PhilosophyEAST

Emily Herring in conversation with Maitreyabandhu about the remarkable life and work of the French philosopher Henri Bergson (1859 -1941). Emily discusses her new book, Herald of a Restless World: How Henri Bergson Brought Philosophy to the People, exploring Bergson’s life and work.

Andrew Pickering is an international leader in the field of science and technology studies. His book, The Cybernetic Brain: Sketches of Another Future (2010) analyses cybernetics as a distinctive form of life spanning brain science, psychiatry, robotics, the theory of complex systems, management, politics, the arts, education, and spirituality. He argues that cybernetics offers a promising alternative to currently hegemonic cultural formations.  His latest book, Acting with the World: Agency in the Anthropocene (2025), extends the cybernetic analysis to our relations with nature and the environment. Here Professor Pickering discusses with Maitreyabandhu about what he calls 'the dance of agency', a new paradigm in which we learn to act with the world rather than on it. As he writes, 'The world can always surprise us. No one knows in advance how it will respond to our actions... Dances of agency take shape in real time.' Introducing PhilosophyEAST‍ The exploration of ‘views’ (drishti in Sanskrit) has always been an essential part of the Buddhist tradition. PhilosophyEAST is a series of events exploring ideas and views that have a bearing on the dharma-life. Whilst not all the views of our guests necessarily express Buddhist values, our intention is to explore where contemporary thought and ideas have some degree of coincidence with the Buddhist vision. ‍

Matthew David Segall is a contemporary American philosopher working in the tradition of process-relational philosophy. He describes himself as a “process philosopher” and transdisciplinary researcher, reflecting his commitment to bridging multiple fields​. Segall’s work builds on the metaphysical framework of Alfred North Whitehead, extending Whitehead’s philosophy of organism into new domains of science, religion, and ecology.

The exploration of ‘views’ (drishti in Sanskrit) has always been an essential part of the Buddhist tradition. PhilosophyEAST is a series of events exploring ideas and views that have a bearing on the dharma-life. Whilst not all the views of our guests necessarily express Buddhist values, our intention is to explore where contemporary thought and ideas have some degree of coincidence with the Buddhist vision.

Gary Lachman in conversation with Maitreyabandhu about his work on the evolution of consciousness and the history of the occult, focusing on experiences of precognition explored in his recent book Dreaming Ahead of Time. Lachman has written biographies of Aleister Crowley, Rudolf Steiner, C. G. Jung, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, and Colin Wilson, as well as histories of Hermeticism and the Western Inner Tradition. As Gary Valentine he was a founding member of the pop group Blondie, and in 2006 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Lachman was born in New Jersey, but since 1996 has lived in London, UK.

Rupert Sheldrake, biologist and author best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance, joins PhilosophyEAST to discuss the dogmas of modern science, the true nature of consciousness and the limits of materialism. 

Maitreyabandhu interviews Patrick Ophuls, the acclaimed political scientist, ecologist and author, to discuss the pressing themes about the future of civilisation. Together, they explore Ophuls' insights into humanity's ecological and social challenges, examining the spiritual and practical dimensions of navigating an age of global uncertainty.

In this talk, Maitreyabandhu discusses the central question of the nature of mind project: What is the Nature of Mind? https://natureofmind.net/ Join us in exploring these questions on Buddhism & The Big Questions Retreat https://adhisthana.org/retreat-calend...

In this talk, Maitreyabandhu discusses one of the big questions that has emerged from our explorations on the Nature of Mind project - what happens when we die? https://natureofmind.net/ Join us in exploring these questions on Buddhism & The Big Questions Retreat https://adhisthana.org/retreat-calend...

In this talk, Maitreyabandhu discusses one of the big questions that has emerged from our explorations on the Nature of Mind project - what is rebirth, and what are the implications of this view on how we practically live out our lives? https://natureofmind.net/ Join us in exploring these questions on Buddhism & The Big Questions Retreat https://adhisthana.org/retreat-calend... SHOW LESS