https://youtubetranscript.com/?v=VPlqt3ylbPo
Welcome to Meditating with John Hrvade TV, live stream every weekday morning at 9.30 a.m. Eastern Time, with Mondays alternating between a new lesson Dharamaday, which happened yesterday, and a review of the whole ecology of practices in private. For previous lessons and sits, see the description. If you’re joining us for the first time, you’re most welcome. I strongly recommend you go to the links. Do lesson one, and then do one or two lessons every week, and you’ll soon catch up with us and you’ll be properly honed within the course and the sangha. I would ask you all to please like this video stream to increase its visibility of the YouTube algorithm and help as many people as I possibly can. At the end of every session, there is a Q&A period. Please limit your questions to anything from the entire ecology of practices, the stuff we’ve already done in the Eastern stream or the stuff we’re doing now from the Western stream. I will give priority for a while to questions that are connected with the wisdom of Hypatia because we need to be tending to that material in a more Socratic fashion, but we will get beyond the wisdom of Hypatia as much as possible. If you have more encompassing questions, please come to the live stream general Q&A every third Friday of the month at 3 p.m. Eastern time on YouTube. It will be August the 21st of this month. Okay, so tomorrow I will review and extend a bit what we learned on Monday, and then I will do a review and extension again on Friday. But for today and Thursday, let’s concentrate on getting a good sit in and having some extended time for answering some questions. All right, so please get yourself in position. Set your phones on do not disturb. And we will begin with some chanting, and then we’ll go into a silent sit. So we’ll all begin when I say I’ll begin. Begin. Om. One. Om. One. Om. One. Om. One. Om. One. Om. One. Om. One. Om. One. Om. One. Om. In your silent sit. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Slowly come out of your practice, trying as best you can to integrate what you cultivated in your practice, in your everyday consciousness, cognition, character, and communities. Perhaps by reciting the five promises to recite. Okay, so let’s answer some questions. Karima Cynthia Clayton, Karima, always good to hear from you and thank you for the comments from the videos. Should we read the next two chapters? I recommend not. I recommend rereading and studying the chapters that are setting up the basic practice, the self-examination, what we mean by philosophy in this context, what I tend to call phileas of phyla and especially all of the materials surrounding epicureanism. So really sink into it. So try to go quite intensely deep into it, reviewing it and studying it, doing the practices. We’re going to do it a little bit faster than McClellan recommends. He recommends you sort of the nine-month course. We’re going to do it a little bit faster than that. But I do recommend we stick with, you know, at least with, we stick to epicureanism for at least a couple of weeks and then we’ll move into stoicism. We’ll probably be there a little bit longer and then neoplatonism will be there even longer because of course it’s cumulative in that manner. Next is Dhimitar. You’ve mentioned trying TDCS and meditation. Have you also tried being in a sensory deprivation tank and meditation? Is there any research on the effects of sensory deprivation tanks and meditation? No I have not done that. My Meneers actually prevents me from using something like a sensory deprivation tank. My good friend and colleague Anderson Todd is very interested in that and he might be someone to contact whether or not there is information and research on the integration of sensory deprivation tanks and meditation. You wouldn’t of course, you couldn’t, it’s too expensive I imagine. You wouldn’t want to make it a regular part of the practice because it’s going to get dependent on it, etc. But it might be something that gets incorporated into a powerful ritual as a way of bringing about a very significant altered state of consciousness that could be integrated into the aspiration to wisdom. So that’s what I recommend there. I don’t know very much. So I recommend, his name is Anderson Todd. He’s done talks with me and voices with Revaki. He has his own channel opening up soon. I believe it’s called Opus. So you might want to reach out to him. He’s a colleague at U of T and he’s a dear friend of mine. Lynn Slater, hi Lynn. Good to hear from you. Observation, I find savoring comes naturally to me but the long term, short term issue is much more difficult. Yes, thank you for sharing that Lynn observation. That’s the case. So the savoring on its own needs to be coupled to the maximization, to the application. I think that’s the right word. The application of the maxims to maximize our frame widening because the research shows that this is, you need to bring into symbolically make, put together within the same framing your current self, your future self and your current desire, your long term desire and that is where you can start to make the evaluation. So when you’re making these evaluations, the point of the savoring is to give you a phenomenological sense, a touchstone for what it’s like to be satisfying and prioritizing a desire that is important rather than merely intense and that has long term sustainability. It’s meant to be so you can sort of say this desire doesn’t, satisfying this desire doesn’t feel very close to what it’s like to enjoy and savor pure being. So it’s designed to give you a phenomenological standard that is meant to be integrated with the conceptual reflection when you’re doing the maximization and applying the principle. So you can think of it almost as higher order savoring. The point of the savoring practice is to open up and to have you have a more phenomenological experience of this type of desire as a touchstone and it’s satisfaction, this type of pleasure. That’s what I should be saying. And then that’s supposed to be integrated with the principles that are coming out of maximization to give you the best possible discernment about what pleasures you should be orienting to. And that should hopefully help get you into being able to open up to the long term. I don’t think it’s sufficient. Remember that Epicureanism is primary school, Stoicism is high school, and Neoplatonism is university. And so we are going to add on significantly to Epicureanism within Stoicism for how to properly orient towards the long term and the deeper, et cetera. So I hope that’s helpful to you. Ben Gow, good to see you, Ben. In struggling against sleepiness, I sometimes intentionally take a few deep breaths, sit more erect, and imagine a lion pulling me up from the top of my head. Is that OK? Yes. That is actually something that, especially that lion pulling you like this, that is something that you are recommended to do within Tai Chi Chuan when you’re standing in Wu Ji. I didn’t mention it because I tend to find that when I do that, people get all stiff. But if it’s coming to you naturally, if you can do that without losing suppleness, but doing that, that’s a way of triggering that kind of rootedness that’s within Tai Chi Chuan. So I think that’s a good practice to do. Lizzo Van Wick, welcome, Lizzo. You’re constantly in the Senga and making edifying and helpful comments and interaction. Your presence is much appreciated. Observation, this weekend I saw a close friend of mine I haven’t seen since lockdown joining the Senga. She said, ah, a few hours into this visit, more restful. I couldn’t help thinking of John saying that the best way to know that the meditation is working is when others notice changes in you. Very motivating. Thank you for sharing that, Lizzo. That will start to happen to more often, I would predict, in other people, and it’s going to happen to all of us at some point. If you maintain your friendship to the way, then this starts to occur more and more. And it is very motivating. And it’s encouraging in a way in which all of your self-affirmations can never be encouraging. And I think, as I said, that’s ultimately the touchstone that you should look to, to see if you’re on the path. Kelly Myers, welcome, Kelly. The intentions and conceptual framing of Vipassana and Metta are lost to me in Prajna, however. Would you recommend I work to bring them back or just surrender to savor the felt sense? Yes, move beyond the conceptualizations. The conceptualize, and this is going to be really apparent when we move to the neoplatonic grove. So, if you get to Prajna and you just have that felt sense, and it might be beyond conceptualization, stay with that, savor it. That’s right. That’s what you want to do. Because eventually you want to move beyond the subject-object duality of thinking. This is one of Plotinus’ main arguments. All thinking, even our highest conceptions, have us in a subject-object differentiation. And so we go trans-conceptual, not sub-conceptual. We’re going to talk about distinguishing those. The trans-egoic and the pre-egoic, the trans-conceptual, the pre-conceptual. So, you go trans-conceptual when you’re in the state of Prajna. So, just do what you said. Savor the felt sense. Pasha Kellogg asks, which book is being read? I am new here. I’ll go get it. Jason, could you bring it to me, please? The book we’re using is called The Wisdom of Hypatia by Mel Kleinon. We have read up to page 70. I believe this is the first three chapters, the first four chapters. Let me see. The first four chapters. So that’s what I’m going to do. I strongly recommend you get another book called What is Ancient Philosophy by Pierre Hadeau. Hadeau is spelled H-A-D-O-T. But this is the mandatory book. I strongly recommend a book to accompany it. It’s What is Ancient Philosophy by Pierre Hadeau. Keisha Kellogg. Hello, Keisha. Oh, sorry, that was Keisha’s question. I misread. Asteen Tolpurnip. Hi, Asteen. It’s good to hear from you again. Was it through part two, one was supposed to read? You read all the way up to part one. All the way up to part seven. Sorry, all the way up to what’s called part three. My mistake. You’re right. I’m misleading you guys. I apologize. The way he divides this book up is a little bit confusing to me. But we’re reading all the way up to part three. But it’s what he calls the first degree of wisdom. So that’s the confusion. So I’m thinking of the first degree, that whole section that he calls the first degree, he calls it part three of the book. And it’s up to page 70 in the pagination. So finish part one. Sorry, I keep doing it. Finish the first degree of wisdom. Finish up to part three. But don’t start part three. So I hope that answers your question. Elrive, what is the purpose of meditation? The purpose of meditation is something that changes as you meditate because it is only something that can be realized as you undergo transformation. So you’re asking what’s the purpose of being in a friendship? Initially, what draws you in is a set of features in the person, but then you are changed and you see deeper features in the person. And then you ask, you made a step point, say, well, why am I on this trajectory in this friendship? And what it is is I’m coming into a fullness of being. My friend helps me to overcome patterns of self-deception. This is how a friend is different than a buddy, right? And as Donald talked about, friendship is like realizing that there’s one soul and one self in two bodies. My friend helps me to overcome self-deception. My friend is there to support me when fate hammers at me. My friend is there to help me to transcend and grow beyond myself, to see things, to get into right relationship with other people, to get into a right relationship with myself and the world. This is what deep friendship is. And we’re going to be talking about this as the core of epicureanism. The point, the purpose of meditation is to enter into this kind of deep friendship with yourself that grows and the purpose changes and grows like the purpose of friendship because you’re coming into right relationship, you’re overcoming self-deception, you’re affording self-transcending, you’re moving into a depth of being, being yourself, being with others and being in the world. It’s ultimately therefore in that sense about the cultivation of wisdom. Matthew McCready, welcome Matthew. Observation, in the rooting phase I sometimes feel like my awareness is blocked from going to the next part of my body about what feels like a stone or a wall and I have to go around it. Yes, yes Matthew. So decide how long you’re going to stay there, ahead of time for each event you will be in the next event. Often we will hit these. I still hit it and I’ve been doing this for what, almost 30 years. And that’s what I mean about Body Armor. Michael Washburn’s book called The Ego and the Dynamic Ground. I recommend reading it, especially the second edition. Michael Washburn, W-A-S-H-B-U-R-N, Michael Washburn, The Ego and the Dynamic Ground. I think this is one of the best books in transpersonal psychology. I think Washburn is in some sense a more psychologically astute transpersonal psychologist than Wilbur. But anyways, Washburn’s notion of Body Armor that we all possess ways in which we, and Levine is doing work on this right now, about how the body remembers trauma. And so that is not something you should try to smash, right? That is something that has to be in friendship, in virtuous friendship, slowly eroded and washed away with persistent, perspicacious, but also very kind awareness. And so it’s something that you, if you’ll allow me a bit of a metaphor, that is caressed away. It is not something that is smashed or broken away. And so be patient with yourself. And what you’re doing is exactly right. Don’t devote some time to it, but then you just need to go around it. But also don’t be disappointed that you’re going to be with us for a long time. And be gentle. And there will be a change. There will be a change. So this is from, are both of these questions from James? The one we don’t have, wait, who’s the second question from? Okay, so the first question, sorry, the next question is from James Loeffler. Hi, James. What is the best way to get in touch with John? So the best way to get in touch with me. Sorry, I referred to myself as a third person. What I’m going, I think what I should do is I’m going to talk to Amar. We’re trying to set up an email for this community. And we’re going to get that set up. And then I’ll post that to these videos so that people can get in touch with me. It’s important for me to say that I have to be very careful in the same way that I am careful in the sense of caution but also full of care. So both senses. I have to be very careful about my time. There’s lots of people, sorry, I don’t mean to sound self-aggrandizing, but there are lots of people who want to talk to me and communicate with me. And I have to be very careful with this. So a communication channel will be set up. But I also need people to be patient and to be understanding about it. Please. I’m finding this challenging. It’s a challenge I want to meet. It’s a challenge I aspire to meeting, meeting honorably and in virtue. But it is a challenge. And I’m still trying to calibrate to it. So a communication channel will be made available. But please, I ask for people to use it judiciously, patiently, and with understanding. So last question is I named, Hi, John, how would you combine meditating on symbols for virtue with the memory palace technique and lexio divina for important writings on them? So I’m going to hold off on answering that question because that is going to come into central prominence when we get to the Grove, when we’re doing neoplatonism, and when we’re talking about theurgia, when we’re talking about theurgia. So we’re definitely going to come back to that and the kinds of practices around that. And that’s where we’re going to see important connections to aspects of Jung and Corbin and people like that. So you might want to take a look at the episodes. I forget which ones are. It’s anyways the last four episodes of Awakening from the Meeting Crisis when I talk about the prophets of the Meeting Crisis because I talked about Jung, Ducour Bad, I also talked about Barfield and Tillich. And they all sort of belong together in this deep discussion about the appropriate and responsible relating to and through symbols. So I want to thank you all for joining and for the excellent questions. I encourage you to keep practicing. I encourage you to share both observations and questions. Remember the wisdom of Hypatia. I’m going to give you practices. And I talked with Brett and Matt and we’re going to have a place on the Discord server for doing the group practices. I thank them for that. But I do need you guys to be more socratic about this. Ask me questions about what you’re reading or the practice. So I can hopefully guide you as helpfully as possible. I want to thank Jason, my beloved son, who’s been doing everything today and doing a fantastic job. It’s a truly wonderful thing when your son becomes one of your best friends. I want to thank all of you for your supporting of each other as well. I don’t do that as often as I should, but I read the comments. I always read the comments in the chat after. I see so many of you helping each other and edifying each other and encouraging each other. And I just want to encourage that. Thank you so much. Please subscribe to this channel to be notified of the next video. You’ll find links to the lecture series Awakening from a Meaning Crisis. You’ll find links to the Dialogos series where I try to exemplify the different aspects of the Dialogos series, where I try to exemplify the dialectic that’s going to be important to Neoplatonism. There’s also a new series coming. There’s Untangling the World Nod of Consciousness that I’m doing with Greg Enriquez. There is later what’s coming is a lecture series on the nature of the self. And of course, the major one that is coming that’s going to be of sort of the same scope and scale as Awakening from a Meaning Crisis is After Socrates. Invite others who might benefit by sharing this series. Please join the Discord servers to chat with others, to do the moving practice, to do extra meditation, extra sitting, and more, most importantly right now, not most importantly, most currently, that’s the word I wanted to say. Join the Discord server so that you’ll be able to do these group practices like philosophical self-companionship and then down the road, dialectic and Dialogos, et cetera. We’re doing this every weekday morning at 9.30 Eastern Time. Please follow me on Twitter if you’re not opposed to it in principle for the fastest updates. Please remember that on the Discord server every second Monday I do a live Q&A. I did one yesterday, but I also do one next week to catch up. Please remember that continuity of practice is more important than sheer quantity of practice. Don’t hold yourself to a standard of harsh perfection. Hold yourself to a standard of virtuous friendship because there is no enemy worse than your own minded body. There is no friend, no ally, no true companion on the path better than your own minded body. Be lamps unto yourselves and to each other. Take good care, everyone. I’ll see you tomorrow.