577. Rick Hanson, 2nd Interview - a podcast by Rick Archer

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 HappinessHardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence
Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and WisdomJust One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a TimeMother 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 BrainThe Enlightened Brain
Meditations for HappinessSelf-Directed Brain Change
Letting Go: A Key to Lasting HappinessSteadying Your Mind
Awaken Your BrainDiscussion 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 Message00:05:38 - The Impermanence of Experience and the Search for Happiness
00:07:37 - Resting in Stillness with Meditation00:09:38 - Cultivating Equanimity
00:11:24 - Understanding the Mind and Increasing Equanimity00:13:04 - The Three Stages of Experience
00:14:51 - Managing Aversion00:16:45 - Sensitizing to the Negative
00:18:24 - Cultivating Peaceful Abiding00:20:03 - Dealing with the Good and the Bad
00:21:39 - The Pace of News and Events00:23:06 - Cultivating Unbounded Awareness
00:25:03 - Shifting Perspectives: Egocentric and Allocentric Views00:26:43 - Finding Beauty and Unboundedness
00:28:06 - Finding Joy in the Local00:30:04 - The Importance of Living Well Locally
00:31:55 - Individual and Collective Consciousness00:33:37 - The Connection Between Spirituality and Mental Stability
00:35:24 - Practicing Authenticity and Cutting through Spiritual Materialism00:37:07 - The confluence of conspiracy theories and the spiritual community
00:39:04 - The Influence of Cults and the Importance of Reality00:40:48 - Punishing Freeloaders and Promoting Truth
00:42:34 - The Difficulty of Knowing the Truth00:44:22 - The Importance of Personal Character and Virtue
00:45:48 - The Proliferation of Craziness00:47:18 - Supporting Institutions that Promote Truth
00:49:08 - Developing Discernment and Spiritual Enlightenment00:51:13 - The Ephemeral Nature of Passing Phenomena
00:53:09 - Conclusion and Farewell

Further episodes of Buddha at the Gas Pump

Further podcasts by Rick Archer

Website of Rick Archer