Working with Repetition (Jason Siff)

Does a formulaic approach to meditation get in the way of discovering exactly what’s going on? In this talk Jason talks about how we respond when our mind gets stuck in a groove, answering questions from those taking part.

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Episode 84 :: Katherine MacLean :: Psilocybin and Openness

Katherine MacLean Katherine MacLean speaks with us about a new study on the effects of the psychoactive drug psilocybin on the personality trait of Openness. Hi, everyone. This week as with last week, we’re enjoying the benefits of the kindness of others in sharing their work in a very timely fashion. I was very happy…

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Why Scientific Scrutiny is Vital to Buddhist Practice

In secular Buddhist practice, it’s essential that we welcome scientific scrutiny on our practices, and that we approach our own practices with skepticism and scientific methodology. So much of our practice involves subjective experience, and experimentation therein. Science has shown repeatedly how incredibly easy it is to fool oneself, and to create experiences derived of…

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Episode 79 :: Jason Siff :: Unlearning Meditation Part Two

Jason Siff Jason Siff speaks with us about Unlearning Meditation in the second of a two part episode. Jason Siff was a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka in the late 1980s, where he began studying Pali and teaching meditation. After he left the Buddhist monastic order and returned to Los Angeles in 1990, he studied…

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Episode 78 :: Jason Siff :: Unlearning Meditation Part One

Jason Siff Jason Siff speaks with us about Unlearning Meditation in the first of a two part episode. We come from a long line of meditators. For literally thousands of years, there have been specific instructions on how to do this practice, and what the outcomes will inevitably be. And we have very positive experiences…

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Buddhism Without Buddha

by Mark Knickelbine One of the topics we get into with some frequency is what the relationship is or ought to be between Secular Buddhism and the Buddha.  Is dharma practice inextricably linked to the smiling sage beneath the Bo tree?  Is it possible for the core practices to be presented entirely outside the framework…

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