I started meditating when I was 19, really because I saw scientific studies about how meditation actually was good for the brain. My way in was this kind of scientific model of what meditation was for. But then I went really deep. I spent years in monasteries. I've done lots of intensive silent retreats. And so again, there's this way that you have of kind of talking about what practice is for in terms of extending the range of our perception. Like, are we able to experience things as sacred? Why not? If we're not,. Yeah, absolutely.
In this conversation with meditation teacher and author Rob Burbea we discuss the role of fantasy in meditation, the purpose of what Rob calls the 'Soulmaking Dharma' and some common traps that can obstruct our connection with beauty on the contemplative path.
This was the first conversation I had with Rob (there are two more you can listen to in the Emerge podcast stream). For various reasons I decided not to release it immediately after we recorded it, feeling that the subsequent conversations did a better job of communicating what I wanted to communicate. There were also some nasty recording problems that made it difficult at times for the conversation to be fluid and flowing. In any case this is a lovely coversation and I hope you enjoy! 🙏