577. Rick Hanson, 2nd Interview

Buddha at the Gas Pump

This interview was recorded on October 9, 2020, as part of an online conference on "Living and Dying" offered by the Science and Nonduality Conference. The conference has finished, but you may sign up to access all of its content. Rick Hanson, Ph.D. is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His free weekly newsletter has 180,000 subscribers and his online programs have scholarships available for those with financial needs. His books have been published in 29 languages with 900,000 copies in English alone and include: Neurodharma: New Science, Ancient Wisdom, and Seven Practices of the Highest Happiness Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time Mother Nurture: A Mother's Guide to Health in Body, Mind, and Intimate Relationships He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, his work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, NPR, and other major media. He began meditating in 1974 and is the founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. He loves wilderness and taking a break from emails. Website: rickhanson.net Additional books and other media: Stress-Proof Your Brain Meditations to Change Your Brain The Enlightened Brain Meditations for Happiness Self-Directed Brain Change Letting Go: A Key to Lasting Happiness Steadying Your Mind Awaken Your Brain Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview. First BatGap interview with Rick Hanson. Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Welcome to "Dying and Living" 00:02:23 - Reflections on Equanimity and Love 00:04:06 - Visual Representation of a Message 00:05:38 - The Impermanence of Experience and the Search for Happiness 00:07:37 - Resting in Stillness with Meditation 00:09:38 - Cultivating Equanimity 00:11:24 - Understanding the Mind and Increasing Equanimity 00:13:04 - The Three Stages of Experience 00:14:51 - Managing Aversion 00:16:45 - Sensitizing to the Negative 00:18:24 - Cultivating Peaceful Abiding 00:20:03 - Dealing with the Good and the Bad 00:21:39 - The Pace of News and Events 00:23:06 - Cultivating Unbounded Awareness 00:25:03 - Shifting Perspectives: Egocentric and Allocentric Views 00:26:43 - Finding Beauty and Unboundedness 00:28:06 - Finding Joy in the Local 00:30:04 - The Importance of Living Well Locally 00:31:55 - Individual and Collective Consciousness 00:33:37 - The Connection Between Spirituality and Mental Stability 00:35:24 - Practicing Authenticity and Cutting through Spiritual Materialism 00:37:07 - The confluence of conspiracy theories and the spiritual community 00:39:04 - The Influence of Cults and the Importance of Reality 00:40:48 - Punishing Freeloaders and Promoting Truth 00:42:34 - The Difficulty of Knowing the Truth 00:44:22 - The Importance of Personal Character and Virtue 00:45:48 - The Proliferation of Craziness 00:47:18 - Supporting Institutions that Promote Truth 00:49:08 - Developing Discernment and Spiritual Enlightenment 00:51:13 - The Ephemeral Nature of Passing Phenomena 00:53:09 - Conclusion and Farewell