How To Get Out Of Your Head: Joseph Goldstein and Sam Harris on Nirvana, Non-Clinging, Non-Duality, and the Best Way to Meditate

How To Get Out Of Your Head: Joseph Goldstein and Sam Harris on Nirvana, Non-Clinging, Non-Duality, and the Best Way to Meditate

Which is the best path to freedom?

Joseph Goldstein is a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, both in Barre, Massachusetts. He is the author of many books including, most recently, Dreamscapes of the Mind.

Sam Harris is a neuroscientist, author, podcaster and the proprietor of the Waking Up app.

In this episode we talk about:

  • What the term "non-duality" means — and why it matters to ordinary meditators.
  • The multiple meanings of non-duality across Buddhist traditions (Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna).
  • How different traditions (and even different teachers within them) define samsara and nirvana.
  • The non-duality of the observer and observed — and how that insight can alleviate suffering.
  • Whether understanding non-duality is practically relevant for reducing stress and emotional reactivity.
  • The evolution of Buddhist teachings over time and how interpretations differ across countries.
  • Sam's argument that the non-dual view can be directly experienced in everyday consciousness — and that realizing it ends unnecessary suffering.
  • Joseph's emphasis on non-duality as one path among many toward the ultimate goal: the end of suffering.
  • How metaphysics and direct experience intersect, and whether doctrinal differences are "self-confirming."
  • The concept of "non-clinging" as the real heart of Buddhist practice — and how it relates to non-dual awareness.

Related Episodes:

Join Dan's online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Additional Resources:

Tickets are now available for an intimate live event with Dan on November 23rd as part of the Troutbeck Luminary Series. Join the conversation, participate in a guided meditation, and ask your questions during the Q&A. Click here to buy your ticket!

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

Thanks to our sponsors:

AT&T: Staying connected matters. That's why AT&T has connectivity you can depend on, or they will proactively make it right. Visit att.com/guarantee for details.

Fabletics: Treat yourself to gear that looks good, feels good, and doesn't break the bank. Go to fabletics.com/Happier, sign up as a VIP and get 80% off everything.

Episoder(955)

Bob Roth, Meditation Teacher to the Stars

Bob Roth, Meditation Teacher to the Stars

Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks and David Letterman are just some of the dozens of celebrities who sought out Bob Roth to learn Transcendental Meditation (TM), a mantra-focused meditation practice. Roth, who has been a meditation teacher for over 40 years and has a new book out called, "Strength in Stillness," talks about how he found TM and addresses the criticism and suspicions some former members have raised around TM.

14 Feb 20181h 4min

Susan Kaiser Greenland and Annaka Harris, Teaching Mindfulness to Kids

Susan Kaiser Greenland and Annaka Harris, Teaching Mindfulness to Kids

Susan Kaiser Greenland, an author and former corporate attorney, and Annaka Harris, an author and editor, work together to teach mindfulness meditation to children and their families through Greenland's Inner Kids Foundation. They offer advice for parents on introducing meditation to their kids and starting group sessions with other families, but they also share their views on the controversial topic of teaching meditation in schools and how they tackle concerns many parents have about teaching kids a practice that evolved from Eastern spiritual traditions.

7 Feb 201855min

Tim Ferriss, Host of 'The Tim Ferriss Show,' Author

Tim Ferriss, Host of 'The Tim Ferriss Show,' Author

Tim Ferriss, the host of "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast and the author of several best-selling books, including "The 4-Hour Workweek" and "Tribe of Mentors," has built an entire empire around offering life-hacking advice, but when someone suggested he try meditation, he resisted for a while. He tried various forms, then eventually dove head first into doing a 10-day silent retreat, where he came face-to-face with a long-buried childhood trauma that made him re-evaluate how he cared for himself.

31 Jan 20181h 5min

Yael Shy, Helping College Students Fight Stress and FOMO

Yael Shy, Helping College Students Fight Stress and FOMO

Yael Shy, the author of "What Now? Meditation for Your Twenties and Beyond," says she came to meditation from "a lot of suffering" as a student at New York University in 2001 -- the same year the World Trade Center towers fell near her New York City dorm during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Today, Shy helps college students tackle stress, anger and FOMO (fear of missing out) around academics, relationships, sex and social media in her role as the senior director of NYU Global Spiritual Life and the founder and director of MindfulNYU.

24 Jan 20181h 8min

Danica Patrick, Racing Superstar

Danica Patrick, Racing Superstar

Danica Patrick is one of the most successful female drivers in racing history, having been the first and only woman to win an IndyCar race. Since becoming a staple on the race track, Patrick has expanded her repertoire to include owning a winery, launching a clothing line and writing a new lifestyle book called, "Pretty Intense: The 90-Day Mind, Body and Food Plan," which she developed after changing her own diet and exercise routine while going through the process of freezing her eggs.

17 Jan 201835min

James Altucher, Master of Reinvention

James Altucher, Master of Reinvention

James Altucher, an entrepreneur, writer and host of "The James Altucher Show" podcast, is a master of reinvention, so much in fact that the title of one of his 18 books is "Reinvent Yourself." Altucher has built and sold numerous companies (and made and lost a few fortunes in the process), once gave up all of his possessions and was homeless for a time, dabbles in stand-up comedy, and all the while has maintained his long history with meditation.

10 Jan 20181h 3min

Manoush Zomorodi, Host of 'Note to Self' Podcast

Manoush Zomorodi, Host of 'Note to Self' Podcast

Manoush Zomorodi, the host of WNYC's "Note to Self" podcast, is an advocate for boredom because allowing our minds to wander, she says, can lead to problem solving and fresh ideas. Her book, "Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self," stems from an experiment in which she convinced more than 20,000 listeners to try to disconnect from their phones, just be bored for a moment and jump-start their creativity.

3 Jan 201858min

Your Meditation Questions, Answered!

Your Meditation Questions, Answered!

We close out the year by hearing from you, our loyal listeners! We recently set up a voicemail where listeners left questions for our host Dan Harris and he answers a selection of them that range from how to start a practice, how to tell your friends it's not "weird" to meditate and how to afford retreats. Dan's new book, "Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-To Book," is on sale Dec. 26.

27 Des 201752min

Populært innen Helse

hvordan-har-du-det-mann
fastlegen
psykodrama
rss-gukild-johaug
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
fremtid-pa-frys
kommentarer-fra-aftenposten
leger-om-livet
rss-garne-damer
bak-fasaden-en-reise-i-livet-med-sykepleier-ine
morten-ramm-lar-kakla-ga-til-du-sovner
foreldreradet
klimaks
fryktlos
hormonelle-frida
rss-femihelse
g-punktet
baarli-og-benjamin-gar-i-terapi
helsetipspodden