Guru Viking Podcast
Ep149 - Deconstructing Yourself - Michael Taft
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Michael Taft discusses his lifelong meditation journey and his initial reluctance to teach meditation.
- Taft highlights the significance of practice and experience over philosophical concepts.
- The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding and meeting individual needs and beliefs in teaching meditation.
Deep dives
Michael Taft's Meditation Journey
In this podcast episode, Michael Taft discusses his lifelong meditation journey. He shares his initial reluctance to teach meditation and how he eventually started teaching a group in Los Angeles. He focuses on the specific teachings of Shinzen Young and how he incorporated them into his own meditation practice and teaching. Taft also mentions his troubled upbringing and how meditation helped him cope with anxiety.
The Mindful Geek and Secular Meditation
Michael Taft talks about his book 'The Mindful Geek' and the intention behind writing it. He highlights that the book was geared towards a specific audience - people who are not necessarily on a spiritual search but want to gain the benefits of mindfulness in a secular context. Taft discusses teaching mindfulness at companies and corporations and how his own experiences shaped his approach to teaching.
Transformative Mystical Experiences and Other Dimensional Entities
Michael Taft shares a transformative mystical experience he had in Japan, which involved visions of a pure land made of jewels and mantras. He also discusses his practice of classical Hindu Tantra and mentions his experiences of seeing other dimensional entities. Taft emphasizes that his experiences are personal and not something he actively promotes or teaches to others.
The Importance of Practice and Experience
The speaker emphasizes the significance of practice and experience over philosophical concepts. They highlight how being focused on practice, rather than theory, leads to a deeper understanding of spiritual philosophies. The speaker acknowledges their knowledge of different philosophies but states that the real essence lies in the practical application and lived experiences rather than mere concepts.
Tailoring Teaching to Individual Goals
The podcast discusses how the speaker approaches teaching based on individual goals and orientations. They mention that they shapeshift their teaching methods according to what students desire or believe. Whether it is attaining a specific state of awakening or following a particular spiritual tradition, the speaker adapts their guidance and points students in the right direction. They highlight the importance of understanding and meeting individual needs and beliefs to effectively assist students in achieving their goals.
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