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I avoided Sam Harris for the longest time due to some interviews of him that I had heard before, but I started listening to his meditation instruction recently,
by colordrops 3y ago
I avoided Sam Harris for the longest time due to some interviews of him that I had heard before, but I started listening to his meditation instruction recently, and it's by far the best I've ever heard for bridging the gap between traditional mysticism and modern secularism.
- b800h 3y agoI've not heard of him - I'll have a look. This may not apply to him, but what I'm wary of is anything that makes the practice a personal improvement exercise - it has to reach for the heavens and encourage empathic love for other people, or it'll end up in the wrong place, IMO.
- fsloth 3y agoThat’s quite demanding. If one is in a dark place then one surely must first light one’s own path before reaching out? Augh, sorry about the horrible poetics. What I meant to say there is IMO nothing wrong in utilizing meditative practice for mental self-help and relaxation. Just trying to survive in a bleak world without going insane is not evil, even though the level of - um, “enlightenment” you remain at is “not depressed”.
- b800h 3y agoFair enough. But there's a lot to be said for finding meaning in helping other people.
- colordrops 3y agoYou should listen to him then, he talks exactly about this - that meditation is not meant to be a personal improvement practice, but to fundamentally change your life. He also covers metta, which is "loving-kindness" meditation, which is basically empathy practice.
- dbtc 3y agoI recommend Shinzen Young in addition.
- colordrops 3y agoHe's great as well, yes. One of the leaders in making buddhist meditation accessible to a western audience. Also Michael Taft.