipline, and groundbreaking teachings on meditation, including the jhānas, shaped his practice and teaching path. The conversation also delves into Ayya Khema's extraordinary life story and her pivotal contribution toward reviving the Theravāda fully ordained nun’s Sangha. Episode Links : 👤 Ayya Khema 📖 I Give You My Life by Ayya Khema 👤 Leigh Brasington 📖 Right Concentration by Leigh Brasington See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 18, 2024

Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined again by dharma teacher Trudy Goodman , founder of InsightLA , to share reflections on her beloved teacher, Kōbun Chino Otogawa . Kobun (February 1, 1938 – July 26, 2002), also known as Chino Otogawa Roshi, was a Japanese Zen priest who brought his unique and deeply compassionate teachings to America. Renowned for his unconventional approach, he emphasized practicing dharma within daily life, often blending traditional Zen wisdom with a quiet, everyday presence that resonated with many students. In this conversation, Trudy shares stories of Kobun’s compassionate presence, his devotion to helping those suffering, and his profound yet playful approach to teaching. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 16, 2024

In this episode of Buddhist Geeks, Brian Newman discusses his journey into deep jhāna meditation practice. He explores his training in the rigorous Pa-auk tradition, the challenges and breakthroughs he experienced, and the balance between traditional and more modern approaches to jhāna, ultimately advocating for a playful, less rigid approach to accessing these deep states of concentration. Episode Links : 👤 Brian Newman 🔗 Appamāda Viharī Meditation Center 👤 Sayalay Susīlā 👤 Pa-auk Sayadaw 👤 Kenneth Folk 📖 Grist for the Mill by Ram Dass & Stephen Levine 📖 Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel M. Ingram 🎧 Mastering the Jhānas with Tina Rasmussen & Stephen Snyder See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 16, 2024

In the episode on " Technological Metamodernism ," Vince Fakhoury Horn and Stephen Reid discuss the intersection of technology, metamodernism, and the potential middle paths that navigate between techno-optimism or e/acc and eco-dystopianism or doomerism. They explore how emerging technologies can be aligned with deeper values, such as sovereignty, relationality, and wholeness, while also addressing the challenges of our current technological trajectory​. Episode Links : 👤 StephenReid.net ✉️ Stephen Reid in Correspondence - Stephen's substack 🔗 Futurecraft - The site where the Technological Metamodernism course is being hosted​. 🤑 Support the open sourcing of the Technological Metamodernism course ( via PayPal or via Crypto ) 🔗 Meaning Alignment Institute - Mentioned as part of the discussions, this institute focuses on aligning emerging technologies with human values 🔗 Rebel Wisdom - A platform formerly associated with Alexander Beiner, one of the special guests of the Technological Metamodernism course. 🔗 Life Itself - A project focused on the "Second Renaissance," mentioned in the context of Rufus Pollock's work​, another of the special guests of the Technological Metamodernism course. 🎙️ Future Fossils Podcast - Hosted by Michael Garfield, yet another of the special guests of the Technological Metamodernism course. 📖 Reality Switch Technologies by Andrew Gallimore 🔗 Gitcoin - The platform that supports the quadratic funding method mentioned by which Stephen is raising funds in order open source material from the course. You can contribute to the funding for that project here. 🎙️ Lunarpunk Dreams Podcast by Stephen Reid See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 10, 2024

In this episode of Buddhist Geeks, Vince Fakhoury Horn shares his experience of working with the meditation startup Jhourney , and raises concerns about their insufficient training and appropriation of Buddhist meditation practices, advocating for a more responsible and deeply informed approach to secularizing Jhāna meditation. Episode Links : 📝 The Second Generation of Mindfulness by Vince F. Horn 🔗 The Meditation Research Project 🔗 The Jhana.community See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 11, 2024

In this episode Ryan Oelke chats with Judith Blackstone , contemporary spiritual teacher, psychotherapist, and founder of The Realization Process, and author of her latest book, The Fullness of the Ground: A Guide to Embodied Awakening . They discuss a variety of aspects of what it means to embody nonduality, including different views on nonduality, how to practice and live a path of embodied nondual awakening. Episode Links: 📖 The Fullness of the Ground: A Guide to Embodied Awakening by Judith Blackstone, PhD 💻 The Realization Process See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 28, 2023

In this episode, recorded during a Buddhist Geeks Retreat, Vince Fakhoury Horn teachings on several ways to meditate, including Concentration, Mindfulness, Heartfulness, Inquiry, Awareness, Embodiment, and Imaginal forms of practice. Each approach to meditation leads to different results, even as the ultimate goal remains the same, which is to realize the essential nature of mind, and be able to embrace the ongoing journey of exploration and growth. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 14, 2023

In this Our Beloved Teachers episode Emily Horn speaks with Spring Washam about her relationship with Harriet Tubman, and the teachings she has received from her. Spring speaks about the importance of faith and courage in navigating challenging times and the connection to the unseen world, while emphasizing that Harriet Tubman is not just an ancestor for African Americans, but for everyone. She encourages people to tap into the strength and resilience that Harriet represents to better support each other in these transformative times. Episode Links : 📖 The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground by Spring Washam 🎙️ Our Beloved Teachers See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 5, 2023

In her talk titled "Homemaking Dharma," Emily Horn discusses the process of creating a spiritual home, which involves working with heartbreak, grief, and our shadow aspects. She emphasizes the importance of understanding our spiritual story and incorporating elements of our ethnic and cultural backgrounds into our practice. This journey towards wholeness requires the practice of mindfulness and love, and although it can be messy and require rumbling with our stories, it ultimately leads to a sense of interconnection with others. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 9, 2023

This talk, titled "Contemplating the Anomalous" was given by Vince Fakhoury Horn on a Buddhist Geeks retreat in July, 2023. It explores the stages of a paradigm shift in understanding, going from ignoring the anomalous, to encountering anomalies and experiencing resistance, to exploration, and finally toward genuine transformation. Using examples from both Science and Meditation Vince attempts to illustrate the learning process as it’s experienced from each point of view. This talk also touches on the topic of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) and the potential for a collective paradigm shift in our understanding of the Universe and our place in it, that includes both interiors and exteriors. Episode Links : 👤 VinceHorn.space See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 13, 2023

Meditatewith.ai is a web app prototype, aimed at demonstrating the possibility of learning Multiplayer Meditation–an out-loud, social, interactive, & trauma-informed protocol–with an AI partner first. The purpose of the company behind this prototype, Interbeing Inc, is to improve the mental health and well-being of all humans using interpersonal meditation practices. In this episode, recorded during an event inside the Buddhist Geeks Network, co-founders Vince Fakhoury Horn & Chris Ewald introduce what they’ve been working on for the first time in public, and then field a wide variety of questions from participants. Episode Links : 📱 Meditatewith.ai 🎙️ Emerge Podcast: Vince Horn on Meditate with AI 🔗 Wefunder Crowdfunding Campaign WeFunder Legal Disclosure : We are 'testing the waters' to gauge investor interest in an offering under Regulation Crowdfunding. No money or other consideration is being solicited. If sent, it will not be accepted. No offer to buy securities will be accepted. No part of the purchase price will be received until a Form C is filed and only through Wefunder’s platform. Any indication of interest involves no obligation or commitment of any kind. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 22, 2023

The Vimalakīrti Sūtra is a Mahayana Buddhist text from the 2nd century CE that explores the nature of enlightenment and the teachings of the Buddha. In this contemporary commentary on the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, Pragmatic Dharma teacher Kenneth Folk shares his personal understanding of what he refers to as “a magical spell.” Episode Links : Watch the Video Version of this Talk on Youtube Kenneth Folk Dharma The Vimalakīrti Sūtra , translated by Burton Watson Pragmatic Dharma Training See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 19, 2023

Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined by long-time teacher, Kenneth Folk, to share about his beloved teacher, Bill Hamilton, who American dharma teacher Shinzen Young referred to as "an unsung hero of Western Mindfulness." Bill was an enigmatic dharma teacher who practiced in the Insight-Theravada tradition. He was the founder of the Dharma Seed library, did more than 7 years of silent retreat practice, and wrote an excellent contemporary dharma book called "Saints & Psychopaths." Episode Links : 👤 Kenneth Folk 👤 Vince Fakhoury Horn 📖 Saints & Psychopaths by Bill Hamilton 🔗 Dharma Seed 📺 Remembering Bill Hamilton with Shinzen Young 📺 Remembering Bill Hamilton Featuring Daniel Ingram Memorable Quotes : 📺 " Enlightenment. Highly recommended, can't tell you why ." – Bill Hamilton 📺 " Suffering less, noticing it more ." – Bill Hamilton 📺 " You don't have to go looking for suffering ." – Bill Hamilton 📺 " You could get enlightened rubbing that tape box ." – Bill Hamilton 📺 " They're doing psychology ." – Bill Hamilton 📺 " There's more than one objection of mindfulness ." – Bill Hamilton 📺 " This is the ultimate self-improvement project, even beyond one's self ." – Kenneth Folk See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 22, 2023

Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined by dharma teacher Trudy Goodman , founder of InsightLA , to share reflections on her beloved teacher, Seungsahn. Seungsahn Haengwon (Sungsan Haeng'weon Daeseonsa, August 1, 1927 – November 30, 2004), born Duk-In Lee, was a Korean Seon master of the Jogye Order and founder of the international Kwan Um School of Zen . Episode Links : 👤 Trudy Goodman 👤 Seungsahn 📺 Bob Newhart Therapy: Stop It! 👤 Maha Ghosananda 🎧 Zen Predator 📖 Sex in the Forbidden Zone by Peter Rutter Memorable Quotes : " What am I? " – Seungsahn " Your Body already a corpse ." – Seungsahn " That is Great Faith ." – Seungsahn " This is how it happens ." – Trudy Goodman See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 23, 2023

In this episode, hosted by Vince Fakhoury Horn, we kick off a new series called Our Beloved Teachers . In this episode Vince explains how this a new kind of community podcast series, aimed at exploring the true nature of the teacher-student relationship, while preserving the oral history of BuddhaDharma, in the digital era. We call it a "community podcast series" because anyone can submit a recording to the series –all you need are the production skills to pull off the recording, and the connections to find a suitable guest. Episode Links : 🔗 Our Beloved Teachers 👤 Vince Fakhoury Horn 🔗 Open Source Dharma 📄 Creative Commons: Understanding Free Cultural Works 🔗 Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 International 👤 Silvia Bastos See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 17, 2022

“‘To be’ is to inter-be.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh In this episode–taken from a Dharma Talk at the Garrison Institute in 2022– Vince Fakhoury Horn teaches on the complexity of Interbeing, looking at "it" from 3 distinct perspectives: Interbeing within Ourselves Interbeing with Others Interbeing inside Nature Taken together, these three form a great network of Interbeing, one which opens us to the self-similar & fractal nature of interdependence. At every scale, we inter-are. Episode Links : Thích Nhất Hạnh What is Social Meditation? The Roots of 'Radical' Networkologies: A Philosophy of Networks for a Hyperconnected Age Holon (philosophy) Overview effect See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 12, 2022

Emily West Horn teaches that we can learn to apply both mindfulness & heartfulness toward liberating ourselves from the "trance of unworthiness." What do you most want to realize? Relax, and you will know. Episode Links : 👤 Emily West Horn 📖 The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology by Jack Kornfield See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 6, 2022

In most modern contexts the topic of magic is taboo, because it isn’t Rational. Here, Vince Fakhoury Horn makes the claim that magic can also be understood and practiced in a Transrational way. He does this by unpacking several perspectives on magic, and then links those with the Buddhist teachings on the open heart: The Four Immeasurables. This episode was recorded during a recent Buddhist Geeks Retreat on Heart Magic. Join us from August 3–10, 2022 at the Garrison Institute in NY for a week-long retreat on the same topic! Episode Links : 🔗 Heart Magic Retreat @ Garrison Institute 📖 Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram 📃 The Four Immeasurables 🎙 Buddhist Magic w/ Daniel Ingram 📄 Heartfulness Meditation 🎙 Falling in Love With What Is, with Noliwe Alexander 📜 Metta (Mettanisamsa) Sutta: Discourse on Advantages of Loving-kindness See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 6, 2022

We're joined in this episode by Writer-Director-Actor-Comedian-Songwriter and run of the mill fucked up human, Stuart Davis , as he shares his deep experience of navigating what is generally referred to as " the phenomenon ." Both in his work as the host of the Artists & Aliens Podcast and as the convener of The Experiencer Group –a virtual learning community for people who've had anomalous experiences–Stuart is helping people confront and confer with the high strangeness of our shared reality. Episode Links : 👤 Stuart Davis 👽 Artists & Aliens 🔗 The Experiencer Group 📖 A CE-5 Handbook: An Easy-To-Use Guide to Help You Contact Extraterrestrial Life 👤 Steven M. Greer 📰 Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program 📺 Navy pilots describe encounters with UFOs 📺 Ten Tools for Sovereignty 🖋 ET PRESENCE & THE FORFEITURE OF HUMAN SOVEREIGNTY by Stuart Davis 🌐 Buddhist Geeks Network Additional Links from Stuart : Kimberly Theresa Lafferty's Three Parter on Tantra, Non Human Entities, how transitory states become enduring stages of consciousness, how human contact with non-human entities impacts the attachment cycle in human development, the use of consorts in monastic Tantric tradition, and how we make meaning of the things that make no sense. A cautionary tale of what happens when you fail to make cakes for the spiritual denizens of your retreat cabin. Part One: https://youtu.be/Wz1juIwK5aU Part Two: https://youtu.be/amlajXh3viQ Part Three: https://youtu.be/a5v_I1sxFY8 And, magician Gordon White on how to protect your home spiritually by turning it into a Human Dwelling: Part One: https://youtu.be/sYpdE2lTabk Part Two: https://youtu.be/9HM_-_5xJAc See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 12, 2022

In this episode of Buddhist Geeks, Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined in dialogue with Kaira Jewel Lingo , mindfulness meditation teacher, mentor, and author of the recently released book, " We Were Made For These Times ". Here they discuss the unique times of peril and opportunity that humanity current faces, and how the teachings on equanimity, or inclusiveness, might just be the only thing that we can reliably fall back on. Episode Links : 👤 Kaira Jewel Lingo 📖 " We Were Made For These Times: 10 Lessons for Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption " by Kaira Jewel Lingo 🔗 Mindfulness Retreats Online 🔗 Plum Village 📺 The Social Dilemma 📺 Why Facebook is More Powerful than Cultures, Markets, AND Governments 🔗 Upekṣā 👤 Thomas Hübl 📰 A Lynching Memorial Is Opening. The Country Has Never Seen Anything Like It. 👤 Resmaa Menakem 📖 " The World We Have: A Buddhist Approach to Peace and Ecology " by Thich Nhat Hanh Memorable Quotes : "If we can figure out how to be embodied and know what our bodies are telling us we can find out way back to each other." – Kaira Jewel Lingo "Part of why we don't protect what we have is because we're not really alive to it–we don't really see the beauty of our world." – Kaira Jewel Lingo "You can only really have equanimity if you really care." – Kaira Jewel Lingo See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 3, 2022

In the 2nd part of our conversation with the Evolving Ground crew, we talk about the importance of comparing and contrasting what we're up to in our respective Sanghas. We explore some of the obvious overlaps between Evolving Ground and Buddhist Geeks , in terms of our mutual commitment to meta-systematicity , bringing up the tantalizing question of why MetaSangha–a Sangha of Sanghas–matters today. Episode Links : 🔗 Evolving Ground 🔗 Buddhist Geeks Network 📄 The Cofounders by David Chapman 📄 Meta-Sanghas by Vince Horn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 20, 2021

In 2020 Charlie Awberry & Jared Janes came together to start a new kind of Vajrayana Sangha, called Evolving Ground . In this conversation, Vince Horn, was joined by both Charlie & Jared, as well as by Charlie's partner David Chapman–who has been becoming more involved in the project as of late–to explore what they've been up to this past year. In addition, they discuss some of the similarities between what is happening in Buddhist Geeks and with Evolving Ground, both of which are communities that are striving to approach things from a meta-systematic point of view. Episode Links : 🔗 Evolving Ground 🔗 Evolving Ground Roles 🐥 Evolving Ground on Twitter 🔗 Meaningness 👤 Robert Kegan 🔗 Buddhist Geeks Network See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 3, 2021

In this episode of Buddhist Geeks, we're re-sharing a conversation that happened on the Meta-Perspective show, hosted by James Landoli, in which James invited Vince F Horn and Daniel Ingram into a far-ranging dialogue, exploring some of the meta-perspectives and real human complexity that goes along with discussing dharma lineage in the 21st century. Episode Links : 📺 Meta-Perspective 👤 Daniel Ingram 🔗 The Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium 🎧 Shinzen Young on Remembering William (Bill) Hamilton See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 3, 2021

In this dharma talk–taken from a Pragmatic Dharma Retreat–Kenneth Folk speaks about Bahiya, the best student in the history of the world, and about the worst student in the history of the world, none other than the Buddha himself. At the end, Kenneth leads this 4-part practice : 1) Inventory - Ask yourself: is there any unpleasant tension in the body? "Yes, there's tension in my neck, forehead, arm pits, mid-back, right hip, etc." 2) Release tension consciously 3) Surrender fully to the experience 4) Releasing & surrendering are last ditch efforts to control. Things are as they are, "in the sensed is only the sensed." Episode Links : Kenneth Folk Bahiya Sutta Memorable Quotes : "Mara doesn't get to have an opinion about that." – Kenneth Folk See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 27, 2021

In this dharma teaching, given to a cohort of teachers-in-training, Vince F. Horn gives a broad strokes introduction to the 2nd Great Turning, or Iteration, of Buddhism, known as Mahayana Buddhism. Vince speaks about the 2nd Iteration's emphasis on emptiness (sunyata), the understanding of emptiness as interdependence, and the two equal wings of liberation: emptiness & compassion. Finally, he explores the primary ideal of the Mahayana tradition, the Bodhisattva. Episode Links : 👤 Vince Fakhoury Horn 📄 Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma 👤 Judith Simmer-Brown 👤 Nāgārjuna 📄 Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Root Verses on the Middle Way) 🔗 Bodhicitta 🔗 The 10 Fetters in Early Buddhism 👤 Śāriputra Memorable Quotes : "Compassion is the movement of emptiness." - Joseph Goldstein "The alarming fact is that any realization of depth carries a terrible burden: those who are allowed to see are simultaneously saddled with the obligation to communicate that vision in no uncertain terms: that is the bargain. You were allowed to see the truth under the agreement that you would communicate it to others (that is the ultimate meaning of the bodhisattva vow). And therefore, if you have seen, you simply must speak out. Speak out with compassion, or speak out with angry wisdom, or speak out with skillful means, but speak out you must." – Ken Wilber See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 20, 2021

In this dharma teaching / guided meditation–given during a Pragmatic Dharma Retreat in 2018–Kenneth Folk re-enacts the Anupada Sutta, an early Buddhist text in which the Buddha recounts a tale of Sāriputta moving through each of the 8 jhanas (meditative absorptions), completing the series with the attainment of nibanna. May you awaken while contemplating these instructions! Episode Links : 👤 Kenneth Folk 📜 The Anupada Sutta See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 2, 2021

Kevin Owocki, founder of GitCoin –a decentralized platform & organization focused on building and funding the open web–joins Vince Horn co-founder of Buddhist Geeks, to explore the potential of bringing together the world of Dharma and the world of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations). Episode Links : 🔗 GitCoin 📄 What is Web 3.0? 📄 Decentralized autonomous organization 📄 NFTs, explained 💡 Join the SanghaDAO Group See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 27, 2021

In this pragmatic dharma retreat talk Vince Fakhoury Horn explores Meditation Track A–the gradual track–and Meditation Track B–the sudden track. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 13, 2021

In this conversation, Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined by Buddhist meditation teacher Kate Johnson , author of Radical Friendship , a newly released book which found its roots in a talk that Kate gave in 2013 at an in-person Buddhist Geeks Conference, entitled Waking Up to Power & Privilege in Our Communities . Vince & Kate speak about a variety of topics related to practicing dharma and living together in an unjust world. Episode Links : 👤 Kate Johnson 📖 Radical Friendship: Seven Ways to Love Yourself and Find Your People in an Unjust World by Kate Johnson 🎙 The Dharma of Difference , with Kate Johnson 📺 Waking Up to Power & Privilege in Our Communities , with Kate Johnson See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 20, 2021

In this talk, recorded during a Pragmatic Dharma Retreat, Kenneth Folk lays out a meta-system for understanding the different understandings of deep Jhana or meditative absorption and their relationship to the Theravada Buddhist system, the progress of insight knowledges (aka Ñanas). memorable links : 💬 "So we could call this olympic level, nut job jhana." – Kenneth Folk 💬 "The insight knowledges are jhanic states." – Kenneth Folk episode links : 🔗 Kenneth Folk Dharma 🎙 Meditating in the Goldilocks Zone , with Vince F. Horn 📄 The Progress of Insight by The Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 16, 2021

In this special guided meditation, recorded during a Pragmatic Dharma Retreat, Kenneth Folk does a masterful job of pointing out the four progressive stages of meditative absorption, colloquially known as jhana . For best results, we suggest finding a place to listen to this episode, where you can remain undistracted. episode links : Kenneth Folk Mindfulness Retreats Online memorable quotes : "Like a skilled wine taster, one day you will learn to recognize these flavors." – Kenneth Folk See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2021

In this dharma talk, Vince Fakhoury Horn talks about the Goldilocks Principle as it's applied to meditation. He illustrates this Goldilocks Zone–just the right amount–by talking about a spectrum between Concentration and Investigation. How do find the middle way, i.e. the Goldilocks Zone, in our own practice? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 5, 2021

Teaching by Noliwe Alexander , given during a Mindfulness Retreat Online . This Open Source Dharma content is offered using a Creative Commons by attribution 4.0 license . See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 9, 2021

In this episode of the Buddhist Geeks Podcast Vince Horn is interviewed by Tasshin Foggleman. The episode originally appeared on Tasshin's Reach Truth Podcast , and is now airing here on Buddhist Geeks. During the interview Tasshin asks Vince to share about the evolution of the Buddhist Geeks organization, including an in-depth exploration of Transparent Generosity, Holacracy, & Open Source Dharma–three of the elements of the Buddhist Geeks organization that make it particularly unique. This conversation is framed in terms of the evolution of dharma, looking at how dharma evolves not just through updates to the language of its teachings and practices, but also through the very structure in which those things are packaged. Episode Links : 👤 Tasshin Foggleman 👤 Vince Fakhoury Horn 📺 Reach Truth Podcast 🔗 Tasshin @ Twitter 🔗 Vince @ Twitter 🔗 Transparent Generosity 🔗 Holacracy 🎙 Liberating the Soul of Organization 🎙 Organizational Enlightenment 🔗 Open Source Dharma 📖 Education in a Time Between Worlds , by Zak Stein 📖 Integral Spirituality , by Ken Wilber See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 14, 2021

In this episode Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined by Gabriel Menegale Wison , one of the authors of the recently released book, “ Compassionate Conversations: How to Speak and Listen from the Heart .” In this dialogue, we explore Gabriel’s background as an Integral Zen practitioner & Facilitator, looking specifically at how he brings the art of conversation into difficult areas of relationship. Our conversation centers particularly around how to have difficult conversations related to racial identity. Memorable Quotes “I want to engage in the exploration of more radical identities that can cohere us cooperatively so that we can forge worlds together.” - Gabriel Wilson “I think there is a lot of beauty to the creative frictions between our different identities and I think if you want to work with them, they will literally produce more dynamic identities that can include those differences.” - Gabriel Wilson Episode Links 👤 Gabriel Menegale Wilson 📖 “ Compassionate Conversations: How to Speak and Listen from the Heart ” by Diane Musho Hamilton, Gabriel Menegale Wilson, and Kimberly Loh 🎧 Everything the Same, Everything Different , with Diane Musho Hamilton 👤 Diane Musho Hamilton 👤 Kimberly Loh See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 26, 2021

In this episode Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined in dialogue with Lama Rod Owens, author of the newly released book, Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation . Memorable Quotes “To begin with this is not a mindfulness book on how to bypass anger and focus on happiness. Nor is this a book about using any other spiritual path to transform the nature of anger into something more profound or transcendent. This book is about facing our anger and welcoming it as a teacher and friend so it can help us to benefit ourselves and others.” – Lama Rod Owens Episode Links 👤 Lama Rod Owens 👤 Lama Rod on Twitter 📖 Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation by Lama Rod Owens 📖 Black and Buddhist - Lama Rod Owens (contributing author) 🔗 Dr. Joy Degrew’s theory on Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 14, 2020

In this episode Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined in dialogue with CEO and Head Teacher at the popular meditation app Brightmind , Toby Sola. Memorable Quotes "The broader mission of Brightmind is to help you establish positive feedback between your meditative practice and your ability to make the world a better place." - Toby Sola Episode Links 📱 Brightmind Meditation 👤 Toby on Twitter 🔗 Monastic Academy 👤 Shinzen Young 👤 Soryu Forall 🔗 Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School 🔗 Forte Labs 📖 Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 15, 2020

In this timely episode–released just weeks before the 2020 US Election–host Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined by human rights advocate, public intellectual, and old friend Theo Horesh. Theo is a long-time meditator, was one of the earliest guests on Buddhist Geeks, and is author of several books, including the one that serves as the basis for this conversation: “The Fascism this Time : And the Global Future of Democracy.” During this conversation Vince & Theo explore what Fascism is–both historically & philosophically–how nihilism and despair are playing out in global society right now (especially in America), the many dimensions of human identity that are at play for us all, and the way that our current “split-level development” involves both a profound regression, as well as the potential for transcendence in service of the public good. Memorable Quotes “Marx once noted that all great historical events repeat themselves, the first time as tragedy, and the second as farce. And what we’re seeing now is a farce, but we should take it seriously, because it’s the same nihilistic drives that lie behind it.” - Theo Horesh “Fascism is going to end in destruction for a couple of key reasons. One is it’s driven by nihilism. The second thing is that what sustains it, is its insulation from reality. So, it’s not just going to be irrational in its approach to things, it’s going to be completely divorced from reality, and as time goes on it’ll be more and more divorced.” - Theo Horesh Episode Links 📖 The Fascism this Time : And the Global Future of Democracy 📖 Convergence: The Globalization of Mind 🎙 Convergence (Theo Horesh’s Talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference) 📃 The revenge of the 'Oxy electorate' helped fuel Trump's election upset 📃 Cosmopolitanism See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 7, 2020

In this episode Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined in dialogue with journalist, educator, & scholar Greg Thomas to meditate together on race. Greg’s work is informed by Integral Theory, the philosophies of Albert Murray and Ralph Ellison, and draws upon the rich history of the African American experience and Jazz. In this dialogue, Greg shares his reflections on race, from an integral perspective, exploring the potential for liberation–especially from racial ignorance & animus–on personal, cultural, & institutional levels. Memorable Quotes “Race is just one more tool of the ego to separate and to create structures–whether it’s subjective, inter-subjective or objective structures–to separate, divide and categorize.” - Greg Thomas “ There is a truth to the fact that we all are one, and that we share in the ineffability of the source, of the fullness of emptiness. And all these things that signify–because we’re using human language–that our origins, our source, from and through which all things come and flow, and towards which we’re moving. But in-between time, on this human level, in this particular incarnation we have to deal with the reality of materiality, of the material plane that we’re on. That materiality itself, is going to bring suffering. Duality will do that. Non-duality is Oneness. We have to navigate skillfully, using skillful means. And that’s where we get to Wisdom. Wisdom allows us to be able to play with these dualities. ... [Wisdom] takes into consideration I, We, & It, it takes into consideration the dual & the non-dual, it takes into consideration the reality of the oneness and the particularity of the many.” - Greg Thomas “They have planted and we ate. We plant and others will eat.” - Siddho Ahmad Fakhoury, Vince’s Great-Grandfather on planting olive trees Episode Notes : 👤 Greg Thomas’s Online Portfolio 👤 The Jazz Leadership Project 👤 Greg Thomas @ Integral Life 🔗 Integral Life 👤 Diane Musho Hamilton 👤 Anthony Appiah 👤 Danielle Allen @ Twitter 📃 Ralph Ellison 📖 “ My Grandmother’s Hands ” by Resmaa Menakem 📖 “ Turning the Wheel: Essays on Buddhism and Writing ” by Charles Johnson 👤 Bell Hooks 🔗 Essentialism 📖 “ Mindful of Race ” by Ruth King 📃 Jazz vs. Racism by Greg Thomas 📖 “ The Ethics of Identity ” by Kwame Anthony Appiah See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 30, 2020

In this episode, Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined in conversation with Richard D. Bartlett. Rich is the author of Patterns for Decentralised Organising and a contributing author for Better Work Together . He is a co-founder of Loomio and The Hum. He is a Director and longstanding member of Enspiral. In finding where convergence resides among them, Vince and Rich explore many interesting topics including Decentralised Organising, Microsolidarity, Fractal Narcissism, and the Occupy Movement. Memorable Quotes “In a time of massive disruption, where the stakes are really high and everyone has skin in the game, who is saying stuff that feels sensible? That feels like it’s giving me guidance?” - Richard D. Bartlett “The world is great when there is a huge variety of different ways of being and they form some complex, uncontrollable network. That we’re all enmeshed together and we’re all playing different parts…” - Richard D. Bartlett Episode Links 👤 Richard D. Bartlett , aka Rich Decibels 👤 Rich @ Twitter 👤 Rich @ Medium 📖 Better Work Together 📖 Patterns for Decentralised Organising 🔗 Enspiral 🔗 Loomio 🔗 The Hum 🔗 Microsolidarity See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2020

In this episode, Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined by long-time partner, and Teaching Lead of Buddhist Geeks, Emily Horn , to meditate together on race. They discuss the unique opportunity for transformation presenting itself to white people, and share some of their personal stories regarding racial conditioning, and how/why this largely invisible conditioning makes this conversation on difference so difficult to engage in. Memorable Quotes “I know that trust is earned, I can’t just put up a sticker on my wall and call it safe, no matter how much I’m dedicated to diversity & inclusion.” - Emily Horn “As an individual my experience didn’t just come from nowhere. It’s actually part of this heritage, this 4.5 billion year heritage, that goes back to the Big Bang.” - Vince Fakhoury Horn Episode Links 🔗 Black Lives Matter 🔗 Naropa University 📺 Integral Justice Warriors 📄 Transparent Generosity 🔗 Holacracy See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 3, 2020

In this episode, Vince Horn is joined in conversation with Jason Snyder, PhD. Co-host of the Both/And Podcast and an adjunct lecturer at ASU’s Department of Sustainable Development, Jason joins Vince in a sit-down conversation, where they discuss the topics of memetic mediation, metamodernism, integral theory, responding to the meta-crisis, sensemaking and more. Memorable Quotes : "We are all complicit in history whether we like it or not. Both the good parts and the bad parts. I think that speaks to the notion of interconnectedness." – Jason Snyder "How do we respond to the meta-crisis? We have to create this new kind of collective intelligence that as humans we can accurately respond to the serious transition we’re in." – Jason Snyder Episode Links : 👤 Jason Snyder 🎙 Both/And Podcast 🎙 Both/And: Decoding Ourselves with Vince Horn 🎙 Deconstructing Yourself 📃 On Memetic Mediation & Perspectival Pidginism 🔗 Integral Life 🔗 The Evolving Self 👤 Hanzi Freinacht 👤 Clare Graves 🔗 The Bahá’í Faith 📃 New Atheism 👤 Shinzen Young 👤 Daniel Ingram 🎙 Buddha at the Gas Pump 👤 Otto Scharmer See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 18, 2020

In this episode we’re joined again by meditator & medical doctor Daniel M. Ingram , to discuss his current efforts at helping mainstream knowledge of the common patterns of experience that unfold during contemplative practice–commonly referred to as “the stages of insight” in the early Buddhist tradition–so that this knowledge can become integrated into our modern medical systems. Episode Links: 👤 Daniel M. Ingram 🔗 The Dharma Overground 📃 The Progress of Insight 📃 What is Exploding Head Syndrome? 📃 The Varieties of Religious Experience 🔗 Consciousness Hacking 🔗 Kathryn “Katy” Devaney See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 24, 2020

From practicing hindu tantra with a guru he met at a new age bookstore in Chicago, to building open source hexayurts on the playa of burning man, to helping launch the second biggest crypto-network , Vinay Gupta is a man on a mission. Bringing a Vaderesque approach to spiritual, social, cultural, & engineering topics, Vinay offers an ultra-compelling apocoloptimistic vision of the future. - Vince Fakhoury Horn Memorable Quotes : "Social problems can be fixed with social change, and engineering problems have to be fixed with better technology. And most of what's wrong with capitalism is engineering limits not social limits, and we get very confused about this." - Vinay Gupta Episode Links : 👤 Vinay Gupta 🔗 Mattereum 🔗 The Hexayurt Project 🔗 Industrialisation 🔗 Haidakhan Babaji See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 25, 2020

The founder of Open Source Ecology , Marcin Jakubowski , shares his journey of going from being a PhD student in Fusion Physics to meditating daily & building the modular groundwork for an open source economy of abundance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 11, 2020

In this episode, Vince Horn is joined in dialogue, once again, by Diane Musho Hamilton –Zen teacher, professional meditator, and Integral facilitator. The conversation begins with Vince's reflections on an Integral Facilitator Training that he attended with Diane, where a bulk of the training centered around facilitating small group conversations around issues related to differences of identity. After discussing a number of topics that are often taken up in the Social Justice movement, and an Integral perspective on these topics, the conversation turned toward the role of the Teacher, and on transmission, hierarchy, embodiment, feedback, and projection. Memorable Quotes: “I found that rather than trying to teach stage models to groups, that I like to invoke them into models.” - Diane Musho Hamilton “We don’t challenge basketball coaches the way we challenge spiritual teachers.” - Diane Musho Hamilton “Every moment of adulation is followed by a great disappointment.” - Diane Musho Hamilton Episode Links: 👤 Diane Musho Hamilton 🔗 Ten Directions, Integral Facilitator Training 📄 Everything the Same, Everything Different by Diane Hamilton 📺 Saturday Night Live: Dinner Discussion 🔗 Two Arrows Zen 🔗 Black Elk 🔗 Worldcentric 📺 Future Thinkers Interviews with Ken Wilber 🔗 The Five Stages of Grief 📖 Compassionate Conversations by Diane Musho Hamilton, Gabriel Wilson, & Kimberly Loh 📺 The Role and Importance of the Teacher by Ken McLeod See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 12, 2020

In this episode, Vince Horn is joined in conversation by long-time mentor and friend, David Loy , to explore his latest on, " EcoDharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis ." Their discussion centers around how this EcoDharma work relates to our current exploration of Metadharma , which we describe as any approach to dharma practice that intentionally seeks to respond to the overlapping crises that humanity now faces. Quotes: "The real problem of humanity is the following: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology." - E.O. Wilson "I see social evolution as a continuation of biological evolution." - David Loy "The Ecological Crisis is Earth’s way of telling us, 'Grow up or get out of the way.'" - David Loy Links: 👤 David Loy 📖 EcoDharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis by David Loy 🎧 The Metadharma Series 🎧 The Meta-Crisis Is a Human Development Crisis , Daniel Thorson & Zak Stein 📄 How to Be an Ecosattva by David Loy 📄 Differentiation of the Cultural Value Spheres by Ken Wilber 📖 Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari 📄 Dualistic cosmology 📖 The Structure of World History by Karatani Kojin 📄 Transparent Generosity 📄 Capitalism 📺 Jeremy Rifkin on the Fall of Capitalism and the Internet of Things 📖 Syntheism: Creating God in the Internet Age by Alexander Bard & Jan Söderqvist 🔗 Open Source Ecology 📺 Civilization starter kit by Marcin Jakubowski 🔗 Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center 📖 Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken 🔗 Extinction Rebellion 🔗 Extinction Rebellion Buddhists 🔗 Sunrise Movement 🔗 350.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 13, 2020

In this episode, Emily Horn speaks with Insight meditation teacher and co-founder of the newly established Meditation Coalition of Los Angeles, JoAnna Hardy . In their conversation, they explore the origins, values, & current activities of this new experiment in community. Here at Buddhist Geeks we see the Meditation Coalition as part of larger emerging trend of decentralizing dharma communities. Check out our episode on the SF Dharma Collective to hear another example of a sangha that is seeking to decentralize traditional power structures. Quotes : “What is this Dharma?” - Emily Horn “Everybody we come into contact with, if we’re awake enough and really paying attention, whether we agree with them or not, we’re going to learn something from them.” - JoAnna Hardy Links : 🔗 Meditation Coalition 🔗 JoAnna Hardy 🔗 Spirit Rock Meditation Center 📄 Ken McLeod 📄 Against the Stream Closes Doors as Investigation Finds Misconduct by Founder Noah Levine See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 1, 2020

What practice(s) should I do? When should I switch-up my practice? How do I practice well, with so many choices available? Recorded during a week-long Buddhist Geeks Retreat , Vince Horn addresses these super-common questions by introducing Six Ways to Meditate . The purpose of this meditative meta-model is to give freelance meditators and DIY practitioners a way to orient to the vast diversity of techniques available in the Buddhist wisdom tradition. Memorable Quotes : "The untrained mind has a hard time gathering and collecting its full potential in one place.” - @VincentHorn "If we can see what the elements of meditation are, then perhaps we can recombine those elements in new ways." - @VincentHorn Episode Links : 🔗 Buddhist Geeks Retreats 🔗 Responsive Meditation Guide 📄 Six Ways to Meditate 📄 Concentration Meditation 📄 The Feedback Loop of Concentration 📄 On Selecting a Meditation Object 📄 Kammaṭṭhāna 📄 Mindfulness Meditation 📄 Heartfulness Meditation 📄 The Brahmaviharas 📄 Inquiry Meditation 📄 Awareness Meditation 📄 Embodiment Meditation 📖 Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki 🎧 Trauma and the Unbound Body with Judith Blackstone 📄 Malidoma Patrice Somé teaches the earth burial practice 📄 Vipassanā 📖 The Paradox of Choice See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 23, 2019

In this episode originally recorded in 2018 at the " Waking Up with Psychedelics " event in Los Angeles, Trudy Goodman spoke with one of the pioneers of Western spirituality and psychedelics, Ram Dass. We're sharing this now to honor the recent passing of Baba Ram Dass, and appreciate his tremendous impact on popular, spiritual, & psychedelic culture. We hope you enjoy this love bomb! ❤️💣 Episode links : 🎧 Existential Medicine , A recording of Part 1 of the same Waking Up with Psychedelics Event 📄 The New Wave of Psychedelics in Buddhist Practice by Matteo Pistono 🔗 RamDass.org 🔗 InsightLA See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 4, 2019

In this latest addition to the Metadharma series, Ryan Oelke is joined by philosopher Ken Wilber to explore what a fourth turning of Buddhism looks like, what it includes, and why it’s needed. "The new Buddha is not going to be the Sangha, but the unification of the Buddha, Sangha, and Dharma in a single ongoing nondual Awareness and Awakening.” - Ken Wilber In Part 1 , Ken discusses the evolution of Buddhism through the three turnings, what each turning included and was missing, and what each subsequent turning provided. In a fourth turning, Ken speaks to the need of two main additions to the practice of Buddhism: growing up and cleaning up (waking up already being long present in the Buddhist tradition). In Part 2 , Ken responds to how a fourth turning of Buddhism can more effectively respond to the meta-crises of the world and how practice can evolve as a response to the complexity and challenges of the world. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 28, 2019

In this latest addition to the Metadharma series, Ryan Oelke is joined by philosopher Ken Wilber to explore what a fourth turning of Buddhism looks like, what it includes, and why it’s needed. "The new Buddha is not going to be the Sangha, but the unification of the Buddha, Sangha, and Dharma in a single ongoing nondual Awareness and Awakening.” - Ken Wilber In Part 1 , Ken discusses the evolution of Buddhism through the three turnings, what each turning included and was missing, and what each subsequent turning provided. In a fourth turning, Ken speaks to the need of two main additions to the practice of Buddhism: growing up and cleaning up (waking up already being long present in the Buddhist tradition). In Part 2 , Ken responds to how a fourth turning of Buddhism can more effectively respond to the meta-crises of the world and how practice can evolve as a response to the complexity and challenges of the world. Episode Links 📖 The Religion of Tomorrow by Ken Wilber 🔗 The Three Turnings of Buddhism 🔗 Integral Life 🔗 The Ken Show See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 1, 2019

In this latest addition to the Metadharma series, Vince Horn is joined by Michael W. Taft to explore the (meta)reasoning around Metadharma. Why do we need another Dharma? What does Metadharma respond to that Modern and Postmodern forms of Dharma haven’t? What do we need to jettison in order for a genuine Metadharma to emerge? And how does Metadharma relate to the very real social crises we face, including the ecological emergency, runaway capitalism, an over-dependence on rationality, growing racial resentments, and systems of oppression? This is part 1 of a 2-part podcast series. Continue listening to the 2nd half of this discussion on Michael’s podcast Deconstructing Yourself: 🎧 Why Metadharma?, Part 2, with Vincent Horn Episode Links : 🎧 Why Metadharma?, Part 2, with Vincent Horn 🔗 Deconstructing Yourself 📅 Metadharma Daylong Retreat in San Francisco on 8/24/19 w/ Michael Taft & Vincent Horn 🔗 San Francisco Dharma Collective 🔗 Sounds True 🎧 Kosmic Consciousness by Ken Wilber 🎧 Bonnitta Roy - Six Ways to Go Meta 📖 " The Science of Enlightenment ” by Shinzen Young 📄 The Crumbling Buddhist Consensus: Overview by David Chapman 🔗 Buddhist modernism 📖 “ American Dharma ” by Ann Gleig 🎧 Sameness and Difference in American Dharma 📄 Mādhyamika 🔗 Death Sangha with Michael Taft 📺 What Are the Four Quadrants? by Ken Wilber 📖 “ Syntheism: Creating God in the Internet Age ” by Alexander Bard & Jan Soderqvist 📱 Headspace 📖 " The Mindful Geek: Mindfulness Meditation for Secular Skeptics ” by Michael Taft 🔗 David Schmachtenberger 🐥 The Buddhist Geeks Farm See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2019

"Climate change", as a term, no longer captures the real danger that climate scientists say that we as a species, along with our fellow creatures, face today. Already the impacts of climate change have turned into a genuine ecological crisis. A growing group of people are asking out loud, if the recent string of dire government-backed climate reports are too conservative to accurately describe the real dangers ahead of us. What if, in fact, we are on the fast track toward both an ecological & civilizational collapse, and it's already too late? What would it mean to practice dharma in "the spectre of collapse?" Vince Horn is joined in this episode by a former team member of Buddhist Geeks, current monastic resident at the Monastic Academy , and host of the Emerge podcast , Daniel Thorson to discuss the dharma of collapse. Memorable Quotes : “It’s collapsing into certainty, in any case, that’s the real danger here, because then we foreclose on all kinds of possibilities and opportunities that we won’t see because we think we know what’s going on.” - Daniel Thorson “If it’s true, everything needs to change. And if we can be uncertain about it then we can play with how things might change, in order so that it doesn’t have the worst impacts we fear it might.” - Daniel Thorson “I wonder to what degree the spectre of collapse will be a kind of strange attractor that will pull people out of this deconstructive habit, into realizing that we need to make something that works, for the sake of our lives, for our children’s lives, for the sake of life on earth.” - Daniel Thorson “The world is ending, but at least I can breathe through it.” - Vince Horn “There are a lot of people and communities who are trying to retreat instead of retrieve.” - Vince Horn Episodes Links : 🎙 Emerge: Making Sense of What’s Next 🔗 What is Emerging? 🔗 The Monastic Academy 📖 " Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha " by Daniel Ingram 📖 " American Dharma " by Ann Gleig 🔗 Dharmachanics 🔗 Metamodernism 🎧 Hanzi Freinacht - Towards a Metamodern Politics 📖 “ The Listening Society ” by Hanzi Freinacht 🎧 Dr. Jem Bendell - The Meaning and Joy of Inevitable Social Collapse 📄 Deep Adaptation: A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy by Jem Bendell 🔗 IPCC Fifth Assessment Report 🔗 Transhumanism 🔗 David Loy 🎧 Max Borders - The Coming Social Singularity 🎧 Zak Stein - A Metaphysics of Love for a Time Between Worlds 📖 “ Education in a Time Between Worlds ” by Zachary Stein 🔗 Ken Wilber 📄 From Western Marxism to Western Buddhism by Slavoj Žižek 🎧 Buddhism Unbundled by Vince Horn 🔗 New religious movement 📖 “ Metamodern Leadership ” by James Surwillo 🔗 Meaningness: The fluid mode 🎧 Bonnitta Roy - A Source Code Analysis of Power 🔗 Roy Bhaskar See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 11, 2019

In this deep dive into the emerging territory of American Dharma , scholar-practitioner Ann Gleig joins with Buddhist Geeks host Vince Horn to explore a plurality of perspectives, some overlooked and marginalized, some debated for millennia. Over 2 hours of deep dialogical podcasting, Ann & Vince explore the larger territory of postmodernism in relation to American Dharma from multiple philosophical vantages, including the ‘post secular’, the ‘postcolonial’, and also in this conversation the ‘metamodern.’ Favorite Quotes : " It can be challenging to mediate closeness with critique. ” - Ann Gleig “ Form is Emptiness, Emptiness is Evolving .” - David Loy “ In a way there’s no way around it, you kind of have to do the hard confrontational work of practice .” - Ann Gleig Episode Links : 📖 " American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Modernity " by Ann Gleig 🎙 Metadharma: Set & Setting by Vince Horn 📄 Postmodernism 📄 Postsecularism 📄 Postcolonialism 📄 Metamodernism 📄 Buddhist Modernism 📄 Enlightenments Beyond the Enlightenment by David Chapman 📺 From Buddhist Hippies to Buddhist Geeks by Ann Gleig 📖 " Immunity to Change " by Robert Kegan 📄 Carl Jung 📄 Ken Wilber 📄 Lawrence Kohlberg 📄 Carol Gilligan 📄 Strategic Essentialism 📄 " The Fourth Turning " by Ken Wilber 📄 " The Way of Tenderness " by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel 🔗 Angel Kyodo Williams 🔗 Jeffrey J. Kripal 📄 Spiritual Bypassing : An Interview with John Welwood 📖 " Nonduality: In Buddhism and Beyond ” by David Loy 📖 “ Tripping with Allah ” by Michael Muhammad Knight 🔗 Jorge Ferrer 🔗 White Privilege 🔗 White Awake 🔗 Inclusion 2.0 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 29, 2019

In this episode Vince Horn kicks-off a new series on Buddhist Geeks on "Metadharma." Sharing his journey from working with integral philosopher Ken Wilber in the early aughts, to deconstructing grand metanarratives with inquiry meditation and developmental psychology, to returning back to a metaphilosophical orientation in recent years. This series, on Metadharma, will explore the ways that the three jewels of the Buddhist contemplative tradition, the Buddha, Dharma, & Sangha, may be understood in light of the emergence of a Integral/Metamodern orientation. Memorable Quotes : "It's totally within the history of this Buddhist dharma tradition to transcend Buddhist dharma, to go meta on it." - Vince Horn "Yet, we do we need to adapt, we do need to change, we can't just pull something out from the past and assume that we can make Buddhism great again." - Vince Horn "What can happen if we make ourselves the middle way? What bridge might we become? And what does the world need from us right now?" - Vince Horn Episode Links : 🔗 Ken Wilber 🔗 Robert Kegan 📖 " Immunity to Change " by Robert Kegan 📖 " The Postmodern Condition " by Jean-Francois Lyotard 📖 " American Dharma " by Ann Gleig 📄 The mindfulness crisis and the end of Consensus Buddhism by David Chapman 📖 " The Birth of Insight " by Erik Braun 📺 The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert 🔗 Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma 🔗 Tathāgatagarbha sūtras 🎧 The Dharma of Collapse with Daniel Thorson 🔗 Metamodernist Manifesto by Luke Turner See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 10, 2019

In this episode, Vince Horn is joined by Kathryn "Kati" Devaney, one of the founders of the newly formed student-led sangha, SF Dharma Collective . In addition to being practitioner, and community organizer, Kati is also a neuroscience researcher who has specialized on studying human visual attention. In this discussion Kati describes the origin story of the SF Dharma Collective and talks about what makes it an entirely new kind of sangha-experiment. A short note from Vince : After visiting the SF Dharma Collective in October 2018, where I met Kati, and offering a short teaching in their beautiful space in the Mission District, I knew it'd be fun to explore this new community-led model. It feels like an emergent form of community, and I love how their groping with questions about how to self-organize, and create healthier forms of community. I hope you enjoy learning more about this nascent project! A note from the members of the collective : The SF Dharma Collective seeks to build a student-led sangha with you! If you’re in San Francisco come by for a morning silent sit, an evening guided sit and Q&A (almost every night at 7:30pm) or for sutra study on Sunday evenings. We are an all-volunteer student collective, and you can volunteer with us - host a sit, propose an event, or sit in on a Monday meeting. If you’re not in SF, you can livestream Michael Taft’s Thursday night sits on his youtube channel, and follow along for more on our twitter , facebook and instagram pages. We seek to make the dharma accessible to everyone, regardless of background, financial status, or prior experience. Come sit with us. Episode Links : 🔗 SF Dharma Collective 🔗 Michael Taft See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 29, 2019

In this episode Ryan Oelke speaks with Judith Blackstone , a teacher in the contemporary fields of nondual realization and spiritual, relational, and somatic psychotherapy, about her new book, “ Trauma and the Unbound Body : The Healing Power of Fundamental Consciousness”. They chat about the connection between embodiment, nondual realization, and healing, and how all three help deepen one other. Ryan & Judith also discuss what fundamental consciousness is, how to attune to it in, the difference between being aware of our bodies and living in and as our bodies, and what it’s like shift from a top-down experience of ourselves, to living directly within the space of our bodies. They also explore how to heal and release patterns of constriction held in the body, so that we can allow ourselves to more deeply inhabit our physical experience, release the grip on ourselves, so that we have a more fluid experience of life. Memorable Quotes “The more we let go of the protective constrictions throughout our body, the more we open to and realize ourselves as the disentangled ground of fundamental consciousness.” - Judith Blackstone “Interdependence does not eradicate individuation, individuation does not eradicate interdependence.” - Judith Blackstone Episode Links 🔗 RealizationProcess.org 📖 Trauma and the Unbound Body See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 9, 2019

I had the great delight of speaking with Oren Jay Sofer , just as he was fresh off a month-long silent retreat. The timing couldn't be better, as the bulk of what we discussed relates to silent retreat culture, both its strengths and limitations. We ended up discussing communication and social practice quite a bit as well, including touching on some of the practices that he teaches in his new book, " Say What you Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication ." I've known Oren now for a several years, through my wife Emily, and my respect for him as a teacher and human being continues to grow. I hope you enjoy our conversation on the limits of retreat culture. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 13, 2018

What is the future of consciousness hacking? Organic molecules, blinky machines, good old fashioned meditation, or some combination of them all? In this episode, recorded live in San Francisco on October 24th 2018, Michael Taft of Deconstructing Yourself , Vincent Horn of Buddhist Geeks , and host Mikey Siegel of Consciousness Hacking discuss the possibilities, the challenges, and the many ways forward in the transformation of human consciousness. Audience dialogue and questions took center stage in this event, so you'll hear plenty of back-and-forth between the presenters and the audience on psychedelics, technology, and the future of meditation. Watch the full video version here : https://youtu.be/4oE6UxGmQog See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 15, 2018

In this episode I'm joined in dialogue by David Gold to explore the path of Love. David shares the story of meeting his beloved, Juli Reeves, and how their meeting kicked off a process of being disrupted by Love. Listen in as we inquiry into Love, Life, Trust, Emergence, & Evolution. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Memorable Quotes: “Whatever stands in the way of me loving her more, may it be removed.” - David Gold “I will not have another God before Love. I don’t know what Gods will appear in Love, or reappear through Love, but I am not going to sacrifice Love.” - David Gold “You can’t force yourself to trust life, but you can embrace life.” - David Gold “The truth of life’s trustworthiness is revealing itself.” - David Gold "If samsaric logic is 'if this than that' nirvanic logic is 'just this'." - Vincent Horn “The practices arise from primordial wisdom rather than leading to it.” - Vincent Horn "The vipassana master whose just sitting there noticing what is, is also loving what is." - Vincent Horn Episode Links: 🔗 Love Disruptors (David & Juli's Site) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 17, 2018

During this episode I'm joined by an old friend and mentor, David Gold , to discuss, as he puts it, his "evolution from a non-teacher to a non-teacher." We talk about our shared history, going back to my time as college student at NC State, where he was a facilitator of the Self-Knowledge Symposium. He also shares his history with American mystic, Richard Rose, and with the fallen guru, Andrew Cohen. He shares the learnings that were borne out of working with those teachers, and the way that his path has opened into "a love unimaginable." This is part 1 of a 2-part series. Memorable Quotes : “I decided I was going to stick around until I figured out how this man [Richard Rose] did what he did, and I was going to learn his tricks and go take it out into the world and make a lot of money with it, or whatever. Instead, I feel in love with the truth.” - David Gold “The radical equality of unimaginable love is so intrinsic, so natural, and so liberating.” - David Gold “When the truth and you and your deepest desires line up to be one thing that’s pretty much as close to heaven-on-earth as I could possibly imagine.” - David Gold Episode Links : 🔗 Love Disruptors (David’s Teaching Site) 🔗 Richard Rose 📖 “ After the Absolute ” by David Gold 🔗 Andrew Cohen See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 5, 2018

In this episode I'm joined by my old friend and colleague, Rohan Gunatillake . Rohan is the founder of Mindfulness Everywhere , a creative studio combining meditation, technology, & design. Mindfulness Everywhere is perhaps best known for it's popular meditation app buddhify , and for it's innovative-indie approach to developing digital mindfulness products. In this conversation we talk about the importance of making mindfulness accessible, about the discontinuous changes that have happened to mindfulness as it enters a capitalist-based system, two different ways to scale mindfulness, Rohan's Designing Mindfulness manifesto, buddhify's new social meditation feature Transmission , and "the missing middle" of mindfulness between the for- and non-profit sectors. Memorable Quotes: “Meditation, mindfulness, Buddhism has always changed. It’s a history of innovation, from the Buddha’s awakening onward.” - Rohan Gunatillake “Mindfulness & meditation has become a content business, as opposed to a wisdom business.” - Rohan Gunatillake Episode Links: 🔗 Mindfulness Everywhere 📱 buddhify 📖" Modern Mindfulness " by Rohan Gunatillake 🔗 The Blogisattva Awards 🔗 Designing Mindfulness 📱 Headspace 🔗 Center for Humane Technology 📰 Why Transmission Matters 🔗 Become a Buddhify Member 📰 The First Alexa Board Game is Both Fun and Terrifying 🔗 Siempo : Use your phone, not the other way around 📰 Google and the Rise of ‘Digital Well-Being’ 📰 The Second Generation of Mindfulness See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 29, 2018

I discovered Christoper Vitale 's writing after doing a google search on the "philosophy of networks." At the time I had recently started doing the Buddhist Geeks podcast again and had formulated a new tagline for the project: Dharma in the Age of the Network . I wanted to dive deeper into what networks are, not in a specific sense (of say a "computer network"), but in more general & philosophical terms. What I discovered in Chris' writing was a clear philosophy of networks, and a generalized way to under what is common among all networks. I was also somewhat shocked to find that he had studied Buddhist philosophy in Nepal and had several articles on his personal site about dharma & networks! In this episode, which was originally a prep call, we explore the very interesting relationship between Buddhist philosophy & networks, and discuss some of the topics related to his Networkologies project. Look for more from Christopher on Buddhist Geeks soon! Memorable Quotes: “All the binaries start coming down when you start thinking in terms of networks, because there’s nothing binary about a network, nothing dualist.” - Christopher Vitale “Consciousness is just what happens when really complicated matter feels itself from the inside. That’s what a brain is.” - Christopher Vitale Episode Links: 📖" Networkologies " : A Philosophy of Networks for a Hyperconnected Age 📰 Buddhism Beyond Buddhism : Reimagining Tibetan Buddhism as Virtual Praxis for the Networked Age 🔗 The Santa Fe Institute 🔗 Pratītyasamutpāda ('interconnectedness') 🔗 Madhyamaka 🔗 Graph theory 🔗 Panpsychism 🔗 Sreedevi Bringi See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 1, 2018

In this episode I was joined by my dharma friend Lama Karma . During our time together we explored his time in Peru, using the native plant medicine ayahuasca. He said he couldn't help but relate to his experience through the lens of his vajrayana training, and shares some of how he makes sense of the experiences he had while using ayahuasca ceremonially. We also get into a heart-felt conversation about Lama Karma's teacher, Lama Norlha, who recently passed away and who at the very end of his life was embroiled in a controversial storm with his community regarding widespread allegations of sexual misconduct. Karma shares his experience of being at the center of that storm, torn by paradox. memorable quotes : "For me it was this simultaneity of insanity and openness.” - Lama Karma episode links : Milarepa Retreat Center Shanghai Kagyu Ayahuasca Lama Norlha Rinpoche, founding abbot of Kagyu Thubten Chöling, dies at age 79 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 9, 2018

This episode comes from a live event on " Waking Up with Psychedelics " that occurred in Los Angeles, co-hosted by InsightLA . I was joined in this dialogue by Trudy Goodman , Spring Washam , & Dr. Charles Grob . Ram Dass joined us at the end of this dialogue, and his talk is on available for Buddhist Geeks Patrons as a bonus episode. Memorable Quotes "An untrained mind may go into panic, but a mind that's steeped in wisdom can start to say, 'Oh, this is the teaching right here.'" - Spring Washam "It's a practice to be able to let the conventional self just dissolve into the not yet known." - Trudy Goodman "Isn't it remarkable how we ingest plants in order to learn how to be human." - Ralph Metzner Episode Links : Psilocybin: A Crash Course in Mindfulness with Dr. Roland Griffiths The Utter Perfection of Everything with Trudy Goodman Collective Wisdom Rising with Spring Washam " A Fierce Heart " by Spring Washam " Be Here Now " by Ram Dass Lotus & Vine Journeys East Bay Meditation Center Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Ecstasy as a Remedy for PTSD? Your Probably Have Some Questions. " Island " by Aldous Huxley See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 27, 2018

I’m joined in this raw & intimate conversation by meditation teacher & author Spring Washam , as we discuss the integration of Buddhist contemplative practice with the Peruvian plant medicine ayahuasca . We begin with Springs dharma journey and the way that silent practice no longer served her deeper healing journey, and how the ultimately brought her to the jungles of Peru. I share parallels on my path of working with psilocybin and healing ancestral trauma, and we go into how a deeper collective healing process underlies each of our personal journeys. Spring shares an interesting perspective on how these “medicines of the earth" can be understood as collective wisdom rising from nature itself at a crucial point in our time on this planet. Memorable Quotes : “For me insight and healing are one and the same.” - Spring Washam “I think a big part of what we are unpacking collectively is our ancestral suffering, our community suffering, our collective karma.” - Spring Washam “Yes, our lineages are alive! Your great-great-grandparents are alive in you.” - Spring Washam Episode Links : 🔗 Spring Washam 📖 A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage, and Wisdom in Any Moment 🔗 East Bay Meditation Center 🔗 Lotus Vine Journeys See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 12, 2018

I don’t want to over-hype this episode too much, but listening back over it today and preparing these notes, I was left feeling that this was perhaps the most intimate, raw, & profound conversation I’ve had throughout the Meditating on Psychedelics series so far. It might have something to do with the fact that my guest is Trudy Goodman , who is also one of my teachers. My wife Emily & I had the great honor of being authorized to teach by Trudy last year, at her center InsightLA , where we lived for a short time so that we could train more closely with her. I always describe Trudy as a living koan, because she demonstrates the teachings, lives the teachings, and in those moments of living them simply IS the teaching. Seeing someone be the teachings of kindness, wisdom, & generosity, as you've probably experienced, is much more impactful than hearing people talk about them. In Zen they call this, when it’s voiced through words, the difference between “live words” and “dead words.” I hope you enjoy these live words from one of my most favorite people in the world. Memorable Quotes: “Why do I have to be stoned to have this experience? This should be an experience that we can just have, we’re human beings, we have this capacity.” - Trudy Goodman “I learned from all of those experiences, and yet the experiences themselves don’t exactly help you so much afterwards. I stopped doing them because I didn’t like the feeling of being kicked out of the garden of eden over and over again.” - Trudy Goodman “What is it that brings us into a more committed engagement with the mystery?” - Vincent Horn “Meditating can help the mystical experience, or the opening, that people have on psychedelics become not just a state, an experience that is after all only a memory, but can help make those insights and awakenings present in our everyday life.” - Trudy Goodman “We ask our students to be vulnerable. And I don’t think we should ask our students to be doing things we aren’t doing.” - Trudy Goodman Episode Links: Trudy Goodman InsightLA “ In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts ” by Gabor Mate Ram Dass Meditating on Mushrooms with Roland Griffiths " Psilocybin-occasioned mystical-type experience in combination with meditation and other spiritual practices produces enduring positive changes in psychological functioning and in trait measures of prosocial attitudes and behaviors ” “ Leopard Warrior: A Journey into the African Teachings of Ancestry, Instinct, and Dreams ” by John Lockley The 4 Unmentionables : Sex. Money, Power & Race Series Father Greg Boyle Tristan Harris Center for Humane Technology Filter bubbles See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 26, 2018

On this episode I had the great pleasure of speaking with Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and pioneer in the field of end-of-life care, Roshi Joan Halifax. One of my previous guests, Raghu Markus, recommended I speak with her as part of the Meditating on Psychedelics series, and so that's where the conversation began. I think it's fair to say that by the end of our discussion it had expanded out quite a bit to include broader questions about the relationship between contemplation & action, and how the Mahayana emphasis on bodhicitta requires that we integrate our understanding with contemporary issues, of which psychedelics is just one. Memorable Quotes "I wouldn't say that I'm ambivalent with regards to hallucinogens, I'd say I'm discerning." - Roshi Joan Halifax "I have a lot of respect for entheogens. I have more respect for my mind." - Roshi Joan Halifax "I want to live in a country that loves our children, more than they love our drugs." - Roshi Joan Halifax Episode Links Upaya Institute and Zen Center Be Here Now Foundation Meditating on Mushrooms w/ Roland Griffiths Bodhicitta Stanislav Grof " The Human Encounter with Death " by Stanislav Grof & Joan Halifax William Richards on Erowid The Dependent Co-Arising of Psychedelics & Meditation by Vanja Palmers John Dunne on Language and Non-Duality See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 19, 2018

In this episode I'm joined by one of my favorite productivity writers, Tiago Forte. Tiago is part of a new generation of productivity thinkers, whose exploring new ways of working in the digital age. I've found his writing both refreshing and insightful, and when I discovered that he also has a serious interest in meditation & spirituality I knew I'd have to invite him onto Buddhist Geeks. The first part of our dialogue explores Tiago's background and work, and then we get into the relationship between network thinking, productivity paradigms, and different types of meditation. Memorable Quotes "You can't understand a paradigm from within it." - Tiago Forte "What we can borrow from, network metaphors, telecommunications, the theory of constraints, mindfulness & meditation, to make the way the world is going into an opportunity instead of a threat?" - Tiago Forte Episode Links Tiago Forte ( https://www.fortelabs.co ) " The Untethered Soul " by Michael Singer " Design Your Work " by Tiago Forte Building a Second Brain RibbonFarm : experiments in refactored perception The Throughput of Learning by Tiago Forte From Multitasking to Multiplexing by Tiago Forte The Rise of the Full-Stack Freelancer by Tiago Forte " Networkologies " by Christopher Vitale " Deep Work " by Cal Newport Metcalfe's law See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 29, 2018

In this episode we speak with meditation teacher & author Michael Taft about his experience of meditating on LSD. Michael describes himself as someone who has likely done more LSD than anyone you've ever known, while also being a hardcore meditator, a skilled teacher, and one of the more high-functioning & well integrated adults that you're likely to meet. In addition to discussing the potential dangers and downsides of using LSD, Michael also shares his unique experience of the 3 characteristics of the LSD experience, Impermanence , Suchness , & Meta-Rationality , each of which mirror what can be found through Buddhist meditative training. Memorable Quotes : "For this stuff to be powerful it has to be powerful." - Michael Taft "It's like opening a door in your mind you did not know is there." - George Harrison Episode Links : 🔗 Deconstructing Yourself (Michael's Website & Podcast) 📖 " The Mindful Geek " by Michael Taft 📖 " Cosmic Trigger " by Robert Anton Wilson 📖 " Dharma Bums " by Jack Kerouac 📖 " The Doors of Perception " by Aldous Huxley 🎙 Pattern and Nebulosity See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 16, 2017

This week we speak with Albert Grabb, an LA-based radiologist & meditator, who was one of the 1st legal participants in a Johns Hopkins study of seasoned meditators using psilocybin (aka "magic mushrooms"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 26, 2017

In this episode we speak with author, podcaster, award-winning journalist, and dharmic psychonaut Erik Davis about the intersection of psychedelic practice & culture with dharmic practice & culture. Episode Links : - Become a Buddhist Geeks Patreon - TechGnosis - Expanding Mind Podcast - " Zig, Zag, Zen " - Dharma Protectors - Erowid - Cognitive liberty See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 19, 2017

During the 2nd part of my conversation with Raghu Markus, director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation, we speak about the powerful fusion of bhakti (devotion) practice and more traditional Buddhist meditation practice. Episode Links : - Rick Doblin’s Psychedelic Studies - Ram Dass - Be Here Now Network - SHARANAGATI: The True Meaning of Surrender from the Bhakti Yoga Tradition See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 31, 2017

Raghu Markus lives in Asheville (my hometown) and is the executive director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation, the same organization that runs RamDass.org . Raghu traveled with Ram Dass (formerly Richard Alpert) in the 70s to India and studied with the Indian guru Neem Karoli Baba. There he also met Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, & Lama Surya Das, who all became lifelong friends. During this first part of our conversation Raghu & I met up at a local tea shop and spoke about psychedelics. I hadn't expected to discuss this topic with Raghu originally, but it made sense given his connection with Ram Dass as well as his own journey through the psychedelic 60s & 70s, so that's where our conversation began. I hope you enjoy the lively stories and reflections that Raghu shares about his time with Ram Dass, Neem Karoli Babi, his father, as he explored spiritual practice and psychedelics side-by-side as a young seeker. Episode Links : Ram Dass Be Here Now Network " Be Here Now " See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 15, 2017

In this episode we speak with Dr. Douglas Osto, author of "Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America". Episode Links : - Become a Buddhist Geeks Patreon - Douglas Osto - “ Altered States: Buddhism and Psychedelic Spirituality in America ” - “ Buddhist Theology: Critical Reflections by Contemporary Buddhist Scholars ” - “ Zig Zag Zen: Buddhism and Psychedelics ” - 'She didn't know what was real': Did 10-day meditation retreat trigger woman's suicide? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 3, 2017

The intention of this series is to gain a deeper understanding of the relative merits and dangers of the mixing Buddhist contemplative practice and ritualized psychedelic use. Episode Links : " Meditating on Pyschedelics: What Camp Are You In? " See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 23, 2017

Buddhist Geeks is stirring from the state in-between lives. It looks like a rebirth is eminent. Episode Links: - www.buddhistgeeks.org - The Buddhist Geeks Death Poem: https://goo.gl/w9csbS See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 14, 2016

Rev. angel Kyodo williams Sensei is a maverick spiritual teacher, master trainer, and founder of Center for Transformative Change. She is the author of "Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation". Sensei williams joins host Vincent Horn to continue the current series on ethics in a talk about race, love, and liberation. They address race and class in American capitalism, the construct of “whiteness” as a social form of ego structure, and how Buddhism provides the tools to uncover entrenched social structures and implicit bias. Episode Links Rev. angel Kyodo williams Sensei TransformativeChange.org @zenchangeangel Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 4, 2016

Stephen Batchelor is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism. He is the author of "Buddhism Without Beliefs" and most recently has written "After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age". In this entry to the Buddhist Geeks series on ethics, Stephen joins host Vincent Horn to consider what it means to secularize Buddhist ethics. They discuss the process of removing early Buddhist ethics from its early Indian metaphysics, and between the ethical practice laid out by early Buddhism and more Western versions of ethics. They finish by discussing the metaphysical faith of secularism, in particular the role that rationalism & individualism play in this translation project. Episode Links : StephenBatchelor.org http://www.stephenbatchelor.org/ "After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age" by Stephen Batchelor http://www.amazon.com/After-Buddhism-Rethinking-Dharma-Secular/dp/030020518X "Syntheism: Creating God in the Internet Age" by Alexander Bard & Jan Söderqvist http://syntheism.org/wp-content/syntheism_book/Syntheism.html "Cyber Philosophy and the Void" http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2014/03/bg-315-cyber-philosophy-void/ "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari-ebook/dp/B00ICN066A?ie=UTF8&me=&ref_=mt_kindle See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 28, 2016

EMMA SEPPÄLÄ, Ph.D is Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. Emma joins host Vincent Horn to share the science behind compassion. She describes the current state of compassion research, and she and Vincent discuss the effects of unbundling mindfulness, compassion, and ethics in a capitalist society. Episode Links Emma Seppala - http://www.emmaseppala.com The Happiness Track - http://www.emmaseppala.com/book/ @emmaseppala - https://twitter.com/emmaseppala See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 28, 2016

James Hughes is the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies and the author of "Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future". Continuing in our series On Ethics, James joins host Vincent Horn to discuss the ethical frameworks that underpin our social systems. From economics and social justice to conservative vs liberal values, to a newly emerging technoprogressivism, James and Vincent deconstruct and explore various ethical operating systems. Episode Links : James Hughes on Twitter - https://twitter.com/citizencyborg "Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond To The Redesigned Human Of The Future" - https://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Cyborg-Democratic-Societies-Redesigned/dp/0813341981?ie=UTF8&qid=1165506115&sr=8-1&tag=instforethiin-20 Technoprogressive Declaration - http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/tpdec2014 BG 077: Transhumanism and the Authentic Self - http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2008/06/bg-077-transhumanism-and-the-authentic-self/ ] Jonathan Haidt - http://people.stern.nyu.edu/jhaidt/ Alexander Bard and The Syntheist Movement - http://syntheism.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 14, 2016

David Chapman is a writer, computer scientist, engineer and Buddhist practitioner. He blogs on several sites including the hypertext book Meaningness.com . In part two of a conversation on ethics with David Chapman and Vincent Horn, the discussion continues to explore a series of blog articles that David wrote on the theme of “Buddhist ethics”. They consider the usefulness of tantric ethics, examine Western Buddhism in context of Robert Kegan’s 5-stage developmental psychology model, and they speculate on how Western Buddhism might move into a next stage (stage 5: reconstructive postmodernism) of development. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one “Buddhist Ethics is a Fraud”. - http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2016/04/buddhist-ethics-fraud/ Episode Links : Meaningness.com David Chapman on Twitter “Buddhist ethics” is a fraud by David Chapman https://meaningness.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/buddhist-ethics-is-a-fraud/#summary Consensus Buddhism and Mindful Mayo Robert Kegan https://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/robert-kegan In Over Our Heads: The Mental Demands of Modern Life. Harvard University Press, 1994. (Paperback, 1995). (German translation, Kindt Verlag, in press), (1994) by Robert Kegan http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674445888 "The Further Reaches of Adult Development" - Robert Kegan https://youtu.be/BoasM4cCHBc See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 30, 2016

David Chapman is a writer, computer scientist, engineer and Buddhist practitioner. He blogs on several sites including the hypertext book Meaningness.com . Beginning a season of episodes on the theme of ethics, Vincent Horn welcomes David to explore a series of blog articles that David wrote on the theme of “Buddhist ethics.” Together they question some long held secular, leftish beliefs about Buddhist ethics, they explore the distinction between morality and ethics, and they examine how Buddhist ethics are practiced in the modern age. This is part one of a two part series. Memorable Quotes : “Shakyamuni Buddha, 2,500 years ago, taught exactly the same ethics that was only rediscovered in California 30 years ago. He was a feminist, and sexually liberal, and environmentally conscious, and anti-racist. So great, we've got this religion that completely validates all the correct ethical positions and it's 2,500 years old.” - David Chapman Episode Links : Meaningness.com - http://meaningness.com David Chapman on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Meaningness “Buddhist ethics” is a fraud by David Chapman - https://meaningness.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/buddhist-ethics-is-a-fraud/#summary “Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction” by Damien Keown - http://www.amazon.com/Buddhist-Ethics-Very-Short-Introduction/dp/019280457X Is “Buddhist ethics” Buddhist? by Amod Lele - http://loveofallwisdom.com/blog/2015/10/is-buddhist-ethics-buddhist/ ] Mindfulness is More Than Just Paying Attention (with Ron Purser) - http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2013/06/bg-288-mindfulness-is-more-than-just-paying-attention/ “Ethics” is advertising by David Chapman - https://meaningness.wordpress.com/2015/10/05/buddhist-ethics-is-advertising Consensus Buddhism and Mindful Mayo - https://art19.com/shows/buddhist-geeks/episodes/31a00eb8-ecc4-4ccc-af2b-81bf72254f72 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 2, 2016

Roland Griffiths is the lead investigator of the Psilocybin Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins and one of the United States’ leading psychopharmacologists. In the conclusion to his conversation with host Vincent Horn, Roland provides more details on the Hopkins Meditation Study, Vincent shares his personal story of psychedelic experimentation, and they discuss the risks and benefits of mixing meditation practice with the psilocybin experience. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one "Meditating on Mushrooms". Episode Links : - Hopkins Meditation Study - " The Trip Treatment " - Roland R. Griffiths , Ph.D. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 17, 2015

Roland Griffiths is the lead investigator of the Psilocybin Research Initiative at Johns Hopkins and one of the United States’ leading psychopharmacologists. In this episode Roland describes his research into the medicinal uses of psychedelics. He explains his history in the field, his current research around psychedelics and meditation, and he extends an invitation to the Buddhist Geeks audience to consider becoming a part of a meditation on psilocybin study at John Hopkins. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two "Psilocybin: A Crash Course in Mindfulness". Episode Links : - Hopkins Meditation Study - " The Trip Treatment " - Roland R. Griffiths , Ph.D. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 8, 2015

Caroline Contillo is a multidisciplinary artist, performer, & writer. In the conclusion to their conversation, Caroline and Vincent Horn examine the rewards and perils of storytelling in our daily lives. They share the concept of mindfulness as a Reality Tunnel and consider what happens when we forget that mindfulness is also part of a larger story that influences what reality is. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one "BG 375: The Story of Things as They Are". [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2015/12/bg-376-the-mindfulness-reality-tunnel ] links - Caroline Contillo on Twitter [ https://twitter.com/spacecrone ] - Space Crone [ http://spacecrone.com ] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 30, 2015

Caroline Contillo is a multidisciplinary artist, performer, & writer. She joins host Vincent Horn for a free flowing conversation about mindfulness, science fiction, and the human penchant for telling stories. Together they make connections between mindfulness and story-telling, and examine the way that mindful practice can uncover certain kinds of “reality tunnels”, while introducing its own unique story line. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two "BG 376: The Mindfulness Reality Tunnel". [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2015/12/bg-376-the-mindfulness-reality-tunnel ] links - Caroline Contillo on Twitter [ https://twitter.com/spacecrone ] - Space Crone [ http://spacecrone.com ] - "The World is Made of Stories" [ http://www.wisdompubs.org/book/world-made-stories ] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 2, 2015

Vincent Horn is part of a new generation of teachers translating age-old wisdom into 21st century code. In this talk given to the Buddhist Geeks Dojo and the UNC Asheville Mindfulness Club, Vincent describes Mindfulness++, a multi-paradigm programming language for the mind. The “multi” part refers to multiple training paradigms--including both Buddhist and mindfulness-based ones--and how they differ based on the ‘view’ and ‘intentions’ that power them. Finally Vincent explores using a feedback loop of Uncovering and Practicing that broadens the understanding of what it means to train, practice, and wake up. - Wikipedia: Mindfulness [change to cohttps: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulnessrrect link] - Wikipedia: Noble Eightfold Path [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_Eightfold_Path ] - A Mindful Balance by B. Alan Wallace [ http://www.alanwallace.org/spr08wallace_comp.pdf ] - Wikipedia: Programming paradigm [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_paradigm ] - Buddhist Geeks Dojo [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/dojo/ ] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 19, 2015

Dr. Jay Michaelson is a meditation teacher, academic, and the author of several books including "The Gate of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path". In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Jay discusses "The Gate of Tears" and its themes of sadness, grief, and loss on the path. They talk about the practice of co-existing with emotions without being swept away, whether spiritual practice actually makes people more compassionate, and the intersection of dharma practice with social justice. Links - Jay Michaelson [ http://www.jaymichaelson.net ] - "The Gate of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path" [ http://www.jaymichaelson.net/gateoftears/ ] "The Next Generation of Enlightenment" [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2013/12/bg-303-next-generation-enlightenment/ ] - "Playboy Interview: Dick Cheney" [ http://www.playboy.com/articles/playboy-interview-dick-cheney ] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 26, 2015

Culadasa (John Yates, Ph.D.) is the director of Dharma Treasure Buddhist Sangha in Tucson, Arizona and author of "The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Using Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science". He joins host Vincent Horn to discuss the themes in "The Mind Illuminated", and to describe how his life as a professor of physiology and neuroscience intersected with Buddhism. UPDATE: This is an edited version of a much longer interview. The rest of the interview--detailing the 10 stages of concentration--will be released soon in the Buddhist Geeks Dojo. Culadasa will be joining the Dojo community on October 6th for a Practice AMA (“ask me anything”). You can get a trial month to check it out and join that event. Links - Culadasa.com [ http://culadasa.com/ ] - "The Mind Illuminated : A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science" [ http://amzn.to/1V0tdtx ] - Dharma Treasure [ http://dharmatreasure.org ] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 20, 2015

Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. In his first visit to the podcast, Jack joins host Vincent Horn to describe the map of meditation practice called The Progress of Insight, and to share his thoughts on the many facets of awakening. Episode Links - Jack Kornfield [ http://www.jackkornfield.com ] - "A Path with Heart" [ http://amzn.to/1V9piuz ] - "Enlightenments" [ http://www.inquiringmind.com/Articles/Enlightenments.html ] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 13, 2015

Emily Horn and Vincent Horn are meditation teachers and partners in life and the Buddhist Geeks. In the final part of this reflective series, they explain events leading up to the current Buddhist Geeks Dojo project as well describe the forthcoming Fall Training Period (“FTP”) inside the Dojo. The FTP will be a chance to spend the entire month of October either establishing a regular practice, going deeper in your current one, or even practicing like your hair is on fire. The program details are here [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/dojo/ftp/ ] and we’d love for any of you to join us during this time to deepen your practice. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one "When Rebels Mature". https://soundcloud.com/buddhistgeeks/bg-369-when-rebels-mature Episode Links (pt 2): The Buddhist Geeks Dojo [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/dojo/ ] The Fall Training Period [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/dojo/ftp/ ] The Buddhist Geeks Community [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2013/07/the-buddhist-geeks-community/ ] Dojo Facilitators [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/dojo/facilitators/ ] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 11, 2015

Emily Horn and Vincent Horn are meditation teachers and partners in running the Buddhist Geeks organization. In the first part of this special series, Emily and Vincent describe the growth of Buddhist Geeks from a podcast to a conference to a community. They share some of the design principles that have shaped earlier projects and continue to shape their thinking today. And finally they do a live post-mortem analysis of their last project, the Buddhist Geeks Community. In the process they explore the way that Buddhism is changing in the 21st century--with such a collision of perspectives--and how Buddhist Geeks is a small reflection of that cultural process. This is part one of a two part series. The Buddhist Geeks Dojo [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/dojo/ ] The Buddhist Geeks Conference [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/conference/buzz/ ] Life Retreat: Reinventing the Retreat Model [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2013/03/life-retreat-reinventing-the-retreat-model/ ] Buddhist Geeks, Bitcoins, and Ukrainian Domain Pirates [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2014/01/buddhist-geeks-bitcoins-ukrainian-domain-pirates/ ] The Buddhist Geeks Community [ http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2013/07/the-buddhist-geeks-community/ ] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 13, 2015

Evan Thompson is an author and philosopher in the fields of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, phenomenology, and cross-cultural philosophy. Continuing a discussion between Evan and host Vincent Horn, this episode moves into an exploration of sleep states and the themes in Evan’s book "Waking, Dreaming, Being". Describing characteristics of the hypnagogic state, common dreaming, lucid dreaming, and dreamless sleep, Evan shares some fascinating thoughts on the nature of consciousness and the emerging contemplative science of sleep. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one "BG 367: Cognitive Science and the Wandering Mind". Episode Links: Evan Thompson ( http://evanthompson.me ) "Waking, Dreaming, Being" ( http://amzn.to/1P3PDD4 ) “Waking, Dreaming, Being” Talk at CIIS ( https://youtu.be/IZyJODW4lQs ) "The Embodied Mind" ( http://amzn.to/1P3PMpW ) "Embodied Cognition" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embodied_cognition ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 8, 2015

Evan Thompson is an author and philosopher in the fields of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, Phenomenology, and cross-cultural philosophy. Speaking with host Vincent Horn, Evan discusses his academic interest and background in Buddhist studies, and the intersections between Buddhist philosophy, contemplative practice, and cognitive science. This is part one of a two part series. Episode Links: Evan Thompson ( http://evanthompson.me ) "Waking, Dreaming, Being" ( http://amzn.to/1P3PDD4 ) “Waking, Dreaming, Being” Talk at CIIS ( https://youtu.be/IZyJODW4lQs ) "The Embodied Mind" ( http://amzn.to/1P3PMpW ) "Embodied Cognition" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embodied_cognition ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Adreanna Limbach is a meditation teacher with the Interdependence Project, and Lodro Rinzler is a practitioner and teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. In this conversation recorded during the 2015 Aspen-Snowmass Wanderlust Festival, host Vincent Horn, Lodro, and Adreanna discuss the challenges of making meditation accessible to a mainstream audience. Episode Links: Adreanna Limbach ( http://www.adreannalimbach.com ) Lodro Rinzler ( http://lodrorinzler.com ) How to Love Yourself (And Sometimes Other People) ( http://amzn.to/1CJIcjc ) The Interdependence Project ( http://www.theidproject.org ) “Meet the Man Who Calls Himself ‘the Slut Whisperer’” ( http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/a14731/the-slut-whisperer-kirill-bichutsky/ ) Wanderlust Festival ( http://wanderlust.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

David Vago, Rael Cahn, and Sonia Sequeira are contemplative scientists and co-organizers of the upcoming conference called “Advances in Meditation Research: Genetics, Neuroscience and Clinical Applications”. The group joins host Vincent Horn to describe the themes that will be explored at the conference, the current state of meditation research, and how they each relate to the subject as practitioners and researchers. Episode Links: Advances in Meditation Research: Genetics, Neuroscience and Clinical Applications ( http://meditation2015.com ) David Vago ( http://davidvago.bwh.harvard.edu ) Rael Cahn ( http://usc.academia.edu/RaelCahn ) Sonia Sequeira ( http://reflectionsyoga.com/about-us/teachers-2/sonia-sequeira ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Michael Heim is an American author, educator, and Tai Chi instructor known as a philosopher of cyberspace and virtuality. In the conclusion to their conversation, host Vincent Horn and Michael discuss integrating the virtual with the physical. From the thought-experiment of performing a virtual Japanese Tea Ceremony to imagining a virtual Tai Chi experience, they explore how to use the new tools of virtuality to energize, heal, and make us whole. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: Virtual Reality IRL. Episode Links : Michael R. Heim Virtual Reality and the Tea Ceremony [pdf] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Michael Heim is an American author, educator, and Tai Chi instructor known as a philosopher of cyberspace and virtuality. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Michael shares his insights on the intersection of philosophy and the world of Virtual Reality. He gives a brief history of commercial VR, provides updates on the third wave of VR development, and discusses the challenges we will face as physical creatures living in virtual worlds. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: Virtual Reality and the Tea Ceremony. Episode Links : Michael R. Heim See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Carolyn Rose Gimian is the compiler and editor of The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa and the recently published Mindfulness in Action: Making Friends with Yourself through Meditation and Everyday Awareness. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Carolyn speaks about the role of mindfulness in the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, her relationship and work with Chögyam Trungpa, and her hopes & reflections on the future of the mindfulness movement in the West. Episode Links: Mindfulness in Action: Making Friends with Yourself through Meditation and Everyday Awareness ( http://www.shambhala.com/mindfulness-in-action.html ) Shambhala Archives ( http://www.archives.shambhala.org ) Carolyn Rose Gimian on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/CarolynGimian ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

The Buddhist Geeks Conference has been a meeting place for contemplative thinkers, scientists, and technology experts since 2011. During this Q&A for the Contemplative Technology panel from the 2014 conference, conference goers expand the conversation to include tech-induced human evolution and the possibility of shortcuts on the path to enlightenment. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: The Near Future of Contemplative Technology. Episode Links: www.VincentHorn.com www.mindtraining.io Katherine MacLean, PhD : Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine ( http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry ) Jacob Redmond : Emotiv ( https://emotiv.com ) Mikey Siegel ( www.MikeySiegel.com ) Neema Moraveji : Spire ( http://www.spire.io ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

The Buddhist Geeks Conference has been a meeting place for contemplative thinkers, scientists, and technology experts since 2011. In this panel discussion from the 2014 conference, Vincent Horn hosts a panel filled with contemplatives, technologists, and research scientists to discuss the past, present, and possible future of the field of Contemplative Technology. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: Discussing Contemplative Technology. Episode Links: www.VincentHorn.com www.mindtraining.io Katherine MacLean, PhD : Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine ( http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/psychiatry ) Jacob Redmond : Emotiv ( https://emotiv.com ) Mikey Siegel ( www.MikeySiegel.com ) Neema Moraveji : Spire ( http://www.spire.io ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Vincent Horn is part of a new generation of teachers who are translating the wisdom traditions of the past into 21st century code. In this talk from a recent San Francisco Consciousness Hacking Meet-Up, Vincent introduces himself to the group and describes the questions that have led to a new project: Mindtraining.io . What does it mean to meditate in the digital age? What does the contemplative path look like right now and how do we want it to look? And finally, how do we bring the sacred and secular together in a way that works? Episode Links: www.MindTraining.io Consciousness Hacking San Francisco Meetup ( http://www.meetup.com/Consciousness-Hacking-San-Francisco/ ) video recording of the meetup with post-talk open discussion ( http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/60364099 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Dr. Reggie Ray is an author, teacher, and the Spiritual Director for the Dharma Ocean Community. In the conclusion to a recent conversation with host Vincent Horn, Reggie shares his thoughts on technology and human development, transhumanism, and the danger of not being human enough. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one BG 357: Shikantaza Practice. Episode Links: Dharma Ocean ( http://www.dharmaocean.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Dr. Reggie Ray is an author, teacher, and the Spiritual Director for the Dharma Ocean Community. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Reggie discusses the Shikantaza practice he has developed. He describes the basic instructions and experience of Shikantaza, the Tibetan practice elements he has incorporated, and the powerful effects of this hybrid practice on the spiritual life. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: Befriending the Human Experience. Episode Links: Dharma Ocean ( http://www.dharmaocean.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Daniel Ingram is a Buddhist teacher and the author of Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha. In this keynote from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Daniel speaks on the visual, auditory, physical, and psychological phenomena referred to as powers, or siddhis. He provides examples of power manifestation, why and how powers appear, and the effects of powers on the individual and community levels. Episode Links : Daniel Ingram ( http://integrateddaniel.info ) Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book ( http://amzn.to/1MUQyEW ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Susan Piver is a Buddhist teacher and a New York Times bestselling author. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Susan relates the genesis of The Open Heart Project, dispels common misconceptions about meditation practice, and shares her insights on the development of online practice communities. Episode Links: www.SusanPiver.com The Open Heart Project ( http://susanpiver.com/open-heart-project/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Susan Kaiser Greenland developed the Inner Kids mindful awareness program for children, teens and their families. She is author of The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate (Free Press, 2010). In this keynote from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Susan shares some of the tools she uses to connect with students and teachers, and the three important components to the Inner Kids training: worldview, practice, and community. Episode Links: www.SusanKaiserGreenland.com The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate ( http://www.susankaisergreenland.com/book.html ) Crap, I Forgot to Be Mindful Again ( http://slate.me/1MUQoNU ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Dr. Charles T. Tart has been involved with research and theory in the fields of Hypnosis, Psychology, Transpersonal Psychology, Parapsychology, Consciousness and Mindfulness since 1963. In this keynote from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Dr. Tart shares research that supports the serious consideration of the paranormal and addresses the convergence of spirituality, science, and scientism. Episode Links: Charles T. Tart Home Page and Consciousness Library ( http://www.paradigm-sys.com ) The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal Is Bringing Science and Spirit Together ( http://amzn.to/1MUQkOj ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Vincent Horn is a mind hacker & buddhist geek. In this keynote from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference Vincent explores the unbundling of components like meditation and mindfulness from contemporary Buddhism. He then explores the process of re-bundling and what the future of both Buddhist and Buddhist-inspired models may look like as new combinations of knowledge come together in novel, and sometimes timeless, ways. Episode Links : 🔗 www.VincentHorn.com 🖼 Buddhism Unbundled talk slides See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

JoAnna Harper is a Buddhist teacher with Against the Stream and Spirit Rock Meditation Center. In this episode JoAnna joins host Emily Horn to explore inclusivity and diversity in the Buddhist community, starting with an examination of how the Buddha taught inclusivity in the first sanghas. The conversation expands to highlight teachings and strategies that help foster open communication in diverse groups, how to build environments where it’s safe to make mistakes when learning to communicate compassionately, and the importance of holding our opinions and views lightly. Episode Links: Against the Stream ( http://www.againstthestream.org ) Spirit Rock ( http://www.spiritrock.org ) JoAnna Harper on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/joannaharper65 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Soryu Forall is a teacher and leader at the Center for Mindful Learning. The second part of Soryu’s conversation with host Vincent Horn delves into the spaces between tradition and innovation. Soryu shares his gratitude for the traditional teachings he learned in Asia, and explains how useful those teachings are today. This leads to an exchange of ideas on rebirth and karma, teaching secular mindfulness in schools, and exploring the feedback loops that lead to the end of feedback loops. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one BG 349: Awakening is the End of All Feedback Loops. Episode Links: Center for Mindful Learning ( http://www.centerformindfullearning.org ) Modern Mindfulness ( http://www.modmind.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Soryu Forall is the Director of Mindfulness Education at the Center for Mindful Learning. He also leads a unique “modern monastery” training program for those who want to integrate awakening and responsibility. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Soryu describes life within the CML Residential program, what it means to come to an end of all feedback loops, and how awakening is directly linked to personal discipline and responsibility. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: Conserve & Adapt. Episode Links: Center for Mindful Learning ( http://www.centerformindfullearning.org ) Sanskara ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskara ) Autocatalysis ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autocatalysis ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Mikey Siegel is a meditator, technologist, and pioneer in the field of “Enlightenment Engineering”. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Mikey explores the idea that enlightenment can be engineered through the use of applied contemplative science. Presenting various examples of technology applicable to a contemplative path, he states enlightenment is real, science can quantify it, and technology can facilitate it. Therefore, Mikey asks, what better use of technology in the service of humanity than the end of suffering? Episode Links: www.MikeySiegel.com BioFluent Technologies ( http://www.biofluent.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Robin Arnott is an indie game designer and interactive artist. In this presentation from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, he speaks about applying game design to meditation. Robin first explains how a state of trance is central to both the experience of meditation and the experience of game play. He then shows how game mechanics might be utilized in meditation practice to support a trance, and how these ideas are already being explored in the video game industry. Episode Links: SOUNDSELF ( http://soundselfgame.com ) Robin on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/VideoDreaming ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Bodhipaksa is a Buddhist meditation teacher, author, and founder of Wildmind.org , an online meditation resource. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Bodhipaksa explores ways to identify and correct “bugs” in traditional Buddhist teachings. Providing specific examples of bugs and solutions, he encourages the audience to personally use scholarship and experiential practice to verify teachings and stop clinging to incorrect understandings of Buddhist teachings. Episode Links: www.Wildmind.org Bodhipaksa on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/Bodhipaksa ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Hokai Sobol is a teacher in the Shingon tradition of Japanese Vajrayana and a long time mentor to the Buddhist Geeks team. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Hokai speaks about the relationship between imagination and Buddhism. He explains why imagination is important to spiritual practice, he gives examples of the creative process found in Buddhist tradition, and he presents an examination of the state of contemporary Buddhist Art. Episode Links: www.Hokai.info Hokai on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/hokaisobol ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

John F. Simon is a visual artist and software programmer. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, John shares how he uses the simple act of drawing as a powerful contemplative practice. Detailing the process and growth he’s experienced from daily drawing, he examines how his artistic practice has led to a spiritual practice that in turn feeds back into his creative process. Episode Links: www.iclock.com Every Icon Project ( http://www.numeral.com/eicon.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Katherine MacLean, PhD. is an academically trained research scientist and meditation practitioner with a long-standing interest in the brain, consciousness and the science of well-being. As a postdoctoral research fellow and faculty member at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, she worked on the largest study to date combining psychedelics and meditation. Her research on psilocybin and personality change suggests that psychedelic medicines may play an important role in enhancing mental health and promoting openness and creativity throughout the lifespan. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Katherine presents her experience of studying psychedelics. She shares personal travel stories of mystical experiences in the Himalayas, research results from facilities around the world, and potential therapies for the injured and dying using psilocybin, MDMA, and other psychedelics. A proponent of psychedelic use for therapy and mental health, Katherine encourages the audience to rethink whatever preconceived ideas they might have about the skillful use of psychedelics. Episode Links : Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine The Secular Buddhist Episode 84: Psilocybin and Openness C-Realm Episode 411: The Strange, Fuzzy, Fat Brick of Everything See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Lama Karma (Justin Wall) graduated from Columbia University with degrees in Religious Studies and Literature and has been practicing Buddhism for over 12 years. He completed two traditional three-year retreats under the direction of Lama Norlha Rinpoche at Kagyu Thubten Choling Monastery in New York, studying and practicing in the Karma Kagyu, Shangpa Kagyu and Nyingma Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Lama Karma describes the gap between the modern mindfulness movement and the Mahamudra tradition. He argues that the presentation of secular mindfulness teachings without the context of Buddhist tradition can lead practitioners to mistakes resulting in harmful dualistic perception. He then presents a framework in which these mistakes of secular mindfulness can be addressed through the Mahamudra teachings. Episode Links: Milarepa Dzong Retreat Center ( http://www.mocd.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx and Against The Stream, is a Buddhist teacher, author and counselor. He is trained to teach by Jack Kornfield of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA, holds a masters degree in counseling psychology from CIIS, and has studied with many prominent teachers in both the Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist traditions. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Noah describes the benefits of a Buddhist oriented addiction recovery path. Telling the story of his personal experience with addiction recovery, he relates how The Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path filled in the gaps he experienced in the twelve step system. Noah then shares how he has helped others with a Buddhist oriented recovery path, and encourages the audience to make themselves and their sanghas places of refuge for those in addiction recovery. Episode Links: www.RefugeRecovery.org Refuge Recovery: A Buddhist Path to Recovering from Addiction ( http://amzn.to/1t6lcAo ) Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society ( http://www.againstthestream.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Theo Horesh is a social entrepreneur, philosopher, and author of two books of global social psychology. He has been meditating for over 25 years and has spent the last 10 intensively studying the world. He has recently begun reporting on the collective traumas in global trouble spots for the Journal of Conflict Resolution and Elephant Journal. In this talk from the 2014 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Theo discusses the themes behind his book Convergence: The Globalization of Mind . While describing various challenges and opportunities that come with globalization, he shares a vision of greater mindfulness needed to help navigate the sophisticated global civilization that is emerging in modern times. Episode Links : Convergence: The Globalization of Mind See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

David Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher. He is especially concerned about social and ecological issues, and believes there is an important parallel between what Buddhism says about our personal predicament and our collective predicament today in relation to the rest of the biosphere. In the second part of the keynote address David gave at the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, he argues that our species needs an evolution of our cultural story if we are to survive the many changes we face. By understanding we are part of the ecosphere rather than apart from it, David hopes humanity can wake up enough to become a collective bodhisattva of the biosphere. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: The Cosmos Wakes Up. Episode Links: www.davidloy.org PLANETARY ( http://www.weareplanetary.com ) The Universe Story ( http://amzn.to/1DNqYN0 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

David Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. He lectures nationally and internationally on various topics, focusing primarily on the encounter between Buddhism and modernity: what each can learn from the other. In the first part of the keynote address David gave at the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, he presents a social narrative that features a living Cosmos waking up to itself. He explains how humanity needs to create a new global story as an alternative to some of our most common cultural stories, like Social Darwinism. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: Bodhisattva of the Biosphere. Episode Links: www.davidloy.org PLANETARY ( http://www.weareplanetary.com ) The Universe Story ( http://amzn.to/1DNqYN0 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Jessica Morey is the Executive Director of Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme). Before joining iBme, Jessica worked in clean energy and climate policy and finance. Her published works range from the chapter “Ordinary Awakening” in Blue Jean Buddha to Conflict Resolution of the Boruca Hydro-Energy Project: Renewable Energy Production in Costa Rica. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Jessica describes her experience with Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme) and its roots with the Insight Meditation tradition. They talk about the impact of mindfulness education on teens, the resurgence of relational forms of mindfulness with younger generations, and how these kids are focusing on integration over transcendence. Episode Links: Inward Bound Mindfulness Education ( http://ibme.info ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. He’s been an invited speaker at Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. In the conclusion to his 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference keynote address, Rick answers questions from the audience and leads them through the HEAL exercise, a process which trains the brain to reprogram its natural negativity bias towards the positive. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: Practicing with the Brain in Mind. Episode Links: www.RickHanson.net See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. He’s been an invited speaker at Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. In this first part of the keynote address Rick presented at the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, he explores the intersection between dharma practice and neuroscience. Rick explains the basic mechanisms of brain change, the power of mindfulness, how to activate the neural networks of self-compassion, how to tap the hidden power of everyday experiences to grow happiness and other inner strengths in your brain, and why our planet needs us to take charge of our Stone Age brains in the 21st century. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: How to HEAL the Brain’s Negativity Bias. Episode Links: www.RickHanson.net See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Stephen Batchelor is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism. He considers Buddhism to be a constantly evolving culture of awakening rather than a religious system based on immutable dogmas and beliefs. In this episode taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2012, Stephen delivers the second part of his keynote address on the importance of imagination in Buddhist practice. He encourages the audience to view the Buddhist path as an artform to be practiced, the Self as a project to be realized, and the Four Noble Truths as Four Noble Tasks that are a process and not just a set of beliefs. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: Buddhism and the Art of Imagining. Episode Links: www.StephenBatchelor.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Stephen Batchelor is a contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism. He considers Buddhism to be a constantly evolving culture of awakening rather than a religious system based on immutable dogmas and beliefs. In this episode taken from the 2012 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Stephen delivers a keynote address on the importance, with Buddhist practice, of combining technical skill with imagination. Drawing comparisons between mindfulness practice and photography, Stephen presents meditation as the cultivation of a skill to see the sublime in every moment. He shares his view that imagination is crucial to the translation of the dharma to new cultures, and he challenges modern Buddhism to finally develop a view on Buddhist Aesthetics. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: Cultivating a Democracy of the Imagination. Episode Links: www.StephenBatchelor.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Scott Snibbe is a pioneering digital artist and entrepreneur whose work includes interactive apps, videos, and installations. He practices in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and his art is frequently informed by his spiritual practice. In this episode, Scott joins host Vincent Horn for an intimate conversation about Scott’s art & contemplative practice. As Scott describes his art infused childhood and the transition from Christian Science to Tibetan Buddhism, they touch on the source of creativity, the use of symbol in art and religion, and using the understanding of Emptiness as a creative tool. Episode Links: www.Snibbe.com Biophilia, the First App in MoMA’s Collection ( http://bit.ly/1DNpL8v ) Scott Snibbe on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/snibbe ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Jake Davis is a philosopher and Buddhist practitioner and David Vago is a Contemplative neuroscientist. Together they are at the forefront of the scientific investigation of Enlightenment. In this episode David and Jake conclude a conversation with host Vincent Horn concerning the scientific investigation of states of Enlightenment. They elaborate on the methods and motivations involved when attempting to quantify Enlightenment, discuss the pitfalls of spiritual materialism, and invite criticism and discussion to help inform and guide this scientific inquiry. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: A Neuroscience of Enlightenment. Episode Links: “Can enlightenment be traced to specific neural correlates, cognition, or behavior? No, and (a qualified) Yes” ( http://bit.ly/1DNpwdn ) The Emerging Science of Mindfulness Meditation ( bit.ly/1DNp4vU ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

David Vago is a contemplative neuroscientist and Jake Davis is a philosopher and Buddhist practitioner. Together they have authored an article proposing the question of whether Enlightenment can be traced to specific neural, cognitive, or behavioral correlates–and if so what those might be. In this episode David and Jake join host Vincent Horn to discuss the article titled “Can enlightenment be traced to specific neural correlates, cognition, or behavior? No, and (a qualified) Yes”. Jake and David describe the genesis of the article, the conflict and opportunity provided by using the word “enlightenment” in the title, and the important role first person subjective experience plays in scientific inquiry. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: Quantifying Mindfulness. Episode Links: “Can enlightenment be traced to specific neural correlates, cognition, or behavior? No, and (a qualified) Yes” ( http://bit.ly/1DNpwdn ) The Emerging Science of Mindfulness Meditation ( http://bit.ly/1DNp4vU ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Shingon teacher Hokai Sobol and religious studies scholar Dr. Pamela Winfield join host Vincent Horn to continue a conversation that digs deeper into the paradigms of enlightenment presented in Japanese Buddhism. Beginning with an explanation of the two different paradigms for the experience of enlightenment presented in Zen and Mikkyō, the unitive & purgative, Pamela briefly describes the results of her studies. Hokai then relates his understanding of the two ideas based on his personal practice. This leads to an examination of the disparate historical and cultural contexts from which each method was developed, how each method uses imagery in practice, and how despite differences, each method hopefully leads to the same results. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: The Art of Enlightenment. Episode Links: Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kukai and Dogen on the Art of Enlightenment ( amzn.to/1MwPAl8 ) Dr. Pamela Winfield ( bit.ly/1MwPD0n ) Hokai Sobol ( www.hokai.info ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 29, 2015

Dr. Pamela Winfield and Shingon teacher Hokai Sobol join host Vincent Horn to discuss the book Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kukai and Dogen on the Art of Enlightenment. By examining two different models of enlightenment–one from the founder of Shingon Buddhism, Kūkai (Kōbō-Daishi), and the other from the pivotal Zen figure, Dōgen Zenji, the group explores the role that art & imagery play in the awakening experience. The conversation touches on how studies of texts and iconography can be complementary and how understanding the use of iconography can help scholars and practitioners understand Buddhist paths of Enlightenment in a clearer way. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism. Episode Links: Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kukai and Dogen on the Art of Enlightenment ( http://amzn.to/1MwPAl8 ) Dr. Pamela Winfield ( http://bit.ly/1MwPD0n ) Hokai Sobol ( http://www.hokai.info ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Matt Bieber is an author, political junkie, and practitioner in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. In this episode Matt and host Vincent Horn conclude their conversation exploring the intersection between Buddhist practice and politics. Asking whether our political and economic systems are geared towards idealized humanity or humans as they really are, Matt and Vincent discuss what the political world might look like if built to acknowledge Buddha Nature. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one – BG 325: The Politics of Dualism. Episode Links: The Wheat and Chaff ( http://www.thewheatandchaff.com ) Matt Bieber on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/PMatty_Bieber ) Scholar Peter Hershock ( http://www.eastwestcenter.org/about-ewc/directory/peter.hershock ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Matt Bieber is an author, political junkie, and practitioner in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. In this episode Matt joins host Vincent Horn to explore politics through the lens of Buddhism. Matt shares insights gained as a speechwriter for Vice President Biden, how he began to consider the impact Buddhist thought could have on politics, and how Buddhist training helps him see the political world in a new way. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: The Politics of Buddha Nature. Episode Links: The Wheat and Chaff ( http://www.thewheatandchaff.com ) Matt Bieber on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/PMatty_Bieber ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Jason Lange is a Los Angeles based writer and director exploring the intersections of filmmaking, technology, and transformation. In this episode Jason joins host Vincent Horn to discuss his recent article “The Coming Age of Technodelics” which explores technologies that may enable some of the same experiences that meditation and psychedelics have traditionally provided. By comparing and contrasting psychedelics and technodelics, the conversation examines the possible uses and usefulness of mind altering technologies such as the cutting edge Virtual Reality headset Oculus Rift. Episode Links : The Coming Age of Technodelics Just Say Know: A Cyberdelic History of the Future The Inside Story of Oculus Rift and How Virtual Reality Became Reality See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Lama Willa Miller, David Loy, and host Vincent Horn conclude a Geeks of the Round Table discussion on the intersection of Buddhism with ecological activism. They explore the idea that the Buddha was a social and political activist, what it means to acknowledge ecology as an ethical issue, and how these larger issues affect the teaching of Buddhism today. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: Eco-Dharma. Episode Links: Wonderwell Mountain Refuge ( wonderwellrefuge.org ) www.DavidLoy.org A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency ( amzn.to/1JMMy6f ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Ann Gleig is an Assistant Professor of Religious and Cultural Studies at the University of Central Florida. She is currently working on projects on the North American revisioning of Asian liberation traditions, and Buddhism in Postmodernity. In this episode taken from the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Ann presents the findings of her academic article on Buddhist Geeks, which was published in the Journal of Global Buddhism. She offers an engaging analysis of the interactions between Buddhism, Buddhist Geeks, and technology, and she shares her insights on the historical and cultural significance of the Buddhist Geeks community. Episode Links : 📃 From Buddhist Hippies to Buddhist Geeks: The Emergence of Buddhist Postmodernism? 🔗 Ann Gleig, Ph.D. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Lama Willa Miller and David Loy join host Vincent Horn for Geeks of the Round Table to discuss how Buddhist concerns intersect with ecological & activist concerns. The trio talk about the upcoming Eco-Dharma Conference, examine some ways Buddhist philosophy can contribute to the global ecology discussion, and then discuss the supposed disparities between Buddhism and ecological activism. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two BG 323: Bodhisattva Activist. Episode Links: Wonderwell Mountain Refuge ( http://wonderwellrefuge.org ) www.DavidLoy.org A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency ( http://amzn.to/1JMMy6f ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Martin Aylward is a vipassana teacher and founder of Le Moulin Meditation Centre. He has been leading retreats worldwide, teaching meditation, and supporting groups and individuals since 1999. In this episode taken from the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Martin speaks on the relationship between the dharma and sex. He examines the general lack of dharma teachings concerning sex, the results of his own inquiry to the subject, and his belief in the potential of sexuality as a powerful tool for transformation. Episode Links: www.MartinAylward.com Le Moulin Meditation Centre ( http://www.moulindechaves.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Erik Braun is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at University of Oklahoma. He is the author of The Birth of Insight: Meditation, Modern Buddhism, and the Burmese Monk Ledi Sayadaw. In this episode, Erik joins host Vincent Horn to discuss his book and the legacy of Burmese monk Ledi Sayadaw. By connecting the dots between changes in Burmese Buddhism with the political disruption caused by the British takeover of Burma in the late 19th Century, Erik describes Ledi’s role in bringing insight meditation practice to the modern world. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: The Making of a Mass Meditation Movement. Episode Links: The Birth of Insight: Meditation, Modern Buddhism, and the Burmese Monk Ledi Sayadaw ( http://amzn.to/1JMLYFM ) Erik Braun on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/erkbraun ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Erik Braun is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at University of Oklahoma. He is the author of The Birth of Insight: Meditation, Modern Buddhism, and the Burmese Monk Ledi Sayadaw. In this episode Erik and host Vincent Horn continue a discussion on Burmese Monk Ledi Sayadaw and his role in bringing insight meditation to the world. The conversation digs deeper into the connections between Burmese political disruption and changes to Buddhist practice in Burma, how meditation became more accepted in Burmese Buddhism, and how this all led to the export of insight meditation to the rest of the world. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: The Birth of Insight Meditation. Episode Links: The Birth of Insight: Meditation, Modern Buddhism, and the Burmese Monk Ledi Sayadaw ( http://amzn.to/1JMLYFM ) Erik Braun on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/erkbraun ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Marianne Elliott is an attorney, human rights advocate, and the author of Zen Under Fire, a memoir about her work in Afghanistan. In this episode taken from the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Marianne shares her belief that mindfulness practice alone isn’t enough to put an end to the suffering of the world. By first unpacking a few areas of social suffering that have deeply touched her, Marianne talks about the practical strategies she employs when working towards positive social change. As she describes the importance of action to the engaged Buddhist life, Marianne encourages the audience to ground themselves in the resiliency provided by Buddhist practice, find an issue that touches them, find a way to use their unique skillset, and actively work to end suffering in the world. Episode Links: www.Marianne-Elliott.com Zen Under Fire ( http://marianne-elliott.com/book/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Jerry Colonna was a venture capitalist in New York City and played a prominent part in the early development of Silicon Alley–he is known by some as the “Yoda of Silicon Alley.” He is currently a life and business coach and serves as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Naropa University. Jerry is an investor and close mentor to the Buddhist Geeks team. In this episode taken from the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Jerry speaks about confronting the demon and dharma of uncertainty. By first telling the story of Milarepa and the Demons, Jerry engages the audience with an account of confronting his own fears of not being good enough. He describes how this “imposter syndrome”, this fear of admitting to uncertainty, can trap leaders and the people in their organizations in cycles of suffering. Jerry then offers strategies to confront delusion, doubt, and uncertainty through dharma and mindfulness practices. Episode Links: CEO Bootcamp ( http://reboot.io ) www.TheMonsterInYourHead.com Jerry Colonna on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/jerrycolonna ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Alexander Bard is a cyber philosopher and the co-founder of the Syntheist Movement. He is the co-author of The Futurica Trilogy, a series of books concerning Internet philosophy and futurist studies. In this episode, Alexander joins host Vincent Horn to discuss the origins and concepts of the Syntheist Movement and it’s intersection with Buddhist practice & thought. Using the setting of the annual Burning Man event to illustrate humanity’s sometimes unconscious desire to gather and practice religion, Alexander describes the Syntheist philosophy, its core concepts of multiple Gods, and its philosophical origins. From there the conversation touches on the concepts of God and Self, Quantum Physics and Religion, and Alexander’s utopic vision for the future. Episode Links: Alexander Bard on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/Bardissimo ) The Syntheist Movement ( http://syntheism.org ) The Futurica Trilogy ( http://amzn.to/1JMKxHe ) What if the Internet is God? ( https://youtu.be/tXA7TewF53w ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

David Chapman is a writer, computer scientist, engineer and Buddhist practitioner. He blogs on several sites including Meaningness, Approaching Aro, and Buddhism for Vampires. In this episode, David joins host Vincent Horn for the second part of their discussion on the challenges facing the reinvention of Buddhist Tantra. David first compares “zombie ritual” with “living ritual”, pointing out the ideal characteristics of useful ritual practices. David and Vincent then examine the importance of participatory ritual in communities, the rate of innovation in contemporary ritual, and how lineage relates to the forming and maintaining of ritual. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one BG 313: Reinventing Buddhist Tantra. Episode Links: Meaningness ( http://meaningness.wordpress.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

David Chapman is a writer, computer scientist, engineer and Buddhist practitioner. He blogs on several sites including Meaningness, Approaching Aro, and Buddhism for Vampires. In this episode, David joins host Vincent Horn for a discussion on the topic of Buddhist Tantra. Beginning by stating his interest and intentions with recent writing on Buddhist Tantra, David gives a quick definition of Tantra and begins to unpack that definition and how it relates to Buddhism. Vincent and David then discuss whether or not Buddhism is in some ways opposed to passion, where and when Tantric elements are apparent in various traditions, and what modern Buddhist Tantra may look like and why it may have been suppressed in Western Buddhism. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two BG 314: Creating Living Ritual. Episode Links: Meaningness ( http://meaningness.wordpress.com ) Consensus Buddhism and Mindful Mayo ( http://bit.ly/1JMITFN ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Shinzen Young is a Vipassana meditation teacher and was ordained in Japan as a monk in the Shingon tradition. He has studied and practiced extensively in other traditions, including Zen and Lakota Sioux Shamanism. Shinzen leads meditation retreats throughout North America and has helped establish numerous mindfulness centers and programs. He also consults widely on meditation-related research, in both the clinical and the basic science domains. In this talk from the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Shinzen describes strategies for working with questions like “What does Life mean?” and how to enact a successful model for spiritual growth. He begins by examining the general framework of questions and why humans ask questions at all. This leads to a presentation of three fundamental goals for Life and how a spiritual practice can help reach those goals, how to recognize when a spiritual practice goes off course, and what results to expect from a successful spiritual practice. Episode Links: www.Shinzen.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Kate Johnson is a yogi and meditation teacher in NYC where she teaches yoga and mindfulness meditation to high school students in public schools. A student in the Vipassana meditation tradition, Kate completed the year-long Training Immersion Program at The Interdependence Project, graduated from the Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation teacher training at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and returned from a three-month retreat at Insight Meditation Society in 2013. In this episode taken from the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, Kate speaks about how Buddhist practice can help us wake up to unconscious patterns of power and privilege in our communities and ourselves. Beginning with a synopsis of the COLORLINES article “Rinku Sen: The Racist Mind”, she explains the pervasiveness of implicit bias in our thinking and actions. As she describes her experience and shame when realizing her own implicit racial bias, Kate describes how her meditation practice helped wake her up to those problem areas. She concludes by explaining how racial injustice and lack of diversity affects Buddhist communities, and she issues a call to wake up to these unconscious patterns of power and privilege for the benefit of ourselves and our communities. Episode Links: “Rinku Sen: The Racist Mind” ( http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/07/rinku_sen_thinking_through_racism.html ) The Interdependence Project ( http://theidproject.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Lisa Ernst is an artist and meditation teacher in the Zen and Vipassana traditions. She leads the One Dharma Nashville Community that draws from the wisdom traditions of Zen, Vipassana, and Tibetan Buddhism. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Lisa discusses the various facets of working with spiritual questions as part of a contemplative path. She describes her own experience first working with koans in the Rinzai Zen tradition, and then applying that questioning process in her Vipassana practice. The discussion then turns towards how questions can help develop “not knowing”, and how Lisa helps her students learn skillful questioning. Episode Links: www.lisaernst.com One Dharma Nashville ( http://www.onedharmanashville.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Rohan Gunatillake is the creator of buddhify, the mobile mindfulness app for modern life, and the co-producer of Sync, a program that’s helping cultural organizations in Scotland have a more progressive relationship with technology, technologists, design and designers. In 2013 he was appointed a trustee of the British Council, a large scale NGO which promotes Britain internationally through work in the arts, education, and English language training. In this episode Rohan joins host Vincent Horn to talk about the newly released app buddhify2, as well as the world of “Indie Buddhism”. He begins by describing the updates from the original buddhify app, the general reception the new app has received, and the significance of the project’s success. The conversation then moves to Rohan’s personal experience leading the project and his perception that still more innovation is needed in mindfulness technology. Episode Links: www.rohangunatillake.com buddhify 2 ( http://buddhify.com ) We Need More Buddhist Startups ( https://youtu.be/pLiKHjAyw4M ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Megan Miller is a technology researcher and entrepreneur from the San Francisco Bay area. After working in editorial and digital roles at National Geographic Adventure, New York Magazine and Popular Science, Megan became regarded as an expert in digital media innovation, appearing frequently as a TV talking head and speaker at events like CES and SXSW Interactive. In this episode taken from the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference, she speaks about digital distraction and how it affects human behavior. She begins by pointing out the many emerging technologies that contribute to digital distraction such as multi-tasking smart phones, link baiting websites, and instant gratification fueled social media. Then she concludes the talk by highlighting the increased efforts made by some people in the media and tech industries to bring less distraction and greater depth to digital technology. Episode Links: Megan Miller on Twitter ( https://twitter.com/missmilla2u ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Diane Musho Hamilton is a Zen teacher and conflict mediator. In this episode she joins host Vincent Horn to explore some of the themes from her first book Everything is Workable: A Zen Approach to Conflict Resolution. Starting with a description of her early life and education, Diane talks about her introduction to the practice of conflict resolution and how she became the first Director of the Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution for the Utah Judiciary. The conversation then turns to the connections Diane has made between conflict resolution insights and the Buddhist teachings of The Three Poisons. This leads to an exploration of whether contemplatives are naturally conflict averse, what it means to actually practice conflict resolution, and why “everything is workable” doesn’t necessarily mean everything always works out the way we want. Episode Links: Diane Musho Hamilton ( http://www.dianemushohamilton.com ) Everything is Workable: A Zen Approach to Conflict Resolution ( http://www.shambhala.com/everything-is-workable.html ) The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women ( http://www.wisdompubs.org/book/hidden-lamp ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 28, 2015

Mikey Siegel is a meditator & technologist known for his work in projects like BrainBot & HeartSync. He is a pioneer in a field that he calls “Enlightenment Engineering”—the science and technology of facilitating the heightened states of consciousness long described by contemplative and spiritual traditions. In this episode taken from a recent BG TV episode of Contemplative Technology, hosts Vincent Horn and Mike Redmer speak with Mikey about the current state of contemplative technology. Mikey describes his goal of bringing more legitimacy to the space in academia and business so that more professionals will enter the field. The group then discusses developments in the contemplative technology DIY crowd, a project to create mental activity soundtracks, and the potential inherent to applying contemplative technology in group settings. Episode Links: www.MikeySiegel.com Biofluent ( http://www.biofluent.com ) HeartSync ( http://www.biofluent.com/heartsync/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Lodro Rinzler is a meditation practitioner and teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. His latest book is Walk Like a Buddha: Even if Your Boss Sucks, Your Ex Is Torturing You, and You’re Hungover Again. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Lodro talks about the book and his new project The Institute for Compassionate Leadership, a leadership training and job placement organization that utilizes mentoring, meditation, traditional leadership skills training, and Obama style community organizing to produce compassionate, self-aware leaders. The interview starts with the inspiration for starting the Institute and what Lodro hopes to accomplish with it and his writing. This leads to a wider conversation about the usefulness of ancient teachings in the contemporary world and the value of fostering global conversation. Episode Links: Walk Like a Buddha: Even if Your Boss Sucks, Your Ex Is Torturing You, and You’re Hungover Again ( http://amzn.to/1g9Z7yU ) The Institute for Compassionate Leadership ( http://instituteforcompassionateleadership.org ) www.LodroRinzler.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Mark Oppenheimer is an essayist, reporter, critic, and one of the United States’ leading investigators of religion. His new book, The Zen Predator of the Upper East Side, is an investigation of the decades of sexual scandal surrounding Japanese Zen teacher Eido Shimano. Mark joins host Vincent Horn to discuss the book and the impact his writing has had on the Zen community. Mark reports a brief history of the situation, they discuss the conditions that led to the problems, and they examine why the problem of sexual misconduct is not as common in other Western Buddhist traditions. Episode Links: The Zen Predator of the Upper East Side ( http://amzn.to/1as7Uak ) www.MarkOppenheimer.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Dr. Jay Michaelson is the author of five books and two hundred articles on religion, sexuality, law, and contemplative practice. His new book is Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment, published in October, 2013. In this episode, Jay joins host Vincent Horn to discuss his new book, which explores the evolution of Buddhism. Jay describes his personal interests in writing Evolving Dharma, as well as the value of the topic to wider academia. The conversation includes Jay’s observations on new kinds of Buddhist communities, the trends away from the traditional guru model, and the possible future being created by the further integration of mindfulness with the Western mainstream. Episode Links: www.JayMichaelson.net Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment ( http://amzn.to/1851v57%EF%BB%BF ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Willoughby Britton and Daniel Ingram continue their conversation with hosts Emily Horn and Kelly Sosan Bearer to discuss helping people through the experience of the contemplative Dark Night. To begin the second part of their discussion, Daniel describes the characteristics of Dark Night experience he has seen in the Dharma Overground community and the cycles many people experience. Emily asks whether compassion practice is a common tool to use when in the Dark Night stage. Willoughby and Daniel each describe observations of the usefulness of metta practice and attempt to answer the question: can a sniper have compassion? Finally, the group explores the topic in context of the TIME story “Aaron Alexis and the Dark Side of Meditation”. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: Varieties of Contemplative Experience Episode Episode Links : TIME: Aaron Alexis and the Dark Side of Meditation ( healthland.time.com/2013/09/17/aaro…-of-meditation/ ) Daniel Ingram ( integrateddaniel.info ) The Dharma Overground ( www.dharmaoverground.org ) Willoughby Britton & Cheetah House ( www.cheetahhouse.org ) The Dark Side of Dharma ( bit.ly/1IBv56f ) The Dark Night Project ( bit.ly/1gc7P2j ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Willoughby Britton and Daniel Ingram join hosts Emily Horn and Kelly Sosan Bearer for Geeks of the Round Table to discuss helping people through the experience of the contemplative Dark Night. Willoughby starts the conversation by reporting the latest updates on the rebranded Dark Night Project, now called “The Varieties of Contemplative Experience”. The group then moves on to discuss helping mindfulness practitioners through episodes of the contemplative Dark Night, how mental disease does and doesn’t get addressed in the community, and some shared characteristics of people that experience the Dark Night. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two BG 302: Mental Illness and the Dark Night. Episode Links: TIME: Aaron Alexis and the Dark Side of Meditation ( http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/17/aaron-alexis-and-the-dark-side-of-meditation/ ) Daniel Ingram ( http://integrateddaniel.info ) The Dharma Overground ( http://www.dharmaoverground.org ) Willoughby Britton & Cheetah House ( http://www.cheetahhouse.org ) The Dark Side of Dharma ( http://bit.ly/1IBv56f ) The Dark Night Project ( http://bit.ly/1gc7P2j ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is an author, scholar, and Futurist most recently concerned with contemplative computing, the effort to use information technologies in ways that help one focus and be more creative, not fractured and distracted. In the second half of this interview with host Vincent Horn, Alex talks in more detail about his book The Distraction Addiction and it’s central premise of how to engage with technology in a contemplative way. Alex describes the research involved in writing the book, the conclusions he’s made about technology and mindfulness, and how the practices of contemplative computing could affect the future of wearable tech, UI design, and technology in general. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: Technological Determinism. Episode Links: Contemplative Computing Blog ( www.contemplativecomputing.org ) The Distraction Addiction ( amzn.to/1MRHdh3 ) @askpang ( twitter.com/askpang ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is an author, Technology Forecaster, and Futurist who applies the tools of the historian to predicting our future technology. His book, The Distraction Addiction, and blog, Contemplative Computing, are about how to use information technologies and social media so they’re not endlessly distracting and demanding, but instead help us be more mindful, focused and creative. In this interview with host Vincent Horn, Alex talks about his career as a Technology Forecaster and Futurist, and the problems he has with the idea of Technological Determinism. Alex describes how the daily rigors of his work with technology damaged his mental focus, and how he turned to meditation to regain that focus. By viewing his work through the lens of his meditation practice he was led to new questions and ideas about how to change mankind’s relationship with technology, how to go from being distracted to more focused and mindful, and the real dangers of taking a passive role in our daily relationship with technology. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: BG 300: Contemplative Computing. Episode Links: Contemplative Computing Blog ( http://www.contemplativecomputing.org ) The Distraction Addiction ( http://amzn.to/1MRHdh3 ) @askpang ( https://twitter.com/askpang ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Chris Dancy is an information systems expert, a self described data exhaust cartographer, and widely known as “The Quantified Man”. His work in the Quantified Self (QS) movement has been documented in Wired and on TechCrunch, Bloomberg TV, and BG TV. In this episode, taken from the new BG TV show Contemplative Technology, hosts Vincent Horn and Mike Redmer are joined by Chris to explore the relationship between the Quantified Self (QS) movement and the deepening experience of selflessness, or egolessness, that is described on the Buddhist contemplative path. They discuss how and why Chris first began collecting his personal data, how that data collection has impacted his life, and what Chris believes the future holds for the QS movement. Episode Links: www.chrisdancy.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Douglas Rushkoff is the author of Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now, as well as a dozen other bestselling books on media, technology, and culture. In this episode, Douglas joins host Vincent Horn to discuss the book Present Shock and the underlying concept that “present shock” is the human response to living in a world where everything happens now. Douglas describes how he formed the concept of “present shock” through explorations of psychedelics, tai chi, and chronobiology, and how these areas have informed his work, life, and political and social philosophies. They talk about the many Buddhist parallels in Douglas’ ideas and experiences, and also why, despite those parallels, Douglas is fairly critical of spiritual traditions. Episode Links: Douglas Rushkoff ( http://www.rushkoff.com ) Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now ( http://amzn.to/1MRH25u ) The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead ( http://amzn.to/1MRH6Cj ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Meditation teacher Kenneth Folk joins Vincent Horn, Emily Horn, and Kelly Sosan Bearer to conclude a Geeks of the Round Table discussion on a recent Wired article, Enlightenment Engineers, that profiles Kenneth and the Buddhist Geeks as part of the developing meditation culture(s) in Silicon Valley. The group talks about Ken’s plan to enlighten the Illuminati with a Meditation Trojan Horse, whether or not there is a “right motivation” for maintaining a meditation practice, and how this all relates to the popular assumption that meditation should be free of a goal-oriented approach. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one BG 295: Meditating to Get Ahead. Episode Links: Enlightenment Engineers ( http://www.wired.com/business/2013/06/meditation-mindfulness-silicon-valley ) Kenneth Folk ( http://kennethfolkdharma.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

In this episode taken from a Geeks of the Round Table Google Hangout, meditation teacher Kenneth Folk joins Buddhist Geeks Vincent Horn, Emily Horn, and Kelly Sosan Bearer to discuss a recent Wired article, Enlightenment Engineers, that profiles Kenneth and the mindfulness culture in Silicon Valley. Emily opens the conversation by asking, “Does meditation really make you more productive and wealthy? And is it a way to get ahead?” The group explores these questions and discusses how variables in an individual’s values, form of practice, and other perceptual filters affect the answers. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: The Trojan Horse of Meditation. Episode Links: Kenneth Folk ( http://kennethfolkdharma.com ) Enlightenment Engineers ( http://www.wired.com/business/2013/06/meditation-mindfulness-silicon-valley ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

David Passiak is a former religion scholar turned technology entrepreneur who has spent nearly 20 years working at the intersection of disruptive innovation and traditional conceptions of community and wisdom. David is author of Red Bull to Buddha: Innovation and the Search for Wisdom and also the forthcoming The Disruption Revolution: Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the New Rules of Leadership. In this conversation David and host Vincent Horn discuss the book Red Bull to Buddha and the cycles of technological innovation that have led to major social change throughout history. In talking about the inspiration for the book, David describes visiting a temple in Thailand where bottles of the sports energy drink Red Bull were being presented as devotional offerings. He explains how examining his discovery of Red Bull in the temple led him to explore how the meaning of a brand or object is dependent on cultural context, and how culture is affected by technological advance. This leads Vincent and David to discuss how a Buddhist practice can help one to navigate a world that’s in a constant state of cultural and technological disruption. Episode Links: Red Bull to Buddha: Innovation and the Search for Wisdom ( http://www.amazon.com/kindle-store/dp/B00E4W4C1S ) Social Meditate ( http://www.socialmeditate.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Teachers Sofia Diaz and Trudy Goodman continue this episode of Geeks of the Round Table with host Kelly Sosan Bearer by exploring the Feminine aspect of spiritual practice from a female teacher’s point of view. The women begin by discussing qualitative differences in teaching approaches between female and male teachers, and Trudy talks about the more intimate approach she uses when teaching. Using Mother Teresa as an example of a female spiritual leader who supported many but found difficulty in finding support herself, the women discuss how the sometimes difficult role of female spiritual leader has grown and evolved. Moving on to how neglecting topics of sexuality, sexual attraction, and gender differences in spiritual practice can cause suffering for both men and women, they conclude the conversation with advice to younger generations: trust your feelings, trust your intuition, and lovingly explore the differences between yourself and others. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one Perfect Insight is Perfect Love. Episode Links: Sofia Diaz ( www.sofiayoga.com ) Trudy Goodman ( www.insightla.org/about/teachers.php ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

In this episode taken from a Geeks of the Round Table Google Hangout, Sofia Diaz and Trudy Goodman join host Kelly Sosan Bearer to discuss Feminine Practice and its connections and distinctions to the masculine principle in spiritual practice. Kelly begins by asking: what is feminine practice and what is its distinction from other practices? Sofia describes feminine practice as being the devotional, feeling part of practice as compared to the masculine insight and contemplative part, though both dimensions are deeply intertwined. Both Sofia and Trudy then relate their individual longing and search for the feminine dimension of practice, how they each came to a realization of the feminine principle in their own practice, and how each approaches these energetics when teaching. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: Be the Lover Episode Links: Sofia Diaz ( http://www.sofiayoga.com ) Trudy Goodman ( https://www.insightla.org/about/teachers.php ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Ken Mcleod is one of the more innovative teachers of Buddhism today, known for his ability to explain difficult and subtle teachings. In the conclusion of this conversation on the “Truth”, Ken and host Vincent Horn compare and contrast various approaches to spiritual development and some hidden pitfalls one might encounter. Vincent begins by asking a fundamental question of the search for the “Truth”: by whose authority? The two then discuss some helpful qualifiers when searching for a spiritual authority, some pitfalls to avoid when trusting that authority, and the various ways study might look under various authorities and techniques. Ken describes how the spiritual path will generally progress and the importance of periodically examining one’s motivations for study. They conclude the conversation by discussing the importance of fundamentals to whatever authority or path of practice one chooses. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: Truth is a Red Herring. Episode Links: Unfettered Mind ( http://www.unfetteredmind.org ) PINA ( http://www.pina-film.de/en/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Ken Mcleod is one of the more innovative teachers of Buddhism today, known for his ability to explain difficult and subtle teachings. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Ken takes on one of the most difficult topics to pin down: the “Truth”. They begin the conversation by examining the supposition that the path to enlightenment is ultimately to find the “Truth”. Vincent talks about how his early efforts in practice were rooted in the need to find the “Truth”, and how his motivations and understanding have changed. Ken relates his own recent advances on the topic. The two then examine the role and representation of the “Truth” in context of spiritual practice, psychological well being, and philosophical inquiry. They then explore the parallels of “Truth” and “Enlightenment” and how each idea is shaped and defined by the culture and by the individual. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: Questioning Frameworks of Practice. Episode Links: Unfettered Mind ( http://www.unfetteredmind.org ) Straw Dogs ( http://amzn.to/1MRFcSd ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Tony Stubblebine is interested in meditation, app development, and behavioral design. He’s brought all three interests together in his latest project, a habit building app called Lift. In this conversation over Google Hangouts, Tony and host Vincent Horn discuss the merits and potential shadow side to behavioural design. Tony describes how he became interested in the science of behavioural design and how that led him to create Lift as a way to bring a social aspect to building positive habits. They talk about the three components to consider when building a habit, how the QS Movement relates to behavioural design, and how to use systems like Lift to build strong positive habits like daily meditation. Episode Links: LIFT ( https://lift.do ) Lift’s How to Meditate page with free guided meditations ( https://lift.do/meditation ) BJ Fogg ( http://www.bjfogg.com ) Quantified Self ( http://quantifiedself.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

In this interview, host Vincent Horn speaks with Dr. Ronald Purser–professor of management at SFSU and an ordained Zen Buddhist teacher in the Korean Taego order. They explore Ronald’s research on organizational mindfulness, mindfulness in corporate settings, and how Buddhist philosophy can inform organizational theory and practice, with a particular emphasis on exploring the limitations and shadow-sides of the mindfulness movement as it moves into the business context. Episode Links: College of Business at San Francisco State University ( http://cob.sfsu.edu/cob/directory/faculty/ronald-purser ) Center for Creative Inquiry ( http://www.creativeinquiry.org/develop/index.php ) Korean Buddhist Taego Order ( http://www.taegozen.net ) Beyond McMindfulness ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

David M. Levy is a professor of technology in the Information School (or iSchool) at the University of Washington. Since 2006 he has offered a course called “Information and Contemplation”, a course on mindfulness in the Digital Age. In this interview with host Vincent Horn, David talks about his early rejection of zen meditation practice and how he came back to it later through a study of calligraphy. They talk about a National Science Foundation funded study David created to observe the effects of meditation on multitasking, and the university course he subsequently developed at the iSchool, “Information and Contemplation.” He talks about insights his students have through the course and the surprising way email can be used as a focus for mindfulness. Finally, Vincent and David discuss the idea of taking a “digital Sabbath” and the usefulness of periodically unplugging from the online world. Episode Links: What Computers Still Can’t Do: A Critique of Artificial Reason ( http://amzn.to/15yQx4K ) “You’re Distracted. This Professor Can Help.” ( http://chronicle.com/article/Youre-Distracted-This/138079/ ) Xerox PARC ( http://www.parc.com ) Darlene Cohen ( http://www.darlenecohen.net ) “Information and Contemplation” ( http://dmlevy.ischool.uw.edu/information-and-contemplation/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Ramez Naam is a computer scientist who spent 13 years at Microsoft, leading teams working on email, web browsing, search, and artificial intelligence. He’s the author of several books including Nexus, a science fiction thriller set in the near future when humans are linked mind-to-mind by an experimental and illegal nano-drug. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Ramez describes his inspiration for the book and it’s narrative of collectivism and mind-to-mind connection through technology. The two discuss the fact, fiction, benefits, and perils of technology that can connect humanity so intimately, and what that kind of technology could mean to the process of awakening. Episode Links: www.RamezNaam.com Nexus ( http://rameznaam.com/nexus/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Mike Redmer is a freelance UX designer and mindfulness coach. His most recent project, the ReWire App, is part of a growing field of technology designed to assist the end user in attaining greater degrees of concentration ability and contemplative awareness. In this second part of their conversation, host Vincent Horn discusses with Mike the subtleties of contemplative design and the current state of contemplative technology. Vincent relates details of his experience with some of these technologies at the recent Wisdom 2.0 conference, and he and Mike discuss the mixed potential each sees in the future of ubiquitous computing. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one, ReWiring Meditation for the Digital Age Episode Links: ReWire: meditation remixed ( http://rewireapp.com ) I used Google Glass: the future, but with monthly updates ( http://bit.ly/1MRE8O4 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Mike Redmer is a freelance UX designer and mindfulness coach. His most recent project, the ReWire App, came out of a desire to utilize technology to make mediation more effective and engaging. In this first part of a conversation with host Vincent Horn, Mike shares his motivation for creating Rewire and the ways he hopes it can help people develop in meditation. He also describes how he approached designing the app, the improvements he made in the second iteration, and how Shinzen Young’s practice of “Just Note Gone” influenced the end product and Mike himself. This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two, Contemplative Technologies Episode Links: ReWire: meditation remixed ( http://rewireapp.com ) The Power of Gone ( http://shinzen.org/Articles/PowerofGone.pdf ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Dr. Reggie Ray is an author, teacher, and the Spiritual Director for the Dharma Ocean Community in Crestone, Colorado. In this episode Reggie and host Vincent Horn conclude their conversation by discussing the recurring cycle of conflict between “authentic lineages” and “institutional lineages” in the world’s religions. Reggie describes the personal toll this conflict had on his teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and how many unorthodox teachers have found themselves threatened and restricted by religious institutions. He then describes how the techniques of Mahamudra can lead us to identify all the places where we hold back as people so that we may find freedom from all forms of restriction. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one – BG 281: Mahamudra in the Modern World Episode Links: Buddhist Saints in India: A Study in Buddhist Values and Orientations ( http://amzn.to/1MRDXm5 ) Dharma Ocean ( http://www.dharmaocean.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Dr. Reggie Ray is an author, teacher, and the Spiritual Director for the Dharma Ocean Community in Crestone, Colorado. He has forty years of study and intensive meditation practice within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Recently, Dr. Ray published an audio training series through Sounds True titled Mahamudra in the Modern World. In this episode Dr. Reggie Ray and host Vincent Horn discuss the basics of the Mahamudra tradition and Reggie’s approach to teaching it. He shares his insight into how his personal practice has changed and deepened through teaching, and he answers questions such as: Is a personal relationship with a teacher necessary? And, how does one know when it’s time to start teaching? This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two – BG 282: Specializing in Letting Go Episode Links: The Forest Dwelling Yogi ( http://bit.ly/1MRDNuI ) Dharma Ocean ( http://www.dharmaocean.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Stephen Schettini is an author and blogger at TheNakedMonk.com , and a teacher of Mindful Reflection. He was a Tibetan Buddhist monk for 8 years before he left the monastic path and began referring to himself as an ex-Buddhist. In this episode Stephen talks with host Vincent Horn about why he left his monastic order and what he learned from the experience. They discuss why people are drawn to formal religious orders and guru-disciple relationships, and Stephen describes possible alternatives to the guru-disciple dynamic that might be more appropriate for the modern world. Finally, after questioning the very existence of the historical Buddha, they discuss why the myth might be more important than the story of the historical man. Episode Links: The Naked Monk ( http://www.thenakedmonk.com ) “Sick Love” ( http://www.thenakedmonk.com/2013/01/14/sick-love/ ) “Zen Buddhists Distressed by Accusations Against Teacher” ( http://nyti.ms/12MlZgW ) The Novice ( http://amzn.to/12MlVxs ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Ted Meissner is the host of The Secular Buddhist podcast and the Executive Director of the Secular Buddhist Association. In this episode host Vincent Horn concludes his conversation with Ted by exploring the role of Tradition in secular Buddhism. They consider the question of spiritual authority in secular Buddhism and whether it’s possible to see through the filter of culture and tradition. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part 1: Secular Buddhism. Episode Links: Secular Buddhism ( http://bit.ly/1MRDsbA ) The Secular Buddhist Association ( secularbuddhism.org ) The Secular Buddhist Podcast ( secularbuddhism.org/the-secular-buddhist-podcasts/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Ted Meissner is the host of The Secular Buddhist podcast and the Executive Director of the Secular Buddhist Association. In this episode with host Vincent Horn, Ted shares examples of secular Buddhism, why he is skeptical but not cynical about religion, and he stresses what he thinks is the importance of right speech in the modern world. This is part one of a two part series. Episode Links: The Secular Buddhist Association ( http://secularbuddhism.org ) The Secular Buddhist Podcast ( http://secularbuddhism.org/the-secular-buddhist-podcasts/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

Lawrence Levy is a student of Segyu Rinpoche and a former CFO and board member at Pixar Animation Studios. He left his role as an executive at Pixar in 2000 to pursue a study of religion and philosophy, which led him to Buddhism. In this episode, Lawrence speaks with host Rohan Gunatillake about working at Pixar, the lessons he learned at the company, and how he has applied those lessons to building the Buddhist organization the Juniper Foundation. Episode Links: Juniper Foundation ( http://www.juniperpath.org ) Awakening the Mind ( http://www.juniperpath.org/works/A7614E/Awakening+the+Mind/ ) Pixar ( http://www.pixar.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 27, 2015

John F. Simon is a visual artist and software programmer whose work can be found in prominent museum collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He was also one of the app designers on the world’s first app album, from Björk, called Biophilia. In this episode we speak with John about his long-standing search for the source of creativity, and how that search has led him to explore a contemplative Buddhist practice. During the discussion with host Vincent Horn, John describes the strategy he uses to search for the source of his creativity and the parallels his strategy shares with meditation teacher Daniel Ingram’s progress of insight map. Episode Links: www.iclock.com John’s profile at the Gering & Lopez Gallery ( http://www.geringlopez.com/artists/john-f-simon-jr ) Björk’s Biophilia ( http://bjork.com/#/past/discography/biophilia ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Buddhist Geeks Vincent Horn and Rohan Gunatillake conclude their interview for the KGNU public radio program Sacred Lines by further discussing the intersections between Buddhism and Technology. From the efficacy of mindfulness apps to the ubiquitous question of duality, the Geeks explore what it means to be Buddhist in a technologically advanced world. This is part two of a two part series. Episode Links: CU’s Center for Media, Religion, and Culture ( cmrc.colorado.edu/about ) KGNU ( www.kgnu.org ) buddhify ( buddhify.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

In a recent interview for the KGNU public radio program Sacred Lines, Buddhist Geeks Vincent Horn and Rohan Gunatillake have a discussion about what it means to be a modern Buddhist practitioner, how technology can complement Buddhist practice, and how geekery and meditation meld. They use the Buddhist Geeks project and buddhify mobile app as illustrations of how they’re experimenting with these various topics. This is part one of a two part series. Episode Links: CU’s Center for Media, Religion, and Culture ( http://cmrc.colorado.edu/about ) KGNU ( http://www.kgnu.org ) buddhify ( http://buddhify.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Jonathan Blow is an indie game designer most well known for his time-bending game Braid. In this episode we conclude our conversation with Jonathan by exploring his upcoming game, The Witness, as well as his in-depth exploration of non-duality. This is part 2 of a two part series. Listen to part 1, Quantum Gaming. Episode Links: The Witness ( http://the-witness.net ) Myst ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myst ) Nondualism ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nondualism ) On Being ( http://www.onbeing.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Jonathan Blow is an indie game designer most well known for his time-bending game Braid. In this episode Jonathan describes his journey from a kid fascinated with playing video games in arcades to a game developer concerned with game design as a spiritual practice. This is part one of a two part series. Episode Links: Braid ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braid_(video_game) ) The Witness ( http://the-witness.net ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Michaël Harboun wants to design products that find a balance between inner contemplation and external technology. In this conversation we explore things like transpersonal social networks and speak about the way that gaming can be contemplative (Michael would like to simply call video games “experiences”). We also discuss the idea of “Contemplative Design”, how it works, and how it can lead to innovation in consumer products. This is part two of a two part series. Episode Links: www.MichaelHarboun.com Transcendenz ( https://vimeo.com/25771444 ) www.IDEO.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

“We can only see what we’ve become conscious of.” – Michaël Harboun Michaël Harboun wants to design products that find a balance between inner contemplation and external technology. The concept video for his augmented reality project Transcendenz illustrates the positive potential of finding such a balance. In this episode Michaël and host Vincent Horn discuss the philosophical goals of Transcendenz, the fact and fiction of the current state of some of the technologies portrayed in the concept video–like augmented reality and computer brain interfaces–and finally the way that Buddhist thought has influenced this project. This is part one of a two part series. Episode Links: www.MichaelHarboun.com Transcendenz ( https://vimeo.com/25771444 ) www.IDEO.com Thomas Nagel’s Bat Experiment ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Nagel ) Augmented Reality ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality ) Google’s Project Glass ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Glass ) Emotiv ( http://emotiv.com ) InteraXon : Thought Controlled Computing ( http://www.interaxon.ca ) Elliot Hedman ( http://www.buildempathy.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

David Frenette is a senior teacher in the Centering Prayer movement–a contemplative Christian practice that was designed by Father Thomas Keating. He’s also the spiritual director at the Center for Contemplative Living in Denver, and the author of The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God. In this episode, David describes the similarities and differences between Buddhist and Christian practice, the benefit of surrender, and the Christian Contemplative tenet of “the God within serves the God in other people.” This is part two of a two-part series. Episode Links: The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God ( http://amzn.to/VFpGRY ) Incarnational Contemplation ( http://www.incarnationalcontemplation.com ) Center for Contemplative Living in Denver ( http://www.contemplativeoutreach-co.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

David Frenette is a senior teacher in the Centering Prayer movement–a contemplative Christian practice that was designed by Father Thomas Keating. He’s also the spiritual director at the Center for Contemplative Living in Denver, and the author of The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God. In this episode, David describes his path from Zen to Christianity and how he uses the practice of Centering Prayer to deepen his experience of God. This is part one of a two part series. Episode Links: The Path of Centering Prayer: Deepening Your Experience of God ( http://amzn.to/VFpGRY ) Incarnational Contemplation ( http://www.incarnationalcontemplation.com ) Center for Contemplative Living in Denver ( http://www.contemplativeoutreach-co.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

In this episode, taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference 2012, Daniel Ingram talks about the ways that contemplatives could learn from the Naturalists. The Naturalists excelled in meticulous exploration, descriptive science, and classification. Their example can serve as the foundation for the next step in contemplative advancement, where the vast spectrum of inner experience, could be described and cataloged in an entirely new way. Episode Links : Daniel Ingram ( http://www.integrateddaniel.info ) Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha ( http://amzn.to/Ri7No5 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Willoughby Britton, contemplative scientist and neuroscience researcher, spoke at the Buddhist Geeks Conference 2012 about mixing Dharma with scientific enterprise. Scientific research of meditation is undoubtedly one of the forces behind the proliferation of the Dharma, and offers much promise as a “Dharma technology”. However, Britton asserts that significant challenges remain before we can harness the full power of scientific enterprise. Episode Links: Willoughby Britton at Brown University ( http://research.brown.edu/myresearch/Willoughby_Britton ) Britton Lab ( http://www.brittonlab.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

In this episode, taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2012, Martine Batchelor explores the process of grasping and its amplifying/exaggerating effects. She also goes into how meditation can help us to de-grasp/release our holding thus allowing for a more creative engagement and creative response. Episode Links: www.martinebatchelor.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

What is the message of Buddhism today? Self-improvement? A fulfilling life? An understanding of the mysteries of the human condition? How does McLuhan’s famous dictum “the medium is the message” apply now that people are connecting with Buddhism in radically different ways? In this episode, taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2012, Ken McLeod explores how McLuhan’s famous dictum “the medium is the message” might apply to Buddhism. Episode Links: Unfettered Mind ( www.unfetteredmind.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Richard Eskow is a writer, consultant, and musician, who is a senior fellow with a public policy group. In this episode, Richard discusses with host Vincent Horn a recent article he wrote for Tricycle Magazine called DNA Sutra. For the piece he had his DNA analyzed to have his ancestry traced all the way back to the “first mother”. He describes how the process has led him to a greater understanding of karma, the conditions that connect himself with his adversaries, and his greater connection to all of humanity. Episode Links: DNA Sutra ( http://www.tricycle.com/feature/dna-sutra ) 23andme ( https://www.23andme.com ) Tricycle Magazine ( http://www.tricycle.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

David Vago, an instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, has held the position of Senior Research Coordinator for the Mind & Life Institute, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering dialogue and research at the highest possible level between modern science and the great living contemplative traditions. In this episode David relates how his personal mindfulness practice has integrated with his professional scientific research. He talks about the thriving community of scientists interested in mindfulness that has taken root in contemporary academia and research, and he highlights some current projects and lines of inquiry that have benefited from this uniquely supportive atmosphere. Episode Links: www.ContemplativeNeurosciences.com Mind and Life Institute ( http://www.mindandlife.org ) The Dark Night Project ( http://bit.ly/1gc7P2j ) Mapping the Mindful Brain ( http://bit.ly/1gc7Weo ) Contemplative Mind in Life ( http://contemplativemind.wordpress.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Seth Greenland is an author, playwright, and screenwriter. For two seasons he was a writer-producer on the Emmy-nominated HBO series Big Love. His latest novel, The Angry Buddhist, is the story of an ex-policeman seeking guidance from an online Buddhist teacher. The novel is currently in development with Showtime as a possible series for the network with Greenland writing and producing. In this episode Greenland speaks with host Vincent Horn about the book, what messages he hopes to convey with the Showtime series, and how Buddhism is making its way further into the pop culture landscape. Episode Links: www.sethgreenland.com The Angry Buddhist ( http://amzn.to/MX4OSI ) Showtime Develops ‘Angry Buddhist’ Series ( http://www.deadline.com/2012/04/showtime-develops-angry-buddhist-series ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Gary Weber has been a scientist, military officer, senior executive in industry and academia, and is the author of the book Happiness Beyond Thought: A Practical Guide to Awakening. He has practiced Zen meditation, yoga, and philosophy for more than thirty-five years. In 1998, after over 20 thousand hours of various contemplative practices, his thoughts stopped (or very nearly so). We speak with him about what it has been like since then, experiencing nearly no self-referential thoughts or emotions. We also speak with Weber about how he is working with scientists to bring enlightenment to the Facebook Generation. Episode Links: Happiness Beyond Thought: A Practical Guide to Awakening ( http://www.happiness-beyond-thought.com/thebook/thebook.html ) Happiness Beyond Thought Blog ( http://happinessbeyondthought.blogspot.com ) Mapping the Mindful Brain ( http://bit.ly/1gc7Weo ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Dr. Judson Brewer is an assistant professor at Yale in psychiatry and a contemplative scientist studying the effects of meditation on the brain. He and his colleagues believe they have found a way to use FMRI to give meditators real time feedback on their mindfulness practice. This feedback has led to increased efficacy and efficiency in mindfulness practice. Since making these discoveries, Brewer has joined the Contemplative Development Mapping Project in hopes of creating a common language between meditation traditions to more easily discern progress in meditation practice. In this episode, Brewer describes to Vincent Horn how his work in addiction treatment led to these discoveries. They discuss the difficulty in objectively marking progress on the path to awakening, how that led to his participation in the Contemplative Development Mapping Project, and how using FMRI to understand mindfulness practice may eventually affect Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. Episode Links: The Dark Night Project ( http://bit.ly/1gc7P2j ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Keith Martin-Smith is an author, martial artist, and ordained Zen priest. His latest book is “A Heart Blown Open”, the biography of his teacher Jun Po Denis Kelly Roshi. In this episode, Vincent Horn talks with Keith about the book and Jun Po’s “Mondo Zen” approach, which aims to join the path of awakening with emotional maturity. Episode Links: www.keithmartinsmith.com A Heart Blown Open ( http://amzn.to/1gc7Ins ) Mondo Zen ( http://www.mondozen.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

John Peacock is a scholar and Associate Director of The Oxford Mindfulness Centre. His studies of the earliest Buddhist writings have revealed to him a very human Buddha and a very different Buddhism than we know today. In a conversation with Hokai Sobol, Peacock describes the historical Buddha as a very practical teacher and a radical social reformer. He cites passages of the earliest writings that describe a very human and emotional Buddha that enjoyed satire. He calls the Buddha the “First Psychologist” and relates to him as a teacher who was more interested in practical psychology than philosophy. This is Part 1 of a 2 part series. Episode Links: Oxford Mindfulness Center ( http://oxfordmindfulness.org ) Hokai Sobol | 21st Century Dharma ( http://www.hokai.info ) Sutta Nipata ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/index.html ) Ariyapariyesana Sutta ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Jane McGonigal is an author and game designer who wants to change the world through gaming. In this second part of a presentation recorded during the 2011 Buddhist Geeks Conference, she shares the details about games where people are going into the world and using gamer virtues for real life good. From better community organizing, to solutions for regional famine, to possible treatments for cancer, McGonigal and her gamers are changing the world one epic win at a time. She concludes the presentation by inviting to the stage her twin sister Kelly McGonigal. Together they give the audience an inside look at the ongoing conversation the sisters have had about the possible convergence of gaming and Buddhist practice. This is part two of a two part series. Episode Links: www.janemcgonigal.com Awakening is an Epic Win [video] ( youtu.be/uI46wbjrVc0 ) Reality is Broken ( amzn.to/1gc7qgv ) Fold It ( http://fold.it/portal/ ) Ground Crew ( http://gameful.org/groups/groundcrew/forum/ ) Evoke ( http://www.urgentevoke.com ) Living Compassion ( http://www.livingcompassion.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Jane McGonigal is an author and game designer who describes herself as “23% Buddhist, 77% geek.” She begins the presentation, originally given at the 2011 Buddhist Geeks Conference, by asking three questions: Do Buddhists and Game Designers share goals? Do Buddhists and Game Designers share methods? Could Buddhists and Game Designers share practices? She then shares some fascinating insights into the measured benefits of gaming, after which she has the audience join her in a game of “massive multiplayer thumb wrestling.” Jane closes her talk by drawing some striking parallels between the goals and benefits of gaming with the goals and benefits of Buddhist practice. This is part 1 of a 2 part series. Listen to part 2 (airing next week). Episode Links: www.janemcgonigal.com Awakening is an Epic Win [video] ( https://youtu.be/uI46wbjrVc0 ) Reality is Broken ( http://amzn.to/1gc7qgv ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Kelly Sosan Bearer speaks with Ed Halliwell, journalist, teacher, and author, about his new book The Mindful Manifesto and its themes of mindfulness, Buddhism, and Science. Ed describes his personal experience with stress and depression and his journey to Buddhism and mindfulness practice as a way to get healthy. He defines “mindfulness” and then leads the Geeks through a ”3 step breathing space practice” meant to reduce stress. Episode Links : The Mindful Manifesto: How Doing Less and Noticing More Can Help Us Thrive in a Stressed-Out World ( http://amzn.to/1gc7gWq ) The Guardian ( http://www.guardiannews.com ) Integral Chicks ( http://www.integralchicks.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

In this episode Rohan Gunatillake speaks with Buddhist teacher Rob Burbea on the topic of Climate Change. Rob wonders why the Western Buddhist community is largely silent on the topic, and over the course of the discussion Rohan and Rob explore several questions, including: How does dharma practice relate to the topic of Climate Change? What is the consequence of Buddhists not addressing this issue? What example should Buddhist teachers and leaders show in relation to climate change? Episode Links : The Meditator as Revolutionary Dharma and Climate Change Gaia House www.21awake.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Ken McLeod and Vincent Horn continue their conversation about the student-teacher relationship by examining communication mediums. They begin by examining the value and limitations of video chat as well as the benefits and dangers of practice via social networking. Vincent and Ken explore why it’s important for students and teachers to meet in the middle of communication gaps, and what happens when they don’t. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Crossing the Generational Divide. Episode Links: Unfettered Mind ( http://www.unfetteredmind.org ) Pragmatic Buddhism ( http://bit.ly/1S1bMYw ) www.openpractice.me See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Ken McLeod joins Vincent Horn for the start of a conversation examining some of the painful generational gaps that occur between students and teachers. They begin by exploring the question of how to skillfully deal with this gap, and in particular what kinds of gaps are most common. Vincent brings up some of the tensions he has felt and noticed, many of which are usually only discussed “behind closed doors”. This leads into one of the most pressing areas where tension is felt between the generations, with that of technology. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Communication Gap. Episode Links: Pragmatic Buddhism ( http://bit.ly/1S1bMYw ) Philosophy as a Way of Life ( http://amzn.to/GQsNQ8 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Rob McNamara is a psychology professor, zen practitioner, and strength trainer who works at the intersection of strength training and contemplative practice. In this episode McNamara explains how his experiences in the gym helped him understand the purpose of meditation, and how both inner and outer strength are deeply intertwined. He describes how strength training can stretch both the upper and lower boundaries of the ego, helping us learn how to not check out when things get uncomfortable, nor space out when we have an opportunity to relax deeply and let go. Episode Links: www.robmcnamara.com Strength to Awaken ( http://amzn.to/ysYV4H ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

In this episode, taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2011, Diane Hamilton explores Enlightenment, not as a binary state, but from a developmental point of view, as ever-expanding identification. Hamilton explains, and then demonstrates through the Big Mind Process, the value of taking on the perspective of others to help resolve disputes and come to greater understanding of human development. Episode Links: www.dianemushohamilton.com The Most Fundamental Duality ( http://bit.ly/1S1brVD ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Rohan Gunatillake, in this presentation taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2011, explores how Buddhism can learn from the suffering of other established systems such as the music, publishing and journalism industries. Rohan outlines his presentation based on the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, explains how he used the concepts presented to launch an iPhone app, and challenges other entrepreneurs to join in the quest to bring these values to other business initiatives. Episode Links: http://rohangunatillake.com buddhify ( http://buddhify.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

In this episode, taken from the Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2011, Kelly McGonigal, PhD in Health Psychology, speaks on how the neuroscience of meditation can help us understand how practice shapes the mind and can also offer fresh insights into concepts like mindfulness and suffering. As Dr. McGonigal presents various scientific studies that show differences in the brain functioning between meditators and non-meditators, she highlights how meditation practice benefits the practitioner in various ways such as higher pain thresholds and reduced depression. Episode Links: www.kellymcgonigal.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Ari Goldfield and Rose Taylor are Buddhist teachers and translators . Goldfield is a Buddhist translator and teacher who has studied and practiced under the close guidance of Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche since 1995. Taylor is a Buddhist translator and second-generation Buddhist teacher who teaches Buddhist meditation, philosophy, yogic exercise and dance, and classical Tibetan language to Westerners as well as to the nuns at Khenpo Tsültrim Gyamtso Rinpoche’s nunneries in Bhutan and Nepal. In this conversation with host Vincent Horn they recount how each discovered their paths and together they explain the “songs of yogic joy”, one of the unique aspects of the Kagyu path of Tibetan Buddhism. As a special treat Goldfield and Taylor end the episode with two examples of this type of singing meditation. Episode Links: Wisdom Sun ( http://www.wisdomsun.org ) Stars of Wisdom ( http://www.starsofwisdom.info ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Lodro Rinzler is a next generation Buddhist teacher in the Shambhala tradition and author of “The Buddha Walks Into a Bar.” In our discussion we focus primarily on the ways in which Generation Y is relating differently to dharma–from sex and relationships, to technological changes and instantaneous connection, to working with 1st generation Western teachers. We explore what differences are merely generational and which are more fundamental to our unique time and place. Episode Links: www.LodroRinzler.com The Buddha Walks Into a Bar: A Guide to Life for a New Generation ( http://amzn.to/zzexf6 ) Gampo Abbey ( http://www.gampoabbey.org ) Shambhala Meditation Center of New York ( http://ny.shambhala.org ) The Reciprocity Foundation ( http://www.reciprocityfoundation.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Martine Batchelor joins Buddhist Geeks again, this time to explore the way that the roles of teacher and student are changing in contemporary times. While acknowledging various teacher models in the Buddhist tradition, she lays out the reasons she prefers the good friend, or adviser model that you find in the Theravada and Korean traditions. She speaks about the dangers of priming students as well as the dangers in teachers not acknowledging their own limitations and shortcomings. She then lays out a way of teaching that focuses on the fundamentals of developing concentration and inquiry, instead of focusing on a particular technique of meditation. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Practicing at the Crossroads. Episode Links: www.MartineBatchelor.org The Buddhist Teachers Council ( http://bit.ly/1S1aJYr ) The Timeless Tradition of Spiritual Apprenticeship ( http://bit.ly/1S1aI6Z ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Martine Batchelor was a nun in a Korean Buddhist monastery for 10 years, where she followed a traditional path of practice and exploration. We speak about her journey in becoming a nun, what the rhythms of that life were like, what practices she undertook, and how she came to integrate, and deepen, the understanding she uncovered during her decade of training there. The episode concludes with a compelling conversation about the multi-perspectival nature of human beings, and how we’re constantly practicing at a crossroads between various aspects of our lives. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Myth of the Teacher. Episode Links: www.MartineBatchelor.org Chinul and the Hwadu Meditation ( http://www.openbuddha.com/2010/09/09/chinul-and-the-hwadu-meditation/ ) Master Dahui ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahui_Zonggao ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Vincent Horn is a co-founder and director of Buddhist Geeks. In this talk, originally given at the Pacific Asia Art Museum, he explores the interdisciplinary insights to be gained by combining geek culture’s radical experimentation, facility with external technologies, and forward-thinking with Buddhism’s wisdom of the human condition, mind-training systems, and familiarity with the inner world. This talk, with slides, is also available to watch as a video here: http://bit.ly/vdwNtE Episode Links: Steve Jobs ( http://amzn.to/ufoZks ) Buddhify ( http://buddhify.com ) Shinzen Young: The Hybrid Teacher ( http://bit.ly/1S1a5dq ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

David Chapman–writer and computer scientist–joins us again to finish our conversation about “consensus Buddhism” and the alternatives that he sees to the consensus. David speaks about some of the innovations that occurred in the last few decades within the world of Buddhist tantra, including such teachers as Chogyam Trunpa Rinpoche, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and Reggie Ray. He also speaks about the challenges facing modern Buddhism, including fragmentation and atomization, and how these challenges are leading to a new approach, that might best be described as post-modern. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Consensus Buddhism and Mindful Mayo. Episode Links : Meaningness ( http://meaningness.wordpress.com ) The Making of Buddhist Modernism ( http://amzn.to/tpoDE9 ) Buddhism for Vampires ( http://buddhism-for-vampires.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

David Chapman is a writer, computer scientist, engineer and Buddhist practitioner. He shares in this episode a description of what he calls consensus Buddhism. Chapman claims that up until recently this consensus group has crowded out the mindshare of alternative approaches to Buddhism, through focusing on universalizing and making absolute several principles, which are good in themselves, but become problematic when absolutized. Included among these principles are: 1) inclusivity 2) individualism 3) egalitarianism 4) niceness 5) mindfulness This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Innovating New Forms of Buddhist Tantra. Episode Links : Meaningness ( http://meaningness.wordpress.com ) Boomeritis Buddhism ( http://bit.ly/17mRK ) “Nice” Buddhism ( http://meaningness.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/nice-buddhism/ ) One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism ( http://amzn.to/vCeIu0 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

David Loy, Zen teacher and author, joins us to discuss the radical implications of modern narratives on the traditional Buddhist view of the world. David, whose background includes rigorous academic training and Zen practice in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition, puts him squarely in the “scholar-practitioner” camp. And it’s with this dual-background that he shares some perspective on the way that modern narratives, particularly that of science and evolution, are changing our understanding of the Buddhist path of awakening. Or as David more poetically puts it, “the cosmos is waking up in me, as me, through me.” Episode Links: www.davidloy.org The World is Made of Stories ( http://amzn.to/uwc5dE ) A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency ( http://amzn.to/w0P7Cb ) Cosmos Intro, Carl Sagan ( http://youtu.be/R7n71pm0K04 ) Inflation (Cosmology) ( http://bit.ly/1S172C4 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined again by spiritual teacher and author Terry Patten to discuss the multidimensional nature of practice. We speak about the form he teaches, called Integral Life Practice, one that has it’s roots in the work of Sri Aurobindo, Michael Murphy and George Leonard, and according to Terry goes back even to the time of Patanjali and the Buddha. We also go into depth on the topic of practice itself, exploring some of the many phases, or seasons, that a practitioner often experiences, including the honeymoon phase, the plateu, falling from grace, and awakening. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Art of Dharmic Embrace. Episode Links: Integral Spiritual Practice ( http://www.integralspiritualpractice.com ) Integral Life Practice ( http://amzn.to/sTzZSx ) Beyond Awakening ( http://beyondawakeningseries.com ) Integral Yoga ( http://amzn.to/smutBY ) Ken Wilber ( http://www.kenwilber.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

Terry Patten–spiritual teacher and author–joins us to speak about some of the challenging issues involve in teaching and practicing an empowering form of dharma. We begin the conversation by exploring his history with infamous teacher Adi Da. Patten spent many years practicing intimately with Da, and shares his incredible love and appreciation for his guru, while also openly acknowledging the many challenges and paradoxes inherent in his approach. He also speaks about the problem of the “rare specimen” and the ways that incredible teachers inadvertently create “demotional”, as opposed to devotional, cultures around themselves. This topics leads us to then explore the various ways that we, often quite unsuccessfully, work with the areas of money, sexuality, and power. We look at why these forces are so challenging to us as social creatures, and as part of that Terry issues an interesting challenge to the Western Buddhist community. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Seasons of Practice. Episode Links: Integral Spiritual Practice ( http://www.integralspiritualpractice.com ) Integral Life Practice ( http://amzn.to/sTzZSx ) Beyond Awakening ( http://beyondawakeningseries.com ) The Knee of Listening ( http://amzn.to/sq5paV ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined by spiritual teacher Andrew Cohen to explore the story of how he came to teach what he calls “evolutionary enlightenment.” Andrew begins by sharing an early spiritual experience, that really set him on the path of seeking. He also shares some of his background with Buddhist meditation, which he began with Joseph Goldstein and the famous Indian teacher Anagarika Munindra-ji. And finally he speaks about the most profound encounter he had with a spiritual master, with the late H.W.L Poonja, a teacher in the non-dual tradition of Advaita Vedanta. From here, he shares how his own thinking evolved, even after being asked to teach by Poonja, into what he refers to as enlightenment within an evolutionary worldview. Episode Links: Evolutionary Enlightenment: A New Path to Spiritual Awakening ( http://amzn.to/niYYuV ) EnlightenNext ( http://www.enlightennext.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined again on Buddhist Geeks by one of the most influential figures in the transpersonal psychology movement, Dr. Charley Tart. We cover a huge range of topics in this interview, covering many things related to what he refers to as a “broad scale approach to meditation.” Charley starts off by speaking about several hypnosis and sensory deprivation research studies, wherein the “demand characteristics” of the experiments dramatically affected the results of the research. We explore the implications this might have on the “set” or context that is used to set up meditation practice, and on the results people experience. We also discuss the lack of useful feedback that occurs in meditation communities, and the dramatically lower success rates of meditation communities, when compared to Western educational institutions. Episode Links: An Evidence-Based Spirituality for the 21st Century ( http://bit.ly/1S15WGC ) The Buddhist Atheist ( http://bit.ly/1S15VCy ) The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal Is Bringing Science and Spirit Together ( http://amzn.to/py2BQ2 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined this week by Dr. Kelly McGonigal, to discuss her work at Stanford University, where she is teaching compassion-based practices from the Buddhist tradition, taught in a way that pulls from scientific research and appeals to a secular sensibility. As part of her work with CCARE she shares some of her background with Stanford as well as her long-standing Buddhist practice, which pulls from both the Zen and Tibetan traditions. We close the discussion by exploring some of the difficulties with teaching meditation in a secular context, as well as some of the benefits that come through framing the teachings in scientific and psychological terms. Episode Links: www.kellymcgonigal.com The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It ( http://amzn.to/lcYMyR ) The Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education ( http://ccare.stanford.edu ) Cheri Huber ( http://www.cherihuber.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined again this week by Brown University neuroscience researcher Willougbhy Britton. Willougbhy begins this episode by going into further depth into some of the typical experiences that have been reported during her research into the difficult stages of the contemplative path. She lists out typical changes in cognition, affect (emotion), perception, and other psychological material. She also explores the typical duration of these experiences and explores some of the philosophical and practical ramifications of these stages. Toward the end she also speaks about how she and her colleagues–all part of this emerging group of contemplative scientist hybrids–have come together to create a new contemplative development mapping project. This new generation of scientists are studying the mind, and have immersed themselves not only in scientific methodologies but also in contemplative practice. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Dark Side of Dharma. Episode Links: Willoughby Britton @ Brown University ( http://research.brown.edu/myresearch/Willoughby_Britton ) Britton Lab ( http://www.brittonlab.com ) Mind and Life Institute ( http://www.mindandlife.org ) Cheetah House ( https://cheetahhouse.wordpress.com ) Brown University Contemplative Studies Initiative ( http://bit.ly/rOnze ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined this week by Brown University neuroscience researcher Willoughby Britton. In this episode Dr. Britton shares some of the details of a research project that she’s working on called, “The Difficult Stages of the Contemplative Path.” She goes into the purpose of the research project and also some of the research methods she’s using to establish a helpful subjective phenomenology for these difficult stages. She also speaks about how she has collaborated with both meditation teachers and Buddhist scholars to help determine what the common experiences are for practitioners, and whether they have textual references in the Buddhist canons. And to make matters even more interesting, she shares what her personal experiences have been like, as she’s a committed meditation practitioner herself. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Dark Night Project. Episode Links: Willoughby Britton @ Brown University ( http://research.brown.edu/myresearch/Willoughby_Britton ) Britton Lab ( http://www.brittonlab.com ) Willoughby Britton at the Buddhist Geeks Conference, on the Problem with Meditation ( http://blogs.laweekly.com/stylecouncil/2011/09/buddhist_geeks_considerable_to.php ) Cheetah House ( https://cheetahhouse.wordpress.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

This week’s episode comes from the recent Buddhist Geeks conference where Ethan Nichtern, a Buddhist teacher in the Shambhala tradition, speaks about ways in which the internet falls as a an aid in dharma. He uses the Tibetan teaching on co-emergence to frame the simultaneous benefits and harms of the internet, while also speaking about the limitations of a DIY (Do it Yourself) approach, especially when not being open to genuine human contact, with your community or with a teacher. And he argues that in order to go beyond a surface level dharma, which is mostly what he sees online, that one has to stay with things long enough to penetrate their true meaning. He suggests ways that we might do this and presents a very strong argument for not virtualizing Buddhist practice. Episode Links: Ethan Nichtern ( http://www.ethannichtern.com ) The Interdependence Project ( http://www.theidproject.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

“You can perform neurosurgery on yourself.” – Kenneth Folk This week’s episode comes from the recent Buddhist Geeks Conference, where meditation teacher Kenneth Folk spoke about his three pillars of pragmatic dharma: 1) awakening is possible, 2) I know because it happened to me, and 3) here’s how. Kenneth cycles through each of these pillars, going deeper each time, first exploring what enlightenment is–highlighting the difference between a moment of awakening and enlightenment as human development. He also speaks about why he claims that it happened to him, challenging a taboo in Buddhist culture to not speak about one’s personal experience of enlightenment. He then speaks about attention as the common denominator of all the technologies for awakening, exploring his particular approach to training attention, what he calls the 3-speed transmission. Episode Links: Kenneth Folk Dharma ( http://kennethfolkdharma.com ) The #bgeeks11 Round-Up ( http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2011/08/the-bgeeks11-round-up/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

“Obstacles in your path should not be regarded as obstacles. They are simply features of the landscape which have to be negotiated.” – Ken McLeod This week’s episode is taken from the recent Buddhist Geeks Conference, where Ken McLeod–a well known Buddhist teacher and management consultant–spoke about moving beyond ‘us vs. them,’ embracing the mystery of the human condition, and changing the world. Ken speaks about the futility of fighting our lives, explores what it means to make an something an enemy, and how to realize that there is no enemy. He shares many helpful suggesting in creating what he calls “a toolkit for change.” Episode Links: Unfettered Mind : Pragmatic Buddhism ( http://www.unfetteredmind.org ) Secret Pilgrim ( http://amzn.to/pzqFAm ) The #bgeeks11 Round-Up ( http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2011/08/the-bgeeks11-round-up/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined this week by Comparative Religion scholar and Buddhist teacher Rita Gross. Rita shares how she got into Buddhist practice, first studying deeply in the Shambhala tradition and then in the last several years with the Tibetan Nun Jetün Khandro Rinpoche. Rita goes on to speak extensively on the value of studying religion, both as a comparative endeavor and also from the perspective of history. She speaks about the vital insights of the Western European Enlightenment and how the values of rationality and tolerance can imbue our study of Buddhism. She speaks about the types of confusion, sectarianism, and fundamentalism which can reign supreme without this comparative mirror, and urges Buddhist practitioners to learn the clear difference between traditional narratives–the story that tradition tells us–and historical narratives–what a camcorder would record if it were sent back in time. She wraps up our conversation by pointing out that the study of Buddhist history also reveals an incredibly continuity across traditions, and also suggests that we might be at the cusp of a proliferation of Buddhist thought that hasn’t been experienced since 7th century India. Episode Links: Rita M. Gross ( http://ritamgross.com ) “Buddhist History for Buddhist Practitioners” ( http://www.tricycle.com/feature/buddhist-history-buddhist-practitioners ) Naropa University ( http://www.naropa.edu ) Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khandro_Rinpoche ) Buddhism After Patriarchy ( http://amzn.to/qo1yxp ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined this week by vipassana teacher Martin Alyward to hear his perspective on the Buddhist Teachers Council, a recent gathering of Western teachers that was held at the Garrison Institute. Martin was part of the group of next generation teachers who met with pioneering teachers to explore how they might better support one another. In addition to exploring some of what happened at the teachers council we speak about some of the intense reactions, particularly in the blogosphere, that this gathering incited. Episode Links: 2011 Buddhist Teachers Council ( http://bit.ly/1S13OOS ) Le Moulin Meditation Centre ( http://www.dharmanetwork.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined again by Harvard trained social scientist Dr. Jeffery Martin. As a conclusion to our discussion on the initial findings on his research into “non-symbolic consciousness” Jeffery goes into the further reaches of his research participants. He speaks about the tendency for people on the higher range of his model to have a diminished sense of self-referential thoughts, emotions, and will, even to the point of being completely gone. Jeffery also covers some of the biases in his research pool, as well as the way that traditions might serve to both support and then also hinder people’s movement into non-symbolic consciousness. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Study of Non-Symbolic Consciousness. Episode Links: The Fourth Awakening ( http://www.fourthawakening.com ) Center for the Study of Non-Symbolic Consciousness ( http://www.nonsymbolic.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined by Harvard trained social scientist Dr. Jeffery Martin to discuss some of the incredible research that he’s doing into the further reaches of human potential. He speaks about his initial research, done during his first PhD program, wherein he extensively studied the self-help and positive psychology literature. He explains how this research led him to see that where the further reaches of that literature–and the practices therein–left off was where non-symbolic consciousness begins. Jeffery then goes on to describe the extensive research that he’s done, while completing his PhD at Harvard, on the nature of awakened, or non-dual consciousness. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The End of Self-Referencing. Episode Links: The Fourth Awakening ( http://www.fourthawakening.com ) Center for the Study of Non-Symbolic Consciousness ( http://www.nonsymbolic.org ) The God Formula ( http://amzn.to/ovnEwe ) The Intention Experiment ( http://amzn.to/nraxW0 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined again by meditation teacher and actress Stephanie Nash, this time to explore some of the striking parallels between the disciplines of acting and meditation. Stephanie shares how a month-long Shakespeare acting intensive was her gateway to the spiritual path and how at it’s core acting is about allow the flow of experience and emotion. She relates some of the Vajrayana practices to the techniques that actors use, and shares some of the ways that actors use the body to enter into an emotion. We conclude by discussing some of the ways that meditators might also learn from actors, especially when it comes to learning how to positively express emotions and stay embodied. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Chief Facilitator. Episode Links: www.mindfulnessarts.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined this week by meditation teacher and actress Stephanie Nash, to discuss her experience of working with her Shinzen Young. Stephanie is one of Shinzen’s chief facilitators and has been working closely with him since the late 90s. She shares some of the key things she has learned in that process, including the practice of interactive meditation and radical experimentation. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, (airing next week). Episode Links: Mindfulness Arts ( http://www.mindfulnessarts.org ) Shinzen Young Interviews | YouTube Channel ( http://www.youtube.com/user/ShinzenInterviews ) Stephanie Nash & Other Teachers | YouTube Channel ( http://www.youtube.com/stephnashmeditation0 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined again by Yoga and Buddhist meditation teacher Michael Stone, this time to look at Buddhism as a system. We speak about the interrelations between spiritual systems and the sociological, ecological, and cultural systems that also make up our lives. We also explore what it means for dharma to be in concert with its environment looking at how a systems view may support our motivations to really bring inner wisdom into the outer world. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Connections Between Yoga & Buddhism. Episode Links: Centre of Gravity ( http://www.centreofgravity.org ) The Ariyapariyesana Sutta ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined this week by Yoga and Buddhist meditation teacher Michael Stone. We begin by finding out how Michael got into spiritual practice, which happened to be at an early age through a profoundly spiritual uncle who suffered from schizophrenia. During his time in the asylum, visiting his uncle, he learned to meditate, to contemplative the words of great masters from the past, and to develop his own ideas regarding the spiritual path. This early exposure and interaction informed Michael’s future journey, when he ended up practiced deeply in both the yogic and Buddhist traditions. We finish our conversation by exploring some of the overlaps and deep connections between these wisdom schools, paying particular attention to the similarities between Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the early sutras of Siddhartha Buddha. We also speak about the body practices of yoga and what they may have to offer to the mind practices of Buddhism, noticing that both schools are ultimately both mind and body practices. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, No System Exists in a Vacuum. Episode Links: Center of Gravity ( http://www.centreofgravity.org ) The Satipatthana Sutta ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.010.than.html ) Yoga Sutras of Patanjali ( https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Yoga_Sutras_of_Patanjali ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined again this week by organizational expert, and founder of HolacracyOne , Brian Robertson. Brian begins by describing the pit-falls of both strict hierarchy and consensus based organizational structures, pointing out that in both cases the systems are fused with the people. He contrasts that with the Holacracy structure, which employs several methods designed such that the value of both top-down and bottom-up wisdom can be incorporated into an organization. We then discuss the challenges of implementing a system like Holacracy, including the difficult “ego shock” that it can have on people who are used to being heroic leaders. We then speak about the notion of “organizational enlightenment”, which Brian speaks of as “the organization waking up to its own purpose in the world”. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Liberating the Soul of Organization . Episode Links : 🔗 HolacracyOne See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined this week by Brian Robertson, founder of HolacracyOne, a company whose aim is to liberate the soul of organization. We discuss with Brian the main principles and practices behind Holacracy—a system that Brian helped develop as a new operating system on which businesses can run. He distinguishes between what he calls “predict-and-control” management practices and “sense-and-respond” processes, which are much more like the dynamic steering of a bicycle. We also look at the parallels between the practice of Holacracy and the practice of meditation. Brian’s description of Holacracy as a practice which encourages people to be ruthlessly present with current tensions and to not identify with the roles that they fill are two striking examples of meditative principles applied to business. We conclude our discussion by exploring what he calls “the tyranny of consensus”, seeing that even with a group of highly conscious individuals we may not have the collective skills to really give life to the organizations we’re a part of. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Organizational Enlightenment . Episode Links : 🔗 HolacracyOne 📄 Differentiating Role and Soul See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined again by a regular contributor of Buddhist Geeks and blogger at 21awake.com , Rohan Gunatillake. Rohan joins us to explore three areas in which the aesthetic of meditation could be improved. Specifcally these areas are: 1) language, 2) look & feel, & 3) delivery models. We then explore various ideas on how to meet these design challenges with design-specific solutions. Rohan suggests that taking a co-design approach to these challenges, including the users more fully into the design process, is a great first step. In addition he shares details on a project that he’s currently working on, a mobile application called Buddhify, which is a specific example of improving the aesthetic of meditation through technological and design innovations. Episode Links: www.21awake.com Edinburgh Festivals Innovation Lab ( http://festivalslab.com ) Buddhify ( http://buddhify.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

This week we’re joined by Susan Kaiser Greenland a leader in bringing mindful awareness to children and teens. We explore the differences between mindful based approaches and Buddhist approaches, seeing in what ways they are mutually supportive and in what ways tensions exist between them. Susan then shares some of the methods she uses for introducing mindfulness to children in a natural way, while highlighting the importance of that teaching being truly embodied. Episode Links: www.susankaisergreenland.com www.MindfulnessTogether.net See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

We’re joined this week by Buddhist teacher and scholar Hokai Sobol to explore the broad, but crucial topic of Emergent Buddhism. As a preface to the panel that Hokai will be leading at the upcoming Buddhist Geeks Conference on “The Emerging Face of Buddhism,” he explores the nature of emergence in the history of Buddhism, pointing out that “everything that we call traditional now was at one point emergent.” Hokai also explores some of the his deepest questions regarding “Emergent Buddhism,” namely 1) What has emerged thus far, that has worked?, 2) What is emerging right now?, and 3) What do the coming decades hold? He explores the importance of each of these questions, while at the same time tackling some complex issues regarding the massive cross-pollination and convergence of multiple religious and secular traditions with Buddhism. Episode Links: www.hokai.info See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 25, 2015

“Photography and Buddhism share essential interests: both are concerned with clear seeing.” – Andy Karr & Michael Wood We’re joined this week by Buddhist teacher and photography Andy Karr. We explore some of the principles and practices behind the practice of contemplative photography, a unique method developed by Michael Wood. We also look into the overlaps between Buddhism and photography, with a special emphasis on the distinction of perception vs. conception. Finally we discuss the broader topic of art and creativity, exploring some of the ways that Chogyam Trunpa taught on this subject, the differences between Western and Eastern art, and the way that “basic nature” serves as the very source of creativity. Episode Links: The Practice of Contemplative Photography: Seeing the World with Fresh Eyes ( http://amzn.to/fPJWQc ) Contemplating Reality for the 21st Century ( http://contemplatingreality.blogspot.com ) The Miksang Institute for Contemplative Photography ( http://www.miksang.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 24, 2015

We finish up our discussion with meditation teacher Ken McLeod, touching on a number of fascinating and challenging topics. Ken speaks about the distinction between answering the questions that drive us, as opposed to simply understanding “what the Buddha taught.” He gets into where he thinks these questions originate from, and also what meaning evolution might have on our personal stories. Ken also explores the dichotomy of lay vs. monastic practice, and uses several analogies to illustrate the differences, including from both music and sports. Vincent and Ken get into a spirited and philosophical discussion as to how far one can take these analogies and how accurate they might be when applied to Buddhist theory and practice. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Pragmatic Buddhism. Episode Links: Unfettered Mind ( http://www.unfetteredmind.org ) Buddhism Without Beliefs ( http://amzn.to/ednqVh ) Malcolm Gladwell ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Gladwell ) Khyungpo Naljor ( http://www.tibetanlineages.org/biographies/view/151/6285 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 24, 2015

We’re joined this week by Buddhist teacher, Ken McLeod, to explore an approach he has coined “Pragmatic Buddhism.” We explore his early Buddhist training, which included 2 back-to-back 3-year retreats, completed under the guidance of Ven. Kalu Rinpoche. He describes this period as part boarding school, prison, and seminary. He shares why it was such a huge culture shock coming out of that traditional training, and ties that in with the way Buddhism has evolved in various cultures up to this point. Ken goes on to share 4 ways that he has adapted his own teaching style to reflect our culture, touching on issues of translation, power, questioning, and the meaning of practice itself. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Resolving the Questions that Drive Us. Episode Links: Unfettered Mind ( http://www.unfetteredmind.org ) Dr. James Carse ( http://www.jamescarse.com ) Kumbh Mela ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumbh_Mela ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We’re joined this week by Ph.D Candidate and Buddhist blogger Brooke Schedneck, to explore her research into several emerging patterns in Western Buddhist communities. We begin with how, as a training academic, she got into Buddhism and how she ended up combining both 1st and 3rd person observation into her research. We also explore her current research at International meditation centers in Thailand, and how this research highlights larger trends in how Buddhism is interacting with modernity. She goes into several broad trends that she is tracking including 1) The ongoing relationship between lay and monastic forms 2) the pragmatic dharma movement 3) practitioners having a strong interest in the future of Western Buddhism & 4) an overall sense of a movement toward greater balance in Buddhist communities. Episode Links: Wandering Dhamma ( http://wanderingdhamma.wordpress.com/ ) Cambridge Insight Meditation Center ( http://www.cimc.info/ ) The Hardcore Dharma Movement ( http://wanderingdhamma.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/the-hardcore-dharma-movement/ ) The Blogisattva Awards ( http://www.blogisattva.org ) Turning the Wheel of Truth: Commentary on the Buddha’s First Teaching ( http://amzn.to/hk7G65 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

In the last part of our discussion with Buddhist teacher and scholar Hokai Sobol, we wrap up our exploration on some of the important influences and forces that shape Western Buddhism. As part of that we discuss the fluid nature of his consumer-client-colleague model. We also talk about the deep problems that have arisen from adopting traditional models, instead of current ones, and how this has generated a multitude of scandals—including scandals of power, sex, and also of the generational problem of their being so few young practitioners today. Finally, we talk about how to reinvigorate “the timeless tradition of spiritual apprenticeship.” Hokai speaks about what he calls “essential apprenticeship,” and also brings up a couple of questions related to the way that spiritual apprenticeship relates to current cultural forms. This is part 4 of a multi-part series. Episode Links : Hokai Sobol ( www.hokai.info ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We’re joined by Buddhist teacher and scholar Hokai Sobol, as we continue exploring the different mindsets that we often take, while exchanging Dharma here in the West. In the last episode he described the Consumer mindset, and in this one goes on to speak about the Client and Colleague mindsets. He explores the healthy and unhealthy versions of each, as well as how each of the three mindsets differ from one another. This is part 3 of a multi-part series. Listen to part 1, The Invisible Forces that Shape Western Buddhism and part 2, Exchanging Dharma:The Consumer Mindset. Episode Links: Hokai Sobol ( www.hokai.info ) Herbert V. Günther ( http://bit.ly/1CQHrVP ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We’re joined again this week by Buddhist teacher and scholar Hokai Sobol, to continue our exploration of the hidden mindsets and cultural forces that shape Western Buddhism. In this episode Hokai explores a tradition of exchanging knowledge, which is at least 1,000 years old in Europe, that of the “master & apprentice.” Hokai describes the process by which Europeans used to, and in some cases still do, learn a particular trade, by first becoming a novice apprentice, eventually striking out on one’s own as a journeyman, and then finally coming back to become part of the local guild, as a full master of one’s craft. This model, he explains, has striking similarities to the traditional model found in the Asian countries where Buddhism thrived. He then presents a new model for how we might look at exchanging Dharma. This model includes three mindsets, or roles that we take on as Dharma practitioners and teachers, with the first one being the “consumer mindset.” We look at both the immature and mature versions of this consumer mindset, and how as a consumer we tend to approach the exchange of Dharma. In the next episode Hokai completes his contemporary model by describing the client mindset and colleague mindset. This is part 2 of a multi-part series. Listen to part 1, The Invisible Forces that Shape Western Buddhism. Episode Links: Hokai Sobol ( www.hokai.info ) Internet access is ‘a fundamental right’ ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8548190.stm ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

In the first part of a multi-part discussion with Buddhist teacher and scholar Hokai Sobol, we explore the invisible, and rarely discussed, forces that shape Western Buddhism. In particular what we call “culture” shapes our institutions and communities in ways that we rarely see with clarity. Hokai spends a good bit of this initial discussion exploring the traditional story that has been handed down to us. This story includes the various cultural assumptions surrounding the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, in the different countries and time periods in which they existed. These norms include the what it means to have a “healthy attitude” (or “right attitude” as it’s often formulated), what the proper teacher-student relationship is, and what hierarchy looks like in these cultures. This is part 1 of a multi-part series. Listen to part 2, Exchanging Dharma – The Consumer Mindset. Episode Links: Hokai Sobol ( www.hokai.info ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We’re joined by Charles Tart, one of the founders of the branch of psychology known as transpersonal psychology. Dr. Tart’s life work has to do with putting forward an “evidence-based spirituality for the 21st century.” In this conversation we explore the evidence that he explored for phenomena like reincarnation, as well as the “big five” of telepathy, clairvoyance, pre-cognition, psychokinesis, and psychic healing. With all of these phenomena Charles warns about adopting a “scientistic”—as opposed to scientific—view of reality, which says that none of those things can be real, simply because they don’t fit into the mainstream view of materialism. Instead, he suggests, we should be looking at the evidence and letting it shape our understanding of reality. Episode Links: Charles T. Tart’s Official Website ( http://www.paradigm-sys.com ) The End of Materialism: How Evidence of the Paranormal Is Bringing Science and Spirit Together ( http://amzn.to/9VA93n ) Ian Stevenson ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Stevenson ) The Division of Perceptual Studies at The University of Virginia Medical School ( http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/clinical/departments/psychiatry/sections/cspp/dops ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We’re joined again this week by professor and meditation teacher Roger Walsh. This week we dive into his study of the common practices seen in all of the world’s wisdom traditions. He shares each of these practices, and then also explores with us the ancient tradition of Shamanism, which is estimated to be tens of thousands of years old. We explore how ancient Shamanism relates to the neo-shamanism and core shamanism practices being taught in the West today, how Shamanism might have been repressed during recent times, and also the difference between meditation, mental disorders, and shamanistic states. Roger wraps up the conversation by expressing how he sees Buddhism having a unique role in helping us face the unique challenges and opportunities of our day. In this stirring topic he emphasizes the need to harness relevant technological mediums, to understand the difference between Buddhism crossing cultures and crossing eras, and the crucial link between the extraordinary challenges in the world today and the states of mind that Buddhism helps to cultivate. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, A Technology of Transcendence. Episode Links: Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind ( http://amzn.to/dt8mGz ) The World of Shamanism: New Views of an Ancient Tradition ( http://amzn.to/buqPaU ) The Foundation for Shamnic Studies ( http://www.shamanism.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

This week we speak with professor and teacher Roger Walsh. Roger shares his journey from being a hardcore neuorscientist and psychiatrist to becoming an avid meditator and mystic. Once Walsh discovered that at the core of all the religious traditions was “a technology of transcendence” he jumped head-long into vipassana meditation–bringing, as he put it, his personality into his practice. Following that he practiced Shikantaza in the Zen tradition, and then also spent many years practicing in the Vajrayana tradition, which he now teaches alongside Lama Surya Das. Roger also explores with us a model of human needs and development, based on Carl Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. He points out that Maslow added a level of needs above self-actualization toward the end of his career, that was about the need to transcend the self. He builds on this by saying that with that need has been met, the culmination of spiritual practice is service, otherwise known as the bodhisattva aspiration. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Core of Wisdom. Episode Links: Shikantaza ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shikantaza ) Lama Surya Das ( http://www.surya.org ) Trekchö ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trekcho ) Maslow’s hierarchy of needs ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

This week we’re joined by the President of Shambhala, Richard Reoch. Along with overseeing the Shambhala organization, Richard is also a long time human rights, activist, and environmental leader. With this unique background, we thought it would be particularly relevant to explore the topic of “enlightened society.” Enlightened society was an idea presented by Chogyam Trunpa, but which he said was originally taught by the Buddha. We explore what Trungpa meant by the term, and how it has evolved over the past few decades in the Shambhala community. We also look at the parallels, between the path of the activist and the contemplative path. With one we are trying to fix ourselves (often), and the other we are trying to fix the world. As Richard says, both are paths where one moves first from a position of arrogance toward one of humility. Episode Links: Shambhala ( http://www.shambhala.org ) Kalachakra Tantra ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalachakra ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We’re joined again by Zen Master Diane “Musho” Hamilton, this time to explore the most fundamental duality of masculine and feminine. Diane points out that if you have an objection to looking at it in these terms, you can also think of it as the polarity between receptivity and activity or between personal and impersonal. She describes this polarity, how it’s been helpful for her as a Zen teacher, and also how to look at compassion from this perspective. Finally we talk about an approach that goes beyond these dualities, but doesn’t shy away from them. This approach of “not 2, not 1″ is characteristic of many Zen teachers and is a way of understanding non-duality in a completely different way. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Integral Zen. Episode Links: www.dianemushohamilton.com Hal and Sidra Stone ( www.delos-inc.com ) Karl Renz ( http://www.karlrenz.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We’re joined by Zen Master, Diane “Musho” Hamilton, to explore an approach to spiritual practice called “Integral Zen.” In our interview we explore several related topics, including the difference between a path of renunciation and one of transmutation. As part of this we also look at the role that the shadow—a term coined by psychologist Carl Jung—plays in our spiritual practice. In addition we examine how different Buddhist traditions have, or have not, incorporated an understanding of the shadow. We also explore the role that community plays in helping wake each other up, and the verticality of the teacher-student relationship. Finally we talk about how she is incorporating, what are called the “3 faces of spirit” into her Zen teaching. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Most Fundamental Duality. Episode Links: www.dianemushohamilton.com Hal and Sidra Stone ( http://www.delos-inc.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We’re joined this week by one of the pioneers of the socially engaged Buddhist movement, Zen Master Bernie Glassman. Although he grew up in a family that valued social action, after some years of Zen practice he had an experience that amplified his calling to serve those in need. At that point he made a vow to feed all hungers. We speak about the interconnection—and accordingly to Bernie, the inseparability—between contemplative practice and social action. He shares details of many of the projects he has been part of, including the Greystone project in Yonkers, New York, which helped to cut homelessness in that area by three-quarters. He also shares some of the key tenets from the group that he founded, called the Zen Peacemakers. These tenets link together the “not knowing” of spiritual practice with the “loving action” of social engagement, and make it possible for us to turn our spiritual awareness into a vital force for all those in need. Episode Links: Zen Peacemakers ( http://www.zenpeacemakers.org ) The Trickster: A Study in American Indian Mythology ( http://bit.ly/bslllz ) Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master’s Lessons in Living a Life That Matters ( http://bit.ly/bwjC4R ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

“We always talk about the Sangha as part of the triple gem, but I think it is the least developed part of Buddhism in the West.” – Sumi Loundon Kim We’re joined this week by Sumi Loundon Kim, author of Blue Jean Buddha and The Buddha’s Apprentices, to explore what young people want from spiritual communities. We explore young people’s need for belongingness, their natural spiritual inclination, and the big questions that they are asking. Sumi, who is in her mid-30’s now, gives several suggestions for how Buddhist communities can engage more effectively with a younger population. She points out that though Buddhist communities tend to be somewhat asocial when compared to other communities, there are many things we can be doing to better reach a new generation of seekers. Many of these suggestions are surprisingly obvious, but few are implemented on a large scale in Buddhist communities. Episode Links: Blue Jean Buddha: Voices of Young Buddhists ( http://bit.ly/aiCOoV ) The Buddha’s Apprentices: More Voices of Young Buddhists ( http://bit.ly/abRn7U ) I Married a Monk ( http://bit.ly/aw2s6K ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We finish up our discussion with spiritual teacher Adyashanti, focusing on several topics relevant to contemporary seekers. We start off by exploring his thoughts on questions of power & hierarchy in the student-teacher relationship. Adya’s approach is to put power back on the student, encouraging them to be their own inner authority from the beginning. We also explore a type of writing meditative inquiry practice that Adyashanti has done, and which he teaches others. He explores how this type of inquiry can be used in conjunction with silent meditation practice to eliminate roadblocks on the spiritual path. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Now That’s Zen. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We’re joined by spiritual teacher Adyashanti to discuss his 15 years of training with Zen teacher Arvis Joen Justi. He shares details from his initial awakening at 25–where he realized that he was what he was seeking–to the end of the search several years later at 31. It’s at that point that Arvis asked Adyashanti to begin teaching, and as he shares with us, his teaching evolved and changed fairly quickly. He shares how it changed, and how he saw it as a natural evolution of his Zen training, rather than an entirely new form. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, I’m Not Babysitting Your Ego. Episode Links: Yasutani Hakuun Roshi ( http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Yasutani_Hakuun_Roshi ) Soen Nakagawa ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soen_Nakagawa ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

Richard Brown–a long time Buddhist and contemplative educator–joins us to share some of the details from his recent involvement in helping the small Buddhist country of Bhutan reform their public education system. Bhutan, which since the early 70’s has had as its main goal to increase Gross National Happiness, wants to create an education system that pulls the best from the West. The main principles they’re holding with this reform, include Contemplation, a Holistic approach, Sustainability, Cultural Integrity, and Critical Intellect. They’re aim is to educate their populace in such a way that they’re prepared for the onslaught of some of the more negative aspects of modernity–including the barrage of information and gross commercialization. Richard was a core part of a recent 5-day workshop aimed at starting to plan the reform of their education system. Richard shares many of the details from that workshop, and shares some of the amazing steps that Bhutan has already taken, as a result, to foster the happiness and well-being of their countries inhabitants. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

In this episode we’re joined by Soren Gordhamer, long time tech writer, and author of Wisdom 2.0: Ancient Secrets for the Creative and Constantly Connected. Soren often writes for the Huffington Post and Mashable (a social media blog) on the relationship between the inner world with technology and social media. He explores with us some of the potential shadow sides of technology, as well as some of the remedies that can be used in balancing our internal life with our external. He suggests that focusing more consciously on our internal world actually puts us in a position where we can use technology, instead of technology using us. Soren also shares some details on a conference that he’s organizing, which will be bringing together luminaries from both the spiritual and technology worlds. His hope is that a conversation between the two can better answer the question of how we live a life of wisdom in the modern world. Episode Links: Wisdom 2.0: Ancient Secrets for the Creative and Constantly Connected ( http://bit.ly/czcde1 ) digital_nation : life on the virtual frontier ( http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/ ) 4 Steps for Managing Social Media Attention ( http://mashable.com/2010/02/17/social-media-attention/ ) The Wisdom 2.0 Conference ( http://www.wisdom2summit.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

In this episode we wrap up our discussion with meditation teachers Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder, two of the only lay Western teachers authorized to teach the jhana system of Pa Auk Sayadaw. They share the deeper purpose of concentration practice, which isn’t to attain any particular states, but rather is to serve as a purification of the mind stream, what they describe as the “thinning of the me.” They describe the 8 jhanas as states that progressively reach toward the unconditioned, with the 8th jhana, neither perception nor non-perception, as a realm that is as close as you can get to the unconditioned without being itself unconditioned. From there emerges no-thingness, then consciousness, space, and finally form itself. They tell their students that orienting toward the unconditioned, or “the force”, is a type of jedi mind training. And we thought we were geeks! We complete the discussion by exploring the vipassana technique of Pa Auk Sayadaw, which is a powerful way of exploring materiality, mentality, and dependent origination, using the jhana states as a super-powered basis for that investigation. Tina and Stephen share their understanding of this practice, and how it leads to liberating insight and awakening. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Mastering the Jhanas. Episode Links: Jhanas Advice ( www.jhanasadvice.com ) Practicing the Jhanas: Traditional Concentration Meditation as Presented by the Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw ( bit.ly/d9ucXu ) Knowing and Seeing, by Pa Auk Sayadaw ( www.paauk.org/files/knowing_and_seeing_rev_ed.pdf ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

This week we speak with Theravada mediation teachers Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder. In 2005, while on a 2-month retreat, they were the first Western lay practitioners (i.e. non-monks) to complete the traditional concentration practices of Pa Auk Sayadaw, a well-regarded Burmese jhana master. The Sayadaw encouraged them to teach what they’ve learned, and they have, as a result, starting leading retreats and have written a book entitled, Practicing the Jhanas. In this episode they share the progressive practice that they did with Pa Auk Sayadaw, which includes all sorts of traditional practices from the Pali Canon. They also make many traditional distinctions, including the distinction between 3 different types of concentration–momentary, access, and absorption, and the way that they distinguish between these types of concentration. They also share some of the traditional benefits that come from concentration practice, and frame the jhanas not as much as something to attain, but rather as a by-product that arises from purifying the mind. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2. Episode Links : Jhanas Advice Practicing the Jhanas : Traditional Concentration Meditation as Presented by the Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw Knowing and Seeing , by Pa Auk Sayadaw free ebook verson of "Knowing and Seeing": http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/know-see.pdf See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

This week we share a public talk given by Integral spirituality teacher Terry Patten and Vajrayana teacher Hokai Sobol, on the question of whether traditional Dharma can (or can not) help us turn the corner in a high-speed world. The talk was given in 2009 at the Boulder Integral Center, and was hosted by Buddhist Geeks. A description from the event: In an imbalanced, accelerating world-in-crisis we face problems that cannot be solved, as Einstein famously said, “from the same level of consciousness that created them.” Many contemporary practitioners have turned to the Dharma as a source of that higher consciousness. But traditionally, the path was described as the way to awaken from the dream of human life, not to improve it. The traditions saw that as futile. But today, we no longer see life as an endless cycle. We have an evolutionary view of ourselves and even of our spirituality. And we have seen the folly of “bypassing” our critical life challenges in an attempt to be “spiritual.” How does the wisdom and clarity of ancient Dharma have relevance and meaning in the midst of contemporary evolutionary challenges? How can spiritual insight and illumination empower us to more effectively meet the emerging challenges of our time? Episode Links: Andrew Cohen ( http://www.andrewcohen.org ) The Evolution of God ( http://bit.ly/9IlIpB ) Integral Heart ( http://www.integralheart.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

James Zito is a Buddhist film-maker, and the director of a newly released documentary on the history of Zen Buddhism, Inquiry Into the Great Matter. James joins us to discuss his new film, focusing primarily on what he learned while making the film. He shares some specifics on the lives of the famous Zen masters, Daito Kokushi and Ikkyu Sojun. While quite different, each masters reflected very important aspects of Zen Buddhism. We conclude our discussion, exploring the state of Zen in Japan today, which compared to times in the past several hundred years, has declined greatly. Will traditional Japanese Zen be able to exist in a hyper-modern Japan, and as it spreads across the world? Episode Links: Inquiry into the Great Matter: A History of Zen Buddhism ( http://historyofzendvd.com ) Vajra Video ( http://www.vajravideo.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We’re joined again this week by Kenneth Folk, a long-time Theravada practitioner and meditation teacher. Kenneth completes his harrowing spiritual story, all the way to the point, where he says that he, "got off the ride and was done." He speaks about how uncommon it is, in Western Buddhist circles, to believe that enlightenment is possible, a phenomenon that his teacher Bill Hamilton described as the "mushroom culture." Kenneth then goes on to describe two different ways of understanding enlightenment: one as a developmental process, much the way his path is described, and then two, as a timeless realization that’s available at any moment. After his awakening, Kenneth went on to explore the timeless realization through the direct teachings of Ramana Maharshi, Adyashanti, Eckhart Tolle, the Dzogchen teachers of Tibet. He found that the direct and developmental teachings could be integrated, and that integration led him to what he calls the “3-speed transmission”. Listen in to hear about the 3-speed transmission, and how one can shift between levels, all the while supporting a deepening sense of awakeness and non-distracted-ness. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Ordinary People Can Get Enlightened. Episode Links: Kenneth Folk Dharma See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We’re joined this week by Kenneth Folk, a long-time Theravada practitioner and meditation teacher, who describes in exquisite detail his spiritual journey. It began in earnest at the age of 24, when having done several hits of LSD, he had a life-altering experience that put him squarely on the path of seeking. Several years later, he really began gaining some traction, when he met his teacher Bill Hamilton, who claimed that enlightenment was something that could be systematically attained by applying a technique. By dedicating himself completely to those techniques, and through doing years of intensive meditation practice in the West and in Asia, Kenneth claims that he went through a gradual development through the various “stages of enlightenment,” described in the literature of Theravada Buddhism. Listen in to hear Kenneth describe these stages, as well as the many things he learned along the way. And listen in to next week’s episode, to hear Kenneth complete his story. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2, Unifying Developmental Enlightenment and Timeless Realization. Episode Links : Kenneth Folk Dharma The Progress of Insight Mahasi Sayadaw See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

This week we’re joined by Zen-inspired dharma teacher, Michael McAlister. Michael is the leader of the Infinite Smile sangha, just east of Berkeley, in what Michael calls, “the hard edge of suburbia.” After many years of Zen practiced with the San Francisco Zen Center, Michael set up to teach a form of dharma that wasn’t bound by tradition. Some of the topics we discussed with Michael include climbing the mountain of spirit–a stirring and ancient metaphor for the spiritual journey, the 7th, 8th, and 9th spiritual senses, and finally the things that Michael has learned while endeavoring “to integrate a relevant spirituality with 21st century living.” Episode Links: Ken Wilber ( http://www.kenwilber.com ) Awake in This Life: A Guide for Those Climbing the Mountain of Spirit ( http://bit.ly/6B44Zf ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

Grace Schireson is a Zen master in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and is the abbess of the Empty Nest Zendo in northern California. She joins us today to explore some of the main themes in her recently released book, Zen Women: Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens, and Macho Masters. Among the topics we discuss are what the traditional stereotypes of females in Zen have been, and the recently discovered literature on women in Zen who did not fit these stereotypes. We then look at the unique way these women practiced Zen and how what they learned can be applicable to us today. We finish the discussion by speaking about feminine spirituality in general, and the prevalence of the “great mother” in all of the world’s wisdom traditions. Episode Links: Empty Nest Zendo ( http://www.emptynestzendo.org ) Zen Women: Beyond Tea Ladies, Iron Maidens, and Macho Masters ( http://bit.ly/5jlS2D ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

This week we speak with Zen Master, Genpo Roshi, about the relationship between money and spirituality. It’s a hot topic and one that he is incredibly passionate about. He shares the details of a successful new fundraising campaign that his community puts on called the Big Heart Circle or 5/5/50. 5/5/50 stands for five people for five days, and at the cost of a $50,000 donation do a retreat with Genpo. He shares with us the specifics behind that retreat, including how the money is used, and responds to those people who find what he’s doing offensive. He also shares his observations on how he, and many other spiritual practitioners, disown their own ambition, competitiveness, and greediness in a way that causes it to come out in extremely pernicious ways. The key, to him, is to re-own those parts of ourselves that we can be of benefit to all sentient beings, and just as in the 10 ox-herding pictures, re-enter the marketplace with gift bestowing hands. Episode Links: Big Mind – Big Heart: Finding Your Way ( http://bit.ly/JRp9q ) Big Mind Zen Center ( http://bigmind.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 22, 2015

We conclude our uber-geeky conversation with neuropsychologist and dharma teacher Rick Hanson this week, exploring what might be happening in the run-up to the transforming moment of nirvana. In the Theravada tradition of Buddhism the moment or nirvana (or nibbana as it’s called in that tradition), and even the period leading up to it, is spiritually transformative. Using one common map of the experiences leading up to nirvana–the 8 jhanas–Rick explains what he thinks might be happening in the brain as it approaches the “event horizon” of nibbana. He also uses the metaphor of eddies in a stream to explain the way that experience arises on a moment-by-moment basis, through the firing of neural coalitions in the brain. He also explores the parallels between the eddies of experience and self in our subjective experience with the material world. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to part 1, A Crash Course in Applied Neurodharma and part 2, Self is a Network Phenomenon. Episode Links: Wise Brain ( http://www.wisebrain.org ) Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom ( http://bit.ly/J4gPr ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

We’re joined again by Neuropsychologist and Theravada teacher, Rick Hanson. This time we explore the Buddhist proposition of anatta, or selflessness, from the point of view of neuroscience and the brain. Rick explores whether a self actually exists using the following 4 core attributes of how a self is often defined: 1. It is unified & coherent 2. It is stable & enduring 3. It is independent 4. It is the whole of experience Looking at current research on how the self manifests in the brain, as what Hanson calls a “network phenomenon”, he deconstructs each of these four attributes, arguing that “self is not special inside the brain.” This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to part 1, A Crash Course in Applied Neurodharma and part 3, Eddies in the Stream. Episode Links: Wise Brain ( http://www.wisebrain.org ) Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom ( http://bit.ly/J4gPr ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week, we’re joined by trained Neuropsychologist and Theravada Buddhist teacher, Rick Hanson, to explore what he calls “applied Neurodharma.” We begin by exploring the 1st noble truth of suffering, but from the perspective of evolutionary neurobiology. In other words, why does it appear that we’re hard-wired to suffer, and what are the mechanisms behind it? And just as in the 4 noble truths, where we start with the diagnosis and end with a prescription, after exploring the 1st noble truth, Rick shares some suggestions for training the mind to overcome some of the hardwired tendencies we have to fixate on the negative. These suggestions come both from the Buddhist tradition, as well as directly from what we know of the distributed nervous system (and the Brain) from modern-day neuroscience. This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to part 2, Self is a Network Phenomenon and part 3, Eddies in the Stream. Episode Links: Wise Brain ( http://www.wisebrain.org ) Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom ( http://bit.ly/J4gPr ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Martin Aylward continues his discussion with us how we can bring forth a more relevant, relational, and potent form of contemporary dharma practice. He begins by exploring the tendency for Western practitioners to rely too much on retreat practice, instead of on the juice that comes from their daily lives, and the need to work more skillfully with our everyday experience. In particular he highlights the areas of money and sex, as being areas of our lives that have a lot of charge, and yet are usually nominalized in dharma teachings. In 2010 Martin will be leading a special urban-based retreat (or sandwich retreat) entitled Work, Sex, Money, Dharma that deals specifically with these parts of our human experience, in the hopes that we can create a practice of awakening that includes every aspect of our lives. This is part 2 of a two part series. Listen to part 1, Freestyle Awakening Episode Links: Le Moulin Meditation Centre ( http://www.dharmanetwork.org ) Work, Sex, Money, Dharma ( http://worksexmoneydharma.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

The theme of distinguishing between the Buddhist teachings and forms which lead to awakening, and those forms that are culturally inherited and perhaps unsuited for our current Western context, is an ongoing one on Buddhist Geeks. This week, we continue this exploration with Dharma teacher, Martin Aylward. Martin, who lives in southern France, where he runs and teaches as Le Moulin Meditation Centre, has been actively exploring what it means to translate Dharma to the West. He recognizes that we’re still quite early in that process, but is a pioneer when it comes to adapting the forms of Buddhism to the West. His use of technology and emphasis on relational dharma, as well as what calls “Freestyle” or “DIY Awakening” is a striking attempt at making Dharma more relevant for the lives of Western, engaged, lay practitioners. This is part 1 of a two part series. Listen to part 2, Work, Sex, Money, Dharma. Episode Links: Ajahn Buddhadasa ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhadasa ) Le Moulin Meditation Centre ( http://www.dharmanetwork.org ) Work, Sex, Money, Dharma ( http://worksexmoneydharma.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

We continue our discussion with Shambhala acharya, Judith Simmer-Brown, about how we can strategically invest in American Buddhism so that it survives in the long-term. We explored the first three areas of importance in-depth in part 1, which included the translation of core texts, the development of a monastic lineage, and the appointment of dharma heirs. In this part of the discussion we flesh out the details of the fourth area, which is royal patronage. Judith speaks about how, given a lack of that kind of support, most dharma teachers and organizations turn whole-heartedly to the market to sustain them. And with that come all sort of issues–including the pursuit of fame and fortune. We finish the discussion, going back to the question of whether we’ll be able to develop a monastic community in the West, and why that’s important to the healthy development of Buddhism in America. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Survival of American Buddhism. Episode Links: Naropa University ( http://www.naropa.edu ) Tassajara Zen Center ( http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/ ) Gampo Abbey ( http://www.gampoabbey.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week, we’re joined by Shambhala acharya and Naropa University professor, Judith Simmer-Brown. She joins us today to discuss four areas, which she learned about while at Colombia University in the late 60’s, that help determine whether or not Buddhism will take root in a new country. These four are: 1. The translation of core Buddhist texts into English 2. The development of a monastic lineage w/ American lineage holders 3. The training and appointment of dharma transmission holders 4. Royal patronage, or financial support from within the country After describing each area of focus, Judith goes into depth as to how we’re doing with the first three areas, today in America. She shares her reflections, while also raising some provocative questions, as to how we’re doing with building a sustainable infrastructure for Buddhism to prosper in the West. Next week, we’ll finish the conversation by exploring the 4th area in depth, and speaking about how we can best invest in the future of American Buddhism. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Investing in the Future of American Buddhism. Episode Links: Becoming Whole: Lineage and Gender in American Buddhism ( http://bit.ly/1VrfRUW ) The Scholar-Practitioner: Joining Theory and Practice ( http://bit.ly/1Vrggqu ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Insight Meditation teacher, Rodney Smith, joins us to explore the topic of “urban dharma”–seeing that the transformative potential of one’s life and relationships are on equal footing with silent, more passive forms of meditation. Rodney critiques the common tendency to elevate silent retreat practice above all other aspects of practice. As part of that exploration he also shares a moving story from his time studying with the famous Advaita teacher Nisargadatta Maharaj. Rodney concludes by exploring what it might it mean to be a “Buddhist revolutionary,” updating and contemporizing the Buddhist teachings, while “turning one’s back to the Buddha and moving forward…” This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Stepping out of Self-Deception. Episode Links: I Am That ( http://bit.ly/1gfAD2 ) Dharma Talks by Rodney Smith ( bit.ly/1TOJ5LH ) Seattle Insight ( www.seattleinsight.org ) Lessons From the Dying ( bit.ly/40F0Gh ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Rodney Smith, the founder of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society, joins us today to discuss several fascinating topics. We start with an exploration of how the Big Bang and the origin of life on Earth (some 3.8 billion years ago) and spiritually significant events. We also discuss the overall compatibility between Buddhist teachings and these new found scientific findings. Finally, Rodney shares with us a powerful mathematical analogy for understanding the spiritual path, that of fractions. The numerator of the fraction represents the appearances of things, and the denominator represents the undifferentiated wholeness underlying appearances. Rodney shares how spiritual practice, and the process of dying, can both help us cross the fraction line. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Turning Your Back to the Buddha. Episode Links: Dharma Talks by Rodney Smith ( http://bit.ly/1TOJ5LH ) Seattle Insight ( http://www.seattleinsight.org ) Lessons From the Dying ( http://bit.ly/40F0Gh ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week, we’re joined by Kenneth Cohen, a well-known qi-gong master. Along with his training in the Taoist qi-gong and tai chi chuan, Kenneth has a strong connection to the Zen tradition and to the Japanese tea ceremony. In this episode, he shares with us some of the history of tea (the camellia sinensis plant), its long-standing relationship to the Buddhist tradition, his own training with Japanese tea master Millie Johnstone, and the wonderful profundity of drinking a simple cup of tea. Episode Links: www.KennethCohen.com Tao Te Ching ( http://bit.ly/1UysbC ) The Way of Qigong ( http://bit.ly/1P0BiP ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

"A perception, sudden as blinking, that subject and object are one, will lead to a deeply mysterious wordless understanding; and by this understanding will you awaken to the truth of Zen." – Zen Master Huang-po The above quote, taken from James Austin’s newest book Selfless Insight, is a description of kensho, an "initial awakening" to the true nature of things. We continue our discussion, this week, with James Austin about the importance of both kensho and satori in the Zen tradition, and his hypothesis as to what is happening in the brain, leading up to and during these events. We also discuss the vast importance of the thalamus, which Austin describes as a type of gateway of perceptual experience. Finally, Austin makes a strong distinction between both the absorptions and various types of quickenings that can precede kensho or satori, but that are not the same as them. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, This is Your Brain on Meditation. Episode Links: Selfless Insight ( http://bit.ly/QRGFu ) Zen and the Brain ( http://bit.ly/KxYDq ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week we speak with academic nuerologist and Zen practitioner James Austin. Austin, who wrote the well-known book, Zen and the Brain, joins us to explain some of the physical mechanisms underlying both attention and the way we process reality. In terms of attention, he shares with us a very descriptive difference between “top-down” and “bottom-up” modes of attention. He also shares the difference, from the perspective of the brain, between self-centered (egocentric) processing and other-centered (allocentric) processing. He also shares the ways in which these two are related to the different forms of meditation that are commonly seen in the Buddhist tradition. Although sometimes technical, his descriptions are extremely interesting for those who have an interest on the intersection between meditation and the brain. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Mechanisms of Kensho. Episode Links: Selfless Insight ( http://bit.ly/QRGFu ) Zen and the Brain ( http://bit.ly/KxYDq ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week with speak with the author of Saltwater Buddha, Jaimal Yogis. Jaimal, a Zen surfer and journalist, wrote Saltwater Buddha to chronicle his late teens and early 20’s as he learned to surf and delved into Zen. He shares with us some of the highlights from this time of his life, and also shares what a powerful metaphor the ocean has been for his spiritual life, especially given his passion for surfing. He also shares some prescient observations about what it’s like being a young Buddhist, and what he notices that is different about the young generation of up-and-coming practitioners. Episode Links: Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer’s Quest to Find Zen on the Sea ( http://bit.ly/3gkIZX ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

In this episode we have a round-table discussion, with members from the NYC-based Interdependence Project, on issues surrounding 21st century dharma in the West. Both Buddhist Geeks and the Interdependence Project tend to attract younger practitioners in their 20s & 30s. So, in this dialogue, where the oldest of us is 31, we take on some interesting questions about how Dharma is changing in the West, what challenges we face in the future, the economics of dharma, and the implications of a generation who are so interconnected with technology and culture. Listen in to hear a genuine conversation between young practitioners who are trying to find their way as Buddhist practitioners in the 21st century. Episode Links: The Interdependence Project ( http://theidproject.com ) Free: The Future of a Radical Price ( http://bit.ly/2seHGB ) Buddhism & Money: Does Priceless Mean It’s Free? ( http://bit.ly/ukzoG ) Nellie Tinder ( http://www.nellietinder.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

We’re back again with Artificial Intelligence researcher and Zen-dabbler, Ben Goertzel. We continue our exploration of some of the major themes in his non-fiction story “Enlightenment 2.0″. This precipitates a conversation about whether consciousness is a result of the mechanisms of the brain, or whether it is fundamental. And connected to that, what are the ethical implications of creating an artificial intelligence, if we do indeed see it as having BuddhaNature? Finally, Ben shares what he has discovered while exploring the notion of “artificial wisdom”–including what difference there is between intelligence and wisdom. He also talks about the seeming incompatibility between intense scientific thinking and enlightenment, and how that might be rectified by creating a more wise and intelligent super-mind. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Enlightenment 2.0. Episode Links: Artificial Wisdom ( http://bit.ly/2sVNQu ) Enlightenment 2.0 ( http://www.goertzel.org/new_fiction/Enlightenment2.pdf ) The Multiverse According to Ben ( http://multiverseaccordingtoben.blogspot.com ) www.goertzel.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week we speak with Ben Goertzel, an artificial intelligence researcher and Zen-dabbling spiritual seeker. Ben shares with us his introduction to Zen and his on-going relationship to spiritual practice. He also explains what is meant by “strong artificial intelligence” and AGI (artificial general intelligence) and explains why he thinks a fully functioning AI may be as little as a decade away. Finally, we explore the overlap between his work as an AI researcher and his experiences with Zen and other spiritual practices, through discussing a story he wrote entitled, “Enlightenment 2.0″ about an enlightened AI being who determines that it is possible to construct a more enlightened mind, what Ben calls a “super mind”, but isn’t sure whether or not it is possible for us. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Artificial Wisdom. Episode Links: Enlightenment 2.0 ( http://www.goertzel.org/new_fiction/Enlightenment2.pdf ) The Multiverse According to Ben ( http://multiverseaccordingtoben.blogspot.com ) www.goertzel.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

In this episode we speak with Karma Kagyu teacher, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. He starts off by telling us about how he got into formal Buddhist practice, at the tender age of 9. He also shares some of his initial challenges with anxiety, and how he was able to work with it on his first 3-year retreat. Rinpoche also shares some suggestions for meditators who are fairly new to the path, suggesting that they focus on 1) Wisdom & 2) Method. In addition to that he speaks about what makes a good teacher and whether or not it is vital to practice in a particular lineage. We finish our interview with Rinpoche discussing the importance of Joy on the Buddhist path, and of what he calls “Boundless Joy.” Tying in with that he shares what it was like participating in the meditative research conducted by Dr. Richard Davidson, and what the results of that study were. Episode Links: Sitting Quietly, Doing Something ( http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/sitting-quietly-doing-something/ ) The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness ( http://bit.ly/8Se7E ) Joyful Wisdom: Embracing Change and Finding Freedom ( http://bit.ly/UcxEb ) The Yongey Foundation ( http://www.mingyur.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

We’re joined today by Vidyuddeva, a young Zen teacher who spent 5 years in monastic training with Zen Master Steve Hagen. Vid is now a teacher in his own right, and teaches with both the iEvolve Practice Community as well as with the Integral Spiritual Center (founded by Ken Wilber). In this episode, Vid shares with us how he came to the dharma, and how it eventually led to his time as a Zen monastic. He also turns the table on the Geeks and begins questioning us as to what the significance is between meditation and life. Listen in to hear more from this young & dynamic voice of wisdom. Episode Links: Dharma Field Zen Center ( http://www.dharmafield.org ) Buddhism Plain and Simple ( http://bit.ly/ZjJFK ) iEvolve: Global Practice Community ( http://www.ievolve.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Erik Curren is a business leader, community activist, author, Buddhist meditator, and politician—who is running for state legislature in Virginia during the 2010 election period. We were contacted by Erik’s campaign manager, who told us that Erik’s Buddhist background was causing a backlash of religious intolerance from some camps, including his fellow Democrats. We spoke with Erik about the importance of religious freedom in American politics, as well as about the way that the Bodhisattva ideal impacts his work as a politician. Finally, we speak with Erik about his first book, Buddha’s Not Smiling, which explored some of the issues behind the current controversy between the two young men who both claim to be reincarnations of the 16th Karmapa–the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu school. It turns out that there is corruption and misunderstanding in Tibetan politics, just as there are in American politics. Episode Links: OnBeing: Liberating the Founders ( http://www.onbeing.org/program/liberating-founders/122 ) Buddha’s Not Smiling : Uncovering Corruption at the Heart of Tibetan Buddhism Today ( http://bit.ly/UnLD6 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week we’re joined by Reverend Danny Fisher–a Buddhist Chaplain and author. Danny shares with us his reasons for becoming chaplain, where the notion of chaplaincy or service to others comes from in the Buddhist tradition, and what it’s like to undertake a Buddhist-based divinity program. In the 2nd half of our conversation we ask him about his take on the challenges and opportunities that young Buddhists encounter. Being an emerging voice for young Buddhists, and a popular Buddhist blogger, Danny shares with us some of his thoughts on what it’s like being a young Buddhist today. Episode Links: Girimananda Sutta ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.060.than.html ) University of the West – Buddhist Chaplaincy Program ( http://bit.ly/1TOH8yZ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week we speak with esteemed scholar, and the former professor of Buddhist Studies at UC Berkely, Dr. Lewis Lancaster. Lewis shares with us the important history of the Buddhist tradition, focusing in particular on the unique attributes of Buddhism that made it the first “world religion,” a religion that is able to detach from it’s original homeland and language and travel wide and far. We also discuss the recent history of Buddhism transitioning to the West, and how Buddhism continues to morph and change through time. Listen in for a great dose of geeky history! Episode Links: Buddhism in a Global Age of Technology ( https://youtu.be/cX2f6QHkU-I ) Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative ( http://www.ecai.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Zen teacher Norman Fischer—a teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi—joins us again to speak about the religion, evolution, and Buddhism’s unique role in both. The conversation begins with an overview of American sociologist Robert Bellah’s schema on the evolution of religion throughout the ages. We then discuss the important role that Buddhism can play in the evolution of religion in the West. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1, Buddhism May Need a Plan B. Episode Links: Robert Bellah ( http://www.robertbellah.com ) Everyday Zen ( http://www.everydayzen.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

As Buddhism transitions to the West, we see that it is doing so in a couple different ways. Some forms look more like their original Asian roots, while others are secular and non-Religious in their presentation. Zen teacher Norman Fischer, an early 2nd generation teacher in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, calls the more traditional forms part of “Plan A” and the more secular forms, “Plan B.” In this interview we discuss with Norman the importance of Plan B approaches, like Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction. We also discuss his personal experience teaching Plan B at places like Google. Finally, we explore how the livelihood of trained and competent meditation teachers may rely heavily on Plan B approaches. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Buddhism and the Evolution of Religion. Episode Links: Why We Need a Plan B ( http://bit.ly/1TOGMs0 ) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction ( http://www.mindfullivingprograms.com/whatMBSR.php ) Everyday Zen ( http://www.everydayzen.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week, I speak with non-dual teacher and former Tibetan monk, Peter Fenner. Peter was a monk for nearly a decade before he disrobed, realizing that the Buddhist practices he was engaged in weren’t leading him to what he was looking for. He then looked to Western psychotherapeutic technologies, and in the process developed a non-dual teaching that relates in part to Madhyamika, Advaita Vedanta, and Western psychology. He calls this approach Radiant Mind, and in this episode we speak with him about the various aspects of his teaching, from a type of deconstructive inquiry based on dialoguing with him, to the formless “practice” of natural meditation. Listen in to hear more about this type of “fruition or results” based spiritual path. Episode Links: radiantmind.net Landmark Forum ( http://www.landmarkeducation.com ) Radiant Mind: Awakening Unconditioned Awareness ( http://bit.ly/4a8bZQ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week we speak with Shambhala acharya and cultural anthropologist, Gaylon Ferguson. Gaylon speaks about the view of Natural Wakefulness, in short that innate wisdom is there from the beginning. We also discuss the four foundations of mindfulness as they were taught by Chogyam Trungpa, and the differences between emphasizing naturalness and training on the spiritual path. We wrap up by exploring how cultural anthropology and the study of religion fit in with being a practitioner of the dharma. And since Gaylon has done and taught all three, he has a distinctly interdisciplinary approach that you’ll probably find quite interesting. Episode Links: Turning the Mind Into an Ally ( http://bit.ly/19BJgj ) The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion ( http://bit.ly/11SuEG ) Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With ( http://bit.ly/MbrIM ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week we speak with Gen-X Zen teacher Brad Warner, author of the newly released Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate. We talk a little bit about his book, which leads to a critique of what we might call “Popular Buddhism.” We then ask Brad about an article he wrote called, “Satori Porn”, where he argues that descriptions of enlightenment that make it sound like an experience just aren’t that helpful for students. Even so, at the end of the episode he tries his best to talk about enlightenment, while not describing it in terms of experience. Episode Links: Zen Wrapped In Karma Dipped in Chocolate ( http://bit.ly/ZZOxS ) Hardcore Zen ( http://amzn.to/1TOGnG7 ) Sit Down and Shut Up ( http://amzn.to/1TOGotw ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

We’re joined again by Tami Simon–founder of the spiritual media company Sounds True and senior student of Vajrayana teacher Reggie Ray. This week we ask her about her new podcast series, Insights at the Edge, where she has been interviewing many of the best spiritual teachers in the world. Jokingly, Tami said that she wanted to name the show, “Grill the Guru.” Even though that was a joke, there is some truth in it, and she uses her opportunity with these different teachers to ask them tough questions about their lives. We also ask her about some of the people that have impacted her the most during her decades of being around, and working with some of the brightest spiritual teachers of our time. She shares stories from some of her favorite luminaries, including Quaker teacher and activist Parker Palmer, Julia Butterfly Hill, Adyashanti, and finally “the living now gate,” Eckhart Tolle. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, You Will Get the Dharma You Need. Episode Links: Eckhart Tolle TV ( http://www.eckharttolletv.com ) Geneen Roth: No Situation is Unworkable ( http://bit.ly/1TOG2TT ) Insights at the Edge Podcast ( apple.co/1TOFNrL ) Sounds True ( www.soundstrue.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

In this episode we speak with Tami Simon–founder of the spiritual media company Sounds True and senior student of Vajrayana teacher Reggie Ray. Tami shares us with us the intimate details of her initial meeting with Reggie, and the amazing results that followed. She also describes what she has learned from beginning to teach the dharma to others, while also making a vow to only teach that which she truly knows. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Insights at the Edge. Episode Links: Dharma Ocean ( http://www.dharmaocean.org ) Meditating with the Body ( http://bit.ly/1TOFIV5 ) Insights at the Edge Podcast ( http://apple.co/1TOFNrL ) Sounds True ( http://www.soundstrue.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week we speak to the Buddhist-inspired musician Ravenna Michalsen. She explains why dharma music need not sound the way we think it should (think monks chanting in Asian in a cave). Instead, Ravenna’s music crosses musical genres and stretches our notion of what dharma music is. We also discuss the life and teachings of Machig Labdron, one of Tibet’s most famous female masters and the inventor of the Chöd lineage of practice. At the end of the interview we end with a song from Ravenna’s album Dharma Song called “Ki Ki So So.” Episode Links: Women of Wisdom ( http://bit.ly/BZTyo ) Mindful Music ( http://www.tricycle.com/insights/mindful-music ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week, Adam Engle, the business mastermind behind the Mind and Life Institute, joins us to discuss both the evolution of the project as well as its larger impact. The first Mind and Life Dialogue was held in Dharamsala, India in 1987 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Since then, Adam says, it has done more than any other organization to help “legitimatize the scientific study of meditation.” Listen in to hear more about how they’ve gone about creating an active collaboration between scientists and contemplatives, and what kind of fruit that collaboration has borne. Episode Links: Educating World Citizens for the 21st Century ( http://www.educatingworldcitizens.org ) Mind & Life Institute ( http://www.mindandlife.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Alan Chapman is a Western magick practitioner, and the author of the newly released book, Advanced Magick for Beginners. Alan found his way into the field of Chaos magick through the work of Aleister Crowley and since has worked with a powerful technique called “the Holy Guardian Angel,” which very much like the guru yoga techniques of the Vajrayana schools, allows one to surrender to an external guide on the path to enlightenment. Alan shares with us the details of the Western occult tradition, including its core purpose of enlightenment, which he calls “the great work” of magick. He also connects some of the spiritual practices of magick with the Buddhist maps and models. Finally, he shares with us some of the details of a project he has recently launched called Open Enlightenment, whose purpose is to promote a transparent and open discussion surrounding the nature of enlightenment throughout the world’s mystical traditions. Episode Links: The Baptist’s Head ( http://www.thebaptistshead.co.uk ) Advanced Magick for Beginners ( http://bit.ly/2v5mMu ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Dr. Susan Blackmore–a psychologist and long-time Zen practitioner–shares with us the discoveries that she made while writing her latest book, Ten Zen Questions. Listen in to find out what she discovered after many, many hours of asking questions, such as: “Am I conscious now?”, “What was I conscious of a moment ago?”, & “There is no time. What is memory?” Also, listen in to hear how she feels this type of exploration, often called Koan training in the Zen Buddhist tradition, can illuminate and inform the traditional scientific study of consciousness. Episode Links: The Headless Way ( http://www.headless.org ) Ten Zen Blog ( http://tenzenbookblog.wordpress.com ) Dr. Susan Blackmore ( http://www.susanblackmore.co.uk ) Ten Zen Questions ( http://bit.ly/bxloL ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Daniel Ingram, Theravada meditation teacher, joins us today to discuss the online community he and Buddhist Geeks host, Vince Horn helped create, The Dharma Overground. Daniel shares how the Dharma Overground has been a grand experiment in discussing practical, down-to-earth, and empowering dharma out in the open and the results of that experiment thus far. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book. Episode Links : The Dharma Overground ( http://www.dharmaoverground.org ) Interactive Buddha ( www.interactivebuddha.com ) Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha ( bit.ly/E1tF ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Daniel Ingram, a Theravada meditation teacher and one of our most popular guests, joins us again to discuss his recently published book, Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha. In discussing the book we dive into some of the more foundation distinctions he makes, including that of the three trainings. Daniel claims that the trainings in morality (or ethics), concentration (or meditation), and insight (or wisdom) are distinct trainings, each having their own unique gold standard. He explores each of these gold standards and pays particular attention to the gold standard of insight, which has to do with seeing the three characteristics of experience—impermanence, suffering, and not-self. Listen in for some geeky, technical, and hard-hitting dharma from one of today’s little known, yet extremely profound, American dharma teachers. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Dharma Overground. Episode Links : Interactive Buddha ( http://www.interactivebuddha.com ) Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha ( http://bit.ly/E1tF ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Lama Sarah Harding, Tibetan translator and student of the late Kalu Rinpoche, joins us again to discuss some of the major trends in Western Buddhism. Having taught a class on “Buddhism in America” for the past several years, Sarah is uniquely positioned to share some key insights on this topic. We cap the conversation off discussing the regular, and unfortunate, occurrence of scandal within different Buddhist communities in the West, and what some of the major causes seem to be. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Traditional 3-Year Retreat: Intensive Training for a Nonexistent Job. Episode Links: Zen Masters: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves ( http://bit.ly/1TOEOYQ ) The Darker Side of Zen: Institutions Defining Reality ( http://bit.ly/1TOEOrF ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Lama Sarah Harding, Tibetan translator and student of the late Kalu Rinpoche, joins us to discuss the experience of doing a traditional 3-year retreat in the Tibetan tradition. She was part of a small group of people, who in the mid 70’s did the first 3-year retreat held for Westerners. Listen in to find out more about the practices one does during the traditional retreat, what the biggest challenges can be, and what the benefits are (especially when compared with shorter periods of practice). This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Western Buddhism: Megatrends & Scandals. Episode Links: Jamgon Kongtrul’s Retreat Manual ( http://bit.ly/3oIyzG ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Insight Meditation teacher, Diana Winston, joins us to discuss an extremely relevant topic: Buddhism & Money. We explore whether or not spirituality and money are incompatible (as they are often seen) and if not how they might go together. Diana shares with us some of the original, though not so well known, teachings that the historical Buddha gave on money. She also discusses why both Buddhist teachers and practitioners should work with money and become familiar with it, and recounts her own journey with spiritual practice and money and how she has been able to bring the two together. Episode Links: The Dighajanu Sutta ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an08/an08.054.than.html ) Hooked!: Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume ( http://bit.ly/1IjV3V ) Wide Awake: Buddhism for the New Generation ( http://bit.ly/S7BlN ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

We continue our discussion with insight meditation teacher and author, Richard Shankman. In this episode we continue to dissect the different kinds of samadhi and their respective fruits–what in the Theravada tradition are called jhana (or “meditative absorption”). According to Shankman there are two ways of approaching the attainment of jhana, one as was taught in the original canonical texts of the Theravada, the Pali Suttas, and the other from the later commentaries on the Buddha’s teachings, the Vishudimagga. As a result we get two different forms of jhana–one called Sutta jhana and the other called Vishudimagga jhana. This two-fold understanding, though geeky, shines light on the different methods of practicing both samadhi and vipassana meditation and offers a unitary model for understanding the two together. We also briefly touch on a term called “vipassana jhana,” which is used by notable Burmese and American insight meditation teachers, and relate the development of insight (via vipassana) to these two jhana systems. For those folks who have experience practicing or studying in the Theravada tradition you will likely find your understanding of the tradition deeply enriched. For those in other traditions you will almost certainly find this an interesting glimpse into the detailed intricacies of a one of the oldest Buddhist traditions of meditation. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Power of Samadhi . Episode Links : The Visuddhimagga The Pali Suttas RichardShankman.org The Experience of Samadhi: An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Richard Shankman, a teacher in the insight meditation tradition and the author of the recently released book The Experience of Samadhi , joins us to discuss the various teachings and approaches to what in the Theravada tradition is called samadhi or concentration meditation. During this episode Richard shares some of his personal background with samadhi practice and also explains two different forms of deep samadhi, called jhana in the Theravada tradition–one from the time of the Buddha as captured by the Pali Suttas and another which arouse hundreds of years later and which is captured in the authoritative text, the Visuddhimagga. Listen in to find out about these different forms of deep concentration and absorption, which are a hallmark of the Theravada tradition of Buddhism… This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Different Types of Jhana: Sutta, Vishudimagga, & Vipassana . Episode Links : richardshankman.org The Visuddhimagga Mahasi Sayadaw The Experience of Samadhi: An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

In this episode, we continue our dialogue with Shingon teacher Hokai Sobol. We begin our conversation by dropping a difficult question on Hokai, asking him how the Vajrayana traditions (both the Japanese and Tibetan) can maintain relevance in our post-modern and rapidly changing world. He suggests that we must develop a “Vajrayana in Plain English,” one that is germane to the particularities of this time and space. And as the 1st generation of Buddhist teachers and leaders near retirement-age, now is the only time that we have to do so. Listen in to hear his take on making the Vajrayana not only more relevant, but on it becoming a pioneering force and cultural leader in today’s world. This includes the way that Buddhist teachings, practice, & even creative expressions are presented. It includes nothing less than a bold transformation of the tradition. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Japanese Shingon: The True Word School. Episode Links: Hokai.info Mindfulness in Plain English ( http://bit.ly/a7Z4L ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

In this episode we are joined by one of our favorite Buddhist Geeks, Hokai Sobol. Hokai who is a teacher in the Shingon Buddhist tradition–a form of Vajrayana found in Japan–joins us today to speak about the Shingon school. Hokai shares with us a brief history of Shingon tradition and its main teacher Kukai, the artistic dimension of Shingon, and also begins to explain the basic teachings and practices of the lineage. Similar to the Tibetan Vajrayana approaches Shingon harnesses things like mudras (gestures), mantras (sounds), and mandalas (visualizations)–which lines up with the three-fold Body, Speech, & Mind. Speaking about mantras specifically Hokai brings us through the three distinct dimensions of mantra practices and shows us how we can understand and practice with the basic mantra of “om”-“ah”-“hum.” This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Vajrayana in Plain English. Episode Links: Hokai.info See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

“Meditation is the royal road to the unconscious.” – Carl Jung Gerry Shishen Wick, Roshi joins us today to finish the discussion on koan training, Rinzai and Soto Zen, and on a method of training he uses to help people deal with certain psychological issues–called the Great Heart Way. He sees all of these methods as leading toward a more genuine and embodied Zen. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Koan Training and the Different Styles of Zen. Episode Links: The Great Heart Way: How To Heal Your Life and Find Self-Fulfillment ( http://bit.ly/16ZWG7 ) Great Mountain Zen Center ( http://www.gmzc.org ) The Book of Equanimity: Illuminating Classic Zen Koans ( http://bit.ly/la3Lt ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Gerry Shishen Wick, Roshi is a dual-lineage holder of both the Soto and Rinzai schools of Zen. His teacher Maezumi Roshi passed along both lineages, and so we take this unique opportunity to ask Roshi to compare these two different approaches. He talks about shikantaza (Just Sitting) and also about koan practice–sometimes referred to as logical paradoxes. He explains that the koan system includes many different kinds of koans, each with different purposes. Some are meant to reveal the oneness of reality, while others are point to the multiplicity within that oneness. He also discusses the difference between “live words” and “dead words,” and why that distinction is so important in the practice of Koan training. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Embodied Zen. Episode Links: The Three Pillars of Zen ( http://bit.ly/dTTbS ) Great Mountain Zen Center ( http://www.gmzc.org ) The Book of Equanimity: Illuminating Classic Zen Koans ( http://bit.ly/la3Lt ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Joseph Goldstein–one of the primary figures in the development of the Insight Meditation movement–finishes up his conversation with us by sharing his perspective on the recent cross-pollunation of the Buddhist meditation with scientific investigation. He shares some of the recent studies that he has contributed to–including an in-depth study at the Insight Meditation Society–and also discusses a few research possibilities that he has recommended to scientists. Finally he shares an interesting idea he had for creating a “virtual bardo machine.” This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Joseph Goldstein on the Benefits of Long Term Practice. Episode Links: Mind and Life Institute ( http://www.mindandlife.org ) One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism ( bit.ly/kELk5 ) Insight Meditation Society ( www.dharma.og ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Joseph Goldstein–one of the primary figures in the development of the Insight Meditation movement–joins us today to discuss the unique benefits of long-term practice. He touches in on the need the train the mind, and hence the need for long periods of dedicated training. He also shares some of the background and vision behind the long-term retreat facility that he helped start called the Forest Refuge–a place where people can come and do long, self-guided retreat practice. Finally, we touch in on the future of the insight meditation tradition, and really the development of Western Buddhism in general. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Joseph Goldstein on the Science of Insight. Episode Links: The Forest Refuge ( http://www.dharma.org/meditation-retreats/forest-refuge ) One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism ( http://bit.ly/kELk5 ) Insight Meditation Society ( http://www.dharma.og ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Reginald Ray, Tibetan Buddhist scholar and teacher, is back with us this week to discuss some pretty big topics. We explore the break that he made, several years ago with the Shambhala tradition, and the larger implications of becoming a Western teacher in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Connected with that we explore the whole issue of Westerners not being regularly empowered to be teachers, and several of the factors involved in that dynamic. We also touch on whether or not Westeners make the best practitioners, and what seems to keep them from going deep. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Forest Dwelling Yogi. Episode Links: Dharma Ocean ( www.dharmaocean.org ) Your Breathing Body – Vol 1. ( bit.ly/1HOKNVR ) Your Breathing Body – Vol 2. ( bit.ly/1HOKR81 ) Touching Enlightenment ( bit.ly/ia0sJ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

“Enlightenment is found in the Body and nowhere else.” – famous Dzogchen saying We’re joined in this interview by Reginald Ray–author of numerous books on Tibetan Buddhism and teacher in the lineage of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In this episode we discuss the forest dwelling meditator, a category of practitioner outside of the normal lay / monastic dichotomy. In particular we look at the role that retreat–both group and solitary–plays for the type of practitioner that does intensive retreat but is not a full-time practitioner. We also discuss Reggie’s teaching emphasis on the shamanic aspect of Vajrayana Buddhism, particulary the role that the body plays in awakening. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Tibetan Buddhist Lineage in the West. Episode Links: Naropa University ( http://www.naropa.edu ) Buddhist Saints in India ( http://bit.ly/ixNr8 ) Civilized Shamans: Buddhism in Tibetan Societies ( http://bit.ly/mJeGn ) Dharma Ocean ( http://www.dharmaocean.org ) Your Breathing Body – Vol 1. ( http://bit.ly/1HOKNVR ) Your Breathing Body – Vol 2. ( http://bit.ly/1HOKR81 ) Touching Enlightenment ( http://bit.ly/ia0sJ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Shinzen Young joins us again to discuss the possibility of a new way to deliver classical enlightenment to the masses. He discusses the classic delivery systems, which included monastic and lay life. He then builds on that to show a hybrid two-fold delivery system that would incorporate his artificial intelligence system with virtually led home retreats. This Home Practice Program is what is currently being offered at BasicMindfulness.org . Finally Shinzen discusses the “crowning glory” of his mission to unify Western and Eastern technologies, and that is to help nurture the emergence of a “neuro-scientific paradigm for classical enlightenment.” This paradigm could help lead to the emergence of technologies which have the potential to bring classical enlightenment to the masses and hence make large-scale social and individual change. Though Shinzen doesn’t think he’ll see these changes in his own lifetime, he does believe that he can do a lot to help train the future scientists who will. This is part 3 of a 3-part series. Listen to part 1, Shinzen Young: The Hybrid Teacher & part 2, Building a Dharma Successor. Episode Links: Shinzen.org : The Science of Meditation in Action ( www.shinzen.org ) Basic Mindfulness: Home Practice Program ( www.basicmindfulness.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Shinzen Young, professional meditation instructor and geek-extraordinaire, joins us today to share his unique journey as a contemplative. From discontinuing his PhD studies to become a full-time shingon practitioner to taking up Japanese Zen and finally discovering the mindfulness practices originating from Theravada Buddhism, Shinzen has gone deep with several contemplative techniques. In addition to his training in the contemplative traditions of the East, Shinzen took time to train himself to become a relatively qualified mathematician and scientist so that he could one day be poised to bring together the best of the East (contemplative practice) with the best of the West (the scientific method). The hybrid of which, he thinks will yield a comletely unique fusion. Listen in to hear more from this incredibly gifted and incredibly geeky meditation teacher. This is part 1 of a 3-part series. Listen to part 2, Building a Dharma Successor and part 3, Enlightenment for the Rest of Us. Episode Links: Shinzen.org : The Science of Meditation in Action ( http://www.shinzen.org ) Basic Mindfulness: Home Practice Program ( http://www.basicmindfulness.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Shinzen Young, professional meditation instructor and geek-extraordinaire, continues his discussion with us on the unique approach he has taken to combining the best of the scientific approach with the best of the contemplative modalities of the East. The result of this combination appears to be a delivery system for enlightenment that uses an interactive and algorithmic approach to guiding a student in their practice. In short, instead of appointing a human dharma successor, he is trying to build one. Listen in to find out more about this artificial intelligence system, which he refers to as “virtual Shinzen,” and how it might revolutionize the way that dharma teaching is done! This is part 2 of a 3-part series. Listen to part 1, Shinzen Young: The Hybrid Teacher & part 3, Enlightenment for the Rest of Us. Episode Links: Shinzen.org : The Science of Meditation in Action ( http://www.shinzen.org ) Basic Mindfulness: Home Practice Program ( http://www.basicmindfulness.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Jun Po Roshi, an American Zen Master in the Rinzai Zen tradition, joins us again this week to discuss the limitations of Japanese Zen as it enters contemporary American culture. He also shares the way that his Hallow Bones Zen community has re-organized the core teachings of the Buddha in their five training elements: Sacred stewardship Philosophical re-indoctrination Emotional maturity & integrity Conscious embodiment Genuine insight These five training elements are a re-working and re-presentation of the original 8-fold path, but one that was designed specifically for our time and place. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Psychotropics and NeuroLinguistic Zen. Episode Links: Hollow Bones Zen School ( http://www.hollowbones.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Ken Wilber coined the terms “ascending” and “descending” to describe two possible orientations to spiritual practice. The ascending path has to do with transcending the world, leaving samsara behind, and fusing with the infinite. The descending path has to do with finding spirit in the world–in the midst of everyday life. Both approaches are important, and both have been clearly highlighted in Stuart Davis’s journey as a Zen practitioner. Listen in to hear Davis’s radical flip-flop between these two approaches. Where Davis once found himself sitting up in his “Zen tree fort in the sky” he now finds that “the mystery” is most intimately connected with being a father & husband. Lastly, Davis shares with us a very strange and powerful connection he has with crows (yes, the animals), who apparently are an important symbol in the Zen tradition. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Stuart Davis: Bodhisattva Rocker. Episode Links: Stuart's Crow Paintings ( http://www.stuartdavis.com/paintings ) StuartDavis.com Sex, God, & Rock ‘n Roll ( http://www.sexgodrocknroll.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Jun Po Roshi, an American Zen Master in the Rinzai Zen tradition, joins us to discuss his fascinating history with psychotropic drugs, including a form of LSD, called Clear Light, that he helped to create and distribute a long time ago. We also speak with him about his new form of Koan practice that uses NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP) techniques to help anchor spiritual realization in one’s linguistic structures. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Hollow Bones Zen. Episode Links: Hollow Bones Zen School ( http://www.hollowbones.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week we’re joined by prolific musician, artist, writer, & comic Stuart Davis. Davis, a long-time Zen practitioner, shares with us his background as a creative and the resulting unique understanding that he has of the Bodhisattva’s path. Specifically, we discuss his current creative projects, including a language called IS that he is in the process of developing & and a spiritual talk-show that he’s hosting entitled Sex, God & Rock ‘n Roll. We also cover the topic of re-incarnation, and the spiritual tutelage he has received from his wife Marci. We hope you enjoy this interview with one of the most creative, absurd, and hilarious Zen-artists we know! This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Zen Tree Fort in the Sky. Episode Links: StuartDavis.com Sex, God, & Rock ‘n Roll ( http://www.sexgodrocknroll.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

We are joined this week by Jenny Phillips, Director and Producer of the newly released documentary, The Dhamma Brothers. The Dhamma Brothers gives an in-depth look at how a trial program of vipassana meditation courses radically transforms the lives of inmates in a the maximum-security prison facility in Alabama. In our interview with Jenny we explore the story behind the film, her intentions for creating it, and the potential ramifications of introducing these powerful meditation practices into an environment where genuine positive transformation is almost unheard of. Put another way we discuss what happens when “East meets West, in the Deep South.” To find out more about the movie and to watch the trailor please visit: www.dhammabrothers.com . Episode Links: Interview with Jenny Phillips on Oprah’s Soul Series ( http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Jenny-Phillips-on-Oprahs-Soul-Series-Webcast ) Doing Time, Doing Vipassana ( http://www.karunafilms.com/dtdv/dtdv.htm ) The Dhamma Brothers Film ( http://dhammabrothers.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

The Geeks of the Round Table are back, continuing our discussion of Judy Lief’s article Glimpses of Awakening. We speculate on the language and culture surrounding enlightenment both here in the West and in various countries in the East–including Japan, Burma, and Thailand. We also speculate on how likely it is that people can have initial breakthroughs in their practice (the first glimpses of enlightenment) and how useful it would be to have an empirical, longitudinal study that tracked these kind of breakthroughs. And if you make it all the way to the end of this dialogue you’ll hear something that has a %99 chance of getting you enlightened, right there on the spot. :::wink, wink::: This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Buzz Lightyear Model of Enlightenment: To Infinity and Beyond. Episode Links: Episode Links: “Glimpses of Awakening” by Judy Lief ( www.lionsroar.com/glimpses-of-awakening-2/ ) The Zen Center of Las Cruces ( www.zencenteroflascruces.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

In this episode we bring back the Geeks of the Round Table segment. Joining us is one of our regulars Duff McDuffee, and a new geek to the lineup, Mike LaTorra. Mike is the resident teacher of the Soto Zen Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico. During this conversation we discuss an article written by Shambhala Acharaya Judy Lief entitled, Glimpses of Awakening. We discuss the ideals surrounding awakening, and use the classic three trainings model (of ethics, concentration, & wisdom) to explore what enlightenment is about. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Particularities of Awakening. Episode Links: “Glimpses of Awakening” by Judy Lief ( http://www.lionsroar.com/glimpses-of-awakening-2/ ) The Zen Center of Las Cruces ( http://www.zencenteroflascruces.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Philosopher and long-time Buddhist practitioner, Ken Wilber, continues his discussion of the meditative terrain and of his spiritual philosophy in general. He finishes off his discussion of the meditative maps with an exploration of what it actual takes–both in terms of time and effort–to master these various stages of consciousness. He also explains the difference between what he is now calling “horizontal enlightenment” (which is basically everything we’ve explored up to this point) and “vertical enlightenment” which encompasses other areas of human development that can’t been developed while on the cushion. According to him the traditional notion of Buddhist enlightenment isn’t he be-all-end-all of human development. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Meditative Maps: Happy Mornings and Dark Nights. Episode Links: Integral Life ( www.integrallife.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Philosopher and long-time Buddhist practitioner, Ken Wilber, shares with us a 10,000 foot view of the terrain of meditative experience. He describes several of the most common Buddhist maps and their progression, including the one presented in the Visuddhimagga (one of the most prevalent in the Theravada tradition), the 10 ox herding pictures in the Zen tradition, and the Anuttara Tantra from the Tibetan tradition. He also gives an overview of the very difficult stages of practice called the Dark Nights. These are periods where after being plunged into a whole new experience of reality we have it stripped from us and feel like we have lost what was once discovered. Another meaning of the dark night has to do with dis-identifying with previous levels of consciousness, and the difficult journey of releasing our grasping and addiction to these lower levels. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Horizontal and Vertical Enlightenment. Episode Links: Integral Life ( https://www.integrallife.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins, one of the most important figure in the development of Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the United States, joins us to discuss the importance of academic studies. We explore what Buddhist studies are like in the West, the relationship between being a scholar and practitioner, and the broader role that Buddhist academia plays in Western Buddhism. This is part 2 of a two-part series Listen to part 1, The Practice Adventures of Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins. Episode Links: Tsong-Kha-Pa’s Final Exposition of Wisdom ( http://bit.ly/yIAVZ ) Light of Berotsana Translation Group ( http://berotsana.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Today we speak with Dr. Jeffrey Hopkins, Professor Emeritus of Tibetan & Buddhist Studies at University of Virgina. Dr. Hopkins is a prolific translator–with 40 books translated in his career–and a committed meditation practitioner. In this episode we ask him to share some of the details of his early practice. He shares with us his experience doing sky meditations and dark retreats, all of which he did before being exposed to Tibetan Buddhism. He also shares some of the details of his meeting the Dalai Lama and working with him on translating some of his books to English, as well as being his translator. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Buddhist Studies in the West. Episode Links: Tsong-Kha-Pa’s Final Exposition of Wisdom ( http://bit.ly/yIAVZ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Join us as we finish up our dialogue with Venerable Robina Courtin, the highly energetic Tibetan Nun, who some refer to as a “Dharma CEO”. In this episode she continues to share the specific logistics behind her approach to balancing wisdom and compassion in today’s world. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Venerable Robina Courtin: Bodhisattva CEO. Episode Links: Liberation Prison Project ( http://www.liberationprisonproject.org ) Chasing Buddha Pilgrimage ( http://www.chasingbuddhafilm.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Join us this week as we converse with one of the most energetic and high-powered Nuns that we know, Venerable Robina Courtin. A long-time Nun in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Robina shares with us the importance of approaching work in the world, from the “Bodhisattva perspective” while also maintaining a firm grounding in emptiness. Listen in to find out more about the work that Robina does, and more importantly, how she approaches her work. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Logistics of Being a Bodhisattva. Episode Links: Liberation Prison Project ( http://www.liberationprisonproject.org ) Chasing Buddha Pilgrimage ( http://www.chasingbuddhafilm.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

We’re joined again by CEO and Founder of Twine.com , and long-time Dzogchen practitioner, Nova Spivack. In this episode we discuss the short-comings of the Western traditions understanding and pursuit of consciousness, especially with regards to finding an ultimate particle in physics. We also explore the strengths and limitations of technology to aid in the process of awakening. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Does the Web have Buddha Nature? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

This week we are joined by CEO and Founder of Twine.com and long-time Dzogchen practitioner Nova Spivack. Nova has been a student of many of the world’s most well-known Rinpoches while simultaneously being one of the first pioneering entrepreneurs on the web. In this episode Nova shares with us his background as a Buddhist practitioner and launches into a discussion on the intersection between Buddhist practice, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and the future of the world wide web. He shares a unique perspective on the evolution of the web and tackles the question of whether or not the web will ever become sentient. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen part 2, Technology Makes our Delusion More Functional. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Join us this week as we speak with Dr. Peter Grossenbacher, director of the Consciousness Laboratory at Naropa University, about the difference between Eastern and Western modes of inquiry, sensory awareness practice, and of the importance of contemplative education. Peter ties together the Eastern and Western schools of thought by pointing out that they are both loosely interested in the empirical, or what is observable. He also explains the sensory awareness practice that he guides students through, and in our first guided practice here on Buddhist Geeks, leads us through a few minutes of sensory awareness practice. We finish our discussion with Peter touching briefly on the role of “contemplative education,” or in an education that is attempting to bring together conceptual and non-conceptual modes of learning. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1, The Consciousness Laboratory. Episode Links: The Naropa University Consciousness Laboratory ( www.naropa.edu/consciousness ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Join us this week as we speak with Dr. Peter Grossenbacher, director of the Consciousness Laboratory at Naropa University, about his research on meditation and contemplative spirituality. Along with finding out about the specific work that Dr. Grossenbacher is engaged in in the Consciousness Lab, listen in as we ask we ask such questions as: Can awareness be defined through empirical methods? And if so, what methods might those be? And finally, can the emphasis on objectivity found in much of mainstream science be applied to subjective research? This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, How Did Descartes Die? Episode Links: The Naropa University Consciousness Laboratory ( http://naropa.edu/consciousness ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

B. Alan Wallace joins to us to compare and contrast two fantastic dream practices. One comes from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, going all the way back to India, with the yogi Naropa. This practice, called Dream Yoga, is a type of insight practice which utilizes the dream state in order to wake up. The other practice, called Lucid Dreaming, comes out of the pioneering research of Dr. Stephen LaBerge. Lucid dreaming breaks down the same goals that Dream Yoga aspires to, but into smaller and more attainable goals. It is also firmly grounded in the scientific method. Listen in to hear Dr. Wallace, who is authorized to teach both of these methods, discuss the similarities and differences in these two different approaches. Episode Links: The Lucidity Institute ( http://www.lucidity.com ) Train your Mind, Change your Brain ( http://bit.ly/1RYFWH ) Building the Dream Body ( http://www.wie.org/j39/zane.asp ) Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies ( http://www.sbinstitute.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, an esteemed teacher in the Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet, joins us again to continue describing the importance of dream yoga as part of the larger system of the 6 yogas of Naropa. Rinpoche guides us through the three different kinds of dreams that we can have, including samsaric dreams, dreams of clarity, and clear light dreams. He also discusses the importance of dream practice, for those that have a naturally tendency toward being active in their dreams, comments on the methodology of lucid dreaming, that Western dream research Stephen LaBerge has created, and explains the importance of dream yoga in relationship to the process of death and the bardo. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Sleep as a Spiritual Journey. Episode Links: The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep ( http://bit.ly/IjSZC ) Ligmincha Institute ( https://www.ligmincha.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

“Look to your experience in dreams to know how you will fare in death. Look to your experience of sleep to discover whether or not you are truly awake.” – Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, an esteemed teacher in the Bon Buddhist tradition of Tibet, joins us to discuss the importance of sleep in relation to the spiritual path. Since we spend nearly a third of our lives asleep, the focus on sleep and dream practice becomes of utmost important for those practitioners that want to make the best of the time they have. Listen in to find out more about the Bon tradition, the dissolution of the sense of self during sleep, and the way that dream practices can contribute to greater awareness during both sleep and death. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Yogas of Dream and Sleep. Episode Links: The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep ( http://bit.ly/IjSZC ) Ligmincha Institute ( https://www.ligmincha.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Melvin McLeod, Editor-in-Chief of the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma magazines, concludes his conversation with us, this time discussing the inevitable tensions that arise in Buddhist media. These tensions center primarily around going deep vs. spreading wide. Listen in to hear how these magazines find the middle ground between condemning Buddhism to the irrelevant on the one hand (too much depth) and selling out on the other (too much breadth). Also at the end Melvin shares the specific ways that their publications are looking to integrate new media technologies into their projects. Exciting times! This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Peering Under the Hood of Buddhist Media. Episode Links: BuddhaDharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly ( http://www.thebuddhadharma.com ) Shambhala Sun ( http://www.shambhalasun.com ) One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism ( http://bit.ly/dy5egV ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

“Buddhism offers the most profound critique or criticism of life imaginable in it’s analysis of the role of ego, and of the nature of samsara, as well as in its basic doctrine of emptiness. There could hardly be a more profound critique of life then to say that neither your nor it exists.” – Melvin McLeod Melvin McLeod, Editor-in-Chief of the Shambhala Sun and Buddhadharma magazines, joins us to share his perspective on the differences and similarities that Buddhist media sources have with more traditional media. Listen in to find out more about the philosophical underpinnings of a publication that has at it’s heart a commitment to the teachings of non-ego. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Inevitable Tension: Going Deep vs. Spreading Wide. Episode Links: Mindful Politics: A Buddhist Guide to Making the World a Better Place ( http://bit.ly/KnkeU ) Shambhala Sun ( http://www.shambhalasun.com ) BuddhaDharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly ( http://www.thebuddhadharma.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

“At any moment the Yellowstone caldera could blow up, wipe out %99 of the life on the surface of the planet, and probably all humans, and in our last minutes the degree of equanimity with which we face that prospect is the test of our dharmic fortitude and wisdom.” – James Hughes In our final episode with professor James Hughes we tackle the less rosy side of Transhumanism, which has to do with massive existential threats and risks. Though there are many natural risks that could threaten humanity as a whole, including large asteriod collisions, gamma bursts, and super volcanoes, the Transhumanist recognize a whole host of other ways that we could threaten ourselves with advanced technologies. In addition to discussing these threats and all of the possible side traps on the way toward a more techno-utopian future, James ties these together with our understanding of the dharma. He argues that even in a techno-utopian future (assuming we make it), we will still have to deal with annica—the ever changing flow of reality. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to part 1, Transhumanism and the Authentic Self and part 2, Cyborg Buddhas & Techno-Utopian Pure Lands! Episode Links: The Cyborg Buddha Project ( http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/cyborgbuddha ( http://bit.ly/Wh12u ) Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond To The Redesigned Human Of The Future The Lifeboat Foundation ( http://www.lifeboat.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

With radical advances in science in technology would it be possible for us to turn our world into a so-called, “Buddha Realm” or would it be more likely that we create some sort of God Realm, where awakening is discouraged because the conditions are so radically pleasant? And how specifically could these advances help us develop spiritually, on the path toward Buddhahood? This week, we discuss this and other questions with professor James Hughes, author of the upcoming book Cyborg Buddha. If you want to have your views regarding technology and it’s relation to the Buddhist path challenged, please listen in! This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to part 1, Transhumanism and the Authentic Self and part 3, Existential Threats and Risks: We Can’t Escape Impermanence! Episode Links: The Cyborg Buddha Project ( http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/cyborgbuddha ) Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond To The Redesigned Human Of The Future ( http://amzn.to/1HOESA8 ) Technologies of Self-Perfection ( http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/hughes20040922/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

“The longer our lives, the more we’ll have a chance to see that there’s no self living them.” – James Hughes What is Transhumanism and how is it related to Buddhist practice? Will technology enable us to radically extend our lifespans, help us control our thoughts and emotions, and bring about the potential to upload our consciousness into virtual reality spaces? And if so, what are the deeper implications for our contemplative traditions. Will these advances actually support the deepening of wisdom? According to professor James Hughes, a Buddhist practitioner and leading voice in the Transhumanist movement, these advances will enable us to deconstruct the notion and experience we have of an “authentic self” and will support the development of happiness, and the cessation of suffering. Listen in to find out how… This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to part 2, Cyborg Buddhas & Techno-Utopian Pure Lands! and part 3, Existential Threats and Risks: We Can’t Escape Impermanence! Episode Links: The Illusiveness of Immortality ( http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/430/ ) Zen and the Brain ( http://bit.ly/KxYDq ) The Cyborg Buddha Project ( http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/cyborgbuddha ) Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond To The Redesigned Human Of The Future ( http://bit.ly/Wh12u ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

“I do not believe in an after life, although I am bringing a change of underwear.” – Woody Allen The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche joins us again, this time to discuss the importance of the teachings of rebirth in the Western context. He also gives many detailed suggestions on how to work with suffering in practice, especially when your awareness of it becomes more acute–a common occurrence in practice. We finish off this fantastic dialogue with Rinpoche hearing his thoughts on transplanting Buddhism to the west to form a genuine form of western buddhism. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to part 1, Analytical Meditation: Going Beyond Coffee Table Dharma and part 2, The Best Preparation for Dying Well is Living Well. Episode Links: Bodhi Magazine ( http://www.bodhionline.org ) Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche ( http://dpr.info ) Mind Beyond Death ( http://bit.ly/OJHKT ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche is the only Rinpoche we know who owns and uses a Blackberry! Rinpoche shares with us the different ways that he has adopted modern technology into the work that he does and into his teaching style. We also speak with Rinpoche about his most recent book, which explores the Bardo teachings, Mind Beyond Death. Rinpoche explains to us that death, one of the greatest sources of suffering, gives us a palpable opportunity to live well. He also points out that in terms of the trained mind, both death and life are but two sides of the same coin. Both can bring about enlightenment. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to part 1, Analytical Meditation: Going Beyond Coffee Table Dharma Episode Links: Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche ( http://dpr.info ) Bodhi Magazine ( http://www.bodhionline.org ) Mind Beyond Death ( http://bit.ly/OJHKT ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, one of the foremost teachers in the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism, joins us to discuss his efforts in creating a genuinely Western form of the traditional shedra tract of Buddhist learning. This traditional scholastic training system is being translated and slightly altered for Westerners so that they can learn the full system of monastic training. In this episode we spoke with Rinpoche about the ways that these systems are being altered for Westerners, how this in-depth training is different from “coffee table dharma”, and how analytic meditation—using the mind to analyze the mind—actually works. This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to part 2, The Best Preparation for Dying Well is Living Well. Episode Links: Nitartha Institute ( http://www.nitarthainstitute.org ) Bodhi Magazine ( http://www.bodhionline.org ) Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche ( http://dpr.info ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Long-time American Zen practitioner Stuart Lachs has spent some 40 years practicing Zen. First with Suzuki Roshi at the Tassajara Monastery in California and then with Eido Shimano Roshi, Walter Nowick, and finally with Ch’an Master Sheng-yen. In all of these communities Stuart ran up against strange and unfortunate dynamics playing out between the Zen Master and their communities. After getting heavily involved with the academic and sociological study of Zen, Stuart began seeing some of the cultural (and invisible) reasons that these communities would falter, whether from sexual scandals, the intense vanity of the teacher, or worse. In this episode he shares with us some of the ways that the legitimacy, authority & power of the Zen Master are spread through the Zen institution, and how these sometimes ridiculous ideals are accepted without questions from many intelligent, well-meaning, people. If you’re a Buddhist practitioner of any sort, you won’t want to miss this conversation! This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Darker Side of Zen: Institutions Defining Reality. Episode Links: Zen Master in America: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves ( http://mandala.hr/samsara/Stuart_Lachs.The_Zen_Master_in_America.pdf ) The Sacred Canopy ( http://bit.ly/Svhwi ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

"What the teacher really offers the student is literally living proof that all this talk and the seemingly impossible goals [of Zen] can be realized in this lifetime.” – Baker Roshi in the Introduction to Zen Mind, Begineer’s Mind Stuart Lachs, who for many decades has studied Zen from within and from without, challenges the legitimacy and authority of the Zen Master by deconstructing the structures and invisible institutional systems that grant this authority to the Zen Master. Listen in to find out how Noam Chomsky’s notion of “useful doctrinal fabrications” applies to Zen, how the story of an unbroken lineage of Zen masters going back to the Buddha himself is basically bogus, how all of the elements of Zen itself weave together to form a seamless web of nearly unquestionable power, and why it’s so hard to leave these communities even if you want to. This isn’t to say that the practice of Zen isn’t extremely powerful, and Stuart himself is a huge fan of the practices therein, but it is to say that many of us aren’t aware of the ways that the institution itself defines reality for us. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Zen Masters: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves. Episode Links: Zen Mind, Begineer’s Mind ( http://bit.ly/pecQo ) Shoes Outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center ( http://bit.ly/ipGKl ) Zen Master in America: Dressing the Donkey with Bells and Scarves ( http://mandala.hr/samsara/Stuart_Lachs.The_Zen_Master_in_America.pdf ) Mahākāśyapa ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahakashyapa ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

Our conversation with Susan Piver continues this week as we wrap our discussion on the relationship between meditation and writing. We also also explore the role that intention plays in offering or marketing the dharma. Finally, we wrap up the conversation by touching in on personality theory and productivity. Find out which enneagram type the Buddha was, and why productivity systems can bring about more bliss than meditation, in one of our geekiest (and fun) conversations to date! This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Susan Piver: The Fearless Writer. Episode Links: susanpiver.com Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity ( http://bit.ly/grQY1 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

When Susan Piver’s book, The Hard Questions, hit the top of the NY Times Bestsellers list (and stayed there) she decided that she needed to deepen her practice immediately. Listen in this week as speak with Susan about her journey as a popular author and Buddhist practitioner. And if you have an interest in writing, or the creative process, you won’t want to miss out on her description of the “meditation for writers” retreats that she leads, where writers of all backgrounds are able to combine their interest in writing with the power of the retreat environment. Are creativity and meditation really all that different? This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Mind Like Space. Episode Links: How Not to be Afraid of Your Own Life ( http://bit.ly/UwJpP ) Susan Piver ( http://www.susanpiver.com ) The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity ( http://bit.ly/YX85s ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 21, 2015

The Round Table Geeks continue their exploration of Whitney Joiner’s article, “Dive-bar Dharma”. In a flurry of paradox, perspectives, humor, and exploration they tackle questions of integrating dharma into life, the Buddhist secular movements, contemplative practices in other traditions, and the historical and sociological dimensions of Dharma’s spread to the West. We hope you enjoy this dynamic and fun conversation between fellow Buddhist geeks. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Dive-bar Dharma: Making it Fresh or Sensationalizing it?. Episode Links: Dive-bar Dharma ( http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/02/20/dharma_in_dive_bars/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 30, 2015

Hokai Sobol and John Peacock continue their discussion about how the Buddha and Buddhism are described in the earliest Buddhist writings. By getting more accurate with translations of the earliest writings, Peacock believes modern Buddhism can free itself of the trappings of Religion, Humanism, and the need for consolation in the face of reality. They discuss the role and importance of critical inquiry in Buddhism’s future, and how all of this is leading to a secularization of Buddhism. This is part 2 of a 2 part series. Listen to part 1, Will the Real Buddha Please Stand Up? Episode Links: Oxford Mindfulness Center ( http://oxfordmindfulness.org ) Hokai Sobol | 21st Century Dharma ( http://www.hokai.info ) Sutta Nipata ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/index.html ) Ariyapariyesana Sutta ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.026.than.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 18, 2011

Buddhist scholar and Chaplain Danny Fisher, joins us to explore various stories, or narratives, that run through the Buddhist world. There are a variety of different kind of stories in the Buddhist tradition, including those that are more traditional and those which are more modern. Included in those narratives are Buddhist hagiographies (traditional teaching stories about important figures), historical narratives, and more modern narratives. Listen in as we try and piece apart what some of these stories are, and find out how the stories that we believe in affect us as individuals and communities. Episode Links : www.DannyFisher.org University of the West ( http://www.uwest.edu ) A People’s History of the United States ( http://amzn.to/eytcyu ) How the Swans Came to the Lake ( http://amzn.to/gtQqvB ) Buddhism in America ( http://amzn.to/hu3UWV ) Luminous Passage ( http://amzn.to/fAWiDL ) After the Ecstasy, the Laundry ( http://amzn.to/dHxc2N ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 28, 2011

We’re joined this week by Soto Zen teacher Zenkai Taiun Elliston. Along with the being the abbot of the Atlanta Soto Zen Center, Taiun is also a long-time professional designer, having trained and taught modern design. We ask him to share his perspective on the interplay and parallels between the two fields, which brings about a very interesting conversation about the aesthetic of simplicity, the importance of sensory engagement, and the nature of the medium we are exploring, whether it’s a physical medium, as in design, or the medium of consciousness itself, as in Zen. Episode Links : Silent Thunder Order ( http://silentthunderorder.org ) Atlanta Soto Zen Center ( http://www.aszc.org ) Bauhaus Design ( https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Bauhaus ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 14, 2011

We’re joined this week by Rich Fernandez, who serves as the Head of Learning and Organization Development at eBay. Rich has a long history with meditation and eastern practices, and has been working to bring secular mindfulness practice into the workplace. He shares some striking early research into the experimental programs that he’s helping to implement at eBay and also explores a larger initiative that he’s working on, called the Wisdom 2.0 Architecture. Episode Links : Wisdom 2.0 ( http://wisdom2summit.com ) Taylorism ( http://www.answers.com/topic/taylorism ) Migration of Mindfulness: Cave to Corporate America ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbJZFb3ZTrY ) The Mindful Leader ( http://amzn.to/fAq35E ) Awake at Work ( http://amzn.to/fHxw2u ) George Mumford ( http://bit.ly/gXXzYx ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 9, 2011

This week we have an intimate conversation with two young Buddhist practitioners. The first vignette is with Sophie McLaren, who practices in the Shambhala community and runs an organization dedicated to bringing Buddhism and mindful living to youth populations. The second vignette is with Wes Rosacker a Zen practitioner in the White Plum sangha and a training psychotherapist. We discuss how each of these young practitioners makes sense of their practice in terms of the rest of their lives, and how specifically they bring their practical understanding of Buddhism into their professions. Episode Links : Everybodhi : peace within, peace in the world ( http://every-bodhi.org ) Taizan Maezumi Roshi ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taizan_Maezumi ) Robert Kegan ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kegan ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 28, 2011

We’re joined this week by mother, author, and Zen teacher Karen Maezen Miller. Maezen speaks directly to the need to see through the dualisms that we create in our lives, and speaks specifically about the dualism of being a parent and a practitioner. She shares advice on how to not make one part of our life battle with other parts, and explores an empowering understanding of what monastic forms have contributed to us. She also speaks about the misunderstandings that can plague our meditation practice, and where these originate from. Episode Links : www.KarenMaezenMiller.com Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life ( http://amzn.to/hwJwjh ) Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood ( http://amzn.to/gEA5Hc ) Hazy Moon Zen Center ( http://www.hazymoon.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 14, 2011

We conclude our discussion with spiritual teacher Sally Kempton—who has her spiritual roots in the Hindu tantra tradition of Kashmir Shaivism—this time speaking about some of the crucial secrets that she has discovered about deepening in meditation. She begins by sharing how she overcame a period where she had been stopping short in her meditation. She shares how she used her spiritual heart and an intention to move into everything to arose in her practice to continue deepening on the path. She also speaks about how important it is to consider the relationship we have with experience, and connects this with the understanding of relationship being a facet of Spirit. She speaks about the type of relationship one can have with experience, and how that fundamentally changes the act of meditation. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Tantric Cousins. Episode Links : www.SallyKempton.com Meditation for the Love of It: Enjoy Your Own Deepest Experience ( http://amzn.to/e1bp40 ) The Three Faces of Spirit: Where is Awareness Locating Itself? ( http://bit.ly/1MsmyTT ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 8, 2011

This week we speak with spiritual teacher Sally Kempton. Sally was a student of the influential Hindu guru Swami Muktananda and taught in his lineage for many years. She shares with us her journey of first being introduced to Swami Muktananda, how she became a teacher, and why she shifted from being a swami to teaching in a more secular capacity later on. During the 2nd half of the discussion Sally shares with us some of the history of the tantric non-dual system of Kashmir Shaivism, which is a close cousin to Indian Tantric Buddhism. She compares and contrasts the two systems, and also goes into detail concerning some of the crucial texts, practices, and philosophical tenets of the tradition. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Secrets of Meditation. Episode Links: www.SallyKempton.com Meditation for the Love of It: Enjoy Your Own Deepest Experience ( http://amzn.to/e1bp40 ) Kashmir Shaivism ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_Shaivism ) Vasugupta ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasugupta ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 31, 2011

We’re joined this week Krista Tippett, host of the award-winning radio show “Being.” Krista begins the discussion by sharing how she went from being the chief aide to the US Ambassador in Germany, during the cold war era, to asking deep spiritual and ethical questions. This questioning led her to study theology at Yale, and then sometime after start her current show, which started off with the title, “Speaking of Faith.” She also shares how she first was introduced to meditation and contemplative practice, and where those practices has taken her since. Finally, we close the interview by exploring the “re-integration of our inner selves and outer lives.” Krista shares how she creates a space to bring out the wisdom of re-integration with her guests on Being, inviting them into “conversations of the soul.” Episode Links : Krista Tippett On Being Einstein’s God : Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit Speaking of Faith : Why Religion Matters–and How to Talk About It See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 24, 2011

Leading game designer Jane McGonigal joins guest host Rohan Gunatillake to explore the relationship between games and well-being, and see what clues they might hold for the future of Buddhist practice. Jane starts with a surprising disclose: she is a meditation practitioner and has been studying Buddhism for the last 5 years, since she was a grad student in Berkley. She explains how her work with game design and development ties in with her interest in meditation, explaining the strong overlap between the positive qualities cultivated through good games, and those cultivation through mental training. Rohan proposes that the Buddha’s own story could be likened to a type of epic video game, and building off of that discusses the likelihood of being able to design a game that actively cultivates the 7 factors of awakening—a classic Buddhist list on the qualities that lead to enlightenment. Jane speaks about enlightenment as an “epic win” and maintains that gaming has the very real potential to cultivate the factors of awakening. Episode Links : www.JaneMcGonigal.com Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World ( http://amzn.to/hFADgH ) World Without Oil ( http://www.worldwithoutoil.org ) Superstruct ( http://bit.ly/1MslRdl ) Institute for the Future ( http://www.iftf.org ) www.21awake.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 17, 2011

Senior Shambhala teacher David Nichtern joins us to geek out about some of the potential consequences of our rapidly developing technologies on the Vajrayana tradition. We speak extensively about the ramifications of greater degrees of virtual reality, how our sense experiences (what in Buddhism are referred to as the ayatanas) are already virtual, and how visualization practice, in particular, could be impacted by these developments. We also speak about the importance of “authentic presence”, or what David’s son Ethan calls “Keepin’ it Real”, as Buddhism moves forward into future generations. Episode Links : www.DavidNichtern.com Karma Choling ( http://www.karmecholing.org ) The Singularity is Near ( http://amzn.to/hj60E7 ) Tibetan Buddhism’s Insights Into Virtual Reality ( http://www.davidnichtern.com/?p=686 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 10, 2011

This week guest host Rohan Gunatillake of 21awake.com interviews spiritual entrepreneur Nick Jankel. They explore the notion of “enlightened entrepreneurship,” discussing why it is that spirituality and business often seem at such odds. Nick shares some of his own background and aim in business and speaks about the secular path of an entrepreneur as bodhisattva. The conversation winds down with a discussion of the “cult of the individual” and how egoic behavior is so often rewarded in business, the nature of unhealthy power in enterprise, and a call to a more peer-to-peer form of spirituality. Episode Links: www.NickJankel.com Wisdom 2.0 ( http://wisdom2summit.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 20, 2010

For this 200th anniversary edition, the microphone is turned around on the regular host, Vincent Horn. Our guest host for this week’s episode is the UK-based blogger of 21awake.com , Rohan Gunatillake. Rohan asks Vincent about his personal practice history leading up to Buddhist Geeks, and also how the project affected his practice since then. They also explore some of the exciting trends in the development of Western Buddhism, as well as the more worrisome ones. Finally, we explore where Buddhist Geeks is going from here, how it’s mission is continuing to evolve, and what big projects are coming up to help us “Discover the Emerging Face of Buddhism.” In particular they talk about the vision behind the newly announced, Buddhist Geeks | The Conference, set to happen July 29th – 31st, 2011 in Los Angeles. Episode Links : www.VincentHorn.com Buddhist Geeks Conference ( www.buddhistgeeks.com/conference/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 10, 2010

We’re joined this week by Insight Meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg, to talk about her latest book, “Real Happiness” and also about meditation as an emerging part of secular culture. This interview was recorded during a conference at Emory University in which Dalai Lama spoke about secular ethics as the most relevant approach to humanity’s issues. He pointed out that much of the world isn’t interested in religious forms, and so the liberating message of Buddhism can be conveyed in more secular ways. In this discussion sharon shares her understanding of this trend toward secularization, and also shares some specific ways that she is participating in this broader movement. Episode Links : www.SharonSalzberg.com Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation ( http://amzn.to/hg4MDM ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 29, 2010

Many Buddhist figures have things to say about wise engagement with technology, but many of these same figures are not technologists themselves, and so have a limited view, or understanding, of the full range of what technology is, and perhaps of what it means. This week, to explore these very questions, we speak again with leading technologist Kevin Kelly. He shares his unique view on how technology should be selectively minimized on the individual level, while simultaneously maximizing the pool of technologies in the world at large. We also explore the parallel philosophies of Buddhism—especially with regards to its emphases on interdependence and impermanence—with the cybernetic process philosophy that Kelly is familar with. This techno-geek-philosophy shares many overlapping views on the nature of reality, but is strikingly different in many ways. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Technium. Episode Links : www.KK.org What Technology Wants ( http://amzn.to/9l5NqS ) “When the Mind Wanders, Happiness Also Strays” ( http://nyti.ms/eRisjo ) Cool Tools ( http://www.kk.org/cooltools/ ) What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry ( http://amzn.to/hNmiCo ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 22, 2010

We’re joined this week by celebrated technologist and co-founder of Wired Magazine, Kevin Kelly. Kevin shares how he went from a back-to-the-lander hippie in his early youth, to becoming one of the most important technological thinkers alive today. We then explore one of the central ideas of Kelly’s technological philosophy, what he calls the technium. He shares how the technium can be dated all the way back to the beginning of the universe, and explains how the technium—a type of super-organism of interdependent technologies—can actually increase degrees of freedom and choice in the universe. Closing up the conversation we discuss whether the technium is a neutral force, or if it has some inherent goodness. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Wise Use of Technology. Episode Links : www.KK.org What Technology Wants ( http://amzn.to/9l5NqS ) Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, & the Economic World ( http://amzn.to/csaSS0 ) Wired Magazine ( http://www.wired.com ) Ted Nelson ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Nelson ) The Technium ( http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 15, 2010

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche—a dynamic and engaging Gen X Tibetan Lama who has spent half of his life living in the West—joins us to explore several key points related to the development of a more contemporary Buddhism. We explore some ideas from his newest book, Rebel Buddha, including the idea that there is an essential aspect to Dharma that goes beyond culture, the ways that teachings on emptiness are often confused or misunderstood, and the nature of enlightenment and the possibility of awakening in the here and now. Episode Links : Rebel Buddha ( http://www.rebelbuddha.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 8, 2010

We’re joined this week by Buddhist teacher Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel to explore some of the topics from her most recent book, The Power of an Open Question . Elizabeth speaks about the nature of questioning, and why questioning is one of the best ways to come in accordance with the way things are. She also explores the qualities of faith & doubt, how questioning fits in with both, and how skepticism and openness are related. We finish the discussion off by looking at how the quality of “not knowing,” that often gets developed through sincere questioning, might manifest in our human relationships. If you’re looking for answers, this may not be the episode for you! Episode Links : The Power of an Open Question ( http://amzn.to/cbeXst ) Madyamika Prasangika ( http://bit.ly/1CQJ4Ti ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 1, 2010

We’re joined this week by author, teacher, and Tibetologist Glenn Mullin. During our conversation with Glenn we focus primarily on a system of teachings in the Tantric tradition called The Six Yogas of Naropa. He speaks about each aspect of the practice—including such practices as sexual yoga, dream yoga, and bardo yoga—and also explains why he thinks the 6 yogas are a perfect compliment for the modern lifestyle. Episode Links : www.GlennMullin.com The Practice of the Six Yogas of Naropa ( http://amzn.to/cEm5jP ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 18, 2010

Insight meditation teacher James Baraz joins us to explore the many facets of joy, happiness, and well-being. We begin by finding out how joy became an important part of James’ practice, since in his early years with Buddhism he was, in his own words, “dead serious about practice.” It turns out that part of what helped him break the spell was the Advaita Vedanta teacher, H.W.L Poonja, as well as the teachings that the Buddha himself gave on joy and well-being. We also look at the positive psychology movement, which James pulls from often in his teachings on Joy, comparing and contrasting positive psychology with Buddhist psychology. And finally we discuss what it means to cultivate Joy, and how that cultivation relates to a recognition of Natural Joy (the joy that’s present without any special effort). Episode Links : www.JamesBaraz.com Awakening Joy: 10 Steps That Will Put You on the Road to Real Happiness ( http://amzn.to/bnPnPR ) Authentic Happiness ( http://amzn.to/9DIPlr ) H.W.L Poonja ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._W._L._Poonja ) Nibanna for Everyone, by Ajahn Buddhadassa ( http://www.scribd.com/doc/265212/Nibbana-for-Everyone ) Dvedhavitakka Sutta: Two Sorts of Thinking (Majjhima Nikaya 19) ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.019.than.html ) Transcendental Dependent Arising ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel277.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 11, 2010

Bodhipaksa is a teacher from the Triratna Buddhist Community, formerly the Friends of the Western Buddhist Order. He joins us this week to explore the Buddhist teachings on impermanence and “change blindness.” We also explore one of the central practices that he teaches, called the 6-elements practice—one of the primary methods found in the earliest strata of Buddhist teachings. Finally, we explore the importance of enlightenment in his teaching, what is traditionally called stream-entry, but which he refers to as “entry-level enlightenment.” Episode Links: www.bodhipaksa.com Living As a River: Finding Fearlessness in the Face of Change ( http://amzn.to/aMZqzN ) Dhatu-vibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Properties ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.140.than.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 4, 2010

We speak with Lama Surya Das this week about what it takes to integrate spiritual understanding into our lives as 21st century citizens. He explores the question of whether our sense of time has sped up in the “over-information age,” and how we can change our relationship to time. He also shares the outlines of what he calls the Six Building Blocks of a Spiritual Life—a post-traditional model aimed at integrating the inner and outer dimensions of life. We conclude our discussion by looking at what he calls, “Positive Buddhism.” Positive Buddhism is a formulation of the Buddhist teachings that emphasize some of the more life-affirming aspects of the awakened life, instead of some of the more life-denying aspects, such as suffering, renunciation, and non-attachment. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, The Tao of Twitter. Episode Links: www.Surya.org The Mind is Mightier Than the Sword ( http://amzn.to/cmIOru ) Positive Psychology ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_psychology ) Awakening the Buddha Within ( http://amzn.to/9HeJJ0 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 28, 2010

When it comes to leveraging the technologies of our time, Lama Surya Das is one of the most active American Buddhists around. He blogs, tweets, skypes, hosts webinars, and participates in virtual retreats. And yet he acknowledges that if it were completely up to him, he’d be leading meditation retreats in-person and writing books. We speak with Surya Das on why he has decided to engage these technologies, as opposed to treating them merely as distractions or as “necessary evils,” as so many teachers do. We explore both the upsides and downsides of what he refers to as, “beaming, streaming media.” As he points out during the interview, he feels he has two feet firmly planted in the old tradition, and two feet firmly planted in the new. What happens when someone is immersed in both? This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Living in Buddha Standard Time. Episode Links : @LamaSuryaDas ( www.twitter.com/LamaSuryaDas ) www.Surya.org The Tao of Twitter: The Spirit in the Machine ( http://bit.ly/9wtD4c ) Dzogchen Center ( http://dzogchen.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 13, 2010

We’re joined this week by Flamenco guitarist and Zen practitioner Ottmar Liebert. Ottmar shares the story of how he broke with his childhood religion of Catholicism, started doing Transcendental Meditation, and then found his spiritual home in the Zen tradition. We also discuss the nature of practice, and compare how it manifests in both music and meditation. We also explore the distinction between solitary practice and performance, seeing what parallels to music we might find in Zen. Episode Links: www.OttmarLiebert.com Petals on the Path ( http://www.ottmarliebert.com/music/album/petals-on-the-path ) Letter to a Young Musician #1 ( http://www.ottmarliebert.com/diary/?p=6374 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 6, 2010

“You need not make efforts to create non-conceptuality. You need not regard thoughts as a fault. And so that your practice does not succumb to famine, from the beginning have a bountiful crop. Not searching for a state that is calmly resting, vividly clear, and filled with bliss, bring into your experience whatever arises without taking it up or discarding it.” – Orgyenpa We’re joined again this week by one of our favorite Buddhist Geeks, Robert Spellman. In our discussion with him, we delve into the often tenuous relationship that meditators have to their own thoughts. Robert shares a profound teaching from a 13th century Tibetan teacher, Orgyenpa, on how to relate to the thinking mind. He also talks about the difficulty in getting personally identified with insights, and explores what is meant by “non-meditation.” For those meditators out there who are interested in having a more empowering and healthy relationship to their own minds, this promises to be a very interesting interview. Episode Links : www.RobertSpellman.com Orgyenpa ( http://www.kagyuoffice.org/kagyulineage.karmapa2.html#Orgyenpa ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 30, 2010

We’re joined again by meditation teacher Jason Siff to conclude our exploration of the fundamental ideas and practices behind his unique approach of Unlearning Meditation, or what he calls Recollective Awareness. We begin with exploring what recollection, or mindfulness, is and how it can be harnessed through a practice of meditative journaling. Jason continues his deconstruction of the type of prescribed practices which suggest doing something “all of the time” and suggests instead that we find out for ourself what meditation is about and where it is leading. We wrap up the discussion by exploring a different way of developing samadhi, a method that Jason describes as “drifting off in meditation.” This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Unlearning Meditation. Episode Links : Skillful Meditation Project ( http://www.skillfulmeditation.org ) Unlearning Meditation: What to Do When the Instructions Get In the Way ( http://amzn.to/c0iBUm ) A Mindful Balance ( http://www.alanwallace.org/spr08wallace_comp.pdf ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 23, 2010

“Meditation instructions that disallow thinking, reflection, or being open to the full range of experience usually imply a distrust of the mind.” – Jason Siff We’re joined by meditation teacher and author Jason Siff, to explore what happens when meditation instructions and techniques get in the way. Jason explains that meditation instructions and rules contain within them certain limitations, that can lead to impasses in our practice. We explore Jason’s approach, Recollective Awareness, as well as discussing the role that both trust and intention play in untangling these unhelpful meditation habits. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Episode Links : Skillful Meditation Project ( http://www.skillfulmeditation.org ) Unlearning Meditation: What to Do When the Instructions Get In the Way ( http://amzn.to/c0iBUm ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 16, 2010

We’re joined this week by filmmaker Michael Trigilo, to explore some of the themes from his newest allegorical documentary, “Bodhisattva, Superstar.” Included in our conversation are questions around what it means to be “spiritual but not religious”, what purpose Religion serves and what difficulties come with it, and why anger is such a hot topic in the Buddhist tradition? We also discuss controversy in spiritual communities—with Michael highlighting his own experience of disappointment and disillusionment—and how these controversies and scandals can become opportunities for a more transparent “cultural conversation” to occur. Finally he shares what he hopes both Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike might get from watching this edgy and sophisticated Buddhist documentary. Episode Links : Bodhisattva, Superstar ( http://www.starve.org/superstar/ ) “The Buddha” on PBS ( http://www.pbs.org/thebuddha/ ) Bewitched, Buddhist, and Bewildered ( http://conceptualart.dreamhosters.com/npr/archives/102 ) The Kalama Sutra ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/soma/wheel008.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 28, 2010

We’re joined this week by clinical psychologist and Buddhist practitioner John Welwood. John has spent his entire adult life exploring the intersection between Eastern and Western psychological approaches. In our discussion we cover the following topics: the three realms of human experience, spiritual bypassing (a term that John coined), the Buddhist perfections, waking up and growing up as different tracks of human development, and the ways that spiritual awareness can be used in service of psychological growth and well-being. Episode Links: www.JohnWelwood.com Toward a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path of Personal and Spiritual Transformation ( http://amzn.to/bKvera ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 21, 2010

We’re joined again by British meditation teacher, Christopher Titmuss, to continue our exploration into the powerful, and often challenging, realm of human sexuality. Christopher shares a couple of stories of monks dealing with sexuality, one a traditional story and the other a story of a 92 year old monk that he practiced with in Thailand. He also explains that if sexual energy, which is a natural part of our humanity, is repressed than it can wreak havoc on how we engage in the world. Finishing up our conversation with Christopher, we ask him if there’s anything he’d like to share with the Buddhist Geeks listeners. He responds with a very interesting caution on not over-emphasizing the development of the mind, over the development of the heart and the vibrancy of our “feeling lives.” This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1, The Place of the Erotic. Episode Links: www.ChristopherTitmuss.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 14, 2010

We’re joined this week by Insight meditation teacher and engaged activist Christopher Titmuss. Our main topic of exploration is the place of sexuality, eros, and love in the practice of Dharma. Contained within that topic we explore what is often meant by the word ‘desire’ in English, and how that differs from the what the Buddha taught as the source of suffering, tanha (often translated as thirst or craving). Christopher explains some of the historical reasons that Buddhism has not be able to provide many helpful suggestions concerning sexuality, and also challenges what he sees as a common orthodox among Western teachers and practitioners in regards to sexuality and relationships. We conclude our conversation by exploring the importance—in a cultural climate where long-term monogamous relationships are becoming more and more rare—of treating the ending of relationships with greater care. “How,” Christopher asks, “if we are ending a relationship, can we make a transition from intimacy to that of a caring friendship?” This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Working with Sexual Energy. Episode Links: Bodh Gaya Retreats ( http://www.bodhgayaretreats.org ) www.ChristopherTitmuss.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 8, 2010

Secular Buddhist teacher Stephen Batchelor joins us to explore some of the ideas presented in his newest book, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist. We start off by examining the two Buddhist doctrines of karma and rebirth, using the original teachings of the Buddha, especially the “imponderables” as a touchstone for the conversation. Stephen’s basic claim being that the belief in rebirth doesn’t have sufficient evidence behind it, and it actually takes away from the core practices and teachings of the Buddha. We conclude the interview by exploring the difference between agnosticism and atheism, which Stephen claims can be integrated together into what he calls an “ironic atheism.” Episode Links : Stephen and Martine Batchelor ( http://www.stephenbatchelor.org ) Buddhism Without Beliefs ( http://amzn.to/bHGkI7 ) Confession of a Buddhist Atheist ( http://amzn.to/9WL5X1 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 31, 2010

This week we speak to vipassana meditation teacher, and psychotherapist Trudy Goodman. Trudy completes the story of her early Zen days, and also describes how she transitioned into becoming a vipassana teacher. She also shares some of her training in psychology, wherein she studied with the famous child developmentalist, Jean Piaget in France. She was eventually led her to work with children diagnosed with extreme developmental disorders, and with adults as well. Trudy shares how her practice of meditation was crucial in supporting people in their own therapeutic process, and how the key for all therapists who want to practice some sort of mindful therapy is to really practice and become familiar with their own mind. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Zen, Vipassana, & Psychotherapy. Episode Links: Jean Piaget ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Piaget ) InsightLA ( http://www.insightla.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 24, 2010

This week we speak to vipassana and Zen teacher, Trudy Goodman. Trudy shares how she got into both Buddhist meditation and psychotherapy, and uses her story to illustrate the powerful ways that these different methods can compliment one another. Trudy also reflects on the differences between her experience in Zen training with Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn, and her practice of vipassana meditation. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, The Mindful Therapist. Episode Links: Zen Master Seung Sahn ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seung_Sahn ) Insight Meditation Society ( http://www.dharma.org ) InsightLA ( http://www.insightla.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 1, 2010

This week we’re joined by Zen teacher Jiun Foster, who is actively involved in teaching dharma in the virtual world of Second Life. We speak with him about what it’s like being a participant in Second Life, and what the limitations and strengths of Second Life are, compared to other social media technologies. Finally, we patch in Adam Tebbe, the wizard behind the curtain, to share some details of the organization he helped start, that is responsible for getting so many good dharma teachers onto Second Life. Episode Links: Kannonji Zen Retreat ( http://kannonjiretreat.com ) Five Mountain Buddhist Seminary ( http://five-mountain.org ) Zen Sitting Group of Cincinnati ( http://cincinnatizen.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 21, 2008

Join the Geeks of the Round Table as we discuss an article published on Salon.com entitled, Dive-bar Dharma. The geeks explore several questions, sparked by this article, including whether or not we should update ancient metaphors with more contemporary metaphors? Also of interest is how far teachers should go in adapting the teachings of the Buddha to the culture and counter-cultures that they teach within? How do we discover the fine between making the dharma more fresh and relevant and of sensationalizing it? This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Every Generation Creates the Dharma Anew. Episode Links: Dive-bar Dharma ( http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/02/20/dharma_in_dive_bars/ ) Buddhist Peace Fellowship ( http://www.bpf.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 14, 2008

"Real creative expression, to me, is a process of discovery … It’s entering the mystery." – Daido Roshi John Daido Loori, Roshi continues his discussion with Robert Spellman on the intersection between contemporary art and contemplative awareness. The two teachers share revealing stories about their understanding of the importance of meditative awareness in the creative process, and of specific exercises that one can do to tap into deeper ways of seeing, participating, and merging with the creative process. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Zen Mountain Monastery: Zen and the Arts. Episode Links : The Eight Gates of Zen: A Program of Zen Training ( http://bit.ly/11HmaQ ) Zen Environmental Studies Institute ( http://www.mro.org/zesi/ ) Robert Spellman ( http://www.robertspellman.com ) Zen Mountain Monastary ( http://www.mro.org/zmm/ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 7, 2008

John Daido Loori, Roshi abbot of the Zen Mountain Monastery in NY and well-known Buddhist author, joins us to discuss the history and development of his teaching, especially with regards to the key role that Art plays in Zen practice. Naropa University teacher Robert Spellman joins us as guest host to ask Daido Roshi about the 8 gates of zen, Roshi’s training with Minor White, the difference between Western and Eastern forms of art, how the wildness of nature relates to Buddha-Nature, and ethical issues of taking responsibility for one’s state of mind and their art work. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to part 2, Everything Arises in the Mind of the Yogi. Episode Links: Mysticism – by Evelyn Underhill ( http://bit.ly/aQOOs ) Zen Mountain Monastary ( http://www.mro.org/zmm/ ) Robert Spellman ( http://www.robertspellman.com ) Minor White ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_White ) The Eight Gates of Zen: A Program of Zen Training ( http://bit.ly/11HmaQ ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 24, 2008

Where does awareness tend to locate itself? And how is this important in our experience and understanding of the Buddhist path of awakening? This week Diane Musho Hamilton—Zen sensei and Big Mind lineage holder—joins us again to discuss the importance of what Ken Wilber calls the three faces of spirit. Using this powerful notion as a lens we explore questions about how and why lineage is passed down, the way that Buddhism adapts to new cultures and why it is particularly vulnerable to being destroyed, how cultural development impacts the tradition, issues surrounding the master-disciple relationship, and finally whether or not one can regulate the erotic impulse. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1: Discover Yourself as a Perspective-Taking Being. Episode Links : BigMind.org Women Who Sleep with Their Gurus … and Why They Love It ( http://bit.ly/1HO1QHI ) Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind ( http://bit.ly/732ga ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 24, 2008

Diane Musho Hamilton, Zen sensei and Big Mind lineage holder, joins us to discuss her personal story on the path of awakening. From experiencing the death of several friends at a young age, to studying with Chogyam Trunpga in the mid-80s, to becoming the first lineage holder of a unique new spiritual process called Big Mind, join us as Diane shares the intimate details of her life as a seeker (and non-seeker). In this dialogue we also touch in on the importance that the work of integral philosopher Ken Wilber has had on her teaching, especially with regards to what Wilber calls the three primordial perspectives. These three perspectives can be summarized by the pronouns, “I” (first-person), “we” (second-person), and “it” (third-person). Find out why these perspectives are so important to someone who is trying to bring together the spiritual quest with all of their other endeavors. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2, The Three Faces of Spirit: Where is Awareness Locating Itself? Episode Links : BigMind.org Integral Institute ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integral_Institute ) Ken Wilber ( http://www.kenwilber.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 17, 2008

We continue our discussion with Buddhist teacher and author, B. Alan Wallace, on the impact of the recently completed Shamatha Project. Dr. Wallace shares the astounding levels of concentration that were achieved during the 3-month retreats he led and tells us more about the achievement of shamatha. Find out how deep the students on this retreat went, and why nearly %20 of them decided to continue on with intensive retreat practice after it was over! Dr. Wallace also discusses the potential impact that a study of this magnitude could have on the scientific community as well as the culture-at-large. Questions that the study aimed to answer included, “Is it possible to train attention?” & “Does meditation have an effect on ethics?”. While the answers may be obvious to meditators, having them scientifically validated could have a major impact on the fields of education, mental health, and psychology. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1: Reverberations from The Shamatha Project . Episode Links : The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind ( http://bit.ly/HIW1o ) Embracing Mind: The Common Ground of Science and Spirituality ( http://bit.ly/1at9hH ) Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies ( http://www.sbinstitute.com ) AlanWallace.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 10, 2008

B Alan Wallace, author of “The Attention Revolution” and “Embracing Mind”, joins us to discuss the initial results from The Shamatha Project—one of the most extensive studies on the long-term benefits of meditation practice ever conducted. The terabytes of data that were collected during the course of the retreat-study included physiological and psychological measurements, thousands of entries from student journals, and the ongoing evaluations from Dr. Wallace as he interviewed with the students. Find out what his evaluations were, and how deeply the yogi’s progressed over the course of their 3-month retreats. Also listen is in to hear Dr. Wallace’s perspective on the relationship between shamatha and vipassana, and whether deep states of shamatha are necessary pre-requisites for the advanced practices of insight found in the Buddhist tradition. This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2: Unwavering Samadhi: Meditative Achievement and Its Impact in the World . Episode Links : The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind ( http://bit.ly/HIW1o ) Embracing Mind: The Common Ground of Science and Spirituality ( http://bit.ly/1at9hH ) Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies ( http://www.sbinstitute.com ) AlanWallace.org See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 3, 2008

Have you ever considered what it would be like to cultivate, what in the Buddhist tradition are called the siddhis or magical powers? Buddhist magic is an endlessly fascinating topic, and in this episode we speak with Daniel Ingram, one of our favorite guests here on Buddhist Geeks, about the powers. We cover their historical treatment by some of the major traditions, including the Zen, Tibetan, and Theravada. Daniel also gives us his first-hand experience having explored the powers, and considers the implications of doing public magic, and whether or not this kind of magic is “objectively real”. We also discuss the ethical issues involved in using magic and issues of reproducibility. Finally, we take a look at the ancient text, The Fruits of the Homeless Life, and explore what was said in that text about the powers, especially about the greatest power of all, the power of insight. Episode Links : Mahasi Sayadaw ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahasi_Sayadaw ) InteractiveBuddha.com Pa Auk Sayadaw ( http://www.paauk.org ) The Fruits of the Homeless Life ( http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.02.0.than.html ) Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha ( http://bit.ly/E1tF ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 25, 2008

The Geeks of the Round Table™ continue their discussion on the Big Mind process and the criticisms from Zen teacher Brad Warner, in his article Big Mind™ is a Big Load™ of Horse Shit (link goes to SuicideGirls, an alt porn site). The geeks focus on these criticisms which include charging for the dharma, the nature of an authentic transmission, trademarking Dharma practice, ethical issues with marketing the dharma, and issues of confusing personal psychology with transpersonal states and stages. Hold on to your seat and be prepared to be whisked into a world of geeky and fun banter between these young (and foolhardy) practitioners. This is Part two of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1: McZen: A Double Satori with Cheese. Episode Links : Seth Godin ( http://www.sethgodin.com ) Sex, Ecology, Spirituality ( http://bit.ly/awSyG ) BigMind.org Instant Enlightenment: Fast, Deep, and Sexy ( http://bit.ly/H1vIn ) Tracing Back the Radiance: Chinul’s Korean Way of Zen ( http://bit.ly/1aB1KR ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 18, 2008

This is an experimental dialogue called Geeks of the Round Table. In this session we speak with two young Buddhist practitioners in a round-table format about Brad Warner’s criticisms of the Big Mind process, in an article he wrote called, Big Mind™ is a Big Load™ of Horse Shit . We are joined by a student of Genpo Roshi’s as well as someone who has a more skeptical view of the Big Mind process. This quick-paced dialogue covers a number of interesting topics including the difference between altered states and permanent traits, issues of marketing the Dharma, the nature of skillful means, transmission and practice, the important dialectic between tradition and innovation, and the recipe for a sensational new sandwich, the double satori with cheese. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2: Geeks of the Round Table™. Episode Links: Skillful Means / Upaya ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skillful_means ) Big Mind Zen Center ( http://bigmind.org ) Big Mind(tm) Sucks (Part a Million) ( http://hardcorezen.blogspot.com/2010/04/big-mind-sucks-part-million.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 11, 2008

Crazy Wisdom, a phrase coined by the late Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, is used to describe uncommon, unique, and even wild ways of sharing wisdom. Wes Nisker, insight meditation teacher, shares with us his connection to the crazy wisdom teachers of the past, including such spiritual teachers as Jesus, Rumi, Kabir, and Benkei as well as philosophers, scientists, and artists from the Western tradition. We discuss the importance of crazy wisdom, especially with regards to it’s ability to pave the way for new ways of thinking. Quoting Oscar Wilde, Wes explains that, “all great truths begin as blasphemy.” At the end of the talk we share an except from Wes Nisker’s comic monologue album, with a track entitled Meeting the Buddha on the Road. With his own unique brand of Crazy Wisdom, Wes shares his initial exposure to the dharma and to the difficult, albeit funny, truth of how the mind works. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Atto, Zepto, and Yacto: The Buddhist Marx Brothers and Part 2: Science as the Western Wisdom Tradition. Episode Links : The Big Bang, The Buddha, and the Baby Boom ( http://bit.ly/D9jv7 ) Crazy Wisdom Saves the Day Again!: Handbook for a Spiritual Revolution ( http://bit.ly/izX6Q ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 4, 2008

“The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained to liberation from the self.” – Einstein One would think that the above quote would come from one of the East’s great sages, but instead it comes from one of the last centuries most celebrated physicists. In this episode Wes Nisker shares with us his understanding of the similarities and differences amongst the Eastern and Western approaches to knowledge. He uses the human brain and it’s two hemispheres as a metaphor for understanding these two different, and yet intimately related perspectives, and explores whether or not science is actually be a valid wisdom tradition. We also discuss issues of intelligent design and evolution, as well as what it’s like to look at the history of humanity through a “deep time” perspective. Enjoy this fast-paced and intellectually stimulating dialogue. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Atto, Zepto, and Yacto: The Buddhist Marx Brothers, and Part 3: Crazy Wisdom Saves the Day! Episode Links : The Big Bang, The Buddha, and the Baby Boom ( http://bit.ly/D9jv7 ) Einstein: His Life and Universe ( http://bit.ly/aEW2wV ) Einstein and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings ( http://bit.ly/Sm6v7 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 28, 2008

What would it be like if we were able to extend the silence & clarity of the meditative mind into our relationships? Would this impact how we listen, what we say, and even how we perceive reality? Gregory Kramer, teacher of a unique interpersonal meditation called Insight Dialogue, claims that it does this and much more. In this dialogue we find out about the specifics of the Insight Dialogue practice, covering each of the six steps of this practice (see below), as well as exploring what it’s like to be on a retreat where both individual and interpersonal contemplation takes place. The six steps of Insight Dialogue: Pause Relax Open Trust Emergence Listen Deeply Speak the Truth This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1, Interpersonal Meditation: Awakening as Relational Beings. Episode Links : Insight Dialogue: An Interpersonal Path to Freedom ( http://bit.ly/U4EAi ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 21, 2008

We speak to insight meditation teacher and comedian Wes Nisker about humor, enlightenment, and the way that the scientific vision has impacted and informed the teachings of the Buddha. Quoting Wavy Gravy, Wes comments that, “If you don’t have a sense of humor, it just isn’t that funny.” Wes, who also has a passion for science, shares the Buddha’s teachings on karma and impermanence and how those teachings relate to the current state of science. Find out how much happens in a yactosecond, and what science and the Buddhist teachings in karma have in common. This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2: Science as the Western Wisdom Tradition & Part 3: Crazy Wisdom Saves the Day! Episode Links : The Big Bang, The Buddha, and the Baby Boom ( http://bit.ly/D9jv7 ) Inquiring Mind ( http://www.inquiringmind.com ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 14, 2008

Gregory Kramer, teacher of an interpersonal meditation practice called Insight Dialogue (and author of a book with the same title) joins us to explore the question of, “What is the path of awakening, when we realize that we are essentially relational beings?” We discuss his early path as a meditator and the later work that contributed to the co-creation of the dialogic meditation practice, insight dialogue. We also delve into the interpersonal truths behind the 4 noble truths, especially as they relate to interpersonal suffering and hunger, and see how interpersonal meditation is one way to become free both personally and relationally. This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2, Insight Dialogue: Extending Meditation into Mutuality. Episode Links : Insight Dialogue: An Interpersonal Path to Freedom ( http://bit.ly/U4EAi ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 7, 2008

Jundo Cohen, student of Gudo Wafu Nishijima Roshi, and abbot of the almost completely virtual Treeleaf Zendo joined us to discuss his virtual sangha. Jundo formed the community to meet the needs of those people who were living in highly isolated situations, or were too sick or elderly to continue to sit with a local Sangha. Using technological tools such as Skype, U-Stream, and Operator 11 Jundo has found a way to do daily sittings, ceremonies, and even retreats online. Listen in and find out more about this ground-breaking endeavor. Episode Links : Treeleaf Zendo ( http://www.treeleaf.org ) U-Stream ( http://www.ustream.tv ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 31, 2007

We continue our discussion with spiritual teacher and dharma punk Noah Levine, and cover several more areas of interest, including the traditional Theravada ideal of enlightenment. We also discuss what it looks like to live as a Spiritual Rebel, Revolutionary, and finally a Spiritual Radical. Finally, Noah shares some of his thoughts on ways to engage environmental and political issues from a Buddhist perspective. Far from trying to escape samsara, Noah finds himself more and more interested in taking on the ideals of the Bodhisattva. We finish the dialogue asking Noah whether he thinks the Buddha was a boxers or briefs kind of guy. Be prepared to fall out of your chair (or cushion) in laughter when you hear his reply. This is the 2nd part of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1: Being Human and Suffering Less Along the Way. Episode Links : Against the Stream: A Buddhist Manual for Spiritual Revolutionaries ( http://bit.ly/KKrC8 ) Dharma Punx ( http://bit.ly/cmiwi4 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 24, 2007

Finishing up our discussion with scholar-practitioner, and Shambhala Acharaya, Judith Simmer-Brown we explore two very important issues for Western Buddhists: lineage and gender. Judith shares her take on the importance of lineage for new teachers, explaining the role of an Acharaya, and discussing the need to connect strongly to the roots of the tradition. She also warns that if as Western Buddhists we aren’t properly educated in our traditions we can’t make intelligent adaptations, however important those adaptations might be. We also discuss the role of gender in the West, acknowledging first and foremost that Western Buddhism has a very different relationship to gender then our Asian forefathers. A large percentage of Buddhist practitioners and teachers in the West are women, and as a result there have been interesting changes afoot. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1: The Scholar-Practitioner: Joining Theory and Practice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 17, 2007

Noah Levine, Buddhist teacher and dharma punk, shares the intimate details of his early lifestyle of punk rock, drugs, and jail and his climb out of a harmful way of living that was facilitated in part by meditation practice. For more details about his journey check out his spiritual memoir, Dharma Punx. He also shares with us his experience of becoming a Buddhist teacher under the tutelage of Jack Kornfield. We go on to talk about Noah’s most recent writing Against the Stream, and his unique way of expression the dharma. We also discuss the difference in how 1st generation & 2nd or 3rd generation teachers might express the Dharma in the West. He claims that there is a difference in emphasis, but that they are expressing the same fundamental teachings. We finish our conversation discussing the ideas of karma and grace, and their inter-relation, as well as the true aim of the path, which for Noah is about “being human and suffering less along the way.” This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2: The Spiritual Radical. Episode Links : Against the Stream: A Buddhist Manual for Spiritual Revolutionaries ( http://bit.ly/KKrC8 ) Dharma Punx ( http://bit.ly/cmiwi4 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 10, 2007

Judith Simmer-Brown, a professor of Religious Studies at Naropa University and authorized teacher in the Shambhala tradition speaks with us about the coming together of theoretical study and meditation practice in the context of academia—what professor Charles Prebish calls the “scholar-practitioner”. She shares with us the historical precedents for this movement in America, and how it is changing now. When asked about the benefits of doing both study and practice together, Judith shares much of what she sees are the benefits of using a “contemplative pedagogy” (or contemplative education approach) in the classroom. She also relates the danger of not bringing these two forms of practice together, in that one could become either a “stupid practitioner” or “arrogant scholar” without the grounding of the opposite discipline. We finish the conversation with Judith sharing some of resources she suggests for those people who want to deepen their theoretical understanding of the Buddhist tradition. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2: Becoming Whole: Lineage and Gender in American Buddhism. Episode Links : Master Dogen’s Shobogenzo ( http://bit.ly/1zYRW ) The New Panditas ( http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2006/spring/scholar-practitioners.html ) Dakini’s Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism ( http://bit.ly/Euzrb ) The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga ( http://bit.ly/f68Cm ) Swallowing the River Ganges : A Practice Guide to the Path of Purification ( http://bit.ly/Mbntv ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Dec 3, 2007

We continue our discussion with the Venerable Thubten Chodron, a long time Western Buddhist Nun, and founder of Sravasti Abbey in Washington State. In this dialogue she shares with us the vision behind Sravasti Abbey, discussing the benefits of living the monastic life and using community life as a means to continue to deepen practice. She also discusses the importance of monasteries in western culture, and maintains that monastics can serve as the conscience of the society, citing the recent events in Burma as an example. She also holds that monasteries are a place of hope and optimism, and that many people feel inspired and challenged by the monastic lifestyle. Before closing off the conversation she also touches on the importance of the dharma being offered freely to all people, especially with regards to gender. We hope you enjoy this conversation with one of the West’s most beloved Tibetan Nuns. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, Reformatting the Hard Disk of the Mind. Episode Links : Sravasti Abbey ( http://www.sravastiabbey.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 26, 2007

In the second half of our conversation with Buddhist teacher Diana Winston we go on to discuss the various ways that Buddhism and more secular mindfulness practices are being marketed to youth. The mindfulness movement itself seems to be one of the most promising of these different methods, as does the promulgation of Buddhist teachings via the internet. We finish off our discussion exploring the promises and perils of starting a serious practice when one is in their teens, and explore how serious, young practitioners end up often missing out on some other important areas of development. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to part 1, What Happens to the Dharma when the Boomers Die Out? Episode Links : Wide Awake: Buddhism for the New Generation ( http://bit.ly/RHZXx ) UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center ( http://www.marc.ucla.edu ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 19, 2007

Thubten Chodron, a long time Western Buddhist Nun, and founder of Sravasti Abbey in Washington State, took time with us to discuss her work as a teacher, including all of the work she has done with students online. She shared with us the potential down-sides of having a purely digital relationship with a teacher, as one doesn’t have the opportunity to see experience teacher as a living example. Chodron also commented on an issue she sees our society having with spiritual practice, in that we tend to want things to be easy and quick. Her, and other teachers, have observed a tendency to want a kind of “push-button enlightenment”. The truth, she says, is that there aren’t any shortcuts when it comes to transforming the mind and realizing suffering and it’s cessation. We finish off our conversation with Chodron exploring what has changed as Buddhism has come to the West. She mentions that much of the packaging has changed, but that it’s always a tricky process differentiating the packaging from the teachings of liberation. What is culture and what is the dharma? She gives her opinions on the subject, and shares some of the ways in which her community is trying to change with the times. We hope you enjoy this conversation with one of the West’s most beloved Tibetan Nuns. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2: Monasteries as the Conscience of Society. Episode Links : Sravasti Abbey ( http://www.sravastiabbey.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 12, 2007

Diana Winston, insight meditation teacher and author, took a break from a busy day of work from the UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center to join us in a discussion on Buddhism and youth. After sharing some insight into what her most recent work at UCLA is aiming to accomplish, Diana explored the question of whether or not youth are flocking to Buddhism today, as they did in the 60s and 70s. In her experience, the number of people under age 30 has actually increased since she was a young meditator in the early 90s, but it is still remains a small percentage of the overall demographic of Western Buddhists. We discuss why that might be the case, touching in on both historical and financial factors. We also hear from Diana about efforts that are being made at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, including teen and young-adult retreats as well as youth scholarships. She then asks the three younger participants (all of us in our 20s) what brought us to the teachings of the dharma. We finish the conversation sharing the personal reasons that we were drawn to the dharma in our late-teens and early 20s. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2: Marketing Mindfulness to the Youth. Episode Links : Wide Awake: Buddhism for the New Generation ( http://bit.ly/RHZXx ) UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center ( http://www.marc.ucla.edu ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Nov 5, 2007

In our final segment with Buddhist teacher and author Sharon Salzberg, she starts off by describing what it is like doing a retreat in the Insight Meditation tradition. She includes information about the daily structure of the retreat and also discusses what it is like to be in a silent retreat environment. Gwen and she also discuss the common experience of boredom in meditation practice, especially with regards to the conditioning that comes from living in a “culture of stimulation”. Sharon goes on to describe her experience of seeing the Bodhi Tree while in Bodh Gaya in the 70s, and about the importance of that place—what she calls “The City”. She also gives her telling of the Buddha’s experience of enlightenment under the tree. This conversation ends with Gwen asking Sharon what she sees her next steps are as a student of Buddhist practice. We hope you’ve enjoyed this wonderful series with one of America’s most well-respected Buddhist teachers. We also want to thank Gwen Bell for the interview, of which it will be her last here on Buddhist Geeks. You can find out more about Gwen and the other fantastic work she is doing at www.gwenbell.com . This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Sharon Salzberg on Now and Then & Part 2: From the Point of View of Insight Meditation. Episode Links : Insight Meditation Society ( http://dharma.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 29, 2007

In this episode we spoke with neuroscientist and Buddhist meditator Daniel Rizzuto. Vince and he discussed a number of topics including the link between contemplative and scientific methodologies, some of the potential technologies that could emerge for the neuroscientific research, including Daniel’s favorite, an empathic training device. Daniel also shared some of the meditation research he was aware of, including Dr. Sara Lazar’s research out of Harvard where she found that meditation actually affected the structural basis of the brain, as well as some of the recent meditation research that was conducted using EEG devices. We then discussed the possibility of constructing a neural map that describes a practitioners evolution, and the potential that such a map could be used to help create a device—a so called “enlightenment machine”—that could actually accelerate that process. The question soon emerged, how might this machine impact one’s ethical understanding? Can someone actually go through the process without a revolution in their ethical understanding? The Buddhist tradition often describes the inseparability of insight and ethical understanding or the unity of Emptiness and Compassion. Daniel proposed that a sub-field of neuroscience, neuroethics is an attempt at understanding the neural correlates of one’s ethical choices, such that this information could be built into a device even if it weren’t a by-product of the process of spiritual maturation. Episode Links : Cyborg Buddha Project Dr. Sara Lazar See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 22, 2007

In the 2nd part of our conversation with Sharon Salzberg, Gwen Bell speaks to her about a number of fascinating subjects. They begin with Sharon’s experience writing for secular publications, such as Oprah’s O Magazine and her experience writing her most recent book, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience. They also discuss some periods of Sharon’s practice where she was confronting the “banality of her own mind” and a large amount of suffering and despair. The conversation ends with Sharon’s account of the early days of the Insight Meditation Society. She also touches on how the organization has evolved over time, from it’s early disorganized beginning to it’s current condition as a well established center. She also discusses in detail what it’s like to do a retreat at the Retreat Center and at the newer long-term retreat facility, the Forest Refuge. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Sharon Salzberg on Now and Then & Part 3: Bodh Gaya is “The City." Episode Links : Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience ( http://bit.ly/a9qSHL ) Insight Meditation Society ( www.dharma.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 15, 2007

Sharon Salzberg co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Mass., when she was twenty-three. In this episode Salzberg shares some of the insights that she’s discovered along the way, telling stories in a way that will make them accessible to new and seasoned practitioners alike. May they illuminate your day, your car ride or your walk to work as you listen. This is part one of a three part series. Listen to Part 2: From the Point of View of Insight Meditation & Part 3: Bodh Gaya is “The City”. Episode Links : Insight Meditation Society ( www.dharma.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 8, 2007

In our final segment with meditation instructor Ethan Nichtern, he shares his perspective on selling the dharma, transforming culture, the Shambhala tradition, and the need for more dharma teachers who aren’t necessarily enlightened. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: What Did Jessica Alba Eat for Breakfast? & Part 2: Buddhism & Money – Does Priceless Mean it’s Free? Episode Links : The Interdependence Project ( http://www.theidproject.com ) One City: A Declaration of Interdependence ( http://bit.ly/pw6lx ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Oct 1, 2007

In this episode, Ryan continues his conversation with Troy Omafray and Cory Leistikow, two of his fellow classmates in Naropa University’s MA Indo-Tibetan Studies program. They discuss requirements of the program including Nitartha Institute, dathun, and Tibetan language. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1: Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Naropa University. Episode Links : Nithartha Institute ( http://www.nitarthainstitute.org ) Naropa University ( www.naropa.edu ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 24, 2007

In the 2nd part of our conversation with author, artist, and meditation instructor Ethan Nichtern we deal with the slightly off-limits topic of spirituality and money. Ethan shares his perspective on what Right Livelihood ought to look like in a market economy, where the Buddhist teachings are as valuable as many other services. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: What Did Jessica Alba Eat for Breakfast? & Part 3: How Do You Sell the Dharma? Episode Links: The Interdependence Project ( http://www.theidproject.com ) One City: A Declaration of Interdependence ( http://bit.ly/pw6lx ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 17, 2007

In this episode, Ryan chats with Troy Omafray and Cory Leistikow, two of his fellow classmates in Naropa University’s MA Indo-Tibetan Studies program. They discuss the nature of the courses, their personal experience, and what to expect if you decide to pursue the program. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2: More on Tibetan Studies at Naropa. Episode Links : Naropa University ( www.naropa.edu ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 10, 2007

Ethan Nichtern, recently published author, meditation teacher and founder of the ID Project, met with Gwen Bell in Manhattan at the Om Yoga Studio. He talks in this podcast about how, in the 21st century, we’re coming to Buddhism because we’re already very “hooked in” to the world and want to work more on discovering our own minds. This is part one of a three part series. Listen to Part 2: Buddhism & Money: Does Priceless Mean it’s Free? & Part 3: How Do You Sell the Dharma? Episode Links: The Interdependence Project ( http://www.theidproject.com ) One City: A Declaration of Interdependence ( http://bit.ly/pw6lx ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Sep 3, 2007

In our last segment with art and meditation professor Robert Spellman he shares with us a key distinction between the theoretical and the yogic and how that important distinction relates to artistic practice. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Dharmic Throw Up & Part 2: An Antidote to Seriousness. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 27, 2007

In this episode Robert Spellman delves into the liberating nature of humor and laughter. He also touches on the question of whether a genuine spiritual practice leads to a diminishing of one’s personality. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Dharmic Throw Up & Part 3: Theory, Yoga, & Art. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 20, 2007

In our final segment, speaking with Hokai Sobol and Daniel Ingram the conversation wraps up with a criticism of what is missing from some of the Buddhist leadership in the West, as well as the issues surrounding conceptuality and non-conceptuality. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Croatia, Alabama, and Colorado Collide! & Part 2: Are you Stuck? Get Unstuck! Episode Links : Hokai Sobol ( www.hokai.info ) Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha ( http://bit.ly/E1tF ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 13, 2007

This week, we had the great pleasure of speaking with teacher and artist Robert Spellman, who was a long-time student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. In the first part of the series Robert shares several personal vignettes and also introduces a somewhat (w)retched metaphor for understanding the development of the path. Sounds tasty huh!? This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2: An Antidote to Seriousness & Part 3: Theory, Yoga, & Art. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Aug 6, 2007

In the 2nd part of this interview Vincent Horn, Daniel Ingram, and Hokai Sobol continue to explore the territory of meditation and psychology, discusses the mastery of meditation techniques, and touch on how people can get unstuck if they are lost in the content and stories of their minds. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Croatia, Alabama, and Colorado Collide! & Part 3: Lacking Leadership, Lacking Conceptuality. Episode Links : Hokai Sobol ( www.hokai.info ) Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha ( http://bit.ly/E1tF ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 30, 2007

In this episode Vince Horn speaks with two of Buddhist Geeks most active users: Daniel Ingram and Hokai Sobol. They discuss the reasons that people get into Buddhist practice, what really inspires one to “go for it”, and what hinders one from doing so. They finish off their conversation touching on the differences between Western Psychology, and the territory that contemplative practice covers. This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2: Are you Stuck? Get Unstuck! & Part 3: Lacking Leadership, Lacking Conceptuality. Episode Links : Hokai Sobol ( www.hokai.info ) Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha ( http://bit.ly/E1tF ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 23, 2007

In this episode Vince talks with Theo Horesh and Duff McDuffee, two S.N. Goenka practitioners. They discuss the effects of what can be called the mass production of meditators. They also explore the differences in using a single technique or multiple techniques for realization. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1: Entrepregurus and the Meditation Factory. Episode Links : Vipassana Meditation by S.N. Goenka ( http://www.dhamma.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 16, 2007

In this episode Vince interviews Theo Horesh and Duff McDuffee, two S.N. Goenka practitioners. They discuss the techniques of the Goenka tradition and how one might see it as a meditation factory. In the next episode, they discuss the power of the Goenka approach and possible criticisms of the practice. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2: Mass Producing Meditators. Episode Links : Vipassana Meditation by S.N. Goenka ( http://www.dhamma.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 9, 2007

In this episode, the three geeks process listener feedback about podcasts and blog posts. They also discuss the future of podcasts on Buddhist Geeks and creating more dynamic conversations. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jul 2, 2007

In this episode, the three geeks gather at the Falling Fruit studio and reminisce about the first six months of Buddhist Geeks. Each discuss their favorite podcasts and posts. They also plug the new hot and sexy Buddhist Geeks t-shirts. In the next episode the geeks will discuss feedback from the sangha and the future of Buddhist Geeks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 25, 2007

At 87, Nishijima Sensei, Brad Warner’s teacher, loves the fact that he can blog. In this episode, Gwen and Brad discuss the pros and cons of using the “tech factor” to spread the Dharma. In the comment section, a few possible questions for further exploration: How important is the accumulation of “Information” in your Buddhist practice? Why can’t we have all the things we desire? Does sex equal evil? The last few minutes are questions from the Buddhist Geeks sangha members, thanks geeks! This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Buddhism is Something that Old Folks Do & Part 2: Feeding the Beast. Episode Links : Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies, & the Truth about Reality ( http://bit.ly/aAN0U7 ) Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death, and Dogen’s Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye ( http://bit.ly/bC0Bf6 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 18, 2007

In our final podcast with insight meditation teacher John Travis, he describes the training that new teachers are going through in his tradition. He also touches on the subject of enlightenment, the shadow, and our tendency to try and bypass the human condition. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: On Being a Dharma Bum & Part 2: The Dualistic Conundrum: Insight Meditation and Primordial Awareness. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 11, 2007

In this episode, Warner talks about excited states like anger, the trouble with online community, and our attachment to ego. How do we “reinforce the Self” and how do we begin to work with our anger (trigger work? just noticing?)? Two questions Brad and Gwen talk about that we invite you to discuss in the comment section at Buddhist Geeks. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Buddhism is Something that Old Folks Do & Part 3: It’s Like Phil Donahue! Episode Links : Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies, & the Truth about Reality ( http://bit.ly/aAN0U7 ) Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death, and Dogen’s Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye ( http://bit.ly/bC0Bf6 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jun 4, 2007

In the next episode with Insight Meditation teacher John Travis, he discusses how both the gradual and sudden schools of enlightenment fit in with the practice of vipassana meditation. Find out how this teacher has resolved this paradox in his own teaching and practice. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: On Being a Dharma Bum & Part 3: With the Light Comes the Dark. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 28, 2007

Anyone that’s had the chance to study with Brad Warner knows he’s young(ish), funny and knowledgeable about the Dharma. Warner’s new book, Sit Down & Shut Up, chronicles the life and times of Dogen, author of the Shobogenzo. The book simultaneously tracks Warner’s own career as a punk rock bassist and Zen teacher, weaving Dogen’s story seamlessly with his own. With warmth and humor coming through in both the book and the interview, we get a chance to hear Warner talk about the book, the four points of zazen, being bored and innate perfection. This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2: Feeding the Beast & Part 3: It’s Like Phil Donahue! Episode Links : Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies, & the Truth about Reality ( http://bit.ly/aAN0U7 ) Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death, and Dogen’s Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye ( http://bit.ly/bC0Bf6 ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 21, 2007

In this final episode with Vince Horn, he continues to share his reflections and experiences of a two-month meditation retreat he recently completed. In this podcast, he discusses the relationship between dharma study and mindfulness practice. Vince also describes his experience of leaving retreat and transitioning back into the relative world. Finally, he leaves listeners with some parting words of encouragement for those aspiring to do long-term retreats. We hope you enjoy this conversation with this insightful Buddhist Geek. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Vince Horn on Taking the Two Month Plunge & Part 2: The Vipassana Vendetta. Episode Links : VincentHorn.com ( www.vincenthorn.com ) Twitter: @VincentHorn ( www.twitter.com/vincenthorn ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 14, 2007

In the first part of our interview with Insight Meditation teacher John Travis, he shares the story of his many years of practice and seeking in India, as well as the time after that in which he had to bring what he had learned back to America. We hope you enjoy this personal account of one “dharma bums” adventures in Asia. This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2: The Dualistic Conundrum: Insight Meditation and Primordial Awareness & Part 3: With the Light Comes the Dark. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

May 7, 2007

In this episode, Vincent Horn continues to share his reflections and experiences of a two-month meditation retreat he recently completed. In this podcast, he discusses doing karma yoga during long-term retreats, state chasing in meditation and suffering and death in practice. We hope you enjoy this conversation with this insightful buddhist geek. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Vince Horn on Taking the Two Month Plunge & Part 3: Leave the Pot on the Stove. Episode Links : VincentHorn.com ( www.vincenthorn.com ) Twitter: @VincentHorn ( www.twitter.com/vincenthorn ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 30, 2007

In this final segment with Genpo Roshi, Gwen Bell is guided through the Big Mind process. This final portion of the interview gives listeners a rare opportunity to listen to the Big Mind experience happen unscripted and raw. An intimate conversation and a glimpse into one Geek’s practice, beliefs and experience. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1: Genpo Roshi on Big Mind & Part 2: Is Zen Enough? Episode Links : Big Mind – Big Heart: Finding Your Way ( http://bit.ly/JRp9q ) Big Mind Zen Center ( http://www.bigmind.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 23, 2007

In this episode Ryan Oelke interviews fellow resident geek, Vince Horn, who shares his reflections and experiences of a two-month mediation retreat he recently completed. In this first podcast, Vince talks about the role of extended retreat in his personal practice, the nuts and bolts of preparing for a long retreat, and the basics of a two-month insight meditation retreat. Whether you’re a long-time yogi or considering your first extended retreat, we think you’ll enjoy these series of podcasts with this Buddhist Geek. This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2: The Vipassana Vendetta & Part 3: Leave the Pot on the Stove. Episode Links : VincentHorn.com ( www.vincenthorn.com ) Twitter: @VincentHorn ( www.twitter.com/vincenthorn ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 16, 2007

In this segment, Genpo Roshi goes into an eloquent description of the role that Big Mind process, zazen, and koan practice can play in a more whole and integrated Zen training. He also touches on the develop of the spiritual practitioner, and his understanding of how one can progress through this developmental territory. This is an exciting conversation with one of the most controversial, and perhaps most brilliant, Zen Master alive today. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to part 1, Genpo Roshi on Big Mind and part 3, Genpo “Big Mind’s” Gwen. Episode Links : Big Mind – Big Heart: Finding Your Way ( http://bit.ly/JRp9q ) Big Mind Zen Center ( http://www.bigmind.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 9, 2007

In this episode Gwen Bell interviews Anne McQuade, a current student of Genpo Roshi and regular reader of our site. A large part of their conversation focuses on a controversial article that Brad Warner—who will be one of our future guests—published on suicidegirls.com , criticizing Genpo Roshi and the Big Mind process. * This is a stand-alone episode. * - Please be warned that this is a highly controversial episode, and the authors here at Buddhist Geeks are not trying to take sides for or against Genpo Roshi and the Big Mind process or Brad Warner and his approach. We simply want to probe into this very real issue of Western Buddhist teachers having strongly opposing opinions, even within the same tradition. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Apr 2, 2007

In this episode Gwen Bell interviews Genpo Roshi, a Western Zen teacher and lineage holder of both the Soto and Rinzai traditions. He is also the author of four books, as well as an upcoming release, Big Mind, Big Heart. In this episode Genpo Roshi discusses Big Mind, his unique method of introducing practitioners to their true nature. We hope you enjoy this conversation with Genpo Roshi and be sure to share your thoughts, insights, and experiences in the comment section. This is part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2: Is Zen Enough? and Part 3: Genpo “Big Mind’s” Gwen. Episode Links : Big Mind – Big Heart: Finding Your Way ( http://bit.ly/JRp9q ) Big Mind Zen Center ( http://www.bigmind.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 26, 2007

Fleet Maull talks about how we work with the boundaries of the self and of the heart in the maitri, bodhichitta and tonglen practices. This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1, Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Fleet Maull on Plunge Experiences. Episode Links : Peacemaker Institute ( http://www.peacemakerinstitute.org ) Dharma in Hell: The Prison Writings of Fleet Maull ( http://bit.ly/iBaRH ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 19, 2007

In our final conversation with Daniel Ingram he goes on to explore various “models of enlightenment” and weighs the relative value of these different models, which we carry around with us unconsciously. Daniel also tries to answer the all-important question of, “How does one practically go about becoming enlightened?” Dive in and enjoy this dynamic conversation that pushes the very boundaries of what we normally consider “socially appropriate” Buddhism. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1, You Can Do It! and Part 2, Enlightened Teachers. Episode Links : Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha ( http://bit.ly/E1tF ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 12, 2007

In this episode, Gwen Bell interviews Buddhist teacher Sensei Fleet Maull. Fleet recently spent a month on retreat with Roshi Bernie Glassman and the Zen Peacemakers in Massuchusetts, where he became a fully empowered Zen teacher. Fleet teaches at Naropa University and leads weekly meditation sessions there. His teachings are accessible to a wide audience and his authenticity is a breath of fresh air in the world of Buddhist teachers. In this episode Fleet shares his practice background and discusses the value of plunge experiences. This is part 1 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 2, Take Your Seat: The Importance of Boundaries in Practice. Episode Links : Peacemaker Institute ( http://www.peacemakerinstitute.org ) Dharma in Hell: The Prison Writings of Fleet Maull ( http://bit.ly/iBaRH ) Zen Peacemakers ( http://www.zenpeacemakers.org ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Mar 5, 2007

In this episode, with Theravada teacher Daniel Ingram, he breaches the taboo of enlightenment by discussing the enlightenment of other teachers. Not only that but he argues for a more transparent approach to enlightenment within certain teaching circles, in hopes that enlightenment can become more attainable. Listen and see why he thinks this will help. This is Part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1, You Can Do It! and Part 3, Models of Enlightenment. Episode Links : Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha ( http://bit.ly/E1tF ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 26, 2007

In this episode, Phil Stanley discusses lineage in Western Buddhism, the lack of western teachers, what it will take to develop more qualified individuals. Phil notes that we are in an awkward phase in Western Buddhism, where we have several intermediary teachers and few fully empowered and authorized lineage holders. He discusses the development of such teachers in terms of training and cultural and economic resources. Phil also discusses the development of Western translators. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1, Phil Stanley on the Development of Western Buddhism and Part 2, We’re Not the Cheerleaders of Buddhism. Episode Links : Naropa University ( www.naropa.edu ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 19, 2007

In 2007 Dr. Wallace will be leading a joint scientific project named The Shamatha Project. A battery of studies will be conducted in two 3-month meditation retreats (one retreat is a control group), and the results will be submitted to the most prestigious academic journals. In our final podcast with Alan Wallace he discusses this project, both in terms of its structure and his hypotheses. This is part 3 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1, Alan Wallace on Achieving Shamatha and Part 2, Get a PhD in Contemplative Science. Episode Links : The Attention Revolution ( http://bit.ly/HIW1o ) Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies ( http://www.sbinstitute.com ) The Shamatha Project ( http://www.sbinstitute.com/research_Shamatha.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 12, 2007

We’re joined this week by Daniel Ingram, MD, an authorized teacher in the Theravada tradition and an avid fan of out-right honesty with regards to the spiritual path. In this episode Daniel (aka “Dharma Dan”) shares some of his more formative experiences as a meditator, touches on some of the Buddhist maps of awakening, and shares a powerful message, namely that enlightenment is possible. This is Part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2, Enlightened Teachers and Part 3, Models of Enlightenment. Episode Links : Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha ( http://bit.ly/E1tF ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Feb 5, 2007

In our second episode with professor Phil Stanley, Phil discusses Buddhist lifestyles in the West and how our approach to practice differs from traditional Eastern practitioners. He addresses our relationship to retreats and monasticism, as well as the difficulties Westerners face in finding a livelihood that supports practice. Phil also discusses controversy over what constitutes a legitimate lineage and teacher. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1, Phil Stanley on the Development of Western Buddhism and Part 3, Where are all the Western Rinpoches? Episode Links : Naropa University ( www.naropa.edu ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 29, 2007

In our second episode with Alan Wallace, he presents a new model for “professional” contemplatives. Instead of trying to transplant the monastic model to the West, Dr. Wallace suggests that contemplation become an actual profession. Just as a neuroscientist would go to school to get a PhD and then spend 40+ hour a week working in their field, so too could we have “contemplative scientists” who devote their time to the exploration and investigation of subjective experience. This is part 2 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 1, Alan Wallace on Achieving Shamatha and Part 3, The Shamatha Project. Episode Links : The Attention Revolution ( http://bit.ly/HIW1o ) Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Consciousness Studies ( http://www.sbinstitute.com ) The Shamatha Project ( http://www.sbinstitute.com/research_Shamatha.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 22, 2007

In our first episode with scholar-practitioner Phil Stanley, professor at Naropa University, he chats with us about how he became a practitioner and his passion for Buddhist study. Phil shares his thoughts on the importance of intellectual study, as well as what changes he sees Buddhism experiencing as it takes root in the West. This is Part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2, We’re Not the Cheerleaders of Buddhism and Part 3, Where are all the Western Rinpoches? Episode Links : Naropa University ( www.naropa.edu ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 15, 2007

In our first interview featuring scholar-practitioner B. Alan Wallace, we asked Dr. Wallace to give us the low-down on his spiritual journey, as well as describe the stages of deepening relaxation and vividness of attention leading to the culmination of an attainment he calls shamatha. This is Part 1 of a three-part series. Listen to Part 2, Get a PhD in Contemplative Science and Part 3, The Shamatha Project. Episode Links : The Attention Revolution ( http://bit.ly/HIW1o ) Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Consciousness Studies ( http://www.sbinstitute.com ) The Shamatha Project ( http://www.sbinstitute.com/research_Shamatha.html ) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe

Jan 8, 2007

In our 1st episode, “Meet the Geeks” you’ll hear the three founding members of Buddhist Geeks--Vincent Horn, Ryan Oelke, & Gwen Bell--discussing the vision behind this project. By weaving together snippets of a larger conversation this podcast should give you a sense of what this project is about and how you can contribute to it. The following episodes will be interviews with Buddhist teachers, scholars, and advanced practitioners who we feel have provocative perspectives to offer. We hope you enjoy! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info . Get full access to Buddhist Geeks at www.buddhistgeeks.org/subscribe