Podcasts about spirituality without religion

In this episode of The Manifested Podcast, Kathleen shares her transformative journey into Spirituality Without Religion, detailing how she merged spiritual awakening with the practice of manifestation. Her perspective shifted dramatically in 2019 when she began exploring the idea of being spiritual in a human body, leading her from skepticism to a deep connection with God. Kathleen highlights key moments, including the impact of her mentor Bob Proctor's teachings and insights from writing her bestselling book Becoming the One. She discusses the power of using God's language, tuning into the soul's intuition, and the role of gratitude in manifestation. This episode is an essential listen for those seeking to explore spiritual growth and personal transformation beyond traditional religious frameworks.   Also in this episode: Kathleen Cameron experienced a profound spiritual awakening, transitioning from disbelief to embracing the idea of being a spiritual being having a human experience. Her journey was significantly influenced by her mentor, Bob Proctor, and the process of writing her book, "Becoming the One." Kathleen emphasizes the importance of understanding God not in traditional terms but as a supportive, nonjudgmental, and collaborative source of energy.   Subscribe To The Manifested Podcast With Kathleen Cameron: Apple Podcast | YouTube | Spotify Connect With The Kathleen Cameron: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Youtube | TikTok | Kathleencameronofficial.com   Unlock Your Dreams with House of ManifestationA community where you take control of your destiny, manifest your desires, and create a life filled with abundance and purpose? Look no further than the House of Manifestation, where your transformation begins: https://houseofmanifestation.com/     About Kathleen Cameron: Kathleen Cameron, Chief Wealth Creator, 8-figure entrepreneur, and record-breaking author. In just 2 years, she built a 10 Million dollar business and continues to share her knowledge and expertise with all of whom she connects with.  With her determination, unwavering faith, and powers of manifestation, she has helped over 100,000 people attract more love, money, and success into their lives. Her innovative approaches to Manifestation and utilizing the Laws of Attraction have led to the creation of one of the top global success networks, Diamond Academy Coaching, thousands of students have been able to experience quantum growth. The force behind her magnetic field has catapulted many students into a life beyond their wildest dreams and she is just getting started. Kathleen helps others step into their true potential and become the best version of themselves with their goals met. Kathleen graduated with two undergraduate degrees from the University of Windsor and the University of Toronto with a master's degree in nursing leadership. Her book, “Becoming The One", published by Hasmark Publishing, launched in August 2021 became an International Best Seller in five countries on the first day.    This Podcast Is Produced, Engineered & Edited By: Simplified Impact

In this episode of Front End Happy Hour, Ryan Burgess, Jem Young, Brian Holt, and Dan DiGangi dive deep into the challenges faced by junior developers as they embark on their coding journeys. From the importance of curiosity and continuous learning to the often overlooked non-technical skills, our panelists discuss the common gaps that new developers experience. Whether you're a beginner looking to navigate your first job or a senior engineer mentoring others, this conversation offers valuable insights to help bridge the gap between education and real-world success. Guests: Brian Holt - @holtbt Dan DiGangi - @dandigangi Panelists: Ryan Burgess - @burgessdryan Jem Young - @JemYoung Picks: Ryan Burgess - Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life https://www.amazon.com/Ikigai-Japanese-Secret-Long-Happy/dp/0143130722?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=frontendhappy-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=e062900575dea0ba9cf089cbcf0633eb&camp=1789&creative=9325 Ryan Burgess - Jem Young - Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building https://www.amazon.com/Scaling-People-Tactics-Management-Building/dp/1953953212?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=frontendhappy-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=e062900575dea0ba9cf089cbcf0633eb&camp=1789&creative=9325 Jem Young - Movement, Before All Flowers - Max Richter https://open.spotify.com/album/1HrFsljwk4wUHrPPOGkSbN Brian Holt - Minnesota State Fair https://www.mnstatefair.org/ Brian Holt - Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers https://store.steampowered.com/app/2400510/Dungeons__Degenerate_Gamblers/ Brian Holt - Electric SQL https://electric-sql.com/ Dan DiGangi - Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=frontendhappy-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=e062900575dea0ba9cf089cbcf0633eb&camp=1789&creative=9325 Episode transcript: https://www.frontendhappyhour.com/episodes/why-most-new-developers-struggle-the-missing-skills-you-need

Can you be spiritual if you are not religious? Is spirituality possible if you are an atheist? What is spirituality and how can it enhance your life? Dick’s guest, Elizabeth Schrimpf, is a Licensed Professional Counselor practicing in Madison, Wisconsin. She at times will use the aspect of spirituality in her practice and in her […]

Can you be spiritual if you are not religious? Is spirituality possible if you are an atheist? What is spirituality and how can it enhance your life? Dick's guest, Elizabeth Schrimpf, is a Licensed Professional Counselor practicing in Madison, Wisconsin. She at times will use the aspect of spirituality in her practice and in her […]

Looking for some unusual attractions in Tokyo, Japan? Look no further.In this episode, we talk to local expert and freelance writer David McElhinney.David is a Northern Irish journalist and editor based in Tokyo and Belfast. Since first moving to Japan in 2018, he's written travel articles — as well as pieces on Japanese art, culture and current affairs — for the likes of Lonely Planet, Tokyo Weekender and CNN Travel. He's currently working on a guidebook to Japan.In this episode you'll find out…Where to witness the genitalia-celebrating Festival of the Steel PhallusWhy curry bread and pit-viper liqueur beat salted squid gutsHow rockabilly and jazz music have found a loving home in Tokyo…and so much more.You'll find all David's picks on the podcast website: www.strangeoldworld.com(LINKS DON'T WORK ON YOUR PODCAST PLATFORM? THEY'RE ALL AT WWW.STRANGEOLDWORLD.COM TOO)Read his articles for Tokyo Weekender and check out his freelance websiteHere are a couple of the Japan-focused articles we mentioned on the pod:Spirituality Without Religion on the Kumano KodoIn Praise of Silence: Japan's Ancient Relationship to the Absence of NoiseJazz Kissa: A Musical Culture Unique to JapanFollow Joe on X or Instagram or get in touch at info@juniorproductions.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bright on Buddhism Episode 79 - How ought we evaluate the agenda of secular Buddhism and other sources in English about Buddhism? Could one not argue that upon encountering a more secularly inclined audience, it would make sense for Buddhism to be syncretized to a more secular slant? How did/do people in Asia feel about secular Buddhism? Resources: Batchelor, Stephen (1998), Buddhism without Beliefs, Riverhead Books, ISBN 1-57322-656-4; Batchelor, Stephen (2015), After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age, Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0300205183; Harris, Sam (2014), Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-1451636017; Payne, Richard (2021), Secularizing Buddhism: New Perspectives on a Dynamic Tradition, Shambhala Publications, ISBN 9781611808896; Stuart, Daniel M. (2020), S.N. Goenka: Emissary of Insight, Shambhala Publications, ISBN 9781611808186; Ward, Tim (1995), What the Buddha Never Taught, Celestial Arts, ISBN 0-89087-687-8; Wright, Robert (2017), Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 9781439195468; https://tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/can-someone-be-a-secular-buddhist/; https://secularbuddhism.com/; https://secularbuddhism.org/; https://secularbuddhistnetwork.org/an-introduction-to-secular-buddhism/; Cliteur, Paul (2010). The Secular Outlook: In Defense of Moral and Political Secularism. ISBN 978-1-4443-3521-7; Taylor, Charles (2007). A Secular Age. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-02676-6; Kosmin, Barry A. and Ariela Keysar (2007). Secularism and Secularity: Contemporary International Perspectives. Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture. ISBN 978-0-9794816-0-4, 0-9794816-0-0; Martin, David (2005). On Secularization: Towards a Revised General Theory. Aldershot: Ashgate. ISBN 0-7546-5322-6; Benson, Iain (2004). Considering Secularism in Farrows, Douglas(ed.). Recognizing Religion in a Secular Society McGill-Queens Press. ISBN 0-7735-2812-1; Berlinerblau, Jacques (2012) "How to be Secular: A Call to Arms for Religious Freedom" ISBN 978-0-547-47334-5; Kyrlezhev, Aleksandr. “The Postsecular Age: Religion and Culture Today.” Trans. Joera Mulders and Philip Walters. Religion, State and Society 36.1 (2008): 21-31. Print.; McLennan, Gregor. “The Postsecular Turn.” Theory, Culture & Society 27.4 (2010): 3-20. Print.; King, Mike. “Art and the Postsecular.” Journal of Visual Art Practice 4.1 (2005): 3-17. Print.; Kaufmann, Michael. “Locating the Postsecular.” Religion & Literature 41.3 (2009): 67-73. Print.; Hadden, Jeffrey K. “Toward Desacralizing Secularization Theory.” Social Forces 65.3 (1987): 587-611. Print.; The Desecularization of the World: Resurgent Religion and World Politics by Peter L. Berger, Editor, David Martin, Contribution by, Grace Davie, Contribution by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, (143p) ISBN 978-0-8028-4691-4; Hjelm, Titus (September 20, 2019). "Rethinking the theoretical base of Peter L. Berger's sociology of religion: Social construction, power, and discourse". Sage Journals. Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by tweeting to us @BrightBuddhism, emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com, or joining us on our discord server, Hidden Sangha https://discord.gg/tEwcVpu! Credits: Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brightonbuddhism/message

Bright on Buddhism Episode 77 - What is secular Buddhism? What are its origins and principles? What are some of its strengths and weaknesses? Resources: Batchelor, Stephen (1998), Buddhism without Beliefs, Riverhead Books, ISBN 1-57322-656-4; Batchelor, Stephen (2015), After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age, Yale University Press, ISBN 978-0300205183; Harris, Sam (2014), Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-1451636017; Payne, Richard (2021), Secularizing Buddhism: New Perspectives on a Dynamic Tradition, Shambhala Publications, ISBN 9781611808896; Stuart, Daniel M. (2020), S.N. Goenka: Emissary of Insight, Shambhala Publications, ISBN 9781611808186; Ward, Tim (1995), What the Buddha Never Taught, Celestial Arts, ISBN 0-89087-687-8; Wright, Robert (2017), Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 9781439195468; https://tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/can-someone-be-a-secular-buddhist/; https://secularbuddhism.com/; https://secularbuddhism.org/; https://secularbuddhistnetwork.org/an-introduction-to-secular-buddhism/; Cliteur, Paul (2010). The Secular Outlook: In Defense of Moral and Political Secularism. ISBN 978-1-4443-3521-7; Taylor, Charles (2007). A Secular Age. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-02676-6; Kosmin, Barry A. and Ariela Keysar (2007). Secularism and Secularity: Contemporary International Perspectives. Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture. ISBN 978-0-9794816-0-4, 0-9794816-0-0; Martin, David (2005). On Secularization: Towards a Revised General Theory. Aldershot: Ashgate. ISBN 0-7546-5322-6; Benson, Iain (2004). Considering Secularism in Farrows, Douglas(ed.). Recognizing Religion in a Secular Society McGill-Queens Press. ISBN 0-7735-2812-1; Berlinerblau, Jacques (2012) "How to be Secular: A Call to Arms for Religious Freedom" ISBN 978-0-547-47334-5; Kyrlezhev, Aleksandr. “The Postsecular Age: Religion and Culture Today.” Trans. Joera Mulders and Philip Walters. Religion, State and Society 36.1 (2008): 21-31. Print.; McLennan, Gregor. “The Postsecular Turn.” Theory, Culture & Society 27.4 (2010): 3-20. Print.; King, Mike. “Art and the Postsecular.” Journal of Visual Art Practice 4.1 (2005): 3-17. Print.; Kaufmann, Michael. “Locating the Postsecular.” Religion & Literature 41.3 (2009): 67-73. Print.; Hadden, Jeffrey K. “Toward Desacralizing Secularization Theory.” Social Forces 65.3 (1987): 587-611. Print.; The Desecularization of the World: Resurgent Religion and World Politics by Peter L. Berger, Editor, David Martin, Contribution by, Grace Davie, Contribution by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, (143p) ISBN 978-0-8028-4691-4; Hjelm, Titus (September 20, 2019). "Rethinking the theoretical base of Peter L. Berger's sociology of religion: Social construction, power, and discourse". Sage Journals. Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by tweeting to us @BrightBuddhism, emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com, or joining us on our discord server, Hidden Sangha https://discord.gg/tEwcVpu! Credits: Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brightonbuddhism/message

Brought to you by Eppo—Run reliable, impactful experiments | Vanta—Automate compliance. Simplify security | Ezra—The leading full-body cancer screening company—Lane Shackleton is CPO of Coda, where he's been leading the product and design team for over eight years. Lane started his career as an Alaskan climbing guide and then as a manual reviewer of AdWords ads before becoming a product specialist at Google and later a Group PM at YouTube. He also writes a weekly newsletter with insights and rituals for PMs, product teams, and startups. In today's conversation, we discuss:• Principles that set great PMs apart• Rituals of great product teams• The fine line between OKRs and strategy, and why it matters• “Two-way write-up”• The story of how skippable YouTube ads were born and lessons learned• How to gauge personal career growth• “Tim Ferriss Day” and its impact on Coda's history• How Lane bootstrapped his way to CPO from the bottom of the tech ladder—Find the transcript and references at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/what-sets-great-teams-apart-lane-shackleton-cpo-of-coda/ —Where to find Lane Shackleton:• X: https://twitter.com/lshackleton• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laneshackleton• Substack: https://lane.substack.com/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Lane's background(04:03) Working as a guide in Alaska(07:32) Parallels between guiding and building software(09:12) Why Lane started studying and writing about product teams(12:49) How Lane came up with the career ladder and guiding principles(14:10) The five levels Coda's career ladder(16:30) Principles of great product managers(21:06) The beginner's-mind ritual at Coda(24:05) Two rituals: “cathedrals not bricks” and “proactive not reactive”(27:46) How to develop your own guiding principles(31:17) Learning from your “oh s**t” moments(36:03) Rituals from great product teams: HubSpot's FlashTags(42:15) Rituals from great product teams: Coda's Catalyst(47:01) Implementing rituals from other companies(49:48) How to navigate changing vs. sticking with current rituals(53:02) “Tag up” and why one-on-one meetings are harmful (55:27) Lane's handbook on strategy and rituals(57:10) How skippable ads came about on YouTube   (1:01:46) Lane's path to CPO(1:07:02) Advice for aspiring PMs(1:10:53) Tim Ferriss Day at Coda(1:13:24) Using two-way write-ups (1:19:30) The fine line between OKRs and strategy, and why it matters(1:21:41) Lightning round—Referenced:• Endurance: https://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Shackletons-Incredible-Alfred-Lansing/dp/0465062881• Bret Victor's talk “Inventing on Principle”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGqwXt90ZqA• Jeremy Britton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremybritton/• Comedian on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/60024976• The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership: https://www.amazon.com/Score-Takes-Care-Itself-Philosophy/dp/1591843472• The Creative Act: A Way of Being: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Act-Way-Being/dp/0593652886• AlphaZero: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlphaZero• Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_de_Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry• Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling: https://www.amazon.com/Storyworthy-Engage-Persuade-through-Storytelling/dp/1608685489• The Moth: https://themoth.org/events• Seth Godin's website: https://www.sethgodin.com/• The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph: https://www.amazon.com/Obstacle-Way-Timeless-Turning-Triumph/dp/1591846358• Tony Fadell's TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uOMectkCCs• FlashTags: A Simple Hack for Conveying Context Without Confusion: https://www.onstartups.com/flashtags-a-simple-hack-for-conveying-context-without-confusion• How Coda builds product: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-coda-builds-product• 100-dollar voting ritual: https://coda.io/@lshackleton/100-dollar-voting-exercise• Pixar's Brain Trust: https://pixar.fandom.com/wiki/Brain_Trust• Lane's product handbook: coda.io/producthandbook• The rituals of great teams | Shishir Mehrotra of Coda, YouTube, Microsoft: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/the-rituals-of-great-teams-shishir-mehrotra-coda-youtube-microsoft/• Principle #4: Learn by making, not talking: https://lane.substack.com/p/principle-4-learn-by-making-not-talking• Phil Farhi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philfarhi/• How to ask the right questions, project confidence, and win over skeptics | Paige Costello (Asana, Intercom, Intuit): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/how-to-ask-the-right-questions-project-confidence-and-win-over-skeptics-paige-costello-asana-intercom-intuit/• Chip Conley's website: https://chipconley.com/• Jeff Bezos Banned PowerPoint in Meetings. His Replacement Is Brilliant: https://www.inc.com/carmine-gallo/jeff-bezos-bans-powerpoint-in-meetings-his-replacement-is-brilliant.html• Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Working-Backwards-Insights-Stories-Secrets/dp/1250267595• Dory and Pulse: https://coda.io/@codatemplates/dory-and-pulse• Turning the Flywheel: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great: https://www.amazon.com/Turning-Flywheel-Monograph-Accompany-Great/dp/0062933795/• Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion: https://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Spirituality-Without-Religion/dp/1451636024• The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance: https://www.amazon.com/Inner-Game-Tennis-Classic-Performance/dp/0679778314• Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Strategy-Bad-Difference-Matters/dp/0307886239• The Last Dance on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80203144• Full Swing on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81483353• Stephen Curry: Underrated on AppleTV+: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/stephen-curry-underrated/umc.cmc.23v0wxaiwz60bjy1w4vg7npun• Arrested Development on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/70140358• Shishir's interview question clip on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lennyrachitsky/video/7160779872296652078• The Ultimate Reference Check Template: https://coda.io/@startup-hiring/reference-checks-template• SwingVision: https://swing.tennis/• Waking Up app: https://www.wakingup.com/—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

Eli Nash sits down with Tyler Bohall on the latest episode of the In Search of More podcast to discuss spirituality beyond religion. Is it possible to find God without religion? Can the two be separated? Or are people too traumatized by religion to find God? You can find the answers to the question and more on the In Search of More podcast. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The In Search of More Podcast is sponsored by OKclarity.com. OKclarity.com is THE place for any Jew - no matter how frum or religious you are - to find a top-notch therapist, psychiatrist, coach, or nutritionist. And it's completely free for you to use! OKCLARITY.com's professionals are vetted and have extensive experience working with the Jewish community. Yes, you can even find me there! If you're in the market for a therapist, coach, nutritionist, psychiatrist, or the like - you want to check them out. If you don't find what you're looking for, they have a concierge service where you complete a short form and they will personally match you. If you are a wellness professional, I highly recommend joining their directory. Their team is amazing and professionals receive referrals effortlessly. OKclarity also has an amazing WhatsApp status with over 7.5K obsessed followers, and yes I am one of them! Their WhatsApp is a free way to improve your mental health and they post great humor so you'll laugh too. If you have WhatsApp, shoot them a message at 917-426-1495. Again that's 917-426-1495. Find an OKclarity verified professional: https://okclarity.com Become an OKclarity verified professional: https://okclarity.com/professional-membership/ Join OKclarity on WhatsApp status or groups: https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=19174261495&text=Hey!%20I'd%20like%20to%20join%20OKclarity%20on%20WhatsApp.%20(ELI) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to the In Search of More Podcast: www.youtube.com/@InSearchOfMore?sub_confirmation=1 For booking inquiries, email: booking@insearchofmorepodcast.com Join Our WhatsApp: https://wa.me/message/PBH5QDJQNQ5LJ1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow us on social media Facebook | http://bit.ly/3jr9eYT Instagram | http://bit.ly/3JsvU5I TikTok | http://bit.ly/3XZ60Lo Twitter | http://bit.ly/3XNgxsR ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Connect with Eli Website | https://bit.ly/eliyahunash Instagram | https://bit.ly/eliyahu_nash Facebook | http://bit.ly/3h3rFSr YouTube | https://youtube.com/@insearchofmore ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Produced by Scarlett Row LLC Executive Producer Ryan Carter | https://bit.ly/3h0P1bm Intro audio purchased through Envato: Opener Intro Trailer Teaser by Florews --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/in-search-of-more/support

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Samuel Lebens—a philosophy professor, rabbi, and Jewish educator—about the nature of consciousness.At a time when artificial intelligence can make us question what it even is that makes humans unique, we look deeply into our ability to have personal experiences and turn them into new ideas. In this episode, we discuss with Sam: Why do we each have a subjective consciousness?What is the relationship between prayer and our lives?What is the “Turing test,” and how does it relate to prayer?Tune in to hear a conversation about how consciousness gives us the ability to transform words into prayer, to “sing a new song.”Interview begins at 31:28.Rabbi Dr. Samuel Lebens is an associate professor in the philosophy department at the University of Haifa, as well as a rabbi and Jewish educator. Samuel holds a PhD in philosophy from Birkbeck College (University of London), and his academic interests cover the philosophy of religion, metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophy of language. Samuel teaches at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education and the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies. Samuel's most recent book, of several, is A Guide for the Jewish Undecided, groundbreaking work has an engaging style that makes it accessible to all readers, while not losing the clarity and rigor characteristic of analytic philosophy. Samuel's first book was a study of Bertrand Russell's dynamic theories about the nature of meaning. Samuel previously joined us to talk about rationality and mysticism.References:Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. HofstadterGalileo's Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness by Philip Goff“Perpetual Prophecy: An Intellectual Tribute to Reb Zadok Ha-Kohen of Lublin on His 110th Yahrzeit” by David BashevkinBeing John MalkovichEternal Sunshine of the Spotless MindAnomalisaNetivot Olam by the Maharal of PragueWaking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam HarrisRupture and Reconstruction: The Transformation of Contemporary Orthodoxy by Haym Soloveitchik“God and his imaginary friends: a Hassidic metaphysics” by Samuel Lebens2001: A Space Odyssey“A Conversation With Bing's Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled” by Kevin RooseThe Most Human Human: What Talking with Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to Be Alive by Brian ChristianShemot Rabbah

Hello and welcome to Entangled! The podcast where we explore the science of consciousness, the true nature of reality, and what it means to be a spiritual being having a human experience. I'm your host Jordan Youkilis, and today I'm joined by my friends Saunder & Jalynn Schroeder. In this episode, Jalynn and Saunder describe their experiences growing up in the Mormon church and finding one another. Jalynn describes the difficulties of getting divorced from her first marriage, and the themes of shame and trauma that were prevalent in her childhood. Saunder discusses his missionary trip and how the miracles he witnessed during that experience taught him the power of manifestation. Jalynn then describes the events that led to her decision to leave the Church of Latter-Day Saints, and how she and Saunder were able to navigate that decision as a family. We next discuss Saunder & Jalynn's experience with Ayahuasca, and how they have evolved on their spiritual journeys after leaving organized religion. We then discuss Saunder & Jalynn's relationships with their families who are still in the LDS church, and the concept of “soul family”. From there, we talk about how Jalynn has leveraged her experiences to be a resource for others who are current or previous members of orthodox religions and the benefits Saunder has found in working with a transformational coach. We end the conversation discussing our shared journey to Egypt and the importance of authenticity. This outro is titled Spirituality Without Religion. Outros available for this and all episodes at entangledpodcast.substack.com. Music from the show available on the Spotify playlist “Entangled – The Vibes”. Please enjoy!Music: Intro: Ben Fox - "The Vibe". End music: Notize – “Vanilla”.Recorded: 03/07/2023. Published: 04/17/2023.Outro: Spirituality Without Religion (Starts at 1:13:00).Check out the resources referenced:* What the Faith: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WhatTheFaith/* Unconditionally Unfiltered: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/unconditionallyunfiltered This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entangledpodcast.substack.com

Ryan speaks with Sam Harris about the overlap between eastern and western philosophy, how mindfulness practices like meditation help us become better Stoics, why he is so dedicated to providing his content for free, and more.Sam Harris is a philosopher, neuroscientist, author, and host of the Making Sense Podcast. His work touches on a range of topics, including rationality, religion, ethics, free will, neuroscience, meditation, psychedelics, philosophy of mind, politics, terrorism, and artificial intelligence. He has written for The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Economist, London Times, The Boston Globe, and The Atlantic, and he has authored five five New York Times bestselling books, including The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason and Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. Check out wakingup.com/dailystoic to try Sam's hugely popular meditation app.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail

Gloria Prema is an author, educator and therapist. She has truly come up with the Grand Unified Theory, unifying science with spirituality in an easy to understand way. Her publication of ‘It's All Light – the Morphic Resonance of Light' in 2009 earned the testimony of former Canadian Minister of Defence, the Hon. In 2013 she published a condensed Kindle version of It's All Light, called ‘How To Be Spiritual (and understand quantum physics at the same time)' and followed in 2016 by ‘How to Attract (using the law of resonance)'. The law of resonance, she asserts, is what people are calling ‘the law of attraction'. However, as she says, the law of attraction is really something else – it's the attraction of opposites, like positive and negative poles of a magnet. The law of resonance on the other hand, requires no attracting. It's about being in the right frequency in order to have what you want, and there are tools that can be used to help achieve this, one of which is EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). Gloria has been a therapist for over 20 years in natural healing and, since 2008, in EFT and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Her drive and passion is to create understanding of natural laws which naturally unites spirit and matter and thereby, allows for healthy living. https://www.itsalllight.co.uk   My name is Jasna Burza & I am a Life and Business Strategist and Motivational Speaker based in Minneapolis. Having lived through war in native Bosnia, I teach and inspire others to learn resilience, create purpose and connect to deeper meaning of life, aligning their skills and passions with their work. I run multiple businesses & talk about many different topics around starting and growing a business, life & business mindset, purpose and spirituality. I hope my positivity and passion for dreams is not only infectious, but is guaranteed to energize and empower those around. 

To watch this as a video Download it and play it from the Downloads section in the Castbox app on your device.A rapid summary of the seminal passages from Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. This book is less anti-religious than you might guess from its title. So this book is not like 250 pages just beating up on religion. It's really about meditation practice which is the solution to spirituality without religion. I suspect many religious people could read this book and will be better religious people for it.

One thing that tends to get left out of many conversations on deconstruction is atheism and agnosticism.  Why is this?  Even when it is brought up, it is rarely spoken of as an ending point.  Why is that?  Can our deconstruction lead us to atheism and agnosticism?  Is that ‘okay'?  Spoilers, we think it is. In this episode the Irenicast hosts discuss the important space atheism and agnosticism hold for so many on their journeys.  Perhaps what we believe is less important than how we hold those beliefs.  Fundamentalism can rear its ugly head in any ideology, god or no god.   And in the spirit of irony, the hosts close out the episode by sharing the Top 3 things they are against.  And in Irenicast fashion, not all of the hosts understand the assignment. Conversation on Atheism and Agnosticism (02:12)Top 3 Segment (41:31) ANNOUNCEMENTS Sign Up for our Email list HERE and stay up to date on all things Irenicast! Send us Your questions, comments and/or encouragements for our upcoming 200th episode!   You can reach out on all of our social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and Instagram   Or better yet!  Email us an audio clip to podcast@irenicast.com!  Please include your name and what state or country you're from.   RELEVANT LINKS From Our Conversation on Atheism and Agnosticism Brian McLaren & Rev. Dr. Penny Nixon – The Age of Secular Christianity – 155 (Irenicast Episode) Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link) Christopher Eric Hitchens (A British-American author, journalist, orator and columnist) Richard Dawkins (A British evolutionary biologist and author) Josh McDowell (An evangelical Christian apologist and evangelist) Pluralism – You Be You, Unless You're a Hobbit – 139 (Irenicast Episode) Another Conversation with Jennifer Knapp – Theology, Music and Sous Vide – 125 (Irenicast Episode)  From Our Top 3 Segment Tenet (2020 Film) Why Americans still avoid MSG, even though its ‘health effects' have been debunked (article) University Of California Reaches Final Decision: No More Standardized Admission Testing SUPPORT THE SHOW You can always count on Irenicast providing a free podcast on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month.  However, that does not mean that we do not have expense related to the show.  If we have provided value to you and you would like to support the show, here are a few options. PAYPAL - You can make a one-time, or recurring, tax-deductible donation to the show through PayPal. Just go to Irenicast.com/PayPal to make your donation. We are a 501(c)(3). MERCH - Irenicast has a merch store at Irenicast.com/Store.  We are always developing more items so check out our current offerings.  AMAZON - Next time you go to make a purchase on Amazon consider using our Amazon affiliate link.  This will give us a small portion on everything you purchase.  No additional cost will be passed on to you. IRENCAST HOSTS Rev. Bonnie Rambob, MDiv | co-host | bonnie@irenicast.com You can connect with Bonnie on Facebook and at Parkside Community Church-UCC Pastor Casey Tinnin, MTS | co-host | casey@irenicast.com You can follow Casey on Twitter and Facebook, or you can check out his blog The Queerly Faithful Pastor or loomisucc.org Jeff Manildi | co-founder, producer & co-host | jeff@irenicast.com Follow Jeff (@JeffManildi) on facebook, instagram & twitter.  You can also listen to Jeff's other podcast Divine Cinema. Rev. Rajeev Rambob, MCL | co-host | rajeev@irenicast.com You can follow Rajeev on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION Join our progressive Christian conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links: Read Us on our blog Irenicon Email Us at podcast@irenicast.com Follow Us on Twitter Like Us on Facebook Listen & Subscribe to Us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Android, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, Spreaker, Pandora and SoundCloud Speak to Us on our Feedback Page and the Post Evangelical Facebook Group See Us on Instagram Support Us on PayPal, Amazon or at our Store Love Us? CREDITS Intro and Outro music created by Mike Golin. This post may contain affiliate links.  An Irenicon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Do you believe in God? Contemplating your relationship to spirit can feel supercharged with triggering emotions, especially if we've had negative or uninspiring interactions with religion in the past.  In this episode, K + L reflect on their spiritual evolution and relationship with God. From traditional rituals of childhood conditioning to the framework they feel aligned with today. They discuss how they navigated resistance around what it means to believe in God, and how the process of unlearning conventions has helped them cultivate a connection with God that feels unconditional, authentic, and life-affirming.  We also talk about: Individual journeys with religion  Coming back to a relationship with God  Spectrums of religion Judgements in religion and consequences  How to make spirituality your own Sponsors: Athletic Greens | Get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D + five FREE travel packs with your first purchase at http://www.athleticgreens.com/almost30 (athleticgreens.com/almost30) Bev | Get 20% off your first purchase + free shipping at https://drinkbev.com/pages/almost30?utm_campaign=almost_30_november_2021&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=almost_30 (drinkbev.com/almost30) or use code “ALMOST30” at checkout Elavi | Get 15% off when you use the code ALMOST30 + free shipping on 2 pouches or more at https://www.elavi.co/ (elavi.co ) Open | Get 30 days free with the code ALMOST30 at https://o-p-e-n.com/community?code=ALMOST30&utm_soure=manual&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ALMOST30 (open-together.com/almost30) Daily Harvest | Use code ALMOST30 to get up to $40 off your first box athttp://www.daily-harvest.com/almost30 ( www.daily-harvest.com/almost30) Resources: https://www.samharris.org/books/waking-up (“Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion”) by Sam Harris https://www.amazon.com/Untethered-Soul-Journey-Beyond-Yourself/dp/1572245379 ( “The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself” )by Michael A. Singer https://www.amazon.com/Law-One-Book-4/dp/0924608102 (“The Law of One”)  https://www.amazon.com/Conversations-God-Uncommon-Dialogue-Book-ebook/dp/B00AYJIJ2S (“Conversations with God”) by Neale Donald Walsh  Join our community: http://almost30.com/membership (almost30.com/membership) https://www.facebook.com/Almost30podcast/groups (facebook.com/Almost30podcast/groups) Podcast disclaimer can be found by visiting: https://almost30.com/disclaimer (almost30.com/disclaimer).  Find more to love at http://almost30.com/ (almost30.com)! Almost 30 is edited by http://crate.media (Crate Media).

In this episode we discuss Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris. Next time we'll discuss The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World by Adrian Woolridge.

This is the second part of a two part series asking the question, can you have spirituality without religion. Support the show (https://app.easytithe.com/app/giving/lifetempleandseminary)

The first of a two part series asking the question, can you have spirituality without religion. Support the show (https://app.easytithe.com/app/giving/lifetempleandseminary)

In this episode we discuss The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation by Rod Dreher. Next time we'll discuss Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris.

Aller très haut, très vite, très fort. Dégringoler. Tout recommencer et cartonner. C'est l'histoire d'Adrien Roose, co-fondateur de Cowboy, une marque de vélo électrique qui cartonne et qui vient bousculer les codes de la mobilité urbaine.La persévérance. Il n'y a peut-être pas de meilleure recette. Avant de fonder Cowboy, Adrien Roose a démarré son expérience d'entrepreneur en co-fondant Take It Easy, le précurseur de Deliveroo. Après avoir levé 16 millions d'euros et embauché plus de 160 employés et 3000 livreurs, Adrien et ses associés ont été obligés de fermer la société. Coup dur. Imaginez l'énergie qu'il lui a fallu pour rebondir, le chemin parcouru et la détermination dont il a dû faire preuve, Adrien nous raconte tout dans cet épisode. Avec Cowboy, Adrien et ses équipes entendent bien bousculer les codes de la mobilité urbaine. Enjoy ! TIMELINE :00:16:48 : Cowboy, une solution de mobilité urbaine ultra-puissante00:39:07 : Retrouver la flamme00:52:45 : Pourquoi s'associer à nouveau, tous les trois.01:42:16 : Rappeler ses produits et arrêter la production pour mieux rebondir02:11:16 : Créer de la valeur pendant le trajetSHOW NOTESHôtel Casadelmar à Porto-Vecchio - Jean-Noël Marcellesi VanMoofAngellDeliveroo, Will ShuOn a cité l'épisode de GDIY : #3 Ilan Abehassera – en direct de NYC !#126 Bertrand Fleurose - Cityscoot - L'art de prendre des risques#158 Edgar Grospiron - Athlète et conférencier - Avance, fais-toi confiance.#169 Ludovic Dujardin - Petit BamBou - La culture du do it#206 - Nicolas Hennion - Libérez la bête - Développement personnel radical ou comment vivre sans contraintes#211 - Maxime Buhler - Pokawa - Construire une marque de food unique : 45 restaurants en 4 ans, les secrets d'une réussite fulguranteDes livres à lireWaking Up: Searching for Spirituality Without Religion de Sam HarrisPouvoir illimité de Anthony RobbinsLa musique du générique vous plaît ? Merci Morgan Prudhomme ! Contactez-le sur : https://studio-module.com. Vous pouvez suivre Adrien sur LinkedIn et Email : adrien@cowboy.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Religion and Spirituality are often confused as one and used interchangeably. Which one do you want to explore? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unique-u/message

A conversation with Emma. The general topics we discuss are atheism, motherhood, birth control and abortion, fast fashion and sustainability, and veganism. Specifically, we discuss: A bit about Emma, the unwritten requirement of motherhood, Emma's christian upbringing and her transition to being an atheist, how ignorance and conservatism go hand in hand, emotional manipulation at Christian summer camps, going to church, spirituality, religious schools, how motherhood negatively affects careers and how men do less housework on average, gender norms in housework, how birth order plays a role in who does the most housework, the role of nature and nurture in shaping gender norms around child-raising and putting effort into a relationship, why Emma won't be having kids, how much decreasing happiness with each kid is related to getting poorer, birth control and the Catholic baby machine, universal basic income, types of birth control and their side effects, abortions and pro-choice, the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned, the lack of accurate representation of the populace in congress, Emma's argument for pro-choice, whether the pro-life idea will die out, rural vs urban and how your ideas change to fit your surroundings/peers, how fast fashion affects the environment, thrifting and sustainable clothing, Dunkin' Donuts' 41 new vegan flavors, being as ethical as possible with your purchases, buying from Target and working at Target, whether you can be sure a company that claims to be ethical or sustainable really is, developing countries who have yet to experience their industrial revolution, freeganism and how your purchases influence companies, how giant meat companies like Tyson will take over the lab-grown meat industry rather than going out of business, whether it's worse to order online than in-store, food deserts and how easy it is to be vegan, and Emma's book recommendation. Sorry for the audio quality in this one. There was some sort of malfunction with my microphone throughout the recording that I couldn't fix. At times it sounds like I'm speaking through a towel, and at times there are weird crackling noises. Movies and videos to watch: Yes, God, Yes (on Netflix) Letting Go Of God (by Julia Sweeney on Youtube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C74-f4ZV-ss&t=1s Simulating alternate voting systems (by Primer on Youtube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhO6jfHPFQU The True Cost (Documentary) The Ugly Truth of Fast Fashion (Patriot Act Season 5, Episode 3 on Netflix) Seaspiracy (Documentary on Netflix) Cowspiracy (Documentary on Netflix) Books to read: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan A Preface to Morals by Walter Lippmann Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Sustainable (or at least more sustainable) clothing companies: Girlfriend Collective - https://www.girlfriend.com/ Everlane - https://www.everlane.com/ Vessi - https://vessi.com/ Pact - https://wearpact.com/ Avesu - https://www.avesuveganshoes.com/ Nothing New - https://nothingnew.com/ NAE - https://www.nae-vegan.com/en/ Urban Flowers - https://shopurbanflowers.com/ Will's Vegan Store - https://www.wills-vegan-store.com/ Matt & Nat - https://us.mattandnat.com/ Kotn - https://kotn.com/ Frank and Oak - https://www.frankandoak.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theregularpeoplepodcast/support

Why is New Age spirituality so appealing to millennials (and other generations!)? What is it about human beings that makes us wired for spirituality and a desire to know that we are significant in the universe–even when we reject religious faith? We're chatting about everything from looking to the stars for meaning to looking to … Continue reading FoC 155: Answering New Ageism: The Draw of Spirituality Without Religion with Matt Nelson →

On this episode of the Gettin' Booked series Matt Macduff and Davi sit down to discuss Carol S. Dweck's book, Mindset. During this conversation we use this brilliant book as a frame work to discuss the 'fixed' and 'growth mindset' models. We take a deep dive into some personal stories involving mindsets, talk about how you can use the growth mindset to improve your relationships, business and anything you set your mind to being better at.  The next book we will be reading is 'Waking Up' by Sam Harris, it is available on the link below which goes to supporting your local book shop. https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Sam-Harris/Waking-Up--Searching-for-Spirituality-Without-Religion/18125909 Follow Matt Macduff on Instagram @matt_macduff Grab some HKT Podcast merch y'all!https://thehktpodcast.teemill.com/ BIG THANKS to our show sponsors:- WORX worx-uk.com, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter www.hktproducts.co.uk Instagram, Facebook, Twitter  Enter promo code 'PODCAST' for 10% off the entire site. Make A Donation To The Podcast

God is a controversial subject, but we can all agree that food exists, and is often divine. Shoba Narayan joins Amit Varma in episode 207 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe her explorations of religion and food in India. Also check out: 1. Food and Faith: A Pilgrim's Journey through India -- Shoba Narayan. 2. Shoba Narayan's books on Amazon. 3. Shoba Narayan's website and columns. 4. The Indianness of Indian Food — Episode 95 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Vikram Doctor). 5. A Scientist in the Kitchen -- Episode 204 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Krish Ashok). 6. The God of Small Feasts -- Shoba Narayan. 7. Meenakshi Ammal's Cook and See: Volumes one, two and three. 8. Vikram Doctor's columns and KT Achaya's books. 9. Harold McGee's books. 10. Fuchsia Dunlop's books. 11. Michael Pollan's books. 12. The Man Who Ate Everything -- Jeffrey Steingarten. 13. Feast: Food of the Islamic World -- Anissa Helou. 14. Feast and Fasts: A History of Food in India -- Colleen Taylor Sen. 15. The Suriani Kitchen -- Lathika George. 16. A Godless Congregation -- Amit Varma. 17. The Big Questions -- Steven E Landsburg. 18. Diana Eck's books. 19. Writers at Work in the Paris Review & and Amazon (1, 2, 3). 20. The Paris Review interview of Ernest Hemingway. 21. Yuganta -- Irawati Karve. 22. Caste, Gender, Karnatik Music -- Episode 162 of The Seen and the Unseen (w TM Krishna). 23. The Making Sense Podcast by Sam Harris. 24. Waking Up: Searching for Spirituality Without Religion -- Sam Harris. 25. Early Indians -- Episode 112 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Tony Joseph). 26. Kerala and the Ivory Throne -- Episode 156 of The Seen and the Unseen (w Manu Pillai). 27. A Meditation on Form -- Amit Varma. 28. A Life in Indian Politics -- Episode 149 of The Seen and the Unseen (w JP Narayan). You can now buy Seen/Unseen swag. And do check out Amit’s online courses, The Art of Clear Writing and The Art of Podcasting.

The answer to whether or not the self is an illusion is tricky—it really depends on what you mean by both self and illusion. In this episode, we challenge the sense of self that we all feel from the first-person subjective experience. We all feel like we are riding around inside of our heads looking out at the world. We don't feel like we are identical to our bodies, but instead that we have bodies—we look down at them from up here inside of our heads. Nondualism:Most people would say that they are behind their eyes in the center of consciousness. But neuroscientifically there is no place in the brain for such a self to exist. And we know from optical illusions that the brain can be easily fooled. It is in this sense that the self can be shown to be an illusion because like all illusions, it disappears when you examine it more closely. This experience is known as nondualism or non-dual awareness, and it is when the sense of subject and object—of you in your head and the world out there—merge into one unified experience. But this is not to say that you aren't real or even that the self isn't real. Illusions can be like any emergent phenomena—on one level of analysis they don't exist but on another level, it makes perfect sense to talk about them. Temperature, for example, is an emergent phenomenon. Temperature is the average kinetic energy of the particles in a system. So it does not make sense to talk about the temperature of one atom, but that does not mean that it never makes sense to talk about temperature. I think of the self—the concept of being an "I" or a subject—in the same emergent way. There are times when you can look closely and realize that you are not a separate subject. This experience of nondualism is beautiful and worth exploring. Sometimes it happens on accident—you've probably even had such a self-transcending moment without realizing it—and sometimes you can induce it through the practice of specific techniques (linked below). But the fact that the self is an illusion doesn't mean that you have to experience the non-dual emptiness of consciousness all of the time. And it doesn't mean that you have to completely dispense with the concept of self. Most of the time it is perfectly valid to be a separate subject who has a name and an identity. What's the point?For me, the point of nondualism and of practicing non-dual awareness is just to be able to see this deeper reality whenever I want. Because it is the sense of being a separate self that creates most of our suffering in life, and it can be an immense relief to let go of it—to realize that there is nobody inside of your head to experience the suffering. Suffering doesn't go away, but the sufferer can. So with a meditation practice to give you some concentration, you can get underneath the many layers of the mind to realize that there is nobody inside of your head—there's no experiencer having the experience. There's just consciousness and its contents. Timestamps:coming soon! Links:https://samharris.org/taming-the-mind/ (Taming the Mind: A conversation with Dan Harris) https://youtu.be/fajfkO_X0l0 (Sam Harris: The Self is an Illusion) https://www.livescience.com/55999-is-your-self-just-an-illusion.html (Is Your 'Self' Just an Illusion?) by Robert Lawrence Kuhn https://samharris.org/podcasts/drugs-and-the-meaning-of-life/ (Drugs and the Meaning of Life) by Sam Harris https://samharris.org/books/waking-up/ (Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion) by Sam Harris https://www.amazon.com/Having-No-Head-Rediscovery-Obvious/dp/1878019198 (On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious) by Douglas E. Harding Related Exploring Kodawari Articles:https://exploringkodawari.blog/what-is-consciousness/ (What is Consciousness?) https://exploringkodawari.blog/what-is-meditation/ (What is Meditation?) https://exploringkodawari.blog/modular-theory-of-mind/ (The Modular Theory of Mind)... Support this podcast

Sam Harris (no relation to me, by the way -- although I wouldn't mind it) has had a formative impact on my contemplative development. He was one of the first “normal” (at least that's how I computed it, back when I was still a rather judgmental skeptic) people I met who was really into meditation, which gave me a lot of courage and inspiration to pursue the practice myself. He later helped me get into my first meditation retreat with his old friend Joseph Goldstein, which was a massively important event in my life and the beginning of a deep relationship with Joseph. For those of you who aren't familiar with Sam, he is a neuroscientist, philosopher, author, podcaster, and app founder. I first heard of him in the mid-aughts, when he wrote a book called The End of Faith, which was a jeremiad against organized religion. I was surprised to learn that he had spent, cumulatively, several years on meditation retreats. He later wrote a book which touched on those subjects, called Waking Up. That is also the name of his meditation app. But while he has one foot firmly in the contemplative world, he is also very much in the arena, mixing it up on Twitter and on his wildly popular podcast, called Making Sense, with his controversial views on hot-button issues from Trump to race to Islam. Sam really believes that the future of civilization depends on our ability to have rational conversations on thorny issues. And he has a new book called Making Sense: Conversations on Consciousness, Morality, and the Future of Humanity, in which some of his podcast conversations are revised and extended. I wanted to have him on to talk about the book, and to explore with him how somebody who is so fiercely engaged in the public square uses meditation to guide and sustain him. I suspect many of you may disagree with him on key issues -- I often wrestle with his ideas quite a bit, personally -- but no matter where you stand, I think you'll find his answers to these questions fascinating. Take Part in the New Year's Series To submit a question or share a reflection dial 646-883-8326 and leave us a voicemail. If you're outside the United States, you can email us a voice memo file in mp3 format to listener@tenpercent.com. The deadline for submissions is Monday December 7th. Where to find Sam Harris online: Website: https://samharris.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamHarrisOrg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Samharrisorg/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samharrisorg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNAxrHudMfdzNi6NxruKPLw Books Mentioned: Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris: https://bookshop.org/books/waking-up-a-guide-to-spirituality-without-religion/9781451636024 The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris: https://bookshop.org/books/the-end-of-faith-religion-terror-and-the-future-of-reason/9780393327656 On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious by Douglas E. Harding: https://bookshop.org/books/on-having-no-head/9781908774064 If you're looking for a sign that you're supposed to start actually meditating - this is it. And, you can bring a friend or family member along for the ride. For a limited time, if you buy yourself a subscription to Ten Percent Happier, we'll send you a free gift subscription to share with whomever you'd like. Note that nothing is permanent, and this offer is no exception: get it before it ends by going to www.tenpercent.com/december. Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/sam-harris-306

Sam Harris (no relation to me, by the way -- although I wouldn’t mind it) has had a formative impact on my contemplative development. He was one of the first “normal” (at least that’s how I computed it, back when I was still a rather judgmental skeptic) people I met who was really into meditation, which gave me a lot of courage and inspiration to pursue the practice myself. He later helped me get into my first meditation retreat with his old friend Joseph Goldstein, which was a massively important event in my life and the beginning of a deep relationship with Joseph. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Sam, he is a neuroscientist, philosopher, author, podcaster, and app founder. I first heard of him in the mid-aughts, when he wrote a book called The End of Faith, which was a jeremiad against organized religion. I was surprised to learn that he had spent, cumulatively, several years on meditation retreats. He later wrote a book which touched on those subjects, called Waking Up. That is also the name of his meditation app. But while he has one foot firmly in the contemplative world, he is also very much in the arena, mixing it up on Twitter and on his wildly popular podcast, called Making Sense, with his controversial views on hot-button issues from Trump to race to Islam. Sam really believes that the future of civilization depends on our ability to have rational conversations on thorny issues. And he has a new book called Making Sense: Conversations on Consciousness, Morality, and the Future of Humanity, in which some of his podcast conversations are revised and extended. I wanted to have him on to talk about the book, and to explore with him how somebody who is so fiercely engaged in the public square uses meditation to guide and sustain him. I suspect many of you may disagree with him on key issues -- I often wrestle with his ideas quite a bit, personally -- but no matter where you stand, I think you’ll find his answers to these questions fascinating. Take Part in the New Year’s Series To submit a question or share a reflection dial 646-883-8326 and leave us a voicemail. If you’re outside the United States, you can email us a voice memo file in mp3 format to listener@tenpercent.com. The deadline for submissions is Monday December 7th. Where to find Sam Harris online: Website: https://samharris.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamHarrisOrg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Samharrisorg/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samharrisorg YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNAxrHudMfdzNi6NxruKPLw Books Mentioned: Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris: https://bookshop.org/books/waking-up-a-guide-to-spirituality-without-religion/9781451636024 The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris: https://bookshop.org/books/the-end-of-faith-religion-terror-and-the-future-of-reason/9780393327656 On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious by Douglas E. Harding: https://bookshop.org/books/on-having-no-head/9781908774064 If you're looking for a sign that you're supposed to start actually meditating - this is it. And, you can bring a friend or family member along for the ride. For a limited time, if you buy yourself a subscription to Ten Percent Happier, we'll send you a free gift subscription to share with whomever you'd like. Note that nothing is permanent, and this offer is no exception: get it before it ends by going to www.tenpercent.com/december. Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/sam-harris-306

Father Len explains what’s missing in spirituality without religion in answer to a listener who asks: “Why do I need organized religion? I’m spiritual and I have a personal relationship with God.” Highlights, Ideas, and Wisdom What is a “personal” relationship with God? What does it mean? Father Len explores the difference between an intimate relationship with God and a private relationship with God. Father Len explains how religion satisfies the natural human need and desire for being social and how that makes an essential contribution to a spiritual life. The very definition of what it means to be human is to be connected to other people. We survive and thrive not only because of our intelligence, but also because we live and work as a group. Religion and spirituality should make you a better human being. We are more of who we are and who we are meant to be in community with other people. Father Len shares an inspiring story of enemies protecting enemies during the Serbian Croatian war to illustrate the meaning, power and importance of true community. Spirituality should lead you into the very essence of community. Private spirituality can lead to becoming your own God. Religion is like a marriage, a marriage between us and God. “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni Father Len explains how conflict is an important element in strong marriages and good religion. Being spiritual but not religious means there is likely no one to challenge your ideas and beliefs. "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Learn what spirituality is, the difference between spirituality and religion, and the core traits of a true spiritual badass! [timestamp below] Many clients have reached me after seeing one of my videos on spirituality and something clicked for them. Without realizing it, they were going through a spiritual awakening and now wanted to learn all about spirituality. They needed a little Spirituality For Beginners course. They had questions like “what is spirituality?” or “how different is it from religion?” or “what does it mean to be spiritual?” We'll be answering these questions in this video and I'll also share 9 incredible traits that you can cultivate to become a spiritual badass today. Here's what you'll learn In this video:

Recorded at the Narita airport in Japan. In this solo episode, I speaking how to be the general of your life, breathing, how to regulate your autonomic nervous system, and the benefits of a gratitude practice.Highlights[2:52] Explaining the concept of gratitude[10:41] The importance of breathwork for meditation[13:15] My favorite aspect of meditation[15:31] How to start meditating?ResourcesThe Greater Good Center WebsiteSearch inside yourself with Marko LepikProper Breathing Brings Better HealthMeditation affects brain networks differently in long-term meditators and novicesStairway to Heaven by Led ZeppelinWaking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris10% Happier by Dan HarrisOur sponsor today is Neurohacker CollectiveNeurohacker Collective specializes in the comprehensive formulas possible for needs like better mental performance, slowing the aging process, and increasing energy.Their founder Jordan Greenhall is a well respected public intellectual who has been on the show to discuss ways to increase human sovereignty, and their medical director Dr. Daniel Stickler has also been on the show and is one of the foremost experts in the world in the field of integrative medicine.They make the product Qualia Mind which can create astonishing improvements in focus, mental energy and emotional willpower, with the more affordable Qualia Focus being almost as good at half the cost. They also just debuted a product called Eternus, the most comprehensive anti-aging formula on the market, and are approaching backorder status for this revolutionary formula with dozens of ingredients and anti-aging properties. Go to neurohacker.com and entered discount code BOOMER at checkout for 15% off any purchase of Neurohacker products. Their products are the real deal for thinking clearer, improving energy, and staying in your physical prime for as long as possible.Disclaimer This information is being provided to you for educational and informational purposes only. This is being provided as a self-help tool to help you understand your genetics, biodata and other information to enhance your performance. It is not medical or psychological advice. Virtuosity LLC, or Decoding Superhuman, is not a doctor. Virtuosity LLC is not treating, preventing, healing, or diagnosing disease. This information is to be used at your own risk based on your own judgment. For the full Disclaimer, please go to (Decodingsuperhuman.com/disclaimer). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Peter Montoya is the financial industry’s go-to guru on marketing & branding, now he’s the CEO of ThriveUnion – an organization whose mission is to fulfill a need in modern society, helping people go from meaningless isolation to purposeful belonging. Though Peter struggled through school with undiagnosed ADHD, he was admitted to and graduated from the University of California Irvine in Political Science. Post-college he became a traveling speaker and salesman, chalking up over 3000 presentations and living in over 22 major cities. Peter went on to found a successful advertising agency and software platform, dedicated to financial service professionals. He quickly became the industry guru, writing numerous books, including one of his best selling works “The Brand Called You”. Peter is a truly fascinating and multi-faceted guy, with decades of experience in speaking to audiences about his business knowledge, inspirational journey, and human behavioral insight. He now pursues his passion for empowerment and community building, shedding light on society’s growing loneliness epidemic through his visionary organization, ThriveUnion. Listen & Subscribe on: iTunes / Stitcher / Podbean / Overcast / Spotify Contact Info Company: ThriveUnion Website: https://thriveunion.org Facebook Group: Facebook.com/groups/ThriveUnion/ Youtube: youtube.com/ThriveUnion Book: The Brand Called You Most Influential Person Sam Harris Effect on Emotions “It has made me a lot more calmer and relaxed.” Thoughts on Breathing “To me if you want to get calm, it starts with your breath.” Suggested Resources Book: Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris App: Waking Up: A Meditation App Bullying Story “I did bully one time and it was one of my sincerest regrets in my life. I was bullying him as a way to make myself feel better.” Free Gift Become more calm, focused and happy by reading the top 12 books recommended on the Mindfulness Mode Podcast. This mini 14-page ebook entitled '12 Must-Read Mindfulness Books' outlines each of the top books recommended by guests on the show. Get your digital copy now at  MindfulnessMode.com/top12books

Sarah Salinas is a Human Design reader who says that Human Design found her, and when she was learning it she felt that her soul already knew it. This is part 1 of 2 parts of our interview. In this half, we discuss spirituality without religion, personal growth practices, sobriety & spirituality, and how Human Design found her. You can follow her at @sarah.m.salinas and @thehdbee on Instagram (find her on IG for readings!). You can find me @tobehumanpod and @hellolaurenhawk. I find it super sexy when ya'll slide into my DM's to chat about the pod ;) Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/tobehumanpod/message

Training your mind is one way to boost your chances of success in any endeavor, including running your law practice. Meditation is a learnable skill that can help you improve focus and clarity, as well as increase the number of practical insights you have. I've blogged about the origins and development of my meditation practice. I started out by using a free iPhone app called Headspace, and that helped me gain momentum and stay on track for over 4 years. More recently, after listening to this podcast interview of Sam Harris I decided to try his Waking Up app. I've gone past the 5-day free trial and started using the paid lessons and am finding it very helpful. I also recommend Harris's excellent book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. But, however you initiate your meditation practice the key is consistency. If you practice every day, even if some days it's only for 2 minutes, that's better than an inconsistent practice. The results you'll see from doing meditation consistently are powerful and will change your life in many positive ways.

Do you struggle with organized religion? Are you turned off by the scandals surrounding the Catholic Church or how some religions, which are supposed to stand for love and compassion, become increasingly intolerant and prejudiced? Yet, no matter how much you oppose the rules and dogmata of organized religion, you still long for some kind of connection to a God, a higher power or the Universe. So where to begin?My special guest on this weeks Empowerment Radio is Ben Jamison, author of Church-Free Spirituality: How to Craft a Spiritual Practice Beyond the Bounds of Religion. Ben has a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology and is a Spiritual Counselor through the Centers for Spiritual Living. Join Ben andI, and learn how you can develop your spirituality outside the limitations of religion.

Do you struggle with organized religion? Are you turned off by the scandals surrounding the Catholic Church or how some religions, which are supposed to stand for love and compassion, become increasingly intolerant and prejudiced? Yet, no matter how much you oppose the rules and dogmata of organized religion, you still long for some kind of connection to a God, a higher power or the Universe. So where to begin?My special guest on this weeks Empowerment Radio is Ben Jamison, author of Church-Free Spirituality: How to Craft a Spiritual Practice Beyond the Bounds of Religion. Ben has a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology and is a Spiritual Counselor through the Centers for Spiritual Living. Join Ben andI, and learn how you can develop your spirituality outside the limitations of religion.

Can you have religious ideas and feelings without God? Stefani chats with philosopher Eric Steinhart who believes you can have wonder, morality, spirituality, and even immortality without God. He does it by thinking about the universe like one giant computer. Tune in for this fascinating ride and learn how people are reinventing spirituality in the twenty first century. Show notes can be found at stefaniruper.com/6. Learn about the book giveaway at stefaniruper.com/podcast!

Jeff Warren is a Meditation Teacher and Writer, he is the co-author of Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, and author of The Head Trip. Today we learn why introspective work should be taken as seriously as personal hygiene, how you can double the span of your life experience, what benefits occur when consistently practising meditation, and just why exploring our own consciousness is so difficult, yet rewarding. There are more connections in a single square centimetre of human brain tissue than there are stars in our galaxy; our inner universe is infinitely more vast than we will ever notice, and yet our unexamined daily experience of life offers very little to suggest that this is the case. Join me and Jeff as we discover why, and how to work around it... Further Reading: Jeff's Book with Dan Harris - Meditation For Fidgety Skeptics: http://amzn.eu/d/5zmmsEz Jeff's Website: http://www.jeffwarren.org/ Consciousness Explorer's Club: http://www.cecmeditate.com Cory Allen's Basics of Meditation Practise on Modern Wisdom: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/modern-wisdom/id1347973549?mt=2&i=1000410359630 Sam Harris on The Meaning Of Life: https://youtu.be/srxDtefn740 Shinzen Young's - The Science of Enlightenment: How Meditation Works: http://amzn.eu/d/hbZ9Nbj Sam Harris - Waking Up - Searching for Spirituality Without Religion: http://amzn.eu/d/gUdGubV What 10,000 Hours of Meditation Does to Your Brain: https://www.projectmonkeymind.com/2016/11/ph-d-happiness-10000-hours-meditation/ Check out everything I recommend from books to products and help support the podcast at no extra cost to you by shopping through this link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/modernwisdom - Get in touch. Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners in the episode comments on the MW YouTube Channel or message me... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ModernWisdomPodcast Email: modernwisdompodcast@gmail.com

In this podcast session, I sat down with friend and serial tech entrepreneur Dmitry Buterin. Dmitry is the founder of three multi-million dollar businesses, including Wild Apricot — a leading membership management software company that he grew from 0 to $10M before it was acquired in late 2017 by Personify. He’s also an angel investor and advisor to several tech and blockchain businesses one being BlockGeeks - a top online resource for anyone who’s interested in learning how to become a world-class Blockchain developer. Dmitry also happens to be the proud father of Vitalik Buterin who is the creator of Ethereum, which - as of this writing - had a market cap of $46 billion, making it the second most valuable crypto network next to Bitcoin. Whenever we meet our conversations tend to cover “a lot of ground” and this one was no exception. During the session, we covered a variety of topics including sabbaticals, personal growth, parenting, entrepreneurship, business culture and leadership, and even blockchain. Enjoy!   Show Links   Dmitry’s Personal Website Connect with Dmitry on Twitter | LinkedIn Wild Apricot [ARTICLE] From the Chief Apricot: I Am Moving on from Wild Apricot [OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT] Personify Acquires Wild Apricot Brave Mind Noting Meditation Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Toastmasters Ethereum Thiel Fellowship [VIDEO] Reinventing Organizations — Frederic Laloux Teal Organizations Holacracy [VIDEO] The First Principles Method Explained by Elon Musk Netflix’s Culture Deck Blockchain Bitcoin   Books Mentioned   Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris Buddhism Plain and Simple by Sam Hagan Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux   People Mentioned   Philip McKernan Tony Robbins Colin Collard Vitalik Buterin Elon Musk Peter Thiel Frederic Laloux Shiv Narayanan Patrick Lencioni Ameer Rosic Jason Fried David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH)

Fantasists and zealots can be found on both sides of the debate over guns in America. On the one hand, many gun-rights advocates reject even the most sensible restrictions on the sale of weapons to the public. On the other, proponents of stricter gun laws often seem unable to understand why a good person would ever want ready access to a loaded firearm. Between these two extremes we must find grounds for a rational discussion about the problem of gun violence. In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris. In this blogpost, Harris weighs arguments and anti arguments for and against gun ownership control. We still have more guns and more gun violence than any other developed country, but the correlation between guns and violence in the United States is far from straightforward. Thirty percent of urban households have at least one firearm. This figure increases to 42 percent in the suburbs and 60 percent in the countryside. As one moves away from cities, therefore, the rate of gun ownership doubles. And yet gun violence is primarily a problem in cities. It is the people of Detroit, Oakland, Memphis, Little Rock, and Stockton who are at the greatest risk of being killed by guns. We cover a wide range of topics, including: Motivations behind shootings in America Why the US situation cannot be compared to other countries and the need of a unique solution The difficulties our brains have processing statistics, and the skewed importance we give to events School guards and gun use training and licensing Why it’s very unlikely that we will talk with aliens one day And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to read The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris! A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Amusing Ourselves to Death, a book that discuss our brain limitations, as well as our episode on Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb, on the topic of the importance of having personal experience and true knowledge when talking about hot topics. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show National Rifle Association – NRA [14:18] AR 15 [15:13] Parkland High School’s shooting [14:15] Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting [22:15] Aurora Cinema in Colorado shooting [22:58] Orlando Nightclub shooting [22:58] Virginia Tech shooting [28:48] UT Austin shooting [28:59] Revolver Speed Reload video [37:23] Warrior Gene [45:47] I gave you power - Nas [56:40] Vegas shooting questions of investigation [1:03:48] Unabomber [1:04:55] DC sniper attack [1:05:41] Columbine killers [1:17:36] Books mentioned The Riddle of the Gun by Sam Harris Godel Escher Bach [29:41] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb [2:19] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician by Michihiko Hachiya [08:40] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Amusing Ourselves to Death [15:37] (Nat’s Notes) (book episode) Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris [01:33:20] People mentioned Sam Harris Kid Rock [12:18] Jocko [20:50] Elon Musk [45:18] (on this podcast) Pepper the Poochon [48:49] Nassim Nicholas Taleb [46:21] (Antifragile episode) Chris Rock [57:48] Barack Obama [1:01:02] Show Topics 0:00 – Escalation of gun violence and controversy about the definition of mass shooting. The lack and the need of rational arguments in favor or against gun control. 4:48 – Two ways of talking about guns and regulation. The perfect world scenario, where guns do not exist. The current world, where they do. Reasons to why America may not be able to copy and paste regulations from other countries which have a completely different contexts. DNA of countries: starting with the individual freedom vs starting with the collective and scaling down to individual. 9:57 – Hedge against tyranny. It's not about the individual right to have arms, but the State's right to have militia. An armed country makes it more threatening to be invaded. 13:06 – Safe and unsafe gun use. Most of people have a very skewed opinion about guns but lacks deep knowledge about them. Campaigns for and against resort in fear rather than education. Sides attack the weakest argument of the other, instead of dismantling the strongest one. Story behind the AR15 name. 17:56 – Arguments in favor of gun ownership. Police will never arrive on time in a home invasion situation. In a world without guns, the bully wins over the others. Guns even the physical playfield. A weak person could defend itself from a physically strong one. Limitations of Martial Arts in real life. Escaping a dangerous situation as a better strategy than engaging in it. 22:15 – Comparing gun deaths to car accidents and medical errors. According to statistics, gun problems are a problem of population density and not a problem of guns ownership: there are more weapons in rural America, but mass shootings occur in cities. Murder rate going down after assault weapon federal ban expiration coincidence and possible causes. 29:4 – Why Media and people would care more about the life o a kid in New Talents Life than the life of gangsters in Detroit. Different reactions for 9/11 and what happens everyday in Middle East. Difficulties to process statistics and emotional attachment in 1-to-1 relationships. Mass shooting deaths represent just 0.1% 37:42 – Original meaning vs evolved meaning of the American Constitution. Different ban treatment for assault weapons and handguns. Drawing the line in which weapons to ban and which not. 41:33 – California and New York banning 17 rounds magazines. Arming Mars' colonizers. 47:48 – Logistics of breaking ins would be easier with a ban law. Dogs as deterrents to break ins. Civilians shouldn't intervene in dangerous situations. When speaking about gun ownership, we should always include training. The Japanese case, where to own a weapon you have to be trained and your license renewed as for driving cars. For cars and certain businesses training is mandatory. How to circumvent the Second Amendment requiring infinite training. 53:27 – Mental health issues and buying guns. Suicide and domestic violence may be reduced without weapons. Abortion sucitates such much discussion and viewpoints as guns. Cause vs magnitude of events. Knife problems in Chinese schools. Guns do enable to kill people faster. 58:58 – Putting guards for schools instead of arming teachers. Politicians against school guards lacking skin in the game, because they have personal guards. Coincidence of mass shootings happening in gun-free places. 1:03:56 – Motivations behind mass shootings. Armed teachers may introduce more "variability". Deterrent effect is difficult to measure. 1:09:51 Idea: giving guns to kids! Training kids how to behavior in dangerous situations. Many schools do have cops around, but probably not because of terrorist events. 1:13:47 – Imperfect Justice system may be corrected by private justice. Some countries may not have guns problems because of a "barbaric" Justice system. Physical punishment as a deterrent. Mass attention as a motivator for shooting. 1:17:47 – Symbolic steps towards more gun control. Veterans could be re-included as school guards and would be better experienced in fire situations. Guns training and licenses would be a billion dollars/year business. 1:23:29 – Considerations for a Constitutional Amendment modification? 1:24:25 – Shift in attitudes and shared responsibility is the way to solve a unique US problem. Tweet to us and share your inputs! 1:27:34 – Sponsors time! Four Sigmatic has a new Adaptogen Mushroom Coffee, which has Tulsi and Astragalus. A special one to make you go on tangents! Use the Chaga one, perfect for brainstorming, and Adaptogen for execution. You get 15% off with our link. Check out Perfecto Keto for all your keto related needs. Check the Peaches & Cream, and Chocolate & Vanilla Exogenous Ketones. They also have a Keto Pre-Workout for a boost before exercising. Use the coupon code revealed in the episode to get a discount. Kettle & Fire are the purveyors of artisanal bone broth, with all the collageny ancestral goodness. You can keep it in your cabinet, perfect for a warm treat during a snowstorm. 1:31:24 Leave a review on iTunes, but not a bad one! :) Support the show by using our Amazon sponsored link. Subscribe to the Mailing List and tell your friends! Tell Evernote to listen to our bonus material.

From Corporal To Higher Consciousness; He's a military veteran who proudly served 5 years inthe Army National Guard, and 18 months deployed in support of the Iraq war. The U.S. militarytaught him invaluable life lessons, but also brought unexpected and profound supernatural events.These personal accounts ushered in a new direction and life path to becoming a SpiritualAdvisor, Transformation Mentor, Theologian, Author, and Speaker.

“Skin in the Game is about four topics in one: a) uncertainty and the reliability of knowledge (both practical and scientific, assuming there is a difference), or in less polite words bullshit detection, b) symmetry in human affairs, that is, fairness, justice, responsibility, and reciprocity, c) information sharing in transactions, and d) rationality in complex systems and in the real world. That these four cannot be disentangled is something that is obvious when one has…skin in the game.” In this episode of Made You Think, Neil and I discuss Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life by Nassim Taleb. In this book, Taleb touches in many of the topics he’s covered in his previous work, such as virtue signaling and probability, and most of all, true risk taking. "[...] what people resent—or should resent—is the person at the top who has no skin in the game [...]" We cover a wide range of topics, including: Academia and its capability —or lack of it— of predicting real life. Having skin in the game and how it affects your behavior. How minorities impose their preferences to majorities. Judging a complex system by its elements. Sam Harris’ scalding opinion of Nassim Taleb. Virtue signaling. And much more. Please enjoy, and be sure to grab a copy of Skin in the Game by Nassim Taleb. "Not everything that happens happens for a reason, but everything that survives survives for a reason." If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out our episode on Antifragile by Nassim Taleb to dive deeper into Taleb’s work, and our episode on 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson, so you too can imagine the awesome podcast Jordan and Taleb could create together. Be sure to join our mailing list to find out about what books are coming up, giveaways we're running, special events, and more. Links from the Episode Mentioned in the show Nassim Taleb on Medium [01:45] Nat Chat [01:04] (Antifragile episode) Twitter [03:48] Uber [13:04] Venture Capital [15:30] Y Combinator [15:37] Startup Company [15:37] Hedge Fund [17:09] Cryptocurrency [18:16] Gilgamesh coin [19:00] Lindy Effect  [21:40] Virtue Signaling [24:32] Middlebury College [24:43] Statin [28:25] American Heart Association [31:30] Coca-Cola [35:20] Confirmation Bias [38:47] The Placebo Effect [38:50] The Most Intolerant Wins: The Dictatorship of the Small Minority by Nassim Taleb [40:29] Kosher Food [40:29] New Atheism [45:16] Reddit [45:26] Facebook [45:27] Starbucks [45:30] Dick’s Sporting Goods [46:00] Box Company [46:52] Google [56:42] Mutual Assured Destruction [01:02:04] JPMorgan Chase [01:09:00] Apple Inc. [01:09:30] Amazon [01:09:30] Uber [01:09:33] Instacart [01:09:33] Fat Tony [01:09:52] The National Football League (NFL) [01:18:36] Tesla [01:12:54] In-n-Out Burger [1:23:33] Chipotle [1:23:33] D'Souza rips apart smug leftist student over "white privilege" [1:27:30] Humanitarians of Tinder [01:33:17] Toms Shoes [01:33:45] Malaria nets [1:34:33] Sam Harris on Nassim Taleb “insufferable” quotation [1:43:10] The best podcast ever by Sam Harris [1:49:10] Russell Brand Podcast’s Under the Skin [1:49:10] Books mentioned 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson [00:39] (Nat’s notes) (Neil’s notes) (book episode) Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Taleb [01:04] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Taleb [02:00] The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Taleb [02:00] The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Taleb [02:00] Happy Accidents: Serendipity in Modern Medical Breakthroughs by Morton A. Meyers [14:05] Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor by Tren Griffin [26:30] Merchants of Doubt: by Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway [34:54] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter [39:34] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System by Donella Meadows [52:13] (book episode) Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician by Michihiko Hachiya [01:01:28] (Nat’s notes) (book episode) Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford [01:37:03] A History of Private Life by Paul Veyne [01:40:39] Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris [01:47:35] Lying by Sam Harris [01:47:35] People mentioned: Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Antifragile episode) Hillary Clinton [06:58] Steven Pinker [06:58] [1:35:59] Ayn Rand [07:54] Anne Hearst [24:52] Charles Murray [24:57] Aaron Levie [46:51] Donald Trump [01:06:40] Marco Rubio [01:07:22] Chris Christie [01:07:31] Jeff Bezos [01:11:58] Bill Gates [01:12:05] Mark Zuckerberg [01:12:14] J.K. Rowling [01:33:00] Alexander The Great [01:36:39] Jordan B. Peterson [01:41:32] (on this podcast) Sam Harris [01:41:32] Scott Adams [01:49:26] Russell Brand [01:49:47] Jocko [01:53:40] Show Topics 01:30 – Taleb's bibliography, his previous releases. Contrasts and relations between his previous works and Skin in the Game. A greater focus in philosophy and morals, rather than the mathematical focus of his other books. Skin in the game concept for business and non-business people. 06:38 – Taleb's use of criticism of other people, perhaps partially for publicity reasons. Criticizing people at your own weight vs needless harassment. The Ayn Rand effect. 08:50 – The books’ introduction. Academia vs real life. You can’t predict the behavior of a system by studying the behavior of individual elements within the system. Emerging qualities of complex systems. Academia back-explaining knowledge that’s created practically. Skin in the game for Roman architects and medicine scientists. 14:57 – True progress is only possible when you actually stand to lose something should you fail. Defining “rent-seeking” as opposite for “skin in the game”. Different types sorts of investments and whether they constitute rent-seeking. 19:25 – The contents of the book can become a lens through which you see the world. 20:03 – Sponsors. Get a shot of Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee mixed with MCT oil powder from Perfecto Keto. Follow our advice, we have skin in the coff… in the game. 20:59 – You can’t judge whether something is robust, if it can survive stressors, if you’re not at risk in case it can’t. The test of time. 23:30 – Business plans and their usefulness, or usefulness for procrastination. 24:54 – Book 2: A First Look at Agency. Advice, and knowing when to listen to it. Advice that’s helpful to the person offering it, rather than who’s being advised. Incentives and metrics under judgement. 26:50 – Judging actions by their intentions, rather than their effects. Nazism vs Communism. Diets, cholesterol, weight, and its effects on health as single elements of a complex system. 35:36 – Avoiding doctors when you have low-risks health issues. Prayer and religion developing related to health, and the high risk of medical procedures. The Placebo Effect. 39:20 – Book 3: That Great Asymmetry. Ant and ant colony metaphor. Predicting a complex system’s behavior through the behavior of singular elements. A small vocal minority affecting the behavior of large groups. The minority effect on holiday greetings and restaurant choices. 45:56 – Gun regulation, and changes in policy meant for advertising. Virtue signaling and what you do out of your beliefs, versus what’s done for public recognition. Standing up for your opinions even if, or specially if, it has social consequences. 50:57 – The free market, bottom-up or top-down models. Changing the parameters of individuals will not change the parameters of the emerging system. 52:57 – Book 4: Wolves Among Dogs. The trade off between security and freedom. Working as a dog, comfortably but restrained, versus working as a wolf, with much more freedom, but less safety. Tactics big companies use domesticating their employees. English manners as a way to domesticate lower classes. 00:59:39 – Suicide bombers and Mutual Assured Destruction. Reasoning and incentives in terrorists perspective, and how to discourage them to commit suicide. Sacrificing oneself and sacrificing the whole nation. 01:02:26 – Freedom and social media. Voluntarily adopting habits of the lower class as a signal of freedom. Nassim Taleb and Twitter. 01:05:53 – Book 5: Being Alive Means Taking Certain Risks. Politicians and relatability. Feeling like a politician is a real person, or simply a scripted facade. The case for Trump and his relatability. 01:08:36 – Resentment against people at the top who don’t have skin in the game, who are not really risking anything. Economic equality and what it truly means. Unfair barriers put up to keep people in the 1% when they might not really be earning their spot anymore. Florence example, where a handful of  families has kept the power for more than 5 centuries. 01:14:38 – Peer approval, the minority effect, and real freedom. 01:17:06 – Book 6: Being Alive Means Taking Certain Risks. Between two people who are equally qualified, the person who looks less “the part” is a wiser choice, as they have had to overcome more challenges to get to where they are. Quarterbacks vs common sense. Elitism and food: steaks, fast-food, and wine. Big mansions and living away from everything. 01:27:38 – Virtue signaling. Protesting or complaining without putting action behind your beliefs. Charity that’s mostly for show and its negative consequences. 01:35:12 – History and violent events: decreasing in frequency, but increasing rapidly in intensity. War, urban violence, and the magnitude of violence. Life that isn’t covered in history outside of big, dramatic events. 01:41:26 – Book 7: Deeper Into Agency. Religion, Beliefs, and Skin in the Game. Sam Harris, Nassim Taleb, and Jordan Peterson. Religion, science, and scientism. 01:49:22 – Sam Harris’ podcast and its infamous guests. 01:50:38 – Book 8: Risk and Rationality. The last section of the book, and concepts in it that are being explored in-depth by Taleb for the first time. “Skin in the Game” as an entry point for Taleb’s work. 01:52:26 – You don’t necessarily need to know what is the reason for something, even if you know that there is a reason. 01:54:31 – Ergodicity and non-ergodicity, or assembled probability vs individual probability. Paranoia and risk reversion. Risk taking and relative risk rather than objective risk. Bathtubs’ and bullets’ potential to scale to kill people. Terrorism, gun violence and non-multiplicative risks. 02:01:35 – Ties back to Taleb’s previous work. Static and dynamics probabilities and life expectancy. 02:05:37 – Wrapping up and sponsor time! Make sure to grab your own copy of “Skin in the Game” through our Amazon sponsored link. To help the podcast maintain the freedom of the market, check out as well our sponsors: Kettle & Fire for all your delicious bone broth needs, with up to 30% OFF! We recommend Perfecto Keto’s coffee-flavored exogenous ketones. Four Sigmatic: for your mushroom coffee and all your other mushroom needs. And as always, don’t forget to check out our Support page. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe at https://madeyouthinkpodcast.com    

Semana nueva, episodio nuevo. Hablamos de roles sociales: los que nos impone la sociedad, los que elegimos, cómo afectan a las relaciones con los demás. Todo amenizado con vivencias propias. El libro que recomendamos hoy es "Pich Anything" de Oren Klaff. Como sabéis, los enlaces que compartimos son de afiliados con Amazon España. Comprad a través de estos enlaces ya que no os costará más y nos llevamos una pequeña comisión. ¡Gracias! Roles sociales [Libro] “Controle su destino: Despertando el gigante que lleva dentro” de Tony Robbins. [Podcast] Waking Up Podcast - Sam Harris. [Libro] "Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion" de Sam Harris. Marc Alier en un claustro de la Universidad... [Libro] "El Punto Clave: Como los Pequeños Cambios Pueden Provocar Grandes Efectos" de Malcolm Gladwell. Somos zetatesters [Programa de TV] Bullshit! Creado por Penn & Teller donde tratan de desenmascarar una gran cantidad de creencias populares. [Documental] Tony Robbins: No soy tu gurú – Original de Netflix [Wikipedia] Full-screen writing program [Artículo] Los superventas de Amazon son puro humo, y este falso libro lo demuestra Delicatessen: Pich Anything [Libro Delicatessen] "Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal" de Oren Klaff. [Vídeo] Hacker Schools vs. Universities, is there room for both? (con la intervención estelar de Marc Alier, entre otros). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSAfB3Z3Luc Os recordamos que podréis encontrar todos los libros Delicatessen que hemos comentado hasta la fecha en http://zetatesters.com/recomendamos/ (con enlaces de afiliados, claro 🙂 ). Turno de acciones Esta semana tenemos tres retos para vosotros. Elegid al menos uno y accionadlo. Reto 1: Meditad 5 minutos al día. Podéis ver el vídeo que inspiró a Carles a hacerlo: Meditation 101: A Beguinner's Guide (sólo dura dos minutos). Reto 2: Leed el artículo Un lápiz, un proyecto: cómo centrarte en un mundo con mil distracciones y haced lo que propone. Reto 3: Intercambiad un rol con otra persona, aunque sea durante unos minutos. https://vimeo.com/gobblynne/meditation ¡Hasta el próximo episodio!

Paula Gosney is a writer, businesswoman, feminist, warrior, speaker and mom. At 11-years-old she was sent to boarding school, and during her teenage years she became the victim of sexual assault. Her 20’s were spent seeking pain relief through a mix of hard drugs, alcohol, and personal development masters. She established her first business at 21. Her current endeavor, Belief School, is an accumulation of all she has learned, taught and lived. Her personal vision is to help other women heal more quickly, accept love earlier in their lives and contribute to their own lives sooner. Much like what she would have done, had she been exposed to the principles she teaches today sooner.  “As women, we need to celebrate our broken bits and stop the righteousness, stop the blaming and hold each other up. Because we are bloody awesome.” - Paula Gosney Playing the Small Moment Women succumb to two types of fear. One is an intuition-based fear which comes from deep in our subconscious. It is a healthy, survival-based fear. “Women are taught to ignore our gut feelings,” Paula says, “but what we should be doing is giving ourselves permission to trust this fear”. The second type of fear is one we should not allow ourselves to fall prey to, as it is one of the greatest poisons of our society. It is when we feel this fear telling us we cannot do something or we are not good enough that we need to embrace the moment and know that we are not the voices in our heads. The Wake Up Call Paula’s wakeup call came during some of her darkest days. She was listening to her inner victim and living the life it chose for her. One day, a profound thing happened as she was sitting in her car. Almost mystically, the clouds parted, the sun hit her shoulders and she thought “Wait, I get to choose how my life will be”. She found it empowering and now teaches others that if we stop listening to our inner victim we will become creative, solution-focused and powerful. Style of Leadership Paula believes in a service based leadership approach and leading by example. She says “we have to be the lighthouse and light the way for others by owning our own mistakes.” She adds “the world around us is a reflection of who we are being.” What Are You Excited About? Paula is bursting with excitement over her new book The Fuck Off Handbook for Healing and Celebrating Your Broken Bits. It’s just now coming together but she already knows it’s really good. It is a practical guide about shedding shame and owning our experiences. She adds that this book may not be the last as she certainly has 1 or 2 more books in her. Leadership Challenge Paula faces the challenge of moving into a bigger mindset. In her other businesses, she has always done everything herself. Her new project requires more funding and more partners. Everything is expanding. She is presently adopting a THINK BIG mentality and moving past previous challenges.    Book to Develop Leadership The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris Advice For Younger Self Paula says she would grab her 16-year-old self by the shoulders and say “This is not about you. This has nothing to do with you. You get to choose your story.” and “Define what gives you satisfaction for yourself, don’t let it be defined by the people around you.” Inspirational Quotes Paula finds it beneficial to choose one of her limiting beliefs and then write her own success quote around it.  “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Gandhi Links How to Be Recognized for the Work You Do Webinar Belief School Belief School on Facebook   Find more resources at https://womentakingthelead.com

It’s been ten years since the publication of Sam Harris’s book The End of Faith kicked off the cultural phenomenon of “new atheism,” bringing frank criticism of religion into mainstream conversation. In the decade since, Harris has emerged as something of a maverick among nonbelievers and progressives, frequently at the center of controversy with his opinions on Islam and extremism, science’s role in morality, and his embrace of a kind of “spiritualism” grounded in science.   It is this last item that is the subject of his latest book, Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, in which he seeks a rational approach to transcendence; one that puts the supernatural aside in favor of an honest, scientific exploration of the mind, altered states of consciousness, and other (as he puts it) “spooky phenomena.”    On this special episode of Point of Inquiry, Harris talks to host Josh Zepps about his foray into the mystical. In this fascinating interview, Harris asserts that experiences such as bliss and transcendence must be removed from the realm of sectarianism, but that “one of the great holes in secularism” is that “we don’t have a ready answer for someone who wakes up tomorrow morning with an extraordinary change in their conscious life which they deem positive.”    Harris talks about the search for this answer, as well as the illusion of the self, expanding our moral circle to include other creatures, and an evaluation of the progress secularism has made since the time “new atheism” was still new.

This is the complete first chapter of Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris. To purchase the audiobook: http://amzn.to/1v1NEIK To purchase the print edition: http://amzn.to/1mqiAKL You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

I once participated in a twenty-three-day wilderness program in the mountains of Colorado. If the purpose of this course was to expose students to dangerous lightning and half the world’s mosquitoes, it was fulfilled on the first day. What was in essence a forced march through hundreds of miles of backcountry culminated in a ritual known as “the solo,” where we were finally permitted to rest—alone, on the outskirts of a gorgeous alpine lake—for three days of fasting and contemplation. I had just turned sixteen, and this was my first taste of true solitude since exiting my mother’s womb. It proved a sufficient provocation. After a long nap and a glance at the icy waters of the lake, the promising young man I imagined myself to be was quickly cut down by loneliness and boredom. I filled the pages of my journal not with the insights of a budding naturalist, philosopher, or mystic but with a list of the foods on which I intended to gorge myself the instant I returned to civilization. Judging from the state of my consciousness at the time, millions of years of hominid evolution had produced nothing more transcendent than a craving for a cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake. I found the experience of sitting undisturbed for three days amid pristine breezes and starlight, with nothing to do but contemplate the mystery of my existence, to be a source of perfect misery—for which I could see not so much as a glimmer of my own contribution. My letters home, in their plaintiveness and self-pity, rivaled any written at Shiloh or Gallipoli. So I was more than a little surprised when several members of our party, most of whom were a decade older than I, described their days and nights of solitude in positive, even transformational terms. I simply didn’t know what to make of their claims to happiness. How could someone’s happiness increase when all the material sources of pleasure and distraction had been removed? At that age, the nature of my own mind did not interest me—only my life did. And I was utterly oblivious to how different life would be if the quality of my mind were to change. Our minds are all we have. They are all we have ever had. And they are all we can offer others. This might not be obvious, especially when there are aspects of your life that seem in need of improvement—when your goals are unrealized, or you are struggling to find a career, or you have relationships that need repairing. But it’s the truth. Every experience you have ever had has been shaped by your mind. Every relationship is as good or as bad as it is because of the minds involved. If you are perpetually angry, depressed, confused, and unloving, or your attention is elsewhere, it won’t matter how successful you become or who is in your life—you won’t enjoy any of it. Most of us could easily compile a list of goals we want to achieve or personal problems that need to be solved. But what is the real significance of every item on such a list? Everything we want to accomplish—to paint the house, learn a new language, find a better job—is something that promises that, if done, it would allow us to finally relax and enjoy our lives in the present. Generally speaking, this is a false hope. I’m not denying the importance of achieving one’s goals, maintaining one’s health, or keeping one’s children clothed and fed—but most of us spend our time seeking happiness and security without acknowledging the underlying purpose of our search. Each of us is looking for a path back to the present: We are trying to find good enough reasons to be satisfied now. Acknowledging that this is the structure of the game we are playing allows us to play it differently. How we pay attention to the present moment largely determines the character of our experience and, therefore, the quality of our lives. Mystics and contemplatives have made this claim for ages—but a growing body of scientific research now bears it out. A few years after my first painful encounter with solitude, in the winter of 1987, I took the drug 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as Ecstasy, and my sense of the human mind’s potential shifted profoundly. Although MDMA would become ubiquitous at dance clubs and “raves” in the 1990s, at that time I didn’t know anyone of my generation who had tried it. One evening, a few months before my twentieth birthday, a close friend and I decided to take the drug. The setting of our experiment bore little resemblance to the conditions of Dionysian abandon under which MDMA is now often consumed. We were alone in a house, seated across from each other on opposite ends of a couch, and engaged in quiet conversation as the chemical worked its way into our heads. Unlike other drugs with which we were by then familiar (marijuana and alcohol), MDMA produced no feeling of distortion in our senses. Our minds seemed completely clear. In the midst of this ordinariness, however, I was suddenly struck by the knowledge that I loved my friend. This shouldn’t have surprised me—he was, after all, one of my best friends. However, at that age I was not in the habit of dwelling on how much I loved the men in my life. Now I could feel that I loved him, and this feeling had ethical implications that suddenly seemed as profound as they now sound pedestrian on the page: I wanted him to be happy. That conviction came crashing down with such force that something seemed to give way inside me. In fact, the insight appeared to restructure my mind. My capacity for envy, for instance—the sense of being diminished by the happiness or success of another person—seemed like a symptom of mental illness that had vanished without a trace. I could no more have felt envy at that moment than I could have wanted to poke out my own eyes. What did I care if my friend was better looking or a better athlete than I was? If I could have bestowed those gifts on him, I would have. Truly wanting him to be happy made his happiness my own. A certain euphoria was creeping into these reflections, perhaps, but the general feeling remained one of absolute sobriety—and of moral and emotional clarity unlike any I had ever known. It would not be too strong to say that I felt sane for the first time in my life. And yet the change in my consciousness seemed entirely straightforward. I was simply talking to my friend—about what, I don’t recall—and realized that I had ceased to be concerned about myself. I was no longer anxious, self-critical, guarded by irony, in competition, avoiding embarrassment, ruminating about the past and future, or making any other gesture of thought or attention that separated me from him. I was no longer watching myself through another person’s eyes. And then came the insight that irrevocably transformed my sense of how good human life could be. I was feeling boundless love for one of my best friends, and I suddenly realized that if a stranger had walked through the door at that moment, he or she would have been fully included in this love. Love was at bottom impersonal—and deeper than any personal history could justify. Indeed, a transactional form of love—I love you because…—now made no sense at all. The interesting thing about this final shift in perspective was that it was not driven by any change in the way I felt. I was not overwhelmed by a new feeling of love. The insight had more the character of a geometric proof: It was as if, having glimpsed the properties of one set of parallel lines, I suddenly understood what must be common to them all. The moment I could find a voice with which to speak, I discovered that this epiphany about the universality of love could be readily communicated. My friend got the point at once: All I had to do was ask him how he would feel in the presence of a total stranger at that moment, and the same door opened in his mind. It was simply obvious that love, compassion, and joy in the joy of others extended without limit. The experience was not of love growing but of its being no longer obscured. Love was—as advertised by mystics and crackpots through the ages—a state of being. How had we not seen this before? And how could we overlook it ever again? It would take me many years to put this experience into context. Until that moment, I had viewed organized religion as merely a monument to the ignorance and superstition of our ancestors. But I now knew that Jesus, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, and the other saints and sages of history had not all been epileptics, schizophrenics, or frauds. I still considered the world’s religions to be mere intellectual ruins, maintained at enormous economic and social cost, but I now understood that important psychological truths could be found in the rubble. Twenty percent of Americans describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” Although the claim seems to annoy believers and atheists equally, separating spirituality from religion is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. It is to assert two important truths simultaneously: Our world is dangerously riven by religious doctrines that all educated people should condemn, and yet there is more to understanding the human condition than science and secular culture generally admit. One purpose of this book is to give both these convictions intellectual and empirical support. Before going any further, I should address the animosity that many readers feel toward the term spiritual. Whenever I use the word, as in referring to meditation as a “spiritual practice,” I hear from fellow skeptics and atheists who think that I have committed a grievous error.The word spirit comes from the Latin spiritus, which is a translation of the Greek pneuma, meaning “breath.” Around the thirteenth century, the term became entangled with beliefs about immaterial souls, supernatural beings, ghosts, and so forth. It acquired other meanings as well: We speak of the spirit of a thing as its most essential principle or of certain volatile substances and liquors as spirits. Nevertheless, many nonbelievers now consider all things “spiritual” to be contaminated by medieval superstition. I do not share their semantic concerns.[1] Yes, to walk the aisles of any “spiritual” bookstore is to confront the yearning and credulity of our species by the yard, but there is no other term—apart from the even more problematic mystical or the more restrictive contemplative—with which to discuss the efforts people make, through meditation, psychedelics, or other means, to fully bring their minds into the present or to induce nonordinary states of consciousness. And no other word links this spectrum of experience to our ethical lives. Throughout this book, I discuss certain classically spiritual phenomena, concepts, and practices in the context of our modern understanding of the human mind—and I cannot do this while restricting myself to the terminology of ordinary experience. So I will use spiritual, mystical, contemplative, and transcendent without further apology. However, I will be precise in describing the experiences and methods that merit these terms. For many years, I have been a vocal critic of religion, and I won’t ride the same hobbyhorse here. I hope that I have been sufficiently energetic on this front that even my most skeptical readers will trust that my bullshit detector remains well calibrated as we advance over this new terrain. Perhaps the following assurance can suffice for the moment: Nothing in this book needs to be accepted on faith. Although my focus is on human subjectivity—I am, after all, talking about the nature of experience itself—all my assertions can be tested in the laboratory of your own life. In fact, my goal is to encourage you to do just that. Authors who attempt to build a bridge between science and spirituality tend to make one of two mistakes: Scientists generally start with an impoverished view of spiritual experience, assuming that it must be a grandiose way of describing ordinary states of mind—parental love, artistic inspiration, awe at the beauty of the night sky. In this vein, one finds Einstein’s amazement at the intelligibility of Nature’s laws described as though it were a kind of mystical insight. New Age thinkers usually enter the ditch on the other side of the road: They idealize altered states of consciousness and draw specious connections between subjective experience and the spookier theories at the frontiers of physics. Here we are told that the Buddha and other contemplatives anticipated modern cosmology or quantum mechanics and that by transcending the sense of self, a person can realize his identity with the One Mind that gave birth to the cosmos. In the end, we are left to choose between pseudo-spirituality and pseudo-science. Few scientists and philosophers have developed strong skills of introspection—in fact, most doubt that such abilities even exist. Conversely, many of the greatest contemplatives know nothing about science. But there is a connection between scientific fact and spiritual wisdom, and it is more direct than most people suppose. Although the insights we can have in meditation tell us nothing about the origins of the universe, they do confirm some well-established truths about the human mind: Our conventional sense of self is an illusion; positive emotions, such as compassion and patience, are teachable skills; and the way we think directly influences our experience of the world. There is now a large literature on the psychological benefits of meditation. Different techniques produce long-lasting changes in attention, emotion, cognition, and pain perception, and these correlate with both structural and functional changes in the brain. This field of research is quickly growing, as is our understanding of self-awareness and related mental phenomena. Given recent advances in neuroimaging technology, we no longer face a practical impediment to investigating spiritual insights in the context of science. Spirituality must be distinguished from religion—because people of every faith, and of none, have had the same sorts of spiritual experiences. While these states of mind are usually interpreted through the lens of one or another religious doctrine, we know that this is a mistake. Nothing that a Christian, a Muslim, and a Hindu can experience—self-transcending love, ecstasy, bliss, inner light—constitutes evidence in support of their traditional beliefs, because their beliefs are logically incompatible with one another. A deeper principle must be at work. That principle is the subject of this book: The feeling that we call “I” is an illusion. There is no discrete self or ego living like a Minotaur in the labyrinth of the brain. And the feeling that there is—the sense of being perched somewhere behind your eyes, looking out at a world that is separate from yourself—can be altered or entirely extinguished. Although such experiences of “self-transcendence” are generally thought about in religious terms, there is nothing, in principle, irrational about them. From both a scientific and a philosophical point of view, they represent a clearer understanding of the way things are. Deepening that understanding, and repeatedly cutting through the illusion of the self, is what is meant by “spirituality” in the context of this book. Confusion and suffering may be our birthright, but wisdom and happiness are available. The landscape of human experience includes deeply transformative insights about the nature of one’s own consciousness, and yet it is obvious that these psychological states must be understood in the context of neuroscience, psychology, and related fields. I am often asked what will replace organized religion. The answer, I believe, is nothing and everything. Nothing need replace its ludicrous and divisive doctrines—such as the idea that Jesus will return to earth and hurl unbelievers into a lake of fire, or that death in defense of Islam is the highest good. These are terrifying and debasing fictions. But what about love, compassion, moral goodness, and self-transcendence? Many people still imagine that religion is the true repository of these virtues. To change this, we must talk about the full range of human experience in a way that is as free of dogma as the best science already is. This book is by turns a seeker’s memoir, an introduction to the brain, a manual of contemplative instruction, and a philosophical unraveling of what most people consider to be the center of their inner lives: the feeling of self we call “I.” I have not set out to describe all the traditional approaches to spirituality and to weigh their strengths and weaknesses. Rather, my goal is to pluck the diamond from the dunghill of esoteric religion. There is a diamond there, and I have devoted a fair amount of my life to contemplating it, but getting it in hand requires that we remain true to the deepest principles of scientific skepticism and make no obeisance to tradition. Where I do discuss specific teachings, such as those of Buddhism or Advaita Vedanta, it isn’t my purpose to provide anything like a comprehensive account. Readers who are loyal to any one spiritual tradition or who specialize in the academic study of religion, may view my approach as the quintessence of arrogance. I consider it, rather, a symptom of impatience. There is barely time enough in a book—or in a life—to get to the point. Just as a modern treatise on weaponry would omit the casting of spells and would very likely ignore the slingshot and the boomerang, I will focus on what I consider the most promising lines of spiritual inquiry. My hope is that my personal experience will help readers to see the nature of their own minds in a new light. A rational approach to spirituality seems to be what is missing from secularism and from the lives of most of the people I meet. The purpose of this book is to offer readers a clear view of the problem, along with some tools to help them solve it for themselves. THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS One day, you will find yourself outside this world which is like a mother’s womb. You will leave this earth to enter, while you are yet in the body, a vast expanse, and know that the words, “God’s earth is vast,” name this region from which the saints have come. Jalal-ud-Din Rumi I share the concern, expressed by many atheists, that the terms spiritual and mystical are often used to make claims not merely about the quality of certain experiences but about reality at large. Far too often, these words are invoked in support of religious beliefs that are morally and intellectually grotesque. Consequently, many of my fellow atheists consider all talk of spirituality to be a sign of mental illness, conscious imposture, or self-deception. This is a problem, because millions of people have had experiences for which spiritual and mystical seem the only terms available. Many of the beliefs people form on the basis of these experiences are false. But the fact that most atheists will view a statement like Rumi’s above as a symptom of the man’s derangement grants a kernel of truth to the rantings of even our least rational opponents. The human mind does, in fact, contain vast expanses that few of us ever discover. And there is something degraded and degrading about many of our habits of attention as we shop, gossip, argue, and ruminate our way to the grave. Perhaps I should speak only for myself here: It seems to me that I spend much of my waking life in a neurotic trance. My experiences in meditation suggest, however, that an alternative exists. It is possible to stand free of the juggernaut of self, if only for moments at a time. Most cultures have produced men and women who have found that certain deliberate uses of attention—meditation, yoga, prayer—can transform their perception of the world. Their efforts generally begin with the realization that even in the best of circumstances, happiness is elusive. We seek pleasant sights, sounds, tastes, sensations, and moods. We satisfy our intellectual curiosity. We surround ourselves with friends and loved ones. We become connoisseurs of art, music, or food. But our pleasures are, by their very nature, fleeting. If we enjoy some great professional success, our feelings of accomplishment remain vivid and intoxicating for an hour, or perhaps a day, but then they subside. And the search goes on. The effort required to keep boredom and other unpleasantness at bay must continue, moment to moment. Ceaseless change is an unreliable basis for lasting fulfillment. Realizing this, many people begin to wonder whether a deeper source of well-being exists. Is there a form of happiness beyond the mere repetition of pleasure and avoidance of pain? Is there a happiness that does not depend upon having one’s favorite foods available, or friends and loved ones within arm’s reach, or good books to read, or something to look forward to on the weekend? Is it possible to be happy before anything happens, before one’s desires are gratified, in spite of life’s difficulties, in the very midst of physical pain, old age, disease, and death? We are all, in some sense, living our answer to this question—and most of us are living as though the answer were “no.” No, nothing is more profound than repeating one’s pleasures and avoiding one’s pains; nothing is more profound than seeking satisfaction—sensory, emotional, and intellectual—moment after moment. Just keep your foot on the gas until you run out of road. Certain people, however, come to suspect that human existence might encompass more than this. Many of them are led to suspect this by religion—by the claims of the Buddha or Jesus or some other celebrated figure. And such people often begin to practice various disciplines of attention as a means of examining their experience closely enough to see whether a deeper source of well-being exists. They may even sequester themselves in caves or monasteries for months or years at a time to facilitate this process. Why would a person do this? No doubt there are many motives for retreating from the world, and some of them are psychologically unhealthy. In its wisest form, however, the exercise amounts to a very simple experiment. Here is its logic: If there exists a source of psychological well-being that does not depend upon merely gratifying one’s desires, then it should be present even when all the usual sources of pleasure have been removed. Such happiness should be available to a person who has declined to marry her high school sweetheart, renounced her career and material possessions, and gone off to a cave or some other spot that is inhospitable to ordinary aspirations. One clue to how daunting most people would find such a project is the fact that solitary confinement—which is essentially what we are talking about—is considered a punishment inside a maximum-security prison. Even when forced to live among murderers and rapists, most people still prefer the company of others to spending any significant amount of time alone in a room. And yet contemplatives in many traditions claim to experience extraordinary depths of psychological well-being while living in isolation for vast stretches of time. How should we interpret this? Either the contemplative literature is a catalogue of religious delusion, psychopathology, and deliberate fraud, or people have been having liberating insights under the name of “spirituality” and “mysticism” for millennia. Unlike many atheists, I have spent much of my life seeking experiences of the kind that gave rise to the world’s religions. Despite the painful results of my first few days alone in the mountains of Colorado, I later studied with a wide range of monks, lamas, yogis, and other contemplatives, some of whom had lived for decades in seclusion doing nothing but meditating. In the process, I spent two years on silent retreat myself (in increments of one week to three months), practicing various techniques of meditation for twelve to eighteen hours a day. I can attest that when one goes into silence and meditates for weeks or months at a time, doing nothing else—not speaking, reading, or writing, just making a moment-to-moment effort to observe the contents of consciousness—one has experiences that are generally unavailable to people who have not undertaken a similar practice. I believe that such states of mind have a lot to say about the nature of consciousness and the possibilities of human well-being. Leaving aside the metaphysics, mythology, and sectarian dogma, what contemplatives throughout history have discovered is that there is an alternative to being continuously spellbound by the conversation we are having with ourselves; there is an alternative to simply identifying with the next thought that pops into consciousness. And glimpsing this alternative dispels the conventional illusion of the self. Most traditions of spirituality also suggest a connection between self-transcendence and living ethically. Not all good feelings have an ethical valence, and pathological forms of ecstasy surely exist. I have no doubt, for instance, that many suicide bombers feel extraordinarily good just before they detonate themselves in a crowd. But there are also forms of mental pleasure that are intrinsically ethical. As I indicated earlier, for some states of consciousness, a phrase like “boundless love” does not seem overblown. It is decidedly inconvenient for the forces of reason and secularism that if someone wakes up tomorrow feeling boundless love for all sentient beings, the only people likely to acknowledge the legitimacy of his experience will be representatives of one or another Iron Age religion or New Age cult. Most of us are far wiser than we may appear to be. We know how to keep our relationships in order, to use our time well, to improve our health, to lose weight, to learn valuable skills, and to solve many other riddles of existence. But following even the straight and open path to happiness is hard. If your best friend were to ask how she could live a better life, you would probably find many useful things to say, and yet you might not live that way yourself. On one level, wisdom is nothing more profound than an ability to follow one’s own advice. However, there are deeper insights to be had about the nature of our minds. Unfortunately, they have been discussed entirely in the context of religion and, therefore, have been shrouded in fallacy and superstition for all of human history. The problem of finding happiness in this world arrives with our first breath—and our needs and desires seem to multiply by the hour. To spend any time in the presence of a young child is to witness a mind ceaselessly buffeted by joy and sorrow. As we grow older, our laughter and tears become less gratuitous, perhaps, but the same process of change continues: One roiling complex of thought and emotion is followed by the next, like waves in the ocean. Seeking, finding, maintaining, and safeguarding our well-being is the great project to which we all are devoted, whether or not we choose to think in these terms. This is not to say that we want mere pleasure or the easiest possible life. Many things require extraordinary effort to accomplish, and some of us learn to enjoy the struggle. Any athlete knows that certain kinds of pain can be exquisitely pleasurable. The burn of lifting weights, for instance, would be excruciating if it were a symptom of terminal illness. But because it is associated with health and fitness, most people find it enjoyable. Here we see that cognition and emotion are not separate. The way we think about experience can completely determine how we feel about it. And we always face tensions and trade-offs. In some moments we crave excitement and in others rest. We might love the taste of wine and chocolate, but rarely for breakfast. Whatever the context, our minds are perpetually moving—generally toward pleasure (or its imagined source) and away from pain. I am not the first person to have noticed this. Our struggle to navigate the space of possible pains and pleasures produces most of human culture. Medical science attempts to prolong our health and to reduce the suffering associated with illness, aging, and death. All forms of media cater to our thirst for information and entertainment. Political and economic institutions seek to ensure our peaceful collaboration with one another—and the police or the military is summoned when they fail. Beyond ensuring our survival, civilization is a vast machine invented by the human mind to regulate its states. We are ever in the process of creating and repairing a world that our minds want to be in. And wherever we look, we see the evidence of our successes and our failures. Unfortunately, failure enjoys a natural advantage. Wrong answers to any problem outnumber right ones by a wide margin, and it seems that it will always be easier to break things than to fix them. Despite the beauty of our world and the scope of human accomplishment, it is hard not to worry that the forces of chaos will triumph—not merely in the end but in every moment. Our pleasures, however refined or easily acquired, are by their very nature fleeting. They begin to subside the instant they arise, only to be replaced by fresh desires or feelings of discomfort. You can’t get enough of your favorite meal until, in the next moment, you find you are so stuffed as to nearly require the attention of a surgeon—and yet, by some quirk of physics, you still have room for dessert. The pleasure of dessert lasts a few seconds, and then the lingering taste in your mouth must be banished by a drink of water. The warmth of the sun feels wonderful on your skin, but soon it becomes too much of a good thing. A move to the shade brings immediate relief, but after a minute or two, the breeze is just a little too cold. Do you have a sweater in the car? Let’s take a look. Yes, there it is. You’re warm now, but you notice that your sweater has seen better days. Does it make you look carefree or disheveled? Perhaps it is time to go shopping for something new. And so it goes. We seem to do little more than lurch between wanting and not wanting. Thus, the question naturally arises: Is there more to life than this? Might it be possible to feel much better (in every sense of better) than one tends to feel? Is it possible to find lasting fulfillment despite the inevitability of change? Spiritual life begins with a suspicion that the answer to such questions could well be “yes.” And a true spiritual practitioner is someone who has discovered that it is possible to be at ease in the world for no reason, if only for a few moments at a time, and that such ease is synonymous with transcending the apparent boundaries of the self. Those who have never tasted such peace of mind might view these assertions as highly suspect. Nevertheless, it is a fact that a condition of selfless well-being is there to be glimpsed in each moment. Of course, I’m not claiming to have experienced all such states, but I meet many people who appear to have experienced none of them—and these people often profess to have no interest in spiritual life. This is not surprising. The phenomenon of self-transcendence is generally sought and interpreted in a religious context, and it is precisely the sort of experience that tends to increase a person’s faith. How many Christians, having once felt their hearts grow as wide as the world, will decide to ditch Christianity and proclaim their atheism? Not many, I suspect. How many people who have never felt anything of the kind become atheists? I don’t know, but there is little doubt that these mental states act as a kind of filter: The faithful count them in support of ancient dogma, and their absence gives nonbelievers further reason to reject religion. This is a difficult problem for me to address in the context of a book, because many readers will have no idea what I’m talking about when I describe certain spiritual experiences and might assume that the assertions I’m making must be accepted on faith. Religious readers present a different challenge: They may think they know exactly what I’m describing, but only insofar as it aligns with one or another religious doctrine. It seems to me that both these attitudes present impressive obstacles to understanding spirituality in the way that I intend. I can only hope that, whatever your background, you will approach the exercises presented in this book with an open mind. RELIGION, EAST AND WEST We are often encouraged to believe that all religions are the same: All teach the same ethical principles; all urge their followers to contemplate the same divine reality; all are equally wise, compassionate, and true within their sphere—or equally divisive and false, depending on one’s view. No serious adherents of any faith can believe these things, because most religions make claims about reality that are mutually incompatible. Exceptions to this rule exist, but they provide little relief from what is essentially a zero-sum contest of all against all. The polytheism of Hinduism allows it to digest parts of many other faiths: If Christians insist that Jesus Christ is the son of God, for instance, Hindus can make him yet another avatar of Vishnu without losing any sleep. But this spirit of inclusiveness points in one direction only, and even it has its limits. Hindus are committed to specific metaphysical ideas—the law of karma and rebirth, a multiplicity of gods—that almost every other major religion decries. It is impossible for any faith, no matter how elastic, to fully honor the truth claims of another. Devout Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe that theirs is the one true and complete revelation—because that is what their holy books say of themselves. Only secularists and New Age dabblers can mistake the modern tactic of “interfaith dialogue” for an underlying unity of all religions. I have long argued that confusion about the unity of religions is an artifact of language. Religion is a term like sports: Some sports are peaceful but spectacularly dangerous (“free solo” rock climbing); some are safer but synonymous with violence (mixed martial arts); and some entail little more risk of injury than standing in the shower (bowling). To speak of sports as a generic activity makes it impossible to discuss what athletes actually do or the physical attributes required to do it. What do all sports have in common apart from breathing? Not much. The term religion is hardly more useful. The same could be said of spirituality. The esoteric doctrines found within every religious tradition are not all derived from the same insights. Nor are they equally empirical, logical, parsimonious, or wise. They don’t always point to the same underlying reality—and when they do, they don’t do it equally well. Nor are all these teachings equally suited for export beyond the cultures that first conceived them. Making distinctions of this kind, however, is deeply unfashionable in intellectual circles. In my experience, people do not want to hear that Islam supports violence in a way that Jainism doesn’t, or that Buddhism offers a truly sophisticated, empirical approach to understanding the human mind, whereas Christianity presents an almost perfect impediment to such understanding. In many circles, to make invidious comparisons of this kind is to stand convicted of bigotry. In one sense, all religions and spiritual practices must address the same reality—because people of all faiths have glimpsed many of the same truths. Any view of consciousness and the cosmos that is available to the human mind can, in principle, be appreciated by anyone. It is not surprising, therefore, that individual Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists have given voice to some of the same insights and intuitions. This merely indicates that human cognition and emotion run deeper than religion. (But we knew that, didn’t we?) It does not suggest that all religions understand our spiritual possibilities equally well. One way of missing this point is to declare that all spiritual teachings are inflections of the same “Perennial Philosophy.” The writer Aldous Huxley brought this idea into prominence by publishing an anthology by that title. Here is how he justified the idea: Philosophia perennis—the phrase was coined by Leibniz; but the thing—the metaphysic that recognizes a divine Reality substantial to the world of things and lives and minds; the psychology that finds in the soul something similar to, or even identical with, divine Reality; the ethic that places man’s final end in the knowledge of the immanent and transcendent Ground of all being—the thing is immemorial and universal. Rudiments of the Perennial Philosophy may be found among the traditionary lore of primitive peoples in every region of the world, and in its fully developed forms it has a place in every one of the higher religions. A version of this Highest Common Factor in all preceding and subsequent theologies was first committed to writing more than twenty-five centuries ago, and since that time the inexhaustible theme has been treated again and again, from the standpoint of every religious tradition and in all the principal languages of Asia and Europe.[2] Although Huxley was being reasonably cautious in his wording, this notion of a “highest common factor” uniting all religions begins to break apart the moment one presses for details. For instance, the Abrahamic religions are incorrigibly dualistic and faith-based: In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the human soul is conceived as genuinely separate from the divine reality of God. The appropriate attitude for a creature that finds itself in this circumstance is some combination of terror, shame, and awe. In the best case, notions of God’s love and grace provide some relief—but the central message of these faiths is that each of us is separate from, and in relationship to, a divine authority who will punish anyone who harbors the slightest doubt about His supremacy. The Eastern tradition presents a very different picture of reality. And its highest teachings—found within the various schools of Buddhism and the nominally Hindu tradition of Advaita Vedanta—explicitly transcend dualism. By their lights, consciousness itself is identical to the very reality that one might otherwise mistake for God. While these teachings make metaphysical claims that any serious student of science should find incredible, they center on a range of experiences that the doctrines of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam rule out-of-bounds. Of course, it is true that specific Jewish, Christian, and Muslim mystics have had experiences similar to those that motivate Buddhism and Advaita, but these contemplative insights are not exemplary of their faith. Rather, they are anomalies that Western mystics have always struggled to understand and to honor, often at considerable personal risk. Given their proper weight, these experiences produce heterodoxies for which Jews, Christians, and Muslims have been regularly exiled or killed. Like Huxley, anyone determined to find a happy synthesis among spiritual traditions will notice that the Christian mystic Meister Eckhart (ca. 1260–ca. 1327) often sounded very much like a Buddhist: “The knower and the known are one. Simple people imagine that they should see God, as if He stood there and they here. This is not so. God and I, we are one in knowledge.” But he also sounded like a man bound to be excommunicated by his church—as he was. Had Eckhart lived a little longer, it seems certain that he would have been dragged into the street and burned alive for these expansive ideas. That is a telling difference between Christianity and Buddhism. In the same vein, it is misleading to hold up the Sufi mystic Al-Hallaj (858–922) as a representative of Islam. He was a Muslim, yes, but he suffered the most grisly death imaginable at the hands of his coreligionists for presuming to be one with God. Both Eckhart and Al-Hallaj gave voice to an experience of self-transcendence that any human being can, in principle, enjoy. However, their views were not consistent with the central teachings of their faiths. The Indian tradition is comparatively free of problems of this kind. Although the teachings of Buddhism and Advaita are embedded in more or less conventional religions, they contain empirical insights about the nature of consciousness that do not depend upon faith. One can practice most techniques of Buddhist meditation or the method of self-inquiry of Advaita and experience the advertised changes in one’s consciousness without ever believing in the law of karma or in the miracles attributed to Indian mystics. To get started as a Christian, however, one must first accept a dozen implausible things about the life of Jesus and the origins of the Bible—and the same can be said, minus a few unimportant details, about Judaism and Islam. If one should happen to discover that the sense of being an individual soul is an illusion, one will be guilty of blasphemy everywhere west of the Indus. There is no question that many religious disciplines can produce interesting experiences in suitable minds. It should be clear, however, that engaging a faith-based (and probably delusional) practice, whatever its effects, isn’t the same as investigating the nature of one’s mind absent any doctrinal assumptions. Statements of this kind may seem starkly antagonistic toward Abrahamic religions, but they are nonetheless true: One can speak about Buddhism shorn of its miracles and irrational assumptions. The same cannot be said of Christianity or Islam.[3] Western engagement with Eastern spirituality dates back at least as far as Alexander’s campaign in India, where the young conqueror and his pet philosophers encountered naked ascetics whom they called “gymnosophists.” It is often said that the thinking of these yogis greatly influenced the philosopher Pyrrho, the father of Greek skepticism. This seems a credible claim, because Pyrrho’s teachings had much in common with Buddhism. But his contemplative insights and methods never became part of any system of thought in the West. Serious study of Eastern thought by outsiders did not begin until the late eighteenth century. The first translation of a Sanskrit text into a Western language appears to have been Sir Charles Wilkins’s rendering of the Bhagavad Gita, a cornerstone text of Hinduism, in 1785. The Buddhist canon would not attract the attention of Western scholars for another hundred years.[4] The conversation between East and West started in earnest, albeit inauspiciously, with the birth of the Theosophical Society, that golem of spiritual hunger and self-deception brought into this world almost single-handedly by the incomparable Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky in 1875. Everything about Blavatsky seemed to defy earthly logic: She was an enormously fat woman who was said to have wandered alone and undetected for seven years in the mountains of Tibet. She was also thought to have survived shipwrecks, gunshot wounds, and sword fights. Even less persuasively, she claimed to be in psychic contact with members of the “Great White Brotherhood” of ascended masters—a collection of immortals responsible for the evolution and maintenance of the entire cosmos. Their leader hailed from the planet Venus but lived in the mythical kingdom of Shambhala, which Blavatsky placed somewhere in the vicinity of the Gobi Desert. With the suspiciously bureaucratic name “the Lord of the World,” he supervised the work of other adepts, including the Buddha, Maitreya, Maha Chohan, and one Koot Hoomi, who appears to have had nothing better to do on behalf of the cosmos than to impart its secrets to Blavatsky. [5] It is always surprising when a person attracts legions of followers and builds a large organization on their largesse while peddling penny-arcade mythology of this kind. But perhaps this was less remarkable in a time when even the best-educated people were still struggling to come to terms with electricity, evolution, and the existence of other planets. We can easily forget how suddenly the world had shrunk and the cosmos expanded as the nineteenth century came to a close. The geographical barriers between distant cultures had been stripped away by trade and conquest (one could now order a gin and tonic almost everywhere on earth), and yet the reality of unseen forces and alien worlds was a daily focus of the most careful scientific research. Inevitably, cross-cultural and scientific discoveries were mingled in the popular imagination with religious dogma and traditional occultism. In fact, this had been happening at the highest level of human thought for more than a century: It is always instructive to recall that the father of modern physics, Isaac Newton, squandered a considerable portion of his genius on the study of theology, biblical prophecy, and alchemy. The inability to distinguish the strange but true from the merely strange was common enough in Blavatsky’s time—as it is in our own. Blavatsky’s contemporary Joseph Smith, a libidinous con man and crackpot, was able to found a new religion on the claim that he had unearthed the final revelations of God in the hallowed precincts of Manchester, New York, written in “reformed Egyptian” on golden plates. He decoded this text with the aid of magical “seer stones,” which, whether by magic or not, allowed Smith to produce an English version of God’s Word that was an embarrassing pastiche of plagiarisms from the Bible and silly lies about Jesus’s life in America. And yet the resulting edifice of nonsense and taboo survives to this day. A more modern cult, Scientology, leverages human credulity to an even greater degree: Adherents believe that human beings are possessed by the souls of extraterrestrials who were condemned to planet Earth 75 million years ago by the galactic overlord Xenu. How was their exile accomplished? The old-fashioned way: These aliens were shuttled by the billions to our humble planet aboard a spacecraft that resembled a DC-8. They were then imprisoned in a volcano and blasted to bits with hydrogen bombs. Their souls survived, however, and disentangling them from our own can be the work of a lifetime. It is also expensive.[6] Despite the imponderables in her philosophy, Blavatsky was among the first people to announce in Western circles that there was such a thing as the “wisdom of the East.” This wisdom began to trickle westward once Swami Vivekananda introduced the teachings of Vedanta at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893. Again, Buddhism lagged behind: A few Western monks living on the island of Sri Lanka were beginning to translate the Pali Canon, which remains the most authoritative record of the teachings of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. However, the practice of Buddhist meditation wouldn’t actually be taught in the West for another half century. It is easy enough to find fault with romantic ideas about Eastern wisdom, and a tradition of such criticism sprang up almost the instant the first Western seeker sat cross-legged and attempted to meditate. In the late 1950s, the author and journalist Arthur Koestler traveled to India and Japan in search of wisdom and summarized his pilgrimage thus: “I started my journey in sackcloth and ashes, and came back rather proud of being a European.”[7] In The Lotus and the Robot, Koestler gives some of his reasons for being less than awed by his journey to the East. Consider, for example, the ancient discipline of hatha yoga. While now generally viewed as a system of physical exercises designed to increase a person’s strength and flexibility, in its traditional context hatha yoga is part of a larger effort to manipulate “subtle” features of the body unknown to anatomists. No doubt much of this subtlety corresponds to experiences that yogis actually have—but many of the beliefs formed on the basis of these experiences are patently absurd, and certain of the associated practices are both silly and injurious. Koestler reports that the aspiring yogi is traditionally encouraged to lengthen his tongue—even going so far as to cut the frenulum (the membrane that anchors the tongue to the floor of the mouth) and stretch the soft palate. What is the purpose of these modifications? They enable our hero to insert his tongue into his nasopharynx, thereby blocking the flow of air through the nostrils. His anatomy thus improved, a yogi can then imbibe subtle liquors believed to emanate directly from his brain. These substances—imagined, by recourse to further subtleties, to be connected to the retention of semen—are said to confer not only spiritual wisdom but immortality. This technique of drinking mucus is known as khechari mudra, and it is thought to be one of the crowning achievements of yoga. I’m more than happy to score a point for Koestler here. Needless to say, no defense of such practices will be found in this book. Criticism of Eastern wisdom can seem especially pertinent when coming from Easterners themselves. There is indeed something preposterous about well-educated Westerners racing East in search of spiritual enlightenment while Easterners make the opposite pilgrimage seeking education and economic opportunities. I have a friend whose own adventures may have marked a high point in this global comedy. He made his first trip to India immediately after graduating from college, having already acquired several yogic affectations: He had the requisite beads and long hair, but he was also in the habit of writing the name of the Hindu god Ram in Devanagari script over and over in a journal. On the flight to the motherland, he had the good fortune to be seated next to an Indian businessman. This weary traveler thought he had witnessed every species of human folly—until he caught sight of my friend’s scribbling. The spectacle of a Western-born Stanford graduate, of working age, holding degrees in both economics and history, devoting himself to the graphomaniacal worship of an imaginary deity in a language he could neither read nor understand was more than this man could abide in a confined space at 30,000 feet. After a testy exchange, the two travelers could only stare at each other in mutual incomprehension and pity—and they had ten hours yet to fly. There really are two sides to such a conversation, but I concede that only one of them can be made to look ridiculous. We can also grant that Eastern wisdom has not produced societies or political institutions that are any better than their Western counterparts; in fact, one could argue that India has survived as the world’s largest democracy only because of institutions that were built under British rule. Nor has the East led the world in scientific discovery. Nevertheless, there is something to the notion of uniquely Eastern wisdom, and most of it has been concentrated in or derived from the tradition of Buddhism. Buddhism has been of special interest to Western scientists for reasons already hinted at. It isn’t primarily a faith-based religion, and its central teachings are entirely empirical. Despite the superstitions that many Buddhists cherish, the doctrine has a practical and logical core that does not require any unwarranted assumptions. Many Westerners have recognized this and have been relieved to find a spiritual alternative to faith-based worship. It is no accident that most of the scientific research now done on meditation focuses primarily on Buddhist techniques. Another reason for Buddhism’s prominence among scientists has been the intellectual engagement of one of its most visible representatives: Tenzin Gyatso, the fourteenth Dalai Lama. Of course, the Dalai Lama is not without his critics. My late friend Christopher Hitchens meted out justice to “his holiness” on several occasions. He also castigated Western students of Buddhism for the “widely and lazily held belief that ‘Oriental’ religion is different from other faiths: less dogmatic, more contemplative, more . . . Transcendental,” and for the “blissful, thoughtless exceptionalism” with which Buddhism is regarded by many.[8] Hitch did have a point. In his capacity as the head of one of the four branches of Tibetan Buddhism and as the former leader of the Tibetan government in exile, the Dalai Lama has made some questionable claims and formed some embarrassing alliances. Although his engagement with science is far-reaching and surely sincere, the man is not above consulting an astrologer or “oracle” when making important decisions. I will have something to say in this book about many of the things that might have justified Hitch’s opprobrium, but the general thrust of his commentary here was all wrong. Several Eastern traditions are exceptionally empirical and exceptionally wise, and therefore merit the exceptionalism claimed by their adherents. Buddhism in particular possesses a literature on the nature of the mind that has no peer in Western religion or Western science. Some of these teachings are cluttered with metaphysical assumptions that should provoke our doubts, but many aren’t. And when engaged as a set of hypotheses by which to investigate the mind and deepen one’s ethical life, Buddhism can be an entirely rational enterprise. Unlike the doctrines of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the teachings of Buddhism are not considered by their adherents to be the product of infallible revelation. They are, rather, empirical instructions: If you do X, you will experience Y. Although many Buddhists have a superstitious and cultic attachment to the historical Buddha, the teachings of Buddhism present him as an ordinary human being who succeeded in understanding the nature of his own mind. Buddha means “awakened one”—and Siddhartha Gautama was merely a man who woke up from the dream of being a separate self. Compare this with the Christian view of Jesus, who is imagined to be the son of the creator of the universe. This is a very different proposition, and it renders Christianity, no matter how fully divested of metaphysical baggage, all but irrelevant to a scientific discussion about the human condition. The teachings of Buddhism, and of Eastern spirituality generally, focus on the primacy of the mind. There are dangers in this way of viewing the world, to be sure. Focusing on training the mind to the exclusion of all else can lead to political quietism and hive-like conformity. The fact that your mind is all you have and that it is possible to be at peace even in difficult circumstances can become an argument for ignoring obvious societal problems. But it is not a compelling one. The world is in desperate need of improvement—in global terms, freedom and prosperity remain the exception—and yet this doesn’t mean we need to be miserable while we work for the common good. In fact, the teachings of Buddhism emphasize a connection between ethical and spiritual life. Making progress in one domain lays a foundation for progress in the other. One can, for instance, spend long periods of time in contemplative solitude for the purpose of becoming a better person in the world—having better relationships, being more honest and compassionate and, therefore, more helpful to one’s fellow human beings. Being wisely selfish and being selfless can amount to very much the same thing. There are centuries of anecdotal testimony on this point—and, as we will see, the scientific study of the mind has begun to bear it out. There is now little question that how one uses one’s attention, moment to moment, largely determines what kind of person one becomes. Our minds—and lives—are largely shaped by how we use them. Although the experience of self-transcendence is, in principle, available to everyone, this possibility is only weakly attested to in the religious and philosophical literature of the West. Only Buddhists and students of Advaita Vedanta (which appears to have been heavily influenced by Buddhism) have been absolutely clear in asserting that spiritual life consists in overcoming the illusion of the self by paying close attention to our experience in the present moment.[9] As I wrote in my first book, The End of Faith, the disparity between Eastern and Western spirituality resembles that found between Eastern and Western medicine—with the arrow of embarrassment pointing in the opposite direction. Humanity did not understand the biology of cancer, develop antibiotics and vaccines, or sequence the human genome under an Eastern sun. Consequently, real medicine is almost entirely a product of Western science. Insofar as specific techniques of Eastern medicine actually work, they must conform, whether by design or by happenstance, to the principles of biology as we have come to know them in the West. This is not to say that Western medicine is complete. In a few decades, many of our current practices will seem barbaric. One need only ponder the list of side effects that accompany most medications to appreciate that these are terribly blunt instruments. Nevertheless, most of our knowledge about the human body—and about the physical universe generally—emerged in the West. The rest is instinct, folklore, bewilderment, and untimely death. An honest comparison of spiritual traditions, Eastern and Western, proves equally invidious. As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. Whatever wisdom can be found in their pages is never best found there, and it is subverted, time and again, by ancient savagery and superstition. Again, one must deploy the necessary caveats: I am not saying that most Buddhists or Hindus have been sophisticated contemplatives. Their traditions have spawned many of the same pathologies we see elsewhere among the faithful: dogmatism, anti-intellectualism, tribalism, otherworldliness. However, the empirical difference between the central teachings of Buddhism and Advaita and those of Western monotheism is difficult to overstate. One can traverse the Eastern paths simply by becoming interested in the nature of one’s own mind—especially in the immediate causes of psychological suffering—and by paying closer attention to one’s experience in every present moment. There is, in truth, nothing one need believe. The teachings of Buddhism and Advaita are best viewed as lab manuals and explorers’ logs detailing the results of empirical research on the nature of human consciousness. Nearly every geographical or linguistic barrier to the free exchange of ideas has now fallen away. It seems to me, therefore, that educated people no longer have a right to any form of spiritual provincialism. The truths of Eastern spirituality are now no more Eastern than the truths of Western science are Western. We are merely talking about human consciousness and its possible states. My purpose in writing this book is to encourage you to investigate certain contemplative insights for yourself, without accepting the metaphysical ideas that they inspired in ignorant and isolated peoples of the past. A final word of caution: Nothing I say here is intended as a denial of the fact that psychological well-being requires a healthy “sense of self”—with all the capacities that this vague phrase implies. Children need to become autonomous, confident, and self-aware in order to form healthy relationships. And they must acquire a host of other cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal skills in the process of becoming sane and productive adults. Which is to say that there is a time and a place for everything—unless, of course, there isn’t. No doubt there are psychological conditions, such as schizophrenia, for which practices of the sort I recommend in this book might be inappropriate. Some people find the experience of an extended, silent retreat psychologically destabilizing.[10] Again, an analogy to physical training seems apropos: Not everyone is suited to running a six-minute mile or bench-pressing his own body weight. But many quite ordinary people are capable of these feats, and there are better and worse ways to accomplish them. What is more, the same principles of fitness generally apply even to people whose abilities are limited by illness or injury. So I want to make it clear that the instructions in this book are intended for readers who are adults (more or less) and free from any psychological or medical conditions that could be exacerbated by meditation or other techniques of sustained introspection. If paying attention to your breath, to bodily sensations, to the flow of thoughts, or to the nature of consciousness itself seems likely to cause you clinically significant anguish, please check with a psychologist or a psychiatrist before engaging in the practices I describe. MINDFULNESS It is always now. This might sound trite, but it is the truth. It’s not quite true as a matter of neurology, because our minds are built upon layers of inputs whose timing we know must be different. [11] But it is true as a matter of conscious experience. The reality of your life is always now. And to realize this, we will see, is liberating. In fact, I think there is nothing more important to understand if you want to be happy in this world. But we spend most of our lives forgetting this truth—overlooking it, fleeing it, repudiating it. And the horror is that we succeed. We manage to avoid being happy while struggling to become happy, fulfilling one desire after the next, banishing our fears, grasping at pleasure, recoiling from pain—and thinking, interminably, about how best to keep the whole works up and running. As a consequence, we spend our lives being far less content than we might otherwise be. We often fail to appreciate what we have until we have lost it. We crave experiences, objects, relationships, only to grow bored with them. And yet the craving persists. I speak from experience, of course. As a remedy for this predicament, many spiritual teachings ask us to entertain unfounded ideas about the nature of reality—or at the very least to develop a fondness for the iconography and rituals of one or another religion. But not all paths traverse the same rough ground. There are methods of meditation that do not require any artifice or unwarranted assumptions at all. For beginners, I usually recommend a technique called vipassana (Pali for “insight”), which comes from the oldest tradition of Buddhism, the Theravada. One of the advantages of vipassana is that it can be taught in an entirely secular way. Experts in this practice generally acquire their training in a Buddhist context, and most retreat centers in the United States and Europe teach its associated Buddhist philosophy. Nevertheless, this method of introspection can be brought into any secular or scientific context without embarrassment. (The same cannot be said for the practice of chanting to Lord Krishna while banging a drum.) That is why vipassana is now being widely studied and adopted by psychologists and neuroscientists. The quality of mind cultivated in vipassana is almost always referred to as “mindfulness,” and the literature on its psychological benefits is now substantial. There is nothing spooky about mindfulness. It is simply a state of clear, nonjudgmental, and undistracted attention to the contents of consciousness, whether pleasant or unpleasant. Cultivating this quality of mind has been shown to reduce pain, anxiety, and depression; improve cognitive function; and even produce changes in gray matter density in regions of the brain related to learning and memory, emotional regulation, and self-awareness.[12] We will look more closely at the neurophysiology of mindfulness in a later chapter. Mindfulness is a translation of the Pali word sati. The term has several meanings in the Buddhist literature, but for our purposes the most important is “clear awareness.”