Today we explore the rich topics of fear and fearlessness with professor Gaylon Ferguson.

Professor Ferguson is a member of the faculty at Naropa University in Bolder, Colorado. He is a graduate of Exeter and Yale, and holds a doctorate in cultural anthropology from Stanford. He’s also a senior teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, and has been a teacher in residence at the San Francisco Zen Center and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California.

He is also the author of two books: Natural Bravery: Fear and Fearlessness as a Direct Path of Awakening, and Natural Wakefulness: Discovering the Wisdom We Were Born With.

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Timestamps:

00:58: When did you begin to explore fear and fearlessness?

03:25: Why do you think that courage is our basic nature?

05:57: How can someone experience innate courage?

10:30: The "fear of ourselves."

12:55: What are some of the best practices that people can use to address a feeling of emptiness?

17:04: Becoming more comfortable with groundlessness.

22:59: Handling acute, in the moment experiences of fear.

29:03: Outside of self-awareness, are there certain tactics you have found that help move people into a stance of welcoming?

32:07: If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?

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