Buddhist Geeks

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Enlightenment Engineering Jul 28, 2015

Show notes

Mikey Siegel is a meditator & technologist known for his work in projects like BrainBot & HeartSync. He is a pioneer in a field that he calls “Enlightenment Engineering”—the science and technology of facilitating the heightened states of consciousness long described by contemplative and spiritual traditions.
In this episode taken from a recent BG TV episode of Contemplative Technology, hosts Vincent Horn and Mike Redmer speak with Mikey about the current state of contemplative technology. Mikey describes his goal of bringing more legitimacy to the space in academia and business so that more professionals will enter the field. The group then discusses developments in the contemplative technology DIY crowd, a project to create mental activity soundtracks, and the potential inherent to applying contemplative technology in group settings.
Episode Links:
www.MikeySiegel.com
Biofluent ( http://www.biofluent.com )
HeartSync ( http://www.biofluent.com/heartsync/ )
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Get it on Like a Buddha Jul 27, 2015

Show notes

Lodro Rinzler is a meditation practitioner and teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. His latest book is Walk Like a Buddha: Even if Your Boss Sucks, Your Ex Is Torturing You, and You’re Hungover Again.
In this conversation with host Vincent Horn, Lodro talks about the book and his new project The Institute for Compassionate Leadership, a leadership training and job placement organization that utilizes mentoring, meditation, traditional leadership skills training, and Obama style community organizing to produce compassionate, self-aware leaders. The interview starts with the inspiration for starting the Institute and what Lodro hopes to accomplish with it and his writing. This leads to a wider conversation about the usefulness of ancient teachings in the contemporary world and the value of fostering global conversation.
Episode Links:
Walk Like a Buddha: Even if Your Boss Sucks, Your Ex Is Torturing You, and You’re Hungover Again ( http://amzn.to/1g9Z7yU )
The Institute for Compassionate Leadership ( http://instituteforcompassionateleadership.org )
www.LodroRinzler.com
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Zen Predator Jul 27, 2015

Show notes

Mark Oppenheimer is an essayist, reporter, critic, and one of the United States’ leading investigators of religion. His new book, The Zen Predator of the Upper East Side, is an investigation of the decades of sexual scandal surrounding Japanese Zen teacher Eido Shimano.
Mark joins host Vincent Horn to discuss the book and the impact his writing has had on the Zen community. Mark reports a brief history of the situation, they discuss the conditions that led to the problems, and they examine why the problem of sexual misconduct is not as common in other Western Buddhist traditions.
Episode Links:
The Zen Predator of the Upper East Side ( http://amzn.to/1as7Uak )
www.MarkOppenheimer.com
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The Next Generation of Enlightement Jul 27, 2015

Show notes

Dr. Jay Michaelson is the author of five books and two hundred articles on religion, sexuality, law, and contemplative practice. His new book is Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment, published in October, 2013.
In this episode, Jay joins host Vincent Horn to discuss his new book, which explores the evolution of Buddhism. Jay describes his personal interests in writing Evolving Dharma, as well as the value of the topic to wider academia. The conversation includes Jay’s observations on new kinds of Buddhist communities, the trends away from the traditional guru model, and the possible future being created by the further integration of mindfulness with the Western mainstream.
Episode Links:
www.JayMichaelson.net
Evolving Dharma: Meditation, Buddhism, and the Next Generation of Enlightenment ( http://amzn.to/1851v57%EF%BB%BF )
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Mental Illness and the Dark Night Jul 27, 2015

Show notes

Willoughby Britton and Daniel Ingram continue their conversation with hosts Emily Horn and Kelly Sosan Bearer to discuss helping people through the experience of the contemplative Dark Night.

To begin the second part of their discussion, Daniel describes the characteristics of Dark Night experience he has seen in the Dharma Overground community and the cycles many people experience. Emily asks whether compassion practice is a common tool to use when in the Dark Night stage. Willoughby and Daniel each describe observations of the usefulness of metta practice and attempt to answer the question: can a sniper have compassion?

Finally, the group explores the topic in context of the TIME story “Aaron Alexis and the Dark Side of Meditation”. This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: Varieties of Contemplative Experience Episode

Episode Links:

TIME: Aaron Alexis and the Dark Side of Meditation ( healthland.time.com/2013/09/17/aaro…-of-meditation/ )
Daniel Ingram ( integrateddaniel.info )
The Dharma Overground ( www.dharmaoverground.org )
Willoughby Britton & Cheetah House ( www.cheetahhouse.org )
The Dark Side of Dharma ( bit.ly/1IBv56f )
The Dark Night Project ( bit.ly/1gc7P2j )

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Varieties of Contemplative Experience Jul 27, 2015

Show notes

Willoughby Britton and Daniel Ingram join hosts Emily Horn and Kelly Sosan Bearer for Geeks of the Round Table to discuss helping people through the experience of the contemplative Dark Night.
Willoughby starts the conversation by reporting the latest updates on the rebranded Dark Night Project, now called “The Varieties of Contemplative Experience”. The group then moves on to discuss helping mindfulness practitioners through episodes of the contemplative Dark Night, how mental disease does and doesn’t get addressed in the community, and some shared characteristics of people that experience the Dark Night.
This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two BG 302: Mental Illness and the Dark Night.
Episode Links:
TIME: Aaron Alexis and the Dark Side of Meditation ( http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/17/aaron-alexis-and-the-dark-side-of-meditation/ )
Daniel Ingram ( http://integrateddaniel.info )
The Dharma Overground ( http://www.dharmaoverground.org )
Willoughby Britton & Cheetah House ( http://www.cheetahhouse.org )
The Dark Side of Dharma ( http://bit.ly/1IBv56f )
The Dark Night Project ( http://bit.ly/1gc7P2j )
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Contemplative Computing Jul 27, 2015

Show notes

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is an author, scholar, and Futurist most recently concerned with contemplative computing, the effort to use information technologies in ways that help one focus and be more creative, not fractured and distracted.
In the second half of this interview with host Vincent Horn, Alex talks in more detail about his book The Distraction Addiction and it’s central premise of how to engage with technology in a contemplative way. Alex describes the research involved in writing the book, the conclusions he’s made about technology and mindfulness, and how the practices of contemplative computing could affect the future of wearable tech, UI design, and technology in general.
This is part two of a two part series. Listen to part one: Technological Determinism.
Episode Links:
Contemplative Computing Blog ( www.contemplativecomputing.org )
The Distraction Addiction ( amzn.to/1MRHdh3 )
@askpang ( twitter.com/askpang )
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Technological Determinism Jul 27, 2015

Show notes

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is an author, Technology Forecaster, and Futurist who applies the tools of the historian to predicting our future technology. His book, The Distraction Addiction, and blog, Contemplative Computing, are about how to use information technologies and social media so they’re not endlessly distracting and demanding, but instead help us be more mindful, focused and creative.
In this interview with host Vincent Horn, Alex talks about his career as a Technology Forecaster and Futurist, and the problems he has with the idea of Technological Determinism. Alex describes how the daily rigors of his work with technology damaged his mental focus, and how he turned to meditation to regain that focus. By viewing his work through the lens of his meditation practice he was led to new questions and ideas about how to change mankind’s relationship with technology, how to go from being distracted to more focused and mindful, and the real dangers of taking a passive role in our daily relationship with technology.
This is part one of a two part series. Listen to part two: BG 300: Contemplative Computing.
Episode Links:
Contemplative Computing Blog ( http://www.contemplativecomputing.org )
The Distraction Addiction ( http://amzn.to/1MRHdh3 )
@askpang ( https://twitter.com/askpang )
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Quantified Selflessness Jul 27, 2015

Show notes

Chris Dancy is an information systems expert, a self described data exhaust cartographer, and widely known as “The Quantified Man”. His work in the Quantified Self (QS) movement has been documented in Wired and on TechCrunch, Bloomberg TV, and BG TV.
In this episode, taken from the new BG TV show Contemplative Technology, hosts Vincent Horn and Mike Redmer are joined by Chris to explore the relationship between the Quantified Self (QS) movement and the deepening experience of selflessness, or egolessness, that is described on the Buddhist contemplative path. They discuss how and why Chris first began collecting his personal data, how that data collection has impacted his life, and what Chris believes the future holds for the QS movement.
Episode Links:
www.chrisdancy.com
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When Everything Happens Now Jul 27, 2015

Show notes

Douglas Rushkoff is the author of Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now, as well as a dozen other bestselling books on media, technology, and culture.
In this episode, Douglas joins host Vincent Horn to discuss the book Present Shock and the underlying concept that “present shock” is the human response to living in a world where everything happens now. Douglas describes how he formed the concept of “present shock” through explorations of psychedelics, tai chi, and chronobiology, and how these areas have informed his work, life, and political and social philosophies. They talk about the many Buddhist parallels in Douglas’ ideas and experiences, and also why, despite those parallels, Douglas is fairly critical of spiritual traditions.
Episode Links:
Douglas Rushkoff ( http://www.rushkoff.com )
Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now ( http://amzn.to/1MRH25u )
The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead ( http://amzn.to/1MRH6Cj )
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