Ep. 71 – Meditation and the Absence of Self | Oren J. Sofer

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?”

Guest’s Website

Free Trial of Meditation App: http://steve-patterson.com/meditate

Topics Discussed:

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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