Adventures in Awareness

Ravi S. Kudesia, PhD, is a professor whose research integrates contemplative science and organization theory and who works to preserve indigenous systems of meditative practice from the Indian subcontinent.Bernardo Kastrup & Sthaneshwar Timalsina in dialogue 14th July, join live here: https://dandelion.events/e/g71v4To join future events, newsletter and access ad-free event recordings go to:https://adventuresinawareness.comYour contributions support future content, and are greatly appreciated:- https://adventuresinawareness.com/membership- One-off PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/adventuresin Follow the Adventure:- Subscribe to us on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresinawareness- Twitter: https://x.com/AdvInAwareness- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinawareness- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-awareness/id1535917754- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jiebSpdVu9YbpLOtWlKYUBanner art by https://www.instagram.com/jadewade/0:00:00 Addressing crisis of attention and materialism0:05:00 Reality is not a problem to escape 0:07:10 Freedom from suffering or freedom to fully live0:11:50 Is kashmir shaivism based on reason or faith? 0:12:30 rational buddhism is a reaction to colonialism 0;15:50 history of realisation techniques 0:16:20 Kali is terrifying deity of time0:18:30 power of ritual and mantra0:20:50 philosophy articulates insights from ritual0:29:00 What is truth & realisation in kashmiri shaivism? 0:34:10 Sthaneshwar Timalsina unique authenticity 0:35:30 Nepal retained the lineage0:39:30 Tantra philosophy lineage in Kashi0:45:30 Value in comparing traditions0:47:20 Bernardo Kastrup on manifestation and time0:51:30 Is consciousness inherently dynamic & self-aware?0:58:30 what neo-advaita gets wrong0:59:30 Practising with desire 1:03:30 The powers of shiva and kali (consciousness & time)1:05:30 Recognising yourself as shiva with the same powers1:07:30 The world is your body1:10:30 Enlightenment in shaivism vs buddhism vs advaita1:15:30 Don’t misinterpret the dream1:17:30 Compassion follows naturally1:18:30 Bernardo Kastrup | Sthaneshwar Timalsina 14th July This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adventuresinawareness.substack.com

The physics of a living universe - with Oxford trained Jude Currivan PhD MScDr Jude Currivan, (PhD MSc CMA), is a cosmologist, planetary healer, futurist, and author. She has an master's in physics from Oxford, a PhD in archaeology, and senior business experience ranging from the UK Stock Exchange to international corporations including HMV and Scholl.Based on research in multiple fields, she contends that the universe is a finite, has purpose, and you're part of it! A thought emerging from eternity, and holographic such that there are patterns guiding both the planets, the atoms and our lives, the microcosms of the wider mind.She will be joining Bernardo Kastrup in conversation which you can join live here: https://www.withrealityinmind.com/entropy-and-purpose/Or as a one-off event here: https://dandelion.events/e/u3tc6The discussion paper mentioned can be found here: The Unitive Science of a Living Universe https://www.clubofrome.org/publication/the-unitive-science-of-a-living-universe/also published by the World Academy of Arts and Sciences:https://worldacademy.org/the-unitive-science-of-a-living-universe/ and UNESCO:https://bridges.earth/news/post/fifth-elements-discussion-paper-series-unitive-science-living-universeTo join future events, newsletter and access ad-free event recordings go to: https://adventuresinawareness.comYour contributions support future content, and are greatly appreciated:- https://adventuresinawareness.com/membership-One-off PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/adventuresinFollow the Adventure:-Subscribe to us on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresinawareness- Twitter: https://x.com/AdvInAwareness-iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-awareness/id1535917754 -Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jiebSpdVu9YbpLOtWlKYU - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinawareness00:00 Jude's recent work with Iain McGilchrist02:16 What links your diverse studies and work?03:56 The moral implications of emerging physics06:27 How materialists distorted Darwin08:55 How random mutations have been debunked09:45 Confirmation from Michael Levin's work12:36 The scientific revolution recognised by the Club of Rome14:12 What is your personal experience of non-duality?18:00 Why Jude always speaks her truth20:00 Heartbreak leads to heart opening24:20 What’s the evidence for a living universe?30:20 Do the laws of thermodynamics indicate an evolving universe?36:50 Entropy is the story increased complexity, not chaos48:00 Is the universe coming to an end?52:43 The universe as a thought emerging from eternity1:02:48 Interdependence as the key for global and local relations1:05:59 Communication with other realms?1:10:22 NO evidence for infinites in physics1:14:00 Take love seriously This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adventuresinawareness.substack.com

Delson Armstrong is a meditation teacher and author of A Mind Without Craving, known for his detailed experiential knowledge of advanced meditation states, including jhāna, samādhi, cessation, and TWIM practice. His knowledge spans early Buddhist meditation, Kriya Yoga, and contemporary conversations in contemplative science, where advanced absorption states are increasingly being studied through phenomenology and neuroimaging. In this conversation, Delson brings a rare depth of first-person insight into meditation and awakening in the context of modern life.He also contributes his views on the debate between idealism and emptiness.Is consciousness primary, as is posited by Advaita Vedanta and similar non-dual traditions, or is it empty of inherent existence, just like everything else, dependent on causes and conditions, as argued by some Buddhist schools. https://www.delsonarmstrong.com/eventsThe cessation meditation mentioned: https://youtu.be/P2kHWJd2jX4?si=Xl6GbzSnAU8HiCyFTo join future events, newsletter and access ad-free event recordings go to:https://adventuresinawareness.comYour contributions support future content, and are greatly appreciated:- https://adventuresinawareness.com/membership- One-off PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/adventuresin Follow the Adventure:- Subscribe to us on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresinawareness- Twitter: https://x.com/AdvInAwareness- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-awareness/id1535917754 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jiebSpdVu9YbpLOtWlKYU - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinawarenessBanner art by https://www.instagram.com/jadewade/0:05:00 Dogma and tradition0:09:40 awakening0:10:00 questioning tradition 0:14:20 Rob Burbea0:17:30 the path is individual0:21:30 emotions & awakening0:25:00 Delson’s path0:38:00 idealism vs emptiness0:58:00 cessation vs anaesthesia vs nirvana1:05:00 cessation vs jhanas vs wisdom1:10:00 no-self = no agency? 1:15:00 is self needed for motivation1:21:00 permanent realisation?1:27:00 spiritual bypassing in early buddhism1:30:00 the future of dharma This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adventuresinawareness.substack.com

To join future events, newsletter and access ad-free event recordings go to:https://adventuresinawareness.comDr Sarah Stein Lubrano https://www.sarahsteinlubrano.com/https://sarahsteinlubrano.substack.com/https://www.instagram.com/sarahsteinlubranoSarah has a background in feminist, mutual aid, and other local organising as well as teaching in prisons. She holds a PhD from the University of Oxford and a Master’s degree from the University of Cambridge. Her thinking often reaches the public through the Sense and Solidarity Initiative and the Future Narratives Lab.She was previously the Head of Content at The School of Life and wrote obituaries. She regularly appears on public radio and a variety of podcasts.Her first book is, Don’t Talk About Politics: Changing 21st Century Minds is out now with Bloomsbury.Your contributions support future content, and are greatly appreciated:- https://adventuresinawareness.com/membership- One-off PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/adventuresinFollow the Adventure:- Subscribe to us on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresinawareness- Twitter: https://x.com/AdvInAwareness- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-awareness/id1535917754- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jiebSpdVu9YbpLOtWlKYU- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinawarenessBanner art by https://www.instagram.com/jadewade/0:00:00 Sarah PhD & academic background0:03:30 Identity and politic views0:04:00 why facts don’t change minds0:08:30 friendships change minds0:09:40 experiences change minds0:11:00 the problem of social isolation 0:15:20 enemies of social infrastructure0:17:00 towards a healthy democracy 0:18:00 the contradiction of liberalism = individuality0:22:00 shared activity reduces prejudice0:25:44 technology & women’s rights0:31:00 developing new language for new rights0:32:00 how we rationalise being forced0:39:00 predictive processing & politics0:44:00 Isolation restrict our ability to think0:47:00 the internet increases isolation0:49:00 shared goals is fundamental to shared reasoning0:53:00 democracy must involve thinking in action0:55:00 dangers of social isolation This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adventuresinawareness.substack.com

The Serpent, the Eagle, the Labyrinth and the Dragon I get story-teller Andreas Kornevall to draw out how the images of Norse Mythology can guide the big moments of our lives, from depression to transcendence and beyond. I love how he breathes fresh life into familiar stories, integrating their wisdom with contemporary life, Buddhist dharma and nondual understanding. Northern European mythology is rich with symbolism and wisdom to navigate the journeys of life; the journey of soul represented by the serpent, confronting life’s shadows, upheavals, challenges and wounds, and the spirit journey, represented by the eagle, in which we find transcendence, and their eventual integration. Andreas Kornevall is a Swedish author, storyteller and ecologist whose work brings Norse myth, folklore and landscape-based storytelling into contemporary life. He has told stories for BBC radio, collaborated with organisations including the Sussex Archaeological Society and the National Trust to “re-story” local places, and has lectured on myth and Norse traditions across UK learning settings. He directs the Earth Restoration Service charity and is the author of Waking the Dragons: Norse Myth, Runes and Magic.https://www.kornevall.com/Eagle, Serpent, Spirit, Soul: Life’s journey in Norse mythology0:00:00 The Serpent & Eagle Journeys 0:12:00 The Dragon: Symbol of balance and integration0:18:30 The Labyrinth: Navigating life’s initiations0:20:00 Wounding0:28:00 Learning from grief, depression, & love 0:36:00 You are never lost in the labyrinth 0:40:00 Power of symbols0:42:00 Meditation, shadow & integration 0:46:00 The mythic images constantly re-enliven0:50:00 Why religions change0:58:00 Buddhism, Nonduality & Norse myth1:06:00 Course in Norse mythology1:19:24 Labyrinth vs Maze1:20:00 Departing prayer This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adventuresinawareness.substack.com

Dr Shamil Chandaria is a senior research fellow at the centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford. He is also a research fellow at the Institute of Philosophy, London University, where he focuses on philosophical issues in neuroscience and well-being; a research fellow at Imperial College in the neuroscience of psychedelics; and a bye-fellow at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University. He has multi-disciplinary research interests spanning computational neuroscience, machine learning & artificial intelligence, and the philosophy and science of human well-being. He is currently working on computational theories of consciousness and meditation. Shamil has been a meditator for 38 years and has contemplative training in early Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta and Kashmir Shivaism.To join future events, newsletter and access ad-free event recordings go to:https://adventuresinawareness.comYour contributions support future content, and are greatly appreciated:- https://adventuresinawareness.com/membership- One-off PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/adventuresin Follow the Adventure:- Subscribe to us on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresinawareness- Twitter: https://x.com/AdvInAwareness- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-awareness/id1535917754 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jiebSpdVu9YbpLOtWlKYU - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinawarenessBanner art by https://www.instagram.com/jadewade/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adventuresinawareness.substack.com

To join future events, newsletter and access ad-free event recordings go to:https://adventuresinawareness.comYour contributions support future content, and are greatly appreciated:- https://adventuresinawareness.com/membership- One-off PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/adventuresin Follow the Adventure:- Subscribe to us on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresinawareness- Twitter: https://x.com/AdvInAwareness- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-awareness/id1535917754 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jiebSpdVu9YbpLOtWlKYU - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinawarenessBanner art by https://www.instagram.com/jadewade/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adventuresinawareness.substack.com

Workshop with Andrew Holecek 4th Sep: https://dandelion.events/e/w0dr9Full discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcUOXFASQm4To join future events, newsletter and access ad-free event recordings go to:https://adventuresinawareness.comYour contributions support future content, and are greatly appreciated:- https://adventuresinawareness.com/membership- One-off PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/adventuresin Follow the Adventure:- Subscribe to us on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresinawareness- Twitter: https://x.com/AdvInAwareness- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-awareness/id1535917754 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jiebSpdVu9YbpLOtWlKYU - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinawarenessBanner art by https://www.instagram.com/jadewade/0:00:00 Blindspots of highers states Jhanas | cessation 0:10:00 Enlightenment is expansion 0:14:00 Questioning awakening0:15:00 the goal posts are always moving0:18:00 How to stay open and focus0:26:00 abiding in the light0:31:00 dealing with pain0:39:00 suffering = pain + resistance0:49:00 total equanimity in pain0:50:00 plans for workshop on luminous awareness0:55:00 idealism vs emptiness1:07:00 one vs none 1:10:00 cessation vs idealismaduality vs nondualityJay Garfield vs Bernardo Kastrup This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adventuresinawareness.substack.com

Workshop with Andrew Holecek 4th Sep: https://dandelion.events/e/w0dr9To join future events, newsletter and access ad-free event recordings go to:https://adventuresinawareness.comYour contributions support future content, and are greatly appreciated:- https://adventuresinawareness.com/membership- One-off PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/adventuresin Follow the Adventure:- Subscribe to us on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresinawareness- Twitter: https://x.com/AdvInAwareness- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-awareness/id1535917754 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jiebSpdVu9YbpLOtWlKYU - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinawarenessBanner art by https://www.instagram.com/jadewade/00:00 Intro6:40 Schools of Tibetan Buddhism10:00 Buddhism as a description of reality10:40 3 Turnings of the wheels in Buddhism14:00 Pixilated nature of reality = reduce suffering17:40 Andrew’s path into Tibetan Buddhism23:20 The value of understanding before realisation31:00 Three Year Retreat35:00 Lucid dreaming and sleeping38:40 Are the best teachers in the east? 46:00 Blindspots in the east48:00 What is the goal of life? Waking / Play55:00 Path of freedom vs Path of fullness56:00 Limitation of radical nonduality 58:00 Transcend and include59:00 You both need therapy1:01:00 Scandals and abuse in spirituality This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adventuresinawareness.substack.com

A conversation with Dr  Ruben Laukkonen—cognitive scientist, neuroscientist and meditator —exploring the cutting edge of contemplative science and the mysterious experience of consciousness coming to a complete stop - cessation. - https://rubenlaukkonen.com/To join future events, newsletter and access ad-free event recordings go to:https://adventuresinawareness.com/Ruben completed an award-winning PhD on the cognitive science of insight at The University of Queensland in 2019, followed by post-doctoral research at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam on the computational neuroscience of meditation. Ruben is now a Senior Lecturer at Southern Cross University where his lab uncovers empirically grounded and experientially authentic models of meditation, insight, psychedelics, and consciousness. Using a combination of methods including neuroimaging, machine learning, and phenomenology, his team is investigating some of the rarest states of consciousness available to human beings- https://adventuresinawareness.com/membership- One-off PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/adventuresin- https://adventuresinawareness.com- Subscribe to us on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adventuresinawareness- Twitter: https://x.com/AdvInAwareness- iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adventures-in-awareness/id1535917754- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2jiebSpdVu9YbpLOtWlKYU- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinawareness00:00:00 Introduction00:04:54 What Makes Meditative Cessation Unique?Defines how intentional cessation differs from sleep, anesthesia, or trauma.00:10:52 From Mindfulness to Advanced States: A New Wave of ResearchIntroduces a shift in meditation science toward rare and transformative states.00:21:08 EEG Findings: What Happens in the Brain During Cessation?Reveals broad changes in brain activity linked to deep meditative absorption.00:41:09 Computational Reset: - reduce grasping by resetting deep mental patterns.00:44:08 Have You Personally Experienced Cessation?00:45:55 How Science Informs Meditation (and Vice Versa)00:47:04 Predictive Processing and the Present Moment00:48:33 Understanding the Four Selves in Meditation00:49:39 Science vs. Philosophy: Are They Really Separate?00:51:00 Why All Maps Are Just Maps00:52:23 Meditation, Science, and the Mystery of Insight00:54:08 Did Science or Meditation Come First?00:55:46 Balancing a PhD with Deep Practice00:57:28 Is Awareness Just Another Dependent Arising?01:02:08 Did Ramana Maharshi Experience Cessation?01:04:02 Grasping at Awareness: A New Kind of Samsara01:06:44 Emptiness, Insight, and the Path that Keeps Unfolding01:08:17 Is the Goal of Buddhism Reducing Suffering or Knowing Reality?01:10:46 Wisdom and Compassion as Two Wings of the Path01:13:36 Could We Ever Measure Clinging in the Brain?01:17:02 Using Brain Flexibility to Detect Reduced Clinging01:18:50 Can Meditators Adapt to Reality Shifts Faster?01:21:45 Does Meditation Increase Mental Model Stability?01:22:04 Does Cessation Challenge Idealist Philosophy?01:24:46 Why I No Longer Start From Consciousness01:26:08 Consciousness: A Useful Concept or an Assumption?01:28:32 Cessation Undermines the Idealist View?01:30:12 Just Before Cessation01:32:00 Investigating the Nature of Awareness Itself01:34:00 Not Everyone Needs Cessation – And Why That Matters01:36:59 Reuben’s View: Emptiness Over Idealism01:38:38 On Being Misrepresented by “Metaconsciousness” Critics01:41:03 The Subtle Dualism of “Everything is Consciousness”01:44:14 Open Audience Q&A Begins01:45:05 What Meditation Practice Leads to Cessation?01:47:15 Why Integrity and Sincerity Matter More Than Method01:51:03 Upcoming Conference Appearances (Europe 2025)01:53:04 What Is Cessation Really? And What Is Emptiness?01:57:11 Emptiness as the Lack of Essence in All ThingsVideo editing by https://www.willbourchier.com/Banner art by https://www.instagram.com/jadewade/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit adventuresinawareness.substack.com