Living Mirrors with Dr. James Cooke

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This talk was filmed live at the Totnes Consciousness Cafe in April 2025.

David Loy is a Zen teacher, author, and scholar whose work bridges Buddhism, social justice, and ecology. He is a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Ecodharma Retreat Center, near Boulder, Colorado, and sits on the advisory boards of Buddhist Global Relief, the Clear View Project, Zen Peacemakers, and the Ernest Becker Foundation. He's the author of many books, including Ecodharma: Buddhist Teachings for the Ecological Crisis, and ecodharma is the topic that we explore today. https://www.davidloy.org/

This week on the podcast I’m speaking again with Daniel Ingram. Daniel is a physician and meditator and is the author of the influential book Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha. He is the co-founder of the Dharma Overground and of The Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium. Today we discuss awakening and the role of interpretations in the mind, as well as the dark night of the soul and other related topics. If you're interested in any of these topics, you can go to innerspaceinstitute.org to explore my guided practices there.

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Viivi Jokela is an awakening facilitator. She had a spontaneous awakening in 2022 which she subsequently integrated to reach abiding no-self realization. I find her descriptions of what she calls “the natural state”, and the process by which it can be realized, to be incredibly accurate, and so it’s a real pleasure to bring you my conversation with her today. We speak mainly about what it’s like to go through no-self realization, as well as other aspects of awakening. https://www.sensingradiance.com/

Judith Herman is a psychiatrist, researcher, teacher, author and a leading expert on the healing of traumatic stress. She is Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and is the author of many books on PSTD, most recently Truth and Repair: How Trauma Survivors Envision Justice. A lifelong activist, she brings deep insight and understanding to the societal context in which trauma occurs, from the personal to the political, and these are the themes we discuss today.

In this enlightening discussion, Henry Shukman, a poet and Zen master from the Mountain Cloud Zen Center, shares his insights on Zen philosophy and awakening. He delves into the power of koans in fostering selflessness and how embracing the ordinary can lead to profound peace. Shukman beautifully intertwines Zen with creative expression, reflecting on its impact on Western culture. He also explores the nature of consciousness and the concept of interconnectedness, encouraging a joyful engagement with life that transcends material complexities.

Karl Friston, a renowned theoretical neurobiologist from University College London, delves into the core of consciousness and its profound interconnections with life and the environment. He discusses the intriguing concept of teleodynamics and how consciousness intertwines with physics and Buddhist philosophy. Friston also explores the dynamics of surprise and personal agency, emphasizing the role of anticipation in behavior. The talk further investigates counterfactual thinking and the layered structures of generative models in the brain, expanding our understanding of selfhood and decision-making.

Naill McKeever, host of Weekend University, interviews Dr. James Cooke, an insightful thinker on consciousness and non-dual naturalism. They discuss how our perceptions shape reality and the transformative power of contemplation. The conversation explores the interconnectedness of existence and the compassion it breeds, even for those who err. They dive into the tension between free will and determinism, advocating for a non-dual perspective that unites scientific and spiritual insights, all while promoting the Inner Space Institute’s innovative integration of these fields.