109 Meditating Three Minutes a Day: A Conversation with Richard Dixey
Aug 22, 2023
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Dr. Richard Dixey, a student of Buddhism, discusses his meditation course 'Three Minutes a Day' and the importance of short, consistent practices. They also talk about epistemology, the history and philosophy of science, and the current state of Buddhism in America.
Meditation can bring clarity of mind, stress relief, and improved concentration by allowing individuals to engage with their experiences directly without unconscious reactivity.
The book 'Three Minutes a Day: A 14-Week Course to Learn Meditation and Transform Your Life' challenges the notion that long hours of sitting are necessary for meditation and proposes that three minutes of quality presence each day can lead to transformation.
The book series 'Search Reaches Lands Limits: A Commentary on Revelations of Mind' explores the intersection of science, philosophy, and meditation, emphasizing the importance of discerning between learned and innate cognitive patterns for greater freedom.
Deep dives
Importance of Meditation
Meditation is a transformative practice that can bring clarity of mind, stress relief, sharper thinking, improved concentration, and enhanced creativity. The practice of meditation allows individuals to engage with their experiences directly, without the influence of unconscious reactivity. By developing calmness and becoming less reactive, individuals can gain insight into their own experience and overcome learned patterning. The goal is to free cognition from the past and engage with each moment of experience with direct perception. Through this process, individuals can find freedom of being and a deeper understanding of themselves.
Three Minutes a Day Meditation
The book 'Three Minutes a Day: A 14-Week Course to Learn Meditation and Transform Your Life' offers a practical approach to meditation. It challenges the common notion that meditation requires long hours of sitting and instead proposes that three minutes of quality presence each day is sufficient for transformation. The book aims to reframe meditation as a life skill that can be integrated into daily life, rather than a separate practice confined to a meditation cushion. By cultivating calmness and reducing reactive thresholds, individuals can access sharper insight, improved concentration, and enhanced creativity.
The Yoga of Cognition
The book series 'Search Reaches Lands Limits: A Commentary on Revelations of Mind' explores the intersection of science, philosophy, and meditation. It delves into the nature of cognition and the limitations of learned perception. The teachings emphasize the importance of identifying rising experience and engaging with it moment to moment. By discerning between learned and innate cognitive patterns, individuals can transcend fixed views and experience greater freedom. The books offer a comprehensive analysis of cognition and insight, drawing from both Western understandings of perception and Buddhist thought.
Adapting Buddhist Insights
The author highlights the importance of adapting Buddhist insights to modern language and context. The goal is to make the teachings accessible and relevant to a wider audience. The books aim to bridge the gap between intelligence and practice, offering practical guidance for self-exploration and transformation. The author suggests that discovering and developing innate intelligence can lead to autonomy, independence, and creativity. The ultimate intent is to address cognition and free it from the limitations of learned perception.
The Future of Buddhism
The author expresses optimism about the future of Buddhism in modernity. He believes that the insights and practices of the Dharma will become increasingly relevant as mechanization and external technologies advance. The author suggests that the crisis of meaning and truth in contemporary society can be resolved by reconnecting with our own experience and cultivating wisdom. He asserts that the Dharma has the potential to offer valuable guidance and clarity amidst the challenges of technological advancement.
After a month or two of absence, the podcast returns for a new season, beginning with an unexpectedly wide ranging conversation with Dr. Richard Dixey. Richard holds a Ph.D. from London University, an M.A. with distinction in the history and philosophy of science from London University, and a B.A. Hons from Oxford. He has been a student of Buddhism since 1972 and has travelled extensively in the Himalayas, India and South East Asia. He is currently an advisor to the Khyentse Foundation, runs the Light of Buddhadharma Foundation and is a senior faculty member at Dharma College in Berkeley.
We discuss two of his works, Searcher Reaches Land's Limits(Dharma, 2020), which is a commentary text on Tarthang Tulku’s Revelations of Mind: A book that engages the reader in an open, non-dogmatic inquiry that has practical, philosophical, scientific, and meditative dimensions. The second is his most recent, Three Minutes a Day: A Fourteen-Week Course to Learn Meditation and Transform Your Life (New World Library, 2023), which makes a bold claim that we explore in our conversation.
We also discuss epistemology, personal experience as all we have; we also touch on A.I. and the history and philosophy of science, and the current state of Buddhism in America.
The introduction mentions a recent text called "An Antidote to Stupidity," written by the host, which is up at the non-Buddhism site, which listeners can read here.