CHAPTERS
0:00:00 – Intro
0:00:09 – Welcome
0:00:24 – Bio of Yuval Noah Harari
0:01:12 – How Yuval’s First Meditation Retreat Changed His Life, and What a Goenka Retreat Looks Like
0:06:36 – Going Beyond Goenka’s Teachings: Exploring the Pāḷi Canon and Buddhism (Does Yuval Consider Himself a Buddhist?)
0:12:18 – Yuval’s Take on the Noble Truths: The Cause and Cessation of Suffering, and Transcending It Through the Noble Eightfold Path
0:15:53 – Hackable Humans: The Importance of Meditation in the Age of Data and Algorithms
0:24:27 – How to Become Less Hackable: Introspection and Its Role in Humanity’s Evolution
0:28:54 – Designing an Information Diet to Counter Algorithms That Hack Our Attention
0:33:58 – Is There Room for an Intense Information Diet That Eschews All Media and Focuses Solely on the Dhamma?
0:35:49 – Staying Centered in the Midst of Fame and Repute: Handling Gain, Honor, and Praise
0:39:00 – Yuval’s Reflection on Pascal’s Observation: “All of Humanity’s Suffering Stems From the Inability to Sit Quietly in a Room Alone”
0:41:34 – How Secularism Can Blind People to Evidence for Rebirth: Yuval’s Perspective
0:46:00 – Avoiding Attachment to Views as Buddhists: A Dhamma Perspective
0:49:03 – Lightning Round Questions:
• 0:49:18 – Have You Ever Thought About Ordaining?
• 0:50:58 – If You Were the Buddha’s Father, Would You Have Inclined the Young Bodhisatta Toward Becoming a Wheel-Turning Monarch or Toward the Path of Renunciation?
• 0:51:50 – If Stranded on a Desert Island With Two Books, What Would They Be?
• 0:52:37 – If You Had 24 Hours Left to Live, How Would You Use That Time? How Much of It Would Be Spent Meditating?
• 0:53:12 – Your Most Unexpected or Interesting Encounter With a Leading Intellectual or World Leader?
• 0:54:16 – What One Piece of Advice Would You Give to Buddhists in General?
• 0:57:30 – Which Sutta (Other Than the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta) Do You Find Especially Meaningful?
• 0:58:12 – Goenka’s Guidance on Observing Pleasure With Equanimity vs. the Concept of “Healthy Pleasure” in the Tipiṭaka
• 1:04:03 – Gratitude for Yuval’s Advocacy: Speaking on Compassion for Animals and Meditation in his Books
1:06:00 – Recognizing Goenka Meditation as a Gateway to Buddhism, and an Invitation for Yuval to Visit Seattle
1:06:23 – Outro
REFERENCES:
[Book] Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind https://www.ynharari.com/book/sapiens-2/
[Book] Homo Deus - A Brief History of Tomorrow https://www.ynharari.com/book/homo-deus/
[Book] 21 Lessons for the 21st Century https://www.ynharari.com/book/21-lessons-book/
[Book] Nexus - A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI https://www.ynharari.com/book/nexus/
In this session, Ajahn Nisabho and Ajahn Kovilo interview historian, philosopher, and bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari, touching on such topics as meditation, Buddhism, AI, and attachment to views.
Yuval's Biography:
Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and bestselling author of Sapiens, Homo Deus, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and - his newest book - Nexus. His books have sold over 45 million copies in 65 languages, making him one of the world’s most influential intellectuals. Born in Israel in 1976, he earned his PhD from Oxford and has lectured at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Harari co-founded Sapienship, a social impact company focused on education and storytelling. He frequently engages with global leaders and has spoken at the World Economic Forum, TED, and major news outlets. His work explores history, AI, technology, and the future of humanity, with a focus on ethical and existential challenges.
Most relavent for our conversation today, Yuval is a long-time meditator - having sat his first Goenka Vipassana retreat when he was 24 years old - who maintains a daily sitting practice of 2 hours per day and who makes time in his busy schedule for at least 1-2 months of silent meditation retreat every year.
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