Deconstructing Yourself

Tucker Peck, meditation teacher and clinical psychologist, talks with host Michael Taft about how whether awakening (both in the traditional “stream entry” sense or in other definitions) actually “fixes” a person’s psychology or not. Topics include: the validity of the Progress of Insight model, Tucker’s hellacious Dark Night experience and the dukkha ñanas in general, when to switch from shamatha to vipassana practice, whether people who have mental illness should practice meditation, and much more.Tucker Peck, Ph.D., is a meditation teacher and clinical psychologist whose specialties include working with advanced meditators and using meditation to help those suffering from psychological disorders. Tucker is a published author on the scientific study of meditation, focusing on how meditation affects the brain and is a faculty member of the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Tucker was also a founding board member of Culadasa’s Dharma Treasure sangha.Tucker Peck’s websiteShow Notes0:25 – Introduction2:54 – Tucker’s teaching activities, how his background in clinical psychology influences teaching meditation5:26 – The myth that you can lose your psychology/personality/emotions by meditating enough; getting smacked in the face with emotions on retreat8:29 – How Tucker got into meditation; hitting A&P, and the heart opening13:43 – How Tucker got into clinical psychology; his long Dark Night experience, and using choiceless awareness to get out of it23:49 – Progressing towards first path; magga phala; how seeing nonself changed the experience of practice29:23 – How stable attention helps mitigate Dark Night effects; purification through samatha33:43 – Tucker’s challenges learning to practice with The Mind Illuminated; description of the TMI stages; when to introduce vipassana practices41:19 – Whether Tucker’s students are getting stream entry and whether the samatha-first way of working mitigates Dark Night effects in his students; the fetter model, and having only positive emotions45:47 – The potential for spiritual bypassing with attainment; “wake up, clean up, grow up”; the equanimity windshield; the need for unbiased feedback about one’s behavior and how it’s affecting people55:17 – Working with mental content outside of meditation, through psychotherapy; will meditation practice help people who have mental illness?; modifying the practice for people with bipolar or manic symptoms, etc.1:03:25 – Tucker’s experience of the path model; reduction in craving; seeming to go from dramatic changes back to normalcy, but with life altering differences; the individuality of each person’s path of purification1:12:28 – OutroFeel free to support the creation of future episodes of this podcast by contributing through Patreon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nondual spiritual teacher Mukti talks with host Michael Taft about the debate between the Direct and Progressive paths of realization, working with energetics and embodiment, her childhood background in the Self Realization Fellowship of Paramahansa Yogananada, pointing out the sense of space in realization, her own experience of awakening, and more.Mukti is a spiritual teacher, whose name originates in Sanskrit and is most often translated as “liberation.” Mukti has been the Associate Teacher of Open Gate Sangha since 2004 and has been a student of her husband, Adyashanti, since he began teaching in 1996, when they founded Open Gate Sangha together. In addition to her teachings, Mukti offers talks, dialogues, silent retreats, private meetings, and online broadcasts and courses.https://www.muktisource.org/about-muktiShow Notes0:25 – Introduction2:24 – Mukti’s teaching activities and retreat offerings4:00 – How Mukti came to be involved in teaching through Adyashanti; prior experiences with Yogananda and how those impact her current work; the differences of approach between the progressive paths and the direct path teachings13:49 – Moving from a sense of a separate self into wholeness/oneness, followed by a return to the sense of distinct forms of self, other, and experience; coming back into distinction in a healthy way, seeing through conditioning that’s based in a sense of assumed separation17:39 – The mistake of interpreting teachings on the initial recognition of self as the ultimate fix; practitioners’ reluctance to attend to things that are difficult; revisiting and working with old patterns through the thinking mind and on an energetic level in the body25:37 – Whether people are more often having awakening moments and then spending a lot of time trying to integrate them, or building up to awakening through embodiment teachings30:27 – Mukti describes her awakening experience; working on the embodied aspect of holding that awakening36:19 – Physical issues like fibromyalgia and stomach issues after awakening; how some people with deep awakenings are more challenged energetically; learning ways of living that support being in harmony with the universe41:18 – Repercussions of assumptions/conclusions about one’s identity being vast and big (in other words, awareness getting reified into the self as big awareness), and how this can affect the body and make a person more porous energetically; addressing this problem in practice by noticing the space and relaxing the center51:22 – Keeping the questions open: how much structure does the self need to function well, how much might not be needed, in what ways can it be present and really work, and in what ways might it not be working; relational practice / personal relationship to spirit, orienting towards certain archetypes or aspects of Buddha nature as a way to give a format and structure to the self as an individual55:35 – OutroSupport the Deconstructing Yourself podcast via Patreon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Buddhist scholar Jayarava Attwood speaks with host Michael Taft about the history of the Pali Canon, how ideas about karma & dependent arising contradict each other, the shifting grounds under the apparent solidity of the suttas, monism vs. pluralism, meditation as a subjective or objective practice, and the fact that the Sanskrit Heart Sutra is a forgery,Jayarava is a longtime member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, who writes about the history of ideas in Buddhism. Since 2012 he has been mainly focused on revising the text and history of the Heart Sutra, and also writes about karma and how it changed over time. His blog explores the clash between modernity and tradition with respect to Buddhism. He also works in various art forms, including music, painting, photography, and calligraphy. Links Jayarava. (2018) ‘Anupalambhayogena: An Underappreciated Mahāyāna Term’. http://jayarava.blogspot.com/2018/05/anupalambhayogena-underappreciated.htmlHuifeng. (2014). ‘Apocryphal Treatment for Conze’s Heart Problems: “Non-attainment”, “Apprehension”, and “Mental Hanging” in the Prajñāpāramitā.’ Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies. 6: 72-105. https://www.academia.edu/8275423/Apocryphal_Treatment_for_Conze_s_Heart_Problems_Non-attainment_Apprehension_and_Mental_Hanging_in_the_Praj%C3%B1%C4%81p%C4%81ramit%C4%81_HrdayaOn the anupalambha meditation practice:Cūḷasuññata Sutta. Majjhima Nikāya 121. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.121.than.htmlSatyadhana. (2014) ‘The Shorter Discourse on Emptiness (Cūḷasuññatasutta, Majjhima-nikāya 121): translation and commentary.’ Western Buddhist Review 6: 78–104. https://thebuddhistcentre.com/system/files/groups/files/satyadhana-formless_spheres.pdfAnālayo. (2014). Compassion and Emptiness in Early Buddhism. https://www.windhorsepublications.com/product/compassion-and-emptiness-in-early-buddhist-meditation/Show Notes0:25 – Introduction2:29 – How Jayarava got involved with the Triratna Buddhist Order and learned Pali5:47 – The history of the Pali Canon; figuring out when the texts were first recorded; how accurately the original words were memorized11:45 – Fitting together the concepts of karma and dependent origination; how different Abhidhamma groups and others tried to resolve the contradictions17:07 – How rebirth became a burden to escape from, rather than a good thing; different concepts of afterlife21:12 – Differences in source texts; how translations are influenced by commentaries25:32 – History of the Heart Sutra30:19 – Jan Nattier’s discovery that the Sanskrit HeartSutra is not original but a translation from Chinese, and how often this sort of thing might have occurred with other texts; Matthew Orsborn’s paper showing errors in previous interpretations of the Heart Sutra. “It’s not saying, ‘Okay, form doesn’t exist. It’s just an illusion.’ It’s saying when you get to a certain point in your meditation, form stops arising. It’s not that there’s no form; it’s just that, for you in that moment, form doesn’t exist, or it doesn’t arise.”36:45 – Description of a meditation practice of paying attention to what’s absent; insight arising after cessation42:12 – If you do this sort of critical analysis of Buddhism and parts of it fail, what’s left? The practices and ways of talking about them; the value of practice in modern life46:11 – The problem of bundling mindfulness with religion, the usefulness of secular mindfulness; multiple ways of teaching are valuable; monism versus pluralism54:01 – Discovering the nature of subjective reality, rather than seeing reality as it really is59:16 – OutroPlease support the Deconstructing Yourself podcast on PatreonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Erik Davis, an author and podcaster, discusses author Robert Anton Wilson, anarchism in the 1970s, psychedelics, and Zen practice. They explore the impact of Wilson's book, High Weirdness, and the concept of metasystemic thinking. The podcast also delves into the absorption of psychedelics into capitalist society, the parallelism between meditation and corporate influence, and ways to support the Deconstructing Yourself podcast.

AI researcher Joscha Bach discusses the relationship between AI and the human mind, including topics such as motivation, emotion, and behavior. He also explores the transformation of civilizations, the embodiment idea in AI, and the concept of metasystematicity.

Experienced meditator and teacher, Daniel Ingram, discusses Fire Kasina practice, deep awakening through mental object focus, balancing wisdom and faith, processing trauma with meditation, beauty as support, increasing stream entry, and over-diagnosis of attainment. Also, explored are faith and guru practice, impermanence insight, hindrances for smart people, and rapture.

Chandra Easton and Michael Taft talk about gender and sexual misconduct in Buddhism, why compassion must be a part of spiritual practice, and the place of the guru in modern culture. Chandra shares her personal story of dealing with sexual misconduct at the hands of her teacher, tantric practices as a technology for awakening, internalized patriarchy, and how love and kindness is the whole point of spiritual practice. Also included are guidelines for choosing a teacher, reimagining Tantric practices in non-binary ways, and much more.Chandra Easton studied Buddhist philosophy, meditation, and Tibetan language at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India, and translated Tibetan Buddhist texts on meditation with B. Alan Wallace. Chandra has taught meditation and yoga since 2001. She has studied with many Tibetan and Western Buddhist teachers such as H.H. Dalai Lama, H.H. Karmapa, Lama Tsultrim Allione, B. Alan Wallace,Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche, and Jennifer Welwood. She is currently the Assistant Spiritual Director & Head Teacher at the Tara Mandala Retreat Center. To learn more visit www.shunyatayoga.com and www.taramandala.org.LinksThe teachings of ChödNamkhai NorbuLama Tsultrim AllioneThe Alchemical BodyThe Anam Cara Show Notes2:57 - Chandra’s move to Colorado4:14 - The Tara Mandala retreat center6:35 - The Chöd practices11:33 - Namkhai Norbu and “self-secret”14:33 - The technology of Tantra20:38 - The motivation of compassion25:54 - Guru sexual misconduct and The Feminine in Buddhism34:04 - The Buddha’s views on women37:38 - The Tantra movement40:01 - Women in Buddhism and what needs to change44:41 - Women-run sanghas47:39 - Gender in Tantric practices52:16 - Sexual abuse and spiritual leaders59:05 - How to choose a teacher1:05:04 - Qualities to look for in a teacher1:10:11 - Is the guru still needed?1:13:05 - The Soul Friend1:15:40 - The story of the Grandma and the Dog’s Tooth1:19:54 - The teacher vs. the teachings1:28:35 - Education changing the female experience in Buddhism You can support the creation of future episodes of this podcast by contributing through Patreon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Turning the tables on the usual show format, host Michael Taft gets interviewed by Erik Newton. They talk about the meaning of awakening, the paradox of suffering, the end of seeking, the value of personal experience vs. scriptural understanding, Erik’s awakening experience, new technologies of awakening, the genesis of the Deconstructing Yourself podcast, and more.Erik Newton is a lawyer and was the head of a successful family law firm, which gave him the opportunity to take part in 1000s of divorces. As the result of his experience, two things happened: one was that he created the wildly popular podcast entitled “Together” — the podcast that explores the truth of human relationships — in which Erik uses his hard-won knowledge of the many failure modes of relationships to help couples understand how come together. The second was that he had a major awakening experience.LinksKenneth Folk on DYAm I Mindful Right NowThe Cosmic JokeMasters of OblivionThe Forest Refuge Michael’s Book on Non-DualityDaniel Ingram on DYMeditation Magick Fire KasinaPopping the Bubble of ProjectionMichael’s Article on AwakeningThe Mindful GeekShow Notes3:50 – How The DY Podcast Began6:58 – The Conversation of Awakening as a Creative Journey9:30 – The Joy of Getting Inside Somebody Else’s Mind10:40 – What is “The Path”?12:09 – Where Did the Name “Deconstructing Yourself” Come From?14:48 – Deconstructing Leads to Reconstructing16:13 – Deconstruction and Reconstruction in Buddhism16:57 – Erik’s Awakenings and Emptiness Experiences18:58 – “Heaven is a Place Where Nothing Ever Happens”20:24 – The “What Next” Factor Leads Us Back to The World21:30 – The Pros and Cons of Michael’s Style of Learning and Teaching24:04 – The Value of Academia and Scripture25:24 – Everything is Partially True and False26:43 – Michael’s Time as a Seeker28:00 – What is a Seeker?28:36 – The Slow Death of the Seeker31:02 – Awakening Can Save the World32:36 – Nothing Matters and A Lot Matters34:51 – Does It Hurt to Be Aware of Suffering?36:03 – The Game of Recognizing Emptiness and Engaging Anyway37:37 – Awake People Are Still People38:46 – A Perfect Relationship Doesn’t Exist40:21 – Popping the Bubbles of Projection41:33 – Redefining Awakening Through Science43:06 – Empathizing with Critics43:54 – Teaching for The Western Mind45:42 – The Practical Impact of Awakening46:26 – Plant Medicine as a Shortcut for Awakening47:15 – Technology’s Place in Awakening51:48 – The Power of Communication Technology52:19 – Normalizing Awakening53:46 – Nudges Towards Awakening55:22 – Teaching Meditation at Erik’s Start Up56:33 – Beginner’s Mind57:18 – Goals, Motivations, and Ethics in Meditation58:42 – Waking Up in Silicon Valley You can help to create future episodes of this podcast by contributing through Patreon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode host Michael Taft speaks with Rob Burbea about Rob’s book, Seeing That Frees, the power of perception (ways of seeing), his creative methods of working with meditation practice, meditating with a more analytical vs more phenomenological focus, how analytical meditation works, Rob’s “soulmaking dharma,” the emptiness of conceptual frameworks, facing the end of life, and the meaning of emptiness.Rob Burbea is a meditation teacher, musician, author, who teaches at Gaia House in Devon, England. Rob is the author of the groundbreaking meditation practice book entitled, Seeing That Frees: Meditations on Emptiness and Dependent Arising. Rob and Michael discuss it at length in this episode.Seeing that Frees on AmazonShow Notes0:24 – Introduction1:49 – Seeing That Frees, the idea of ways of looking that are liberating4:34 – Example of the classical Buddhist anattā way of looking, unhooking identification, and moving towards less fabrication of perception14:14 – Rob’s teachers and how his creative meditative exploration unfolded22:57 – Following the lead of beauty and the sense of liberation into new territory27:01 – What is emptiness?35:10 – An example of analytical meditation on time and its effect on the fading of perception41:38 – Soulmaking, skillful fabrication, and broadening the scope of the purpose of meditation beyond just the release of obvious suffering44:55 – Working with soulmaking and images that are intrapsychic or in the world of material objects, contextualizing these practices, and parallels with meta-rationality48:54 – Gauging the progress of insight into emptiness through palpable senses of relief and release and senses of perception opening up in wondrous and beautiful ways53:12 – On a personal journey of soulmaking through health crises and the possibility of dying1:01:12 – OutroSupport the creation of future episodes of this podcast by contributing through Patreon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, host Michael W. Taft speaks with senior dharma teacher Christopher Titmuss about yatra—meditative pilgrimage without a destination—the power of nature, the importance of deconstructing the self, the psychedelic 60s, Vietnam, engaged Buddhism, the role of spiritual practice in the current world crisis, and the central role of liberation in meditation.Christopher Titmuss is an insight meditation teacher, author, and former Theravada Buddhist monk. He is the co-founder of Gaia House, a large Buddhist retreat center in Devon, England, where he has been teaching since the early 1980s. A renowned proponent of engaged Buddhism, Christopher is the author of numerous books, and twice ran for election as a top Green Party candidate in England. Support the creation of future episodes of this podcast by contributing through Patreon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.