DY 023 – “Lucid Dreaming, Meditation, and Consciousness” – with guest Evan Thompson

Summary: <p>In this episode, philosopher, author, and meditator, Evan Thompson speaks with host Michael Taft. Topics include: the meaning of awakening; lucid dreaming and noticing the construction of the waking state; the 3-fold structure of Awareness, Contents of Awareness, and then Identification with Contents; The cosmopolitanism of Buddhism, and the myth of Buddhist exceptionalism; consciousness hacking and psychedelics; and much more.</p> <p>Evan Thompson, PhD, works on the nature of the mind, the self, and human experience. His work combines cognitive science, philosophy of mind, phenomenology, and cross-cultural philosophy, especially in Asian traditions. His most recent book, Waking, Dreaming, Being, examines the self and consciousness in neuroscience, meditation, and philosophy.</p> <h4>Show Notes</h4> <p dir="ltr">1:50 – Evan’s personal practice and retreat in Nelson, British Columbia.</p> <p dir="ltr">4:55 – Central metaphor of awakening from sleep-wake cycle. Fractal nature of awakening.</p> <p dir="ltr">8:50 – Phenomenal sense of insight into waking up, false awakening.</p> <p dir="ltr">11:40 – Is waking up a recurring process as in the ordinary sleep-wake cycle?</p> <p dir="ltr">15:10 – Awakening as metaphorical concept and not a state. Ethics, values tied to awakening.</p> <p dir="ltr">17:15 – Embodied nature of consciousness and awakening.</p> <p dir="ltr">19:55 – Extended consciousness involving brain, body and environment vs panpsychism.</p> <p dir="ltr">23:35 – Meditation is not first person science, more similar to dance and martial arts.</p> <p dir="ltr">28:25 – Basic structure of <em>Waking, Dreaming, Being</em> based on Upanishads.</p> <p dir="ltr">29:05 – Unpacking the Upanishadic structure in the context of meditation.</p> <p dir="ltr">33:45 – Lucid dreaming for cultivating awareness rather than dream control.</p> <p dir="ltr">37:45 – Connection between framing of dream and waking states.</p> <p dir="ltr">38:50 – Consciousness versus contents of consciousness. Sense of self while awake, dreaming.</p> <p dir="ltr">43:25 – Neuroscience of self and memory while dreaming.</p> <p dir="ltr">45:30 – Neuroscience of self and memory while awake.</p> <p dir="ltr">46:20 – Brain as active while asleep as awake, but in different local and network ways.</p> <p dir="ltr">48:00 – Sleep needed for memory consolidation, learning and self regulation.</p> <p dir="ltr">49:35 – Meditation not only limited to brain but an activity practiced in a social context.</p> <p dir="ltr">53:05 – Meditation embodied in a wider context that may be missed in brain only fMRI scans.</p> <p dir="ltr">55:40 – Wings needed for flight but flight is not in the wings, brain needed for meditation …</p> <p dir="ltr">56:55 – Meditation reduced to neuroscience correlates may be too reductionist.</p> <p dir="ltr">58:05 – Neuroscience being used to “prove” Buddhism. Fetishizing Buddhism.</p> <p dir="ltr">1:00:35 – Buddhism is a religion despite claims to the contrary, a lot of Buddhist exceptionalism.</p> <p dir="ltr">1:03:00 – Critique of Buddhist exceptionalism in new book. Cosmopolitan Buddhism preferred.</p> <p dir="ltr">1:05:35 – Evan’s book in progress <em>Why I am not a Buddhist</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">1:07:05 – Hopeful signs in greater sensitivity to environment, equality.</p> <p dir="ltr">1:10:05 – Unbalanced approach to psychedelics. Consciousness hacking as fear of death.</p> <p dir="ltr">1:13:20 – Outro</p> <p> </p>