Ep. 71 - Meditation and the Absence of Self | Oren J. Sofer
Channel: Steve Patterson
Date: 2017-08-20

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In this episode, I'm joined by Oren Sofer to talk about meditation and philosophy. We start by laying out the basics of meditation - what's going on, internally and externally - and then we get into some of the deeper questions in metaphysics like, "What is the mind?", "What is the self?", "Do observations require an observer?"

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3:10 What is Meditation?
8:57 Advanced vs Novice Experiences in Meditation
13:30 Training the Mind and Insights to be Gained
19:15 Why Can Meditation Feel Stressful?
29:26 Importance of Relaxation
34:05 Existential Dread and Unfamiliarity of Experience
37:05 What is the Mind? What is the self?
41:01 Is there an Observer? 
47:05 In What Way does the Self Exist? 
50:19 Why do we have this Sense of Self?
59:23 Is Meditation Supposed to Teach Us There is No Self?

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