Deconstructing Yourself
107 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 386 ratingsDedicated to liberation in all its forms, Deconstructing Yourself is passionate about fearlessly investigating, attempting, and questioning all things to do with awakening, meditation, mindfulness, brain hacking, consciousness, neurofeedback, and more.
Your host Michael W. Taft interviews some of the most interesting thinkers, authors, and teachers around, as well as other offerings. In this hard-hitting, radical, and fun podcast we look at secular post-, non-, un- Buddhism, Vajrayana, nondual Hindu Tantra, philosophy, the neuroscience of the sense of self, neurofeedback and the consciousness hacking movement, aspects of artificial intelligence, entheogens, and much more.
If you’re looking for fresh directions, free from dogma and conformism, think of the Deconstructing Yourself podcast as the radical cafe where you can hear from the most interesting luminaries either from the outside edges of dharma, or a fresh take from more traditional teachers. If you’re interested in more, check out the Deconstructing Yourself website at https://deconstructingyourself.com.
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Episodes
Embodying the 21 Taras with Chandra Easton.
March 06, 2024 00:12 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with meditation teacher Chandra Easton about her new book Embodying Tara: 21 Manifestations to Awaken Your Innate Wisdom, the background of Green Tara, why there are 21 different manifestations, the inspirations for the book. Chandra's lifelong relationship with Green Tara, and we take an especially deep dive into manifestation number thirteen, the so-callled "Demolition Tara." Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton has taught meditation and yoga since 2001. She has ha...
Can You Learn Meditation from an AI? - with Shinzen Young
February 06, 2024 22:26 - 1 hour - 55.5 MBHost Michael Taft talks with teacher Shinzen Young about Shinzen's decades-long dream of computer-based meditation instruction, his current creation of a rule-based, expert system based on Artificial Intelligence, the upcoming major upheavals in science and culture that AI will bring, the problems inherent in AI, and Shinzen's most positive vision for the future. Shinzen Young is an American mindfulness teacher and neuroscience research consultant. His systematic approach to catego...
A Conversation with Jeffrey Kripal
January 22, 2024 23:09 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with author and professor Jeffrey Kripal about his early aspiration to be a Benedictine monk, the prophetic dimensions of the humanities, the sudden conversion, or "flip," into a weirder worldview experienced by some materialist scientists, the phenomena of UFOs, alien abduction, altered states, Philip K. Dick, and how most breakthroughs into mysticism occur through trauma. Jeffrey J. Kripal holds the J. Newton Rayzor Chair in Philosophy and Religious Thoug...
Transgression with Erik Davis
December 31, 2023 22:00 - 1 hour - 63.9 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with author and journalist Erik Davis about the power of partaking in the forbidden and the loss when formerly forbidden things become normalized, particularly in the case of psychedelics; Tantric and Christian modes of transgression, power relationships and the guru, hedonism, rule-breaking, the desire for having safe spiritual practice environments, and the role of risk in spiritual development. Erik Davis is an author, podcaster, award-winning journalist...
A Conversation with Sam Harris
December 02, 2023 21:05 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with author, philosopher, and neuroscientist Sam Harris about the fusion of vipassana and nondual practice as the “gold standard” for practitioners, insights into selflessness through mindfulness and concentration, the distinction between moment-to-moment experiences and peak experiences, personal experiences with MDMA and psilocybin, the role of psychedelics in initiating spiritual introspection, concerns about the misuse of psychedelics and potential pitf...
The Power of the Imaginal with Stephen Aizenstat
November 04, 2023 14:59 - 1 hour - 61.6 MBHost Michael Taft talks with “Boss Jungian of Planet Earth” Stephen Aizenstat about diving into the depths of our authentic creativity, finding purpose in the imaginal, engaging "an imagination that opens from the inside out," the perils and promise of AI with regards to the human imagination, and asks the question: is working with the imagination simply a narcissistic bourgeois indulgence in this time of unprecedented worldwide existential peril, or might the imaginal actually be a...
Nondual Love with A. H. Almaas
October 30, 2023 15:25 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with teacher, author, and founder of the Diamond Approach to Self-Realization A. H. Almaas on the topic of Nondual Love, the qualities of awareness itself, the five dimensions of our fundamental nature, the differences between individual love and nondual love, the importance of being human, and how to know yourself as a “boundless ocean of nectar.” A. Hameed Ali, whose pen name is A. H. Almaas, is founder of the Diamond Approach to Self-Realization, a cont...
Tantra and Embodied Awakening with Christopher Wallis.
September 29, 2023 20:23 - 53 minutes - 49.2 MBHost Michael W. Taft speaks with Tantra scholar and teacher Christopher Wallis about the word “enlightenment” in English and the words in Sanskrit it is typically the translation for; the differences between awakening and liberation; karma, samskara, and the deep unconscious; Shiva-oriented practice and the importance of including Shakti, the teachings of Abhinavagupta, and the centrality of embodied awakening. Christopher Wallis, also known as Hareesh, is a Sanskritist and scholar...
Reverse Meditation with Andrew Holecek
August 23, 2023 20:02 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBJoin host Michael Taft as he speaks with meditation teacher and author Andrew Holecek about “reverse meditation,” the Mahamudra-based practice of using difficult experiences as the focus of our meditation, how this moves us through our perceived limits and allows us to recognize the perfection of the moment, and allows us to make any situation a profound and excellent meditation. Andrew Holecek has completed the traditional three-year Buddhist meditation retreat and offers seminar...
A Conversation with Kati Devaney
July 13, 2023 14:11 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBHost Michael Taft talks with neuroscientist and Executive Director of the Alembic, Kati Devaney about meditation, the neuroscience of meditation, predictive processing, the wonder of travel, psychedelics, and more. Kathryn Devaney, Ph.D. is a neuroscientist and meditation practitioner, with over 20 years of meditation experience. Kati earned her PhD in 2018, using fMRI to examine attention and default mode network function in experienced Vipassana meditators. After completing her p...
A Few Stray Points about Nonduality with Jake Orthwein
April 18, 2023 05:57 - 1 hour - 62 MBYour host Michael Taft is interviewed by Jake Orthwein about the various kinds of nonduality, the difference between monoism and nondualism, fundamental confusions about nondual practice, the major contrast between the transcendence-orientation of dualistic religions and the world-engagement of nondual religions, as well as the crucial distinction between the two main types of nonduality. Jake Orthwein is a filmmaker based in Santa Monica, CA, and a dharma student of mine. You may ...
Exploring Nondual Shaiva Tantra with Christopher Wallis
March 20, 2023 01:55 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBJoin host Michael Taft as he talks with Tantrik scholar and practitioner Christopher Wallis about the tradition of Nondual Shaiva Tantra, the full void pregnant with possibilities, savoring the transcendent in every sensual experience, the differences between Nondual Shaiva Tantra and Advaita Vedanta, the origins of Tantra and Vajrayana, sublime beauty, aesthetic rapture, and much more. Christopher Wallis, also known as Hareesh, is a Sanskritist and scholar-practitioner of Classica...
The Magic of Vajrayana Part 2 with Ken McLeod
February 27, 2023 18:00 - 37 minutes - 34.1 MBJoin host Michael Taft as he continues his talk with translator, author, and teacher Ken McLeod about Ken’s new book: The Magic of Vajrayana, and issues around receiving initiations and empowerments, the experiential component, aspects of White Tara and Mahakala practices, the power of mystical poetry, and the future of Vajrayana in the West. Ken McLeod began his study and practice of Buddhism in 1970 under the eminent Tibetan master Kalu Rinpoche. After completing two three-year r...
The Magic of Vajrayana with Ken McLeod
February 14, 2023 06:20 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBJoin host Michael Taft as he talks with translator, author, and teacher Ken McLeod about Ken's new book: The Magic of Vajrayana, particularly the tripartite practice structure of guru, deity, and protector in Tibetan Buddhism. Ken McLeod began his study and practice of Buddhism in 1970 under the eminent Tibetan master Kalu Rinpoche. After completing two three-year retreats, he was appointed as resident teacher for Kalu Rinpoche’s center in Los Angeles, California, where he develope...
Meditation and the Bayesian Brain with Shamil Chandaria
December 17, 2022 15:25 - 49 minutes - 45.4 MBHost Michael Taft talks with philanthropist, serial entrepreneur, technologist, and meditator Dr. Shamil Chandaria about predictive processing as it relates to meditation, our phenomenal self model, recognizing our own fabrication hierarchy, replacing our top level priors as a way to understand nondual enlightenment, and much more. Dr Shamil Chandaria OBE is a philanthropist, serial entrepreneur, technologist, and academic with multi-disciplinary research interests spanning computa...
John Vervaeke on Relevance Realization
October 05, 2022 21:45 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with professor John Vervaeke about relevance realization—the process by which we decide what matters in any given situation—and its application to meditation, how we gain an increased sense of meaning in life, and why there is no panacea in practice. John also answers the question: what is a wise person? John Vervaeke is an award-winning lecturer at the University of Toronto in Psychology, Cognitive Science, and Buddhist Psychology. His areas of interest i...
A Conversation with Rosa Lewis
September 06, 2022 15:20 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBIn this episode, host Michael Taft talks with Rosa Lewis about spirituality, creativity, working with trauma, embracing the darkness, the inner critic, the power of meditation, and more. Rosa Lewis is a mystic and a meditation teacher. Her teaching combines Buddhist emptiness, shadow work, tantric embodiment, the archetypal realm, mysticism and a radically new way of relating to heartfulness. Her approach to spirituality involves healing the trauma or embracing the darkness that e...
Changing Minds with David McRaney
July 24, 2022 15:46 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with author, science journalist, and psychology nerd David McRaney about what sorts of conversations actually cause human beings to change their minds; the fascinating on-the-ground research of groups like Street Epistemology and Deep Canvassers, the stories of people deciding to leave insular in-groups such as the Westboro Baptist church and 9-11 Truthers, the deep neuroscience behind "The Dress" phenomenon, the role of storytelling in human interactions, ...
A Conversation with Guy Sengstock
June 01, 2022 20:46 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with artist, bodyworker, and philosopher Guy Sengstock about the origin and creation of Circling practice, how the asynchronous qualities of new technologies have created a deeper hunger for basic human contact, the crucial importance of embodiment in communication, mindfulness of presence, as well as the new practice he’s creating with Jon Vervaeke, known as Dia-Logos. Guy Sengstock is the founder and creator of the Circling Method. He has been facilitatin...
The Power of Non-sleep Deep Rest with Kelly Boys
May 04, 2022 02:07 - 31 minutes - 29 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with meditation teacher and author Kelly Boys on the practice of non-sleep, deep rest—a modern name for the ancient practice of yoga nidra, using liminal states as gateways to profound meditative experiences, finding ways to let go more completely, how this practice relates to nonduality, and the transformative power of embodied practice. Kelly Boys is a mindfulness trainer and author of The Blind Spot Effect: How to Stop Missing What’s Right in Front of Y...
A Conversation on Nonduality with Andrew Holecek
April 25, 2022 16:45 - 53 minutes - 49.1 MBHost Michael Taft iterviews Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher and author Andrew Holecek on nondual practice and theory, finding your way back to the true nature of mind, the dangers of getting dropped off in the deep end too soon, challenging to notion of path, the art of doing nothing (and doing it well); Andrew also offers listeners a dream-based nondual guided practice. Andrew Holecek has completed the traditional three-year Buddhist meditation retreat and offers seminars inte...
Nondual Teachings of LinJi, with Shinzen Young
March 14, 2022 14:57 - 59 minutes - 54.9 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with meditation master and neuroscience consultant Shinzen Young on the background and history of Zen Master LinJi (aka Rinzai, in Japanese), the meaning of his famous phrase "the authentic person," various aspects of nonduality, an unpacking of LinJi's Four-fold Analysis, as well as cessations, the current state of Shinzen's research, using ultrasound to change the brain, and how to equanimize the biggest curveballs life can throw at you. Shinzen Young is...
Can People Really Change? with Tina Rasmussen.
January 19, 2022 23:23 - 58 minutes - 53.6 MBHost Michael Taft talks with meditation teacher and author Tina Rasmussen about how psychology and meditation practice can work together to help people heal, working with trauma, the importance of heart-based practices such as metta, spiritual bypassing, using shamatha to build new brain networks, and Tina’s own story of her birth trauma and her path to healing. Tina Rasmussen, Ph.D., began meditating at age 13, and has practiced in the Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist traditions for...
Meditation, Insight, and Predictive Processing with Ruben Laukkonen
January 04, 2022 02:03 - 1 hour - 66.1 MBHost Michael Taft talks with neuroscientist and meditator Ruben Laukkonen about the phenomenology of the insight experience, how the sequence of deepening meditative practices maps onto the model of predictive processing in the human brain, the Eureka heuristic, what neuroscience can tell us about the deconstructive model of meditation, the science of cessations, and much more. Ruben Laukkonen is a postdoctoral fellow at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and lecturer at Amsterdam U...
Eco-Aesthetics and the Poetry of Longing with Rick Jarow
November 30, 2021 18:31 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MBWhat can ancient Sanskrit poetry of love and longing teach us about our own deepest spirituality? Join host Michael Taft as he explores this question with professor, author, and teacher Rick Jarow. Further topics include the tantric aspect of poetry, how landscape and nature informs and embodies our spirituality, the role of the word in transcendence, sacred passion for the divine as expressed in the poetics of longing, and much more. Rick Jarow Ph.D. is a author, teacher, and scho...
Vision, Visualization, and Vajrayana, with Chandra Easton
November 01, 2021 00:55 - 1 hour - 60.7 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton about her recent work with the 21 manifestations of the Goddess Tara, some aspects of Green Tara, and especially the role of vision and visualization in Vajrayana, and Buddhism more generally. Beginning with the somewhat negative role of the eyes in early Buddhist practice, moving through the Mahayana sutras talking about "enlightened eyes," and the "Eye of the Buddha," and culminating with the rainbow light practices of Vajra...
Vision, Visualization, and Vajrayana, with Chandra Easton.
November 01, 2021 00:55 - 1 hour - 60.7 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton about her recent work with the 21 manifestations of the Goddess Tara, some aspects of Green Tara, and especially the role of vision and visualization in Vajrayana, and Buddhism more generally. Beginning with the somewhat negative role of the eyes in early Buddhist practice, moving through the Mahayana sutras talking about "enlightened eyes," and the "Eye of the Buddha," and culminating with the rainbow light practices of Vajra...
Talking about Zen Koans with Henry Shukman
August 18, 2021 22:24 - 39 minutes - 36.6 MBZen teacher, author, and poet Henry Shukman talks with host Michael Taft about Mountain Cloud Zen Center, Henry’s series on the Waking Up app, meditation for awakening vs. meditation as a “band aid,” the role of psychotherapy in spiritual practice, the power of working in the “old way,” the path of working with Zen koans as the journey of a lifetime. Henry Shukman is a teacher in the Sanbo Zen lineage, and is the Guiding Teacher of Mountain Cloud Zen Center, in Santa Fe, New Mexic...
Vajrayana as a Living Practice, with Ken McLeod
July 20, 2021 22:01 - 1 hour - 68.2 MBHost Michael Taft talks with teacher and author Ken McLeod about his insights into Vajrayana, spiritual practice as "choosing a way to live," the Tibetan idea of lam khyer, the power of prayer as a kind of raw, naked stance, why the seeds of spirituality need to be nurtured in secret, difficulties Westerners face when attempting to work within traditional Asian religious systems, and the true meaning of spirituality. Ken McLeod began his study and practice of Buddhism in 1970 under...
Dimensions of Nonduality with Tina Rasmussen
June 30, 2021 16:42 - 58 minutes - 53.1 MBHost Michael Taft talks with meditation teacher and author Tina Rasmussen about ways to understand nondual awareness and the progress of nondual meditation, including her own unique comparison between the Formless Realms of early Buddhist meditation and the Boundless Dimensions taught by Hameed Ali (aka Almaas) of the Diamond Approach. Tina Rasmussen, Ph.D., began meditating at age 13, and has practiced in the Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist traditions for over 30 years. In 2003, sh...
Meditation and Communication with Shinzen Young
June 02, 2021 16:28 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBShinzen Young talks with host Michael Taft about his new ideas around applying the systematic mindset of mindfulness meditation and the scientific method to the many challenges of human communication and miscommunication. Topics include the coming of Unified Mindfulness to China, the new phenomena of online retreats, training the spirit of science into mindfulness and communication, and much more. Shinzen Young is an American mindfulness teacher and neuroscience research consultant...
Spiritual Bypassing and the Spiritual Friend
May 17, 2021 14:15 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBHost Michael Taft talks about the phenomenon of spiritual bypassing, what it is, what it means for our practice, and whether it is as big of an issue as many seem to think, as well as the importance of having a meditation buddy, and the ageless tradition of the “soul friend.” Michael Taft’s website Contribute to Michael’s Patreon See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Meditation and Healing Trauma with Thomas Hübl
April 01, 2021 00:56 - 1 hour - 59.4 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with spiritual teacher and author Thomas Hübl about trauma and healing, aspects of collective and cultural trauma, Jungian psychology, meditation, spirituality, and much more. Thomas Hübl is a contemporary mystic, international spiritual teacher, and author whose work seeks to integrate the core insights of the great wisdom traditions with the discoveries of modern science. Thomas’ teachings combine somatic awareness, advanced meditative practices, and anal...
A Conversation with Spring Washam
March 12, 2021 15:16 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with meditation teacher and shamanic practitioner Spring Washam about the "dharma of Harriet Tubman," the inner vs. the outer journey of finding liberation, how the "meditation bubble" can actually block spiritual growth, bringing the wisdom of meditation to activism, the role of plant medicines in healing ourselves and our world, and much more. Spring Washam is a well-known meditation teacher, author, and visionary leader based in California and Peru. She ...
Talking with People about Things, with David McRaney
February 03, 2021 17:40 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with science journalist, author, and podcaster David McRaney about how people do (and do not) change their minds, how brains form their view of reality, conspiracy theory, the method of "technique rebuttal" vs. "topic rebuttal,' QAnon, motivated reasoning, the psychology of belief, and much more. David McRaney is a science journalist and an internationally bestselling author, podcaster, and lecturer who created You Are Not So Smart. David began a blog writ...
Soulmaking Dharma, with Catherine McGee
December 08, 2020 23:55 - 49 minutes - 45.8 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with meditation teacher Catherine McGee about Soulmaking Dharma; her journey into meditation practice; using the word “soul” in a Buddhist context; working with the energy body; connecting with the imaginal in meditation; what sort of person thrives in the Soulmaking Dharma practice; and expanding beauty and sacredness in our lives. CATHERINE McGEE has been teaching Insight Meditation at Gaia House and internationally since 1997. Her teaching emphasises wo...
Dreams and the Spiritual Imagination, with Steve Aizenstat
November 06, 2020 15:02 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MBDepth Psychologist Steve Aizenstat speaks with host Michael Taft about dreams, the living image of dreams and their innate intelligence, the healing and creative power of the deep imagination; how dreams relate to meditation and spiritual practice, and the way that we are "all cyborgs now." Stephen Aizenstat, Ph.D., is the Founder of Dream Tending, Pacifica Graduate Institute, and Academy of Imaginal Arts and Sciences. He is a world renowned Professor of Depth Psychology, an imagin...
Love Unveiled with A. H. Almaas
October 07, 2020 14:04 - 48 minutes - 44.3 MBSpiritual teacher A. H. Almaas speaks with host Michael Taft about the centrality of love to our spiritual nature, how to tell the difference between emotional love and spiritual love, how the wounds of love can become openings for awakening, various “flavors” of love, and the necessity of love to approach truth. A. Hameed Ali, whose pen name is A. H. Almaas, is founder of the Diamond Approach to Self-Realization, a contemporary teaching that developed within the context of both a...
Vajrayana and Deity Yoga with Chandra Easton
September 21, 2020 17:58 - 55 minutes - 50.6 MBBuddhist Teacher and author Lopön Chandra Easton talks with Michael Taft about Vajrayana, her own pilgrimage and experiences in India, the struggle to bring motherhood, sexuality, the feminine, and the female voice into spiritual life, the power of yidam or deity yoga, how Westerners relate to deity yoga, and a look into the practice of the 21 Taras. Chandra Easton is a teacher and translator of Tibetan Buddhism who focuses on the lineage of the 11th-century yogini Maching Labdrön ...
Evolving Ground with Rindzin Pamo and Jared Janes
August 25, 2020 14:16 - 1 hour - 67 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with Rin’dzin Pamo and Jared Janes about their new project, entitled “Evolving Ground,” which is a community of practitioners that seeks to reinterpret and revitalize Vajrayana practice in a contemporary Western context. Topics include: the failure of Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to Western culture, the importance of the worldview in practice, creating new language around meditation, cheese-filled dorje snacks, and much more. Rin’dzin Pamo is a British born Va...
A Conversation with Ken McLeod
August 03, 2020 21:11 - 1 hour - 73.4 MBWriter, translator, teacher, and business consultant, Ken McLeod speaks with host Michael Taft about the chaos unleashed by new forms of communication, dedicating your whole life to meditation and spiritual experience, what evokes a deep sense of the sacred?, how teachers point out awakening to students, what is it that epitomizes the essence of Vajrayana, and much more. Ken McLeod began his study and practice of Buddhism in 1970 under the eminent Tibetan master Kalu Rinpoche. Afte...
Paranoia, Conspiracy, and Covid, with Erik Davis
July 14, 2020 14:30 - 57 minutes - 52.4 MBAuthor, podcaster, award-winning journalist, and cultural historian Erik Davis speaks with host Michael Taft about QAnon as a new religion, Gnostic psychology and the power of the secret truth, new narrative warfare exploiting human psychology, technologically-sophisticated divination techniques, the “disenchanted paranormal,” taking responsibility for your own processing of reality, the angel of the library, Metal Hurlant, and more. Erik Davis is an author, podcaster, award-winni...
Effortlessness in Meditation, with Jud Brewer
June 07, 2020 17:47 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MBNeuroscientist and mindfulness expert Jud Brewer speaks with host Michael Taft about his research into the four steps of Rigpa (with teacher and psychologist Dan Brown), effortlessness in meditation and the feeling of openness vs. closedness, the neurochemistry of reward, the historical Buddha's insight into the results of exploring gratification "to its end" and how that leads to effortless change (the system corrects itself), and the fact that willpower is a myth. Judson Brewer i...
Awakening and the Path of Liberation, with Dan Brown
May 20, 2020 21:00 - 36 minutes - 33.7 MBPsychologist, author, translator, and meditation teacher, Dan Brown talks with host Michael Taft about the three levels of practice from a taste of awakening to "full buddhahood," the details of what a taste of awakening entails, the path to complete liberation, his neuroscience of nonduality studies with Jud Brewer, whether dzogchen is a complete path, and the future of dzogchen in the West. Daniel P. Brown, Ph.D. has been Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology at Harvard for ...
Vajrayana, Compassion, and the Importance of the Teacher, with Ken McLeod
April 22, 2020 21:10 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MBWriter, translator, teacher, and business consultant, Ken McLeod speaks with host Michael Taft about Coronavirus, social distancing, nature doing what it does, overcoming cultural conditioning, enlightenment as a "system change," practices for overcoming cultural conditioning and developing compassion, the importance of the teacher-student relationship, the viability of Vajrayana practice in the West, and much more. Ken McLeod began his study and practice of Buddhism in 1970 under...
Why Do Narcissists Become Spiritual Teachers, with Stephan Bodian
March 21, 2020 13:39 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBNondual teacher and psychotherapist Stephan Bodian and host Michael Taft discuss how and why narcissists rise to the top of spiritual organizations, the ways that nondual traditions like Zen may be especially prone to teacher misbehavior, the problem with “crazy wisdom” teachers, as well as exploring Stephan’s own spiritual journey with Suzuki Roshi, Maezumi Roshi, Jean Klein, and more. Stephan Bodian is a psychotherapist and a teacher in the nondual wisdom tradition of Zen and A...
Questioning Assumptions about Buddhism, with Evan Thompson
February 16, 2020 02:14 - 52 minutes - 48 MBEvan Thompson discusses his new book, “Why I Am Not a Buddhist” with host Michael Taft. Topics include the myth of Buddhist exceptionalism, how Buddhist modernism presented a false picture of Buddhism as a value-neutral “mind science” rather than a religion, his own lifelong journey with Buddhism, and much more. Evan Thompson, PhD, works on the nature of the mind, the self, and human experience. His work combines cognitive science, philosophy of mind, phenomenology, and cross-cultu...
The Nondual Heart, with John Prendergast
February 07, 2020 23:49 - 58 minutes - 53.8 MBNondual teacher and psychotherapist John Prendergast speaks with host Michael Taft about the heart area as an opening to infinite space, contacting the “dark matrix” of the ground, the body as a vibrant expression of emptiness, moving out of the cycle of reactivity into the creative life, working with energy in meditation, and much more. John J. Prendergast, Ph.D., is the author of the books The Deep Heart and In Touch. He is a spiritual teacher, psychotherapist, and retired adju...
Nonduality and Awake Awareness, with Loch Kelly
January 26, 2020 15:11 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MBNondual teacher and psychotherapist Loch Kelly speaks with host Michael Taft about what nondualism is, schools of effort vs. non-effort (and those in between), the five foundations of effortless mindfulness, awake awareness and rigpa, stabilizing nondual awareness, balancing the brain's default mode network, and more. Loch Kelly is an author, meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and founder of the non-profit, Open-Hearted Awareness Institute. Loch teaches in a non-sectarian lineage...
Meditating with Buddhist Sutras, with Michael Owens
December 28, 2019 15:28 - 1 hour - 70 MBHost Michael Taft speaks with Michael Owens, a Buddhist teacher and author, about being a monk in Taiwan, Buddhist sutras as portals to alternate realities, understanding dependent origination, the nondual ground and extreme psychedelia of the Mahayana sutras, the Vimalakirti Nirdeśa Sutra, explaining the "inconceivable," Suchness as the opposite of Emptiness, and more. Michael Charles Owens is a Buddhist teacher, translator, and author. Michael uses a sutra-based curriculum that d...