Jay Michaelson is a columnist for The Daily Beast and a frequent commentator on MSNBC and NPR. Jay is also a teacher and an editor at Ten-Percent Happier, a leading meditation platform. He has written several books on contemplative practice.

In this episode, Eric and Jay discuss his book, Enlightenment by Trial and Error: Ten Years on the Slippery Slopes of Jewish Spirituality, Postmodern Buddhism, and Other Mystical Heresies

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In This Interview, Jay Michaelson and I Discuss Enlightenment by Trial and Error and …

• His book, Enlightenment by Trial and Error: Ten Years on the Slippery Slopes of Jewish Spirituality, Postmodern Buddhism, and Other Mystical Heresies
• The goal of becoming 10% happier by meditating
• The myth that meditation is about finding your Zen
• Realization and responsibility in the Jewish mystical path
• His review of Leonard Cohen’s song “The Goal”
• His short story “The Beard” 
• How letting go allows for more opening
• Living aspects of the middle way
• How his LGBT activist work and meditation work enriched each other
• The commonality between his Buddhist and Jewish spiritual practices
• Remembering to remember – how the mind eventually learns to remember with practice

Jay Michaelson Links:

Jay’s website

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

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