A conversation with Jay Michaelson, our Teacher of the Month for February, about his path to meditation, navigating multiple identities, and why he calls himself a "cynical, sarcastic bitch."
Jay Michaelson is a meditation teacher, journalist, rabbi, and author. In this conversation with executive producer DJ Cashmere, Jay gets candid about his unconventional path into meditation—driven initially by greed for mystical experiences rather than a desire to reduce suffering—and how his practice has evolved over 25 years.
We talk about:
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Why Jay identifies as a "greed type" in Buddhist psychology (and what that means)
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How to balance worldly activism with contemplative practice without getting "hollowed out"
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The concept of creating a "permission structure" to live the life you actually want
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That moment of spaciousness between stimulus and response (and how it saved Jay when he got heckled during LGBTQ activism)
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Whether meditation can help save humanity—and why Jay is both cynical and hopeful about this
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How neurotic Jay still is after 25 years of practice (spoiler: he's less reactive, but still neurotic)
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"Micro-moments" of awareness—five-second practices for people who can't go on long retreats
Jay's guided meditations and live sangha sessions are available throughout February in the 10% Happier app. You can also find him at jaymichaelson.substack.com, where he writes Both/And, a newsletter about the intersection of spirituality, meditation, and politics.
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