Deconstructing Yourself

Meditation teacher Shinzen Young and host Michael W. Taft talk about the relationship between mindfulness practice (as it is usually defined) and nondual-type practices (or non-practices, if you like), the way that focusing on the details of experience relates to focusing on awareness itself, micro-sessions & nano-nirvanas, the thinness and lightness of the screen of awareness and much more. Learn more about Shinzen Young at Shinzen.org.Show Notes0:25 – Intro 4:12 – How does Advaita/Nonduality relate to Mindfulness? 7:45 – Shinzen defines modern mindfulness and the component parts of contemplative practice (concentration, clarity and equanimity) 9:51 – Michael’s simplified working definitions of mindfulness and advaita 10:37 – Shinzen asserts that mindfulness and advaita converge towards the same thing, under his own understanding of mindfulness 16:08 – How to investigate one’s own awareness through mindfulness; Shinzen’s quadrants of practice 20:50 – Appreciation practice (“note everything”) or “regular

Pragmatic dharma teacher and host Michael W. Taft feel the power of the dark side, talk about nirvana, deconstruct the concept of nirvana, dive deep into the reality of death, look at the denial of death, and probably scare away all listeners.Kenneth Folk is an instructor of meditation who has received worldwide acknowledgement for his innovative approach to secular Buddhist meditation. Learn more about him and his work at Kenneth Folk Dharma.Show Notes0:25 – Introduction and overview 2:20 – Preferring to be conscious or not conscious 5:28 – Avoiding eternalism and entertaining the possibility of death…or immortality 11:33 – The enjoyability of oblivion/nirvana (and establishing a definition of both) 19:15 – The Buddha presents a life extinction program, not a life improvement program 25:28 – Fear and denial of death, and rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic 33:15 – The relief of accepting the reality of death 34:48 – Enlightenment as a real-time report about what’s arising in experience 37:52 – The lim

Pragmatic dharma teacher Kenneth Folk and host Michael W. Taft discuss what it means to be mindful, various definitions of being mindful in the moment, the trouble with remaining mindful during an entire sit, and more.Kenneth Folk is an instructor of meditation who has received worldwide acknowledgement for his innovative approach to secular Buddhist meditation. Learn more about him and his work at Kenneth Folk Dharma.Show Notes0:48 Introduction and overview 4:00 Deconstructing “mindfulness” 11:47 Kenneth’s new mindfulness practice 15:02 Mindfulness vs. checking the box; auditor vs. meditator 23:58 Is mindfulness enlightening? 30:03 Defining engagement and the problem with prescriptions 31:52 Sense doors and applying mindfulness to thoughts 36:06 Alternatives to meditation for experiencing mindfulness and awakening 42:37 Is there a “right” way to experience awakening? 47:25 Getting to a 100 percent attention 52:45 Liberating working memory from the feeling of being the observer 55:06 Concentration hacking: ma

Pragmatic dharma teacher Kenneth Folk and host Michael W. Taft discuss what it means to be mindful, various definitions of being mindful in the moment, the trouble with remaining mindful during an entire sit, and more.Kenneth Folk is an instructor of meditation who has received worldwide acknowledgement for his innovative approach to secular Buddhist meditation. Learn more about him and his work at Kenneth Folk Dharma.Show Notes0:48 Introduction and overview4:00 Deconstructing “mindfulness”11:47 Kenneth’s new mindfulness practice15:02 Mindfulness vs. checking the box; auditor vs. meditator23:58 Is mindfulness enlightening?30:03 Defining engagement and the problem with prescriptions31:52 Sense doors and applying mindfulness to thoughts36:06 Alternatives to meditation for experiencing mindfulness and awakening42:37 Is there a “right” way to experience awakening?47:25 Getting to a 100 percent attention52:45 Liberating working memory from the feeling of being the observer55:06 Concentration hacking: making experi