Philosophy, Meditation, & Life
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Philosophy
“Poetic Imagination”
I hope at least once in your life you’ve seen the Milky Way. The brushstroke of glimmering white light that cuts through the heavens is breathtaking. And to imagine, before all the light and carbon…
“Carving Knowledge from Our Imaginations”
Every civilization throughout history has created a dogmatic school whose main task is to pass on the doctrine of its founder intact to each generation. In the rare…
“The Impulse for Freedom”
Before cultures clashed, our social behaviors — rituals and traditions — would have seemed as natural as the seasons: each controlled by the gods, or nature. So, there wasn’t really reason to question…
“Ultimate Truths Fail”
The earliest Greek philosophers didn’t really ask ‘what is?’ questions. Rather than quibble over the meaning of words, they tried to solve specific problems by creating bold explanatory theories…
“Plato’s Moral Tyranny”
Only you, the individual, can decide whether a behavior, norm, or institution is right or wrong. It is your burden and yours alone. You can’t shift it to god, nature, history, or even to society, because whatever authority you…
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Spirituality Without Dogma or Superstition
The Unbound Heart
You might consider this a book about spirituality but, really, it is about life—your life and how to live it authentically, to the fullest. It will encourage you to look not outside of yourself but to your own heart and mind to understand yourself, the world, and your place in it. The words in these pages will encourage you to take responsibility for your own life, to blaze your own trail, to sculpt your own being.
Another way to think about this book is as a kind of Traveler’s Guide—a collection of maps, compasses, and other tools from the world’s wisdom traditions—to support you as you learn to walk your own path in peace. I want you to be able to live in your own skin. I want you to make peace with Nature, to come into harmony with the Dharma, the truth of the moment’s experience, so that you may navigate your life, your relationships, your work and your art with a bit more ease, a bit more freedom, a bit more love and understanding.
John
Philosophy, Meditation, & Life
Book
You might consider this a book about spirituality but, really, it is about life—your life and how to live it authentically, to the fullest. It will encourage you to look not outside of yourself but to your own heart and mind to understand yourself, the world, and your place in it. The words in these pages will encourage you to take responsibility for your own life, to blaze your own trail, to sculpt your own being.
Another way to think about this book is as a kind of Traveler’s Guide—a collection of maps, compasses, and other tools from the world’s wisdom traditions—to support you as you learn to walk your own path in peace. I want you to be able to live in your own skin. I want you to make peace with Nature, to come into harmony with the Dharma, the truth of the moment’s experience, so that you may navigate your life, your relationships, your work and your art with a bit more ease, a bit more freedom, a bit more love and understanding.
John
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Meditation
“The Art of Bare Attention”
Today we’re going to talk about the ancient Buddhist practice vipassana, or insight meditation. Now, just to be clear, this is an entirely secular practice. It doesn’t require you to adopt any dogmatic beliefs…
“The Faceless Seer”
You constantly refer to your “self.” You talk about “my” body, “my” feelings and emotions, “my” things, etc. But who or what is this thing you call “I”. What would happen if you turned attention around to look for it…
“Awakening to Your Heart”
What do you think it’d feel like if you committed your time, energy, and awareness to alleviate the suffering all around you? How would it feel to wrap the world in a caring attention?
“Everything Changes”
It’s no secret everything changes. Your experience this morning isn’t your experience now. Yet how many of us act like we really understand this? How often do we grasp onto the illusion of things…
“The Divine Connection”
You don’t need to search far and wide for the Divine connection. There’s no need to munch on magic mushrooms, gulp down ayahuasca, fast for forty days, or sit a three-month retreat to witness it. Sure, these things can help…
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Explore more articles written by John about meditation, philosophy, reason, psychology, politics, science, and many more topics.
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About
John Driggs
John Driggs, host of the Love & Understanding podcast, is interested in wisdom. He wants to build a personal and secular spiritual life, one that is grounded in honesty, science, reason, introspection, and contemplation.
In Love & Understanding, John explores and discusses ancient wisdom traditions, moral philosophy, epistemology, meditation and contemplative practices, the nature of consciousness, the life and physical sciences, psychology, psychotherapy, art, poetry, literature, society, politics, education, and many more topics.
Please join him on his journey to bring more love and understanding into the world.
