Buddhist Geeks
471 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago - ★★★★ - 389 ratingsEvolving Dharma in the Age of the Network
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Episodes
Contributing to the Gross National Happiness
July 22, 2015 17:20 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBRichard 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, Sustain...
Happiness: There's an App For That
July 22, 2015 17:19 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBIn 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 sug...
The Jedi Mind Training of Concentration
July 22, 2015 17:18 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBIn 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 unconditi...
Mastering the Jhanas
July 22, 2015 17:17 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MBThis 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 th...
Can Dharma Help Us Turn the Corner?
July 22, 2015 17:15 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MBThis 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 ...
The Zen of Zen History
July 22, 2015 17:12 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBJames 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 i...
Unifying Developmental Enlightenment with Timeless Realization
July 22, 2015 17:10 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBWe’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 unders...
Ordinary People Can Get Enlightened
July 22, 2015 17:09 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBWe’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 at...
The Mountain of Spirit
July 22, 2015 17:06 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBThis 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, t...
Feminine Zen
July 22, 2015 17:05 - 27 minutes - 25.2 MBGrace 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...
Returning to the Marketplace
July 22, 2015 17:04 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MBThis 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 us...
Eddies in the Stream
July 22, 2015 17:03 - 25 minutes - 23 MBWe 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 happen...
Self is a Network Phenomenon
July 21, 2015 22:25 - 17 minutes - 16 MBWe’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...
A Crash Course in Applied Neurodharma
July 21, 2015 22:24 - 34 minutes - 31.2 MBThis 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 no...
Work, Sex, Money, Dharma
July 21, 2015 22:19 - 20 minutes - 19 MBMartin 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, an...
Freestyle Awakening
July 21, 2015 22:19 - 19 minutes - 18 MBThe 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 recogn...
Investing in the Future of American Buddhism
July 21, 2015 22:16 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBWe 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, gi...
The Survival of American Buddhism
July 21, 2015 22:15 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBThis 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 hold...
Turning Your Back to the Buddha
July 21, 2015 22:09 - 25 minutes - 23 MBInsight 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 conclu...
Stepping out of Self-Deception
July 21, 2015 22:07 - 19 minutes - 18.3 MBRodney 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 ...
Buddha in a Cup of Tea
July 21, 2015 22:06 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBThis 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 ...
The Mechanisms of Kensho
July 21, 2015 22:04 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MB"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 traditio...
This is your Brain on Meditation
July 21, 2015 22:03 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MBThis 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 an...
A Surfer's Quest to Find Zen on the Sea
July 21, 2015 21:58 - 22 minutes - 20.6 MBThis 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 you...
Reflections on 21st Century Dharma
July 21, 2015 21:57 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MBIn 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...
Artificial Wisdom
July 21, 2015 21:56 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBWe’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...
Enlightenment 2.0
July 21, 2015 21:55 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MBThis 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 experience...
Meditation is Good for Your Life
July 21, 2015 21:52 - 24 minutes - 22 MBIn 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 ...
The Erotic Embrace of Life and Meditation
July 21, 2015 21:51 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBWe’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 signi...
Erik Curren: The Buddhist Politician
July 21, 2015 21:49 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBErik 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 Bodhi...
Buddhist Chaplaincy, Buddhist Youth
July 21, 2015 21:48 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBThis 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 Buddhi...
Buddhist History 101
July 21, 2015 21:46 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBThis 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 con...
Buddhism and the Evolution of Religion
July 21, 2015 21:45 - 18 minutes - 17 MBZen 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. ...
Buddhism May Need a Plan B
July 21, 2015 21:44 - 22 minutes - 21 MBAs 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 K...
Peter Fenner on Entering into Natural Meditation
July 21, 2015 21:43 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBThis 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 spe...
Natural Wakefulness
July 21, 2015 21:42 - 28 minutes - 26 MBThis 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 o...
Pop Buddhism & Satori Porn
July 21, 2015 21:40 - 20 minutes - 19 MBThis 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 ab...
Insights at the Edge
July 21, 2015 21:36 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBWe’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 the...
You Will Get the Dharma You Need
July 21, 2015 21:33 - 25 minutes - 23 MBIn 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 Ed...
Dharma Music Can Sound Like Anything
July 21, 2015 21:30 - 23 minutes - 21.5 MBThis 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 R...
The Evolution of the Mind and Life Dialogues
July 21, 2015 21:29 - 30 minutes - 28 MBThis 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 betw...
The Great Work of Western Magick
July 21, 2015 21:28 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBAlan 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 occul...
The Mystery of the Mind: Ten Zen Questions
July 21, 2015 21:27 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBDr. 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 illu...
The Dharma Overground
July 21, 2015 21:25 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBDaniel 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 Ove...
An Unusually Hardcore Dharma Book
July 21, 2015 21:23 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBDaniel 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....
Western Buddhism: Megatrends & Scandals
July 21, 2015 21:22 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBLama 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...
The Traditional 3-Year Retreat: Intensive Training for a Nonexistent Job
July 21, 2015 21:16 - 24 minutes - 22 MBLama 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 ...
The Buddha Didn't Have a Credit Card
July 21, 2015 21:10 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBInsight 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 recount...
Different Types of Jhana: Sutta, Vishudimagga, & Vipassana
July 21, 2015 21:09 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBWe 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...
The Power of Samadhi
July 21, 2015 21:08 - 22 minutes - 21 MBRichard 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 Bu...