Deconstructing Yourself

Douglas Tataryn, a clinical psychologist and life coach, delves into the intersection of meditation and emotional processing. He shares insights from his extensive meditation journey and discusses the Bio-Emotive Framework, a novel approach to understanding emotions in mental health. The conversation highlights the crucial difference between core feelings and traditional emotions, and the role of meditation in achieving emotional clarity. Tataryn also touches on the impact of childhood experiences on emotional development and the importance of confronting emotions in healing.

Host Michael Taft speaks with Loch Kelly on nondual practices, contemporary forms of ancient awareness techniques, dzogchen, mahamudra, advaita, the role of psychotherapy in awakening, the need—or not—for a guru, open-hearted awareness, internal family systems therapy, and more.Loch Kelly is an author, meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and founder of the non-profit, Open-Hearted Awareness Institute. Loch teaches in a non-sectarian lineage based in the earliest non-dual wisdom traditions, modern science, and psychotherapy.Loch Kelly’s WebsiteSupport the Deconstructing Yourself podcast via Patreon.Show Notes:00:43 - Intro03:05 - Loch’s meditation background06:59 - Shifting from concentration practice to choiceless awareness practice10:01 - Meeting Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche12:23 - The experience vs explanation of ‘pure awareness’ in different traditions14:38 - Mahamudra15:31 - The dualism in stopping halfway at ‘pure/spacious awareness’17:54 - Recognition vs realization20:02 - The possibility of ‘awake awareness’ in different traditions22:53 - Contacting nondual awareness24:00 - How can awareness be aware of awareness, if you are not aware from awareness?28:10 - The contemporary teaching of unhooking ‘local awareness’34:42 - The vipassana model/map vs natural awakenings37:42 - Upgrading the mahamudra map and instructions (from ‘pure awareness’ to ‘awake awareness’) 43:07 - The four or five levels of the mind in mahamudra (1. everyday mind, 2. subtle mind, 3. pure awareness, 4. simultaneous mind, 5. open-hearted awareness/bodhicitta)46:13 - Thoughts and emotions in ‘open-hearted awareness’50:09 - Teaching moving from ‘spacious awareness’ to ‘awake awareness’56:02 - Wonder, freedom, and joy in wisdom mind01:02:14 - Postural yoga and pranayama in mahamudra01:05:18 - Integrating ‘one-pointed awareness’ into the ‘field of awareness’01:08:37 - Psychotherapy as a “preliminary” practice01:10:42 - The “crazy yogi”: waking up without growing up01:13:32 - The healing power of ‘open-hearted awareness’ in IFS (Internal Family Systems)01:16:40 - The role of the guru in different traditions; “energetic transmission”01:21:37 - Don’t stop halfway and come on in the water!01:27:30 - Teaching vipassana in a nondual way01:32:47 - Loch’s latest teaching- and personal inquiries01:35:14 - OutroWhat does nondual mean?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Culadasa, a seasoned Buddhist meditation practitioner, discusses the overlap and divergence of meditation and therapy, highlighting how they address inner conflicts. He shares insights on minimizing psychological distress during insight experiences and the effects of different meditation practices on psychological material. Culadasa reflects on integrating therapy and meditation in Buddhism for comprehensive healing and personal growth.

Host Michael W. Taft speaks with bestselling author and meditation teacher Rick Hanson about how to maintain resilience in the face of the coming potential collapse of civilization, the problem with agriculture, meditation methods to build inner strengths, Rick’s upcoming book Neuro-dharma, and more. Rick Hanson, PhD, is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. His books include Buddha’s Brain, Hardwiring Happiness, and the new book Resilient. Rick began meditating in 1974, has trained in several traditions, and teaches at meditation centers around the world.Show Notes0:25 – Introduction1:56 – Michael talks about Rick’s background in meditation and his public persona, then introduces the topic for this episode, the potentially apocalyptic future7:30 – How growing strengths and resources inside, and turning states into traits, gets trivialized as ‘positive psychologizing’12:59 – Punctuated equilibrium: things tend to go along steadily until the bottom drops out; knowing that apocalyptic scenarios can occur, giving thought to what one can do that’s rational, given one’s values, resources, karmas and responsibilities in life16:54 – The game-changing threats of thermonuclear exchange, runaway AI, totalitarian regimes exploiting surveillance technology and genetic engineering, climate change21:03 – Working in practice with impermanence and remembrance of death26:36 – “Time held me green and dying, though I sang in my chains like the sea” – claiming to oneself again and again, in the face of forces that make one feel powerless, what one can do inside one’s own mind; counteracting learned helplessness35:09 – The balance of compassion and equanimity in facing death and environmental destruction; different paths to developing compassion and equanimity46:15 – How the move away from living in small hunter-gatherer bands changed people’s relationship with governance; the lack of common welfare, common truth, and common justice54:33 – Reclaiming healthy human politics; valuing truth and shutting down attacks on truth; encouraging the pooling of resources among nonprofits with a common cause1:05:04 – Rick’s upcoming book, Neuro-dharma; short description of the seven practices in the book which stimulate and strengthen the underlying neural basis for wholesome, transformative qualities of mind1:14:25 – OutroYou 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.

Author and meditation teacher Daniel Ingram speaks with host Michael W. Taft about how the Fire Kasina practice can be used as an insight practice. Subjects include: the background of kasina practice in the Thervada tradition, using kasinas to go into jhana, how vipassana practice interacts with jhana practice, meditation on the Three Characteristics, and detailed instructions for doing the Fire Kasina practiceDaniel Ingram is an emergency medicine physician and long-time dharma practitioner. He is the author of the seminal text Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha — now out in its second edition- and also the main force behind the radical dharmaoverground website, which specializes in a brand of unusually-frank discussion of meditation.The book Michael mentions is Theravada Meditation by Winston KingDaniel explains how jhanas and ñanas can be matched across systems in this video.The Fire Kasina websiteShow Notes0:25 – Introduction2:13 – Michael’s experience with the fire kasina at Denman Island, realizing the practice can lead to awakening5:34 – Setting the general context for using any kind of kasina, and how it fits in with Theravada practice9:25 – How and why Daniel started kasina practice, objects he used; whether there’s something special about the fire kasina14:22 – Elemental imbalance, taking other elements (air, water, earth) besides fire; once you can do one element really well, you can get all the other colors and elements17:00 – Using kasina practice to enter the jhanas or develop jhanic factors; how insight slips into concentration practices21:21 – Beginning to describe the stages of working with a fire kasina, and what it means for jhanic factors (and the nanas)23:48 – The appearance of the red dot nimitta and its characteristics27:45 – The first jhanic factors that come with tracking and steadying the red dot nimitta; changes in the color of the nimitta and the dropping of sustained thought (being second jhanic factors); the second vipassana jhana’s correlation with the Arising and Passing Away30:33 – The appearance of the black/dark dot and entering the murk; the gifts and challenges of practicing with the murk; Neko’s triad of patience, faith, and curiosity37:57 – Learning color, image, and movement control in the murk; bringing in insight elements42:08 – Exiting the murk and entering fourth jhanic territory; what the transition from third to fourth jhana looks like47:20 – Things a practitioner can look for to know when they’ve made the transition to fourth jhana / fourth jhanic factors52:22 – Descriptions of the first through fourth ‘screens’, how the screens don’t perfectly correlate with the jhanas54:16 – Moving from fourth jhanic territory to awakening; cultivating the three characteristics1:02:50 – The challenge of taking the fire kasina to the immaterial type jhanas1:04:38 – What’s most exciting to Daniel about this practice and why he continues to do it1:09:21 – Community and learning resources for people who want to work with kasina practice; warnings about doing the practice intensely or without a support system when one has a serious mental health diagnosis1:14:51 – OutroYou 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.

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.