How did Joseph Goldstein get started with meditation?

While studying philosophy in New York and preparing to join the Peace Corps, Goldstein was sent to Thailand. There, he encountered Buddhism and meditation through a discussion group, eventually being advised by a monk to try meditating.

What was Joseph Goldstein's transformative meditation experience?

Near the end of his Peace Corps stay, while listening to a friend read a Tibetan text, Goldstein had a momentary experience of non-occurrence upon hearing the word 'Unborn.' This led to a feeling of 'zero' and a realization of the selflessness of life.

What is the core idea of 'The Headless Way' by Douglas Harding?

The Headless Way proposes that from your own first-person point of view, you never actually see your head. The practice encourages looking at this 'no-thing space' from which you observe the world, challenging the conventional sense of self.

How can I practice 'The Headless Way' through audio?

You can start by pointing your finger outward at an object, then reverse it to point back towards where you are looking from. Notice that you don't see your face, but rather a space. Then, consider the single, fading, and uncontained nature of your visual field, darkness, sounds, sensations, and thoughts.

Why emphasize not seeing your own head in meditation?

The realization that one cannot directly see their own head from their own point of view is used to challenge our fixed identification with the physical body and sensory experience, pointing towards a more fundamental awareness that is 'headless' and boundless.

What is the danger of conceptualizing meditation experiences?

Trying to name or conceptualize a deep meditative experience can cause one to lose touch with the pure experience itself. The instinct to label or cling is seen as a sign of disconnection from the present, ineffable reality.

Key Moments

Making Sense of Meditation and Eastern Spirituality

Sam Harris

Science & Technology3 min read40 min video

Jun 18, 2023|18,281 views|388|61

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Sam Harris explores meditation and Eastern spirituality, contrasting techniques and revealing insights into self and consciousness.

Key Insights

Meditation encompasses diverse techniques beyond sitting, from walking to chanting.

Vipassana focuses attention on an object, while Zocchin emphasizes non-conceptual awareness.

The goal of meditation can be the dissolution of the ego or the concept of a singular self.

Joseph Goldstein experienced a profound realization of 'non-occurrence' or 'zero' triggered by the word 'unborn'.

Richard Lang introduces Douglas Harding's 'headless' insight: we never directly see our own heads, only the world we look out from.

The 'headless' perspective suggests an underlying, indivisible awareness that contains all experiences.

INTRODUCTION TO THE MEDITATION SERIES

This compilation explores Sam Harris's decade-long conversations on meditation and Eastern spirituality, aiming to provide a coherent overview of his perspectives and those of his guests. It serves as a concluding part of a series, encouraging deeper exploration of the topics. The series emphasizes the unity of knowledge, showing how meditation intersects with concepts of identity, consciousness, and the self.

THE DIVERSE NATURE OF MEDITATION

Meditation is often narrowly perceived as cross-legged sitting with closed eyes, but this compilation highlights its vast array of techniques. Practices can involve walking with intention, sitting with open eyes, focusing on sensory input, ideas, chanting, dancing, or sustained silent observation. The core aim is to pay closer attention to the experience of experience itself, accessible through various methods.

VIPASSANA AND ZOCCHIN APPROACHES

Two prominent paths discussed are Vipassana and Zocchin. Vipassana employs techniques that focus attention on a specific object, such as the breath or body sensations, gently guiding the mind back when it wanders. Zocchin directs attention toward recognizing the mind's open awareness and the illusory nature of thoughts, aiming for a state of non-conceptual presence.

JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN'S 'UNBORN' REALIZATION

In a conversation with his meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein, the profound impact of a single word, 'unborn,' is recounted. This word triggered a momentary experience of 'non-occurrence' or 'zero,' where ordinary sensory perception ceased, yet awareness persisted. This realization led to a profound understanding of the selflessness of life, where there is no singular 'experiencer'.

DOUGLAS HARDING'S 'HEADLESS' INSIGHT

Richard Lang introduces Douglas Harding's central insight: the 'headless' perspective. Harding's work, inspired by an artistic self-portrait from his own point of view, suggests we never directly see our own heads. This leads to an exploration of recognizing the world from the space we look out from, which is devoid of a visible head.

EXPERIMENTING WITH THE HEADLESS AWARENESS

Lang guides listeners through simple experiments, like pointing an finger and then reversing it to direct attention inward. This process aims to reveal the single, borderless field of awareness from which all experiences—visual, auditory, sensory, and mental—arise and disappear. This perspective highlights an indivisible, underlying space that contains all phenomena.

SKEPTICISM AND THE NATURE OF 'KNOWING'

Sam Harris channels potential skepticism, questioning the significance of not being able to visually perceive one's own head. Lang addresses this by emphasizing that the pursuit is not about persuasion but about experiential recognition. The exercise is less about proving a point and more about inviting a direct, non-verbal investigation into the nature of consciousness and selfhood.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Software & Apps

●Organizations

●Books

●Concepts

●People Referenced

Making Sense of Meditation and Eastern Spirituality: Key Practices

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Explore multiple meditation techniques beyond just breath focus (e.g., walking, open eyes, chanting).

Be curious and look inward to understand who you are.

When practicing the Headless Way, point your attention outward and then inward to the space from which you see.

Notice the single, fading, and uncontained nature of your visual field, darkness, sounds, sensations, and thoughts.

Recognize yourself as the boundless space that contains all experiences.

Return your attention gently to the object of focus when it drifts during Vipassana.

Rest in a state of non-conceptual awareness in Zazen.

Avoid This

Don't assume sitting with crossed legs and closed eyes is the only way to meditate.

Don't get discouraged by the difficulty of simple meditation tasks.

Don't try to grasp or 'package' the experience with words or labels while meditating, as this can lead to disconnection.

Don't get caught up in the productive or goal-obsessed versions of mindfulness.

Don't believe you must accept dogma without personal inquiry.

Do not expect to see your physical head when looking out from your own point of view.

Common Questions

The episode highlights Vipassana, which focuses on an object (like the breath) and trains attention, and Zazen (or Chan/Zen), which aims to rest in a state of open awareness and recognize the nature of mind and thoughts.

Topics

Neuroscience & the Brain Mindset & Self-Improvement Science & Mathematics Mindfulness Meditation Techniques Eastern Spirituality

Mentioned in this video

People

Sam Harris

Host of the Making Sense podcast, creator of the Waking Up app, and author. He is central to this compilation, exploring his perspectives on meditation and Eastern spirituality.

Ernst Mach

An Austrian physicist and philosopher whose self-portrait sketch from his own first-person point of view inspired Douglas Harding's 'headless' realization.

Joseph Goldstein

A longtime friend and meditation teacher of Sam Harris, who has appeared on the podcast multiple times and is featured in this compilation to discuss his experiences with meditation.

Douglas Harding

The originator of the 'Headless Way' practice, an inquiry into self and awareness based on the first-person perspective, which Richard Lang disseminates.

Richard Lang

A student of Douglas Harding and author of a biography on him. He guides listeners through Harding's 'Headless Way' practice.

Organizations

Columbia University

University where Joseph Goldstein studied philosophy as an undergraduate before his encounter with Buddhism in Thailand.

Plymouth Brethren

A strict Christian group Douglas Harding grew up in before leaving at age 21 to find his own understanding of truth.

Peace Corps

A US government agency that Joseph Goldstein applied to join, which led him to be stationed in Thailand, where he first encountered Buddhist teachings.

Media

Making Sense Podcast

The podcast hosted by Sam Harris, from which this compilation is drawn, focusing on a wide range of topics including philosophy, science, and spirituality.

Software & Apps

Waking Up App

A platform dedicated to meditation and mindfulness, created by Sam Harris, offering secular foundations for meditative practice.

Waking Up

Sam Harris's book that outlines an atheistic approach to the mystery of the mind and secular foundations for meditative practice.

Books

Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation

A Tibetan text, a faulty translation of which, deeply impacted Joseph Goldstein and led to a transformative experience related to the 'unborn' nature of mind.

The Heart of Buddhist Meditation

A classic book that Joseph Goldstein read, which laid out the basic methodology of meditation and influenced his early practice.

Concepts

The Headless Way

An inquiry into self-awareness that involves looking from one's own first-person perspective and realizing the absence of a visible head, challenging the conventional sense of self.