Transcending Mindfulness 11: Objects of Meditation

In this podcast:   What are the different subjects that we can meditate upon? Developing the skill of one-pointed meditation. Moving onto different types of meditation subjects. Martin and Jamie discuss their own experiences of different types of meditations they have used.  Breath based meditation for developing that initial skill of one-pointedness in meditation. Use of mantras, chakras, mandalas, koans, prayer and use of spiritual texts for contemplation. Awareness as a process that is not 'me'. Awareness of thoughts of self.  The inner landscape that goes beyond 'me'.  Traditional methods of meditation collective wisdom which we can tap into today in our own meditation practice.

How do we as conscious beings best interact with new technology? In this episode: Outsourcing labout is a major benefit of technology but what do human beings lose in this transfer? The difference between the meditating mind and the scrolling mind. How can meditation/Zazen rescue attention away from outside messaging and emotional seizure? Creating a personal audit for our use of technology. How do we lay down our red lines for media use?  

In this podcast:   How do we take mindfulness off the cushion and into the Monday morning commute? How might we transition from a retreat environment back into our daily life with its demands and distractions? Exploding a few myths around life in a Buddhist temple and a retreat environment. Retreat environments are a microcosm of daily life. Emotions can be amplified after a silent retreat due to pressure cooker environment and release. Do you need to have a temple or retreat environment to do Zen training? Creating anchors to remember to practice in the hurly-burly of the working day. Routine as a container for chaotic impulses.

  In this podcast:   What is the role of Chaos in spiritual development. The reaction against rationalism & chaos as a creative force - Dadaism The challenge of a crisis is to bring forth personal creativity to get out of it. Initiation can be a deliberate attempt to create a crisis for the novice or neophyte.  Anxiety: the loss of control of ourselves and the environment. How fictional narratives resist change & uncertainty. Archetypal stories of crisis and the hand of providence. What happens when we open up to chance and uncertainty?

In this podcast: What is trauma? The link between trauma and psychological dissociation as a defence mechanism. Symptoms of trauma & alienation and its causes in personal and collective psychology. Encountering trauma in meditation practice. The history of studying trauma in psychology. The connections between dissociation and a strong feeling of 'I' or self. Deep trauma as somatic or 'in the body'. Trauma, healing and working through the energetic body. Discussing the metaphysics of mind & body. A separation of mind and body: a minority view in human history. Returning the human to the spiritual sphere.

Jamie and Martin return to discuss 'shadow work' a term now popular referring to the need for genuine transformation of consciousness through integration of the hidden or repressed contents of the unconscious in order to bring about wholeness of the personality.    This podcast looks at correlations between this psychological work and the work of Zen students linked to the Ten Bull Herding pictures, a popular simile for the Zen training.    Jamie Shavdia is a clinical hypnotherapist and musician who can be found at www.jamieshavdia.co.uk   Martin Goodson is a Zen teacher and co-founder of The Zen Gateway which can be found at www.thezengateway.com  

In this episode Psychotherapist and musician, Jamie Shavdia and Zen teacher Martin Goodson review Jevan Pradas's book - The Awakened Ape: A Biohacker's Guide To Evolutionary Fitness, Natural Ecstasy, and Stress-Free Living Jevan Pradas is a 'brain trainer and 'bio-hacker' who specialises in utilising the latest in neuro science as well as traditional wisdom systems from around the world to help his readers discover well being and happiness in this life. His approach is firmly science based somewhat eschewing alternative epistemologies which may appeal to some more than others. Although this book covers nutrition and exercise with a strong emphasis on what is now termed 'paeleo-living' it also covers spiritual needs as a valid need for humanity and is clear that it is important not to ignore this essential area of life.  Jamie and Martin discuss and explore the different facts and figures outlined in this book as well as giving their personal judgements on what they feel 'works' or doesn't when it comes to it's take on spiritual seeking.

Modern psychology talks about the importance of self-esteem and yet the Buddha talked taught about No-Self.  Are these two approaches reconcilable? Martin Goodson, co-founder of The Zen Gateway is joined by Jamie Shavdia, psychotherpist and musician (his latest album 'Truth Lamp' can be found now on Spotify).  Together they explore what both these concepts mean and how they are used therapeutically and as part of a spiritual path.

Jamie Shavdia (www.jamieshavdia.co.uk) and Martin Goodson (www.thezengateway.com)   discuss the hugely popular book 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle.  In this podcast they discuss where this book sits in the development of contemporary spirituality and psychotherapeutic treatments by introducing the present moment as a psychological medicine for many of our modern complaints. Eckhart Tolle had what he described as an 'enlightenment experience' spontaneously following bouts of deep depression and suicidal ideation. Jamie and Martin discuss the fact that there are some people who, without any prior spiritual training, do have such genuine revelations and transformations of consciousness. In this wide ranging discussion Jamie and Martin investigate Tolle's concepts of 'Now' and 'Time' as well as 'the pain body' and how anyone can enter into this transformative state of 'Now'. 

What is emotional intelligence and how does it work in a therapeutic practice? Is there an overlap with Buddhist practice and understanding of the human condition? What are the factors that aid its development and what are the obstacles that prevent it arising? Jamie and Martin return to discuss this hot topic in the series Transcending Mindfulness where we explore the depths of consciousness, human spirituality and therapeutic practice.