Edge of Mind Podcast

Join Tsoknyi Rinpoche and Daniel Goleman as they discuss their new book, Why We Meditate. This conversation follows the structure of the book, with Rinpoche responding to questions from Andrew, and Daniel offering the science behind what Rinpoche covers. The podcast begins with the aspirations behind this book, what they both want readers to walk away with. Rinpoche then talks about his notion of “beautiful monsters,” and gives the example of how to work with anger in a new way, distinguishing between useful and useless anger.

Rinpoche connects this to “essence love,” and his wonderful “handshake” practice. Daniel and Rinpoche then talk about balancing the two views behind meditation: are we training to achieve certain qualities, or dis-covering them? What about the sense of hollowness that so many feel today? Where does that sense of lack come from, and what can we do about it? Rinpoche and Daniel then go into depth about the “Four I’s” – the mere I, reified I, needy I, and the social I – and how this relates to the issue of egolessness. This acts as platform into the topic of reification, and its central role in creating suffering. Both guests talk about the contribution of Western psychology, and therapy as an indispensable tool for benefiting meditators.

More about the book "Why We Meditate"

Join neuroscientist Maria Kozhevnikov as she shares cutting-edge research on the nature of consciousness, and expands the scientific inquiry into post-mindfulness studies. Mindfulness studies, which dominate the field, are great, but there is so much more. Dr. Kozhevnikov is a rare blend of scientist-practitioner, who has spent years studying advanced meditators in Bhutan and Nepal. Her ground-breaking work in deity yoga (generation stage meditation) and tummo (the inner heat practices) is revealing the untapped wonders of the mind from a scientific lens, and stretching research into uncharted territories. What is the promise and peril of conducting studies on practices that were previously kept secret? What is the “cash value” of this work, and how can it benefit the general public, or a meditator? Is the mind spread out across the body, or limited to the brain? Does mentation even expand beyond the body? Maria shares her work and experience with lucid dreaming (along with tips for increasing lucidity), and discusses the importance of “flow states” (the Zone) and their relationship to states of meditative absorption (samadhi). What happens to the default mode network, and the salience network, which are both central to the ego, in these deep states? Why does the Vajrayana (Tantra) engage flow states, while the Hinayana (Theravada) does not? Maria shares how her professional work has informed and impacted her practice of Vajrayana Buddhism, and then concludes with what lies ahead in her exciting arena of scientific inquiry. Dr. Kozhevnikov is a pioneering voice truly on the edge of mind.

Join best-selling author and neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander as he shares his remarkable near-death experience (NDE), and the revelatory journey he has taken into the science and spirituality that supports NDE’s. This life-changing event has removed all fear of death for Eben, and understanding what he has discovered can do the same for us. The discussion turns to the importance of overthrowing the tyranny of appearance, and the dominance of materialism. By realizing that reality is of the nature of mind (metaphysical idealism), not matter, and that the universe is loving, we discover the ultimate holding environment that allows us to relax at the moment of death -- knowing that we are held. Relaxation is the irreducible instruction for a good death. There is no place to go when we die that is not conscious. Death is only the end of the body, not the mind. Eben shares the hyper-reality of what he experienced, and how memory is not localized in the brain. The brain is a reducing-valve that does not give rise to consciousness, but actually limits it. Dr. Alexander also shares the role that sound and music had in his experience, and how sound is at the heart of reality itself (as in “string theory” of physics). Sacred Acoustics, or using the binaural beats of sound meditation, is discussed as a form of spiritual practice. The conversation turns to the power of the mind, as manifested in the placebo effect, as well as the opposite nocebo effect that occurs when we believe in materialism. The narrative of openness, and how fear arises when we’re too open (for the ego) is explored; how a type of NDE occurs in deep meditation; and how heaven is equally a state of mind – right here and now. We don’t have to wait till we die to enter heaven. The conversation closes with a look at “translational spirituality,” and how critically important it is to bring spiritual insights into the current ecological, political, and social crises. See for yourself why Eben’s books have been on the New York Time’s best-seller list for years.

Join the neuroscientist, contemplative, and poet Ruben Laukkonen on a breathtaking tour of the nature of mind and reality. Why is it so important to know the mind, and how does one do that? What is the role of deconstruction on the meditative path, and how do dreams fit into all this? Exploring Ruben’s seminal work on meditation and the plasticity of the predictive mind, this is a wide-ranging exploration into the science of meditation – both diurnal and nocturnal. Why does crises spark evolution? Why is “chaos extremely good news”? The conversation covers topics like predictive processing, how resting in the present moment is annihilation, the illusion of time and space, naïve realism and noncontextual realism, representationalism, and how the meditative path is death in slow motion. Is it even accurate to take about “mind,” or is “minds” more appropriate? Is the brain a reducing valve, and how does mind relate to brain? How do dreams help us discover the power of “top down” (vs “bottom up”) processing, and why is it so important to discover all the “forces of the dark side” as embedded (almost literally) in the unconscious mind? Is reality radically relativistic, or does it bottom out somewhere? The conversation turns to what’s left after all the cutting, negating, and deconstructing. Are there wholesome constructs, and how can lucid dreaming help us work with “generation stage” meditation? Ruben shares a remarkable lucid dream, and the implications behind what he has discovered in the dream world. You will quickly see why Dr. Laukkonen is a shining start in the new and exciting field of contemplative science. This is one of the deepest and most comprehensive interviews to date, with a rare liminal being.

More about Ruben Laukkonen
Ruben is a scientist, contemplative, writer, speaker, kickboxer, and poet. He has authored the first unifying scientific theory of both meditation and insight. Ruben’s mission is to know the mind in order to uncover simple and effective empirical paths towards peace. Visit his website https://rubenlaukkonen.com/

Join the scholar-practitioner Yusuf al-Hurr for a discussion about the foundations of Islamic mysticism, and the role of Sufism in Islam. Yusuf points out a number of common misunderstandings about the Muslim tradition, and some of the challenges in modern academic research into Islam. Who are some of the best authors in this field, and what are some of the finest books? Islam has transmission lineages very similar to the tulku tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and meditations (like deity yoga) analogous to tantric practice. What is the role of art in Islam, and why is it more indicative of authentic spirituality than the words of some Muslim teachers? Yusuf transitions from the esoteric to the exoteric, and poignantly discusses the human side of this tradition as well as his own personal practice. This wide-ranging conversation lays the necessary groundwork and contextual framework that will allow a deep dive into how lucid dreaming fits into Islam, and even an Islamic form of bardo yoga (a follow-up interview scheduled for next week). Join this sensitive and rigorous scholar for an eye-opening look at the heart of this elegant tradition, and its relationship to Eastern thought. The internet connection to Baghdad was spotty at times, but this fascinating presentation is worth a close listening.

More about Yusuf:

Dr. Francisco José Luis (Yūsuf al-Hurr al- Andalusī) was born in Luxembourg in a Portuguese working class immigrant family. He developed a deep interest for comparative religions and mysticism since his teenage years when he started practicing meditation. He completed two separate MA degrees in Indo-Iranian Studies and in French and Comparative Literature at the Sorbonne University in Paris before doing his PhD in Religious Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) on Sikhism. He taught at various universities (London, Toronto, Karachi) and his main research interests are Islamic mysticism and philosophy, Islamic art, the relations between Islamic, Christian and Indic forms of mysticism. While working on his publications he is also presently training in Arabic calligraphy and Middle Eastern music. He hates instant coffee.

Intro Links:

• “Dreams of Light” Book Study Group
• Graceful Entry: Preparing for a Good Birth [Menla] - Online Retreat with Andrew + Bob Thurman