Dr. John Vervaeke Silk Road Seminar - Rick Repetti
Aug 27, 2025
In this engaging seminar, philosopher Rick Repetti shares insights from his background in Buddhist meditation and analytic philosophy. He explores the importance of dialog between Zen Buddhism and Neoplatonism, discussing how personal mystical experiences shape understanding. Topics like the pilgrimage of philosophy, dialogical practices versus debates, and the convergence of wisdom across traditions are highlighted. Repetti argues for the enriching potential of Neoplatonic tools in Zen and how Zen can temper over-intellectualization, promoting a balance in spiritual practice.
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Mystical Experience That Shaped A Philosopher
- Rick recounts mystical experiences blending Platonic forms and Indra's net that led him into Buddhist meditation and analytic philosophy.
- He describes those threads as wrestling parts of his psyche that began integrating via opponent processing after meeting John.
Practice Dialogue With Mindful Methods
- Use dialogical, practice-based methods (Socratic search space) to integrate intellectual and meditative traditions.
- Rick and John recommend blending dialectic with mindfulness to generate opponent processing and transformation.
Plato As Pilgrimage, Not Theory
- Plato's dialogues aim to produce aporia and transformative pilgrimages, not propositional theories about abstract forms.
- John argues this dialogical pilgrimage reshapes sensibility and returns you to life with renewed perspective.
