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Rating

4.9

from

383 reviews

Description

Dedicated to liberation in all its forms, Deconstructing Yourself is passionate about fearlessly investigating, attempting, and questioning all things to do with awakening, meditation, mindfulness, brain hacking, consciousness, neurofeedback, and more. Your host Michael W. Taft interviews some of the most interesting thinkers, authors, and teachers around, as well as other offerings. In this hard-hitting, radical, and fun podcast we look at secular post-, non-, un- Buddhism, Vajrayana, nondual Hindu Tantra, philosophy, the neuroscience of the sense of self, neurofeedback and the consciousness hacking movement, aspects of artificial intelligence, entheogens, and much more. If you’re looking for fresh directions, free from dogma and conformism, think of the Deconstructing Yourself podcast as the radical cafe where you can hear from the most interesting luminaries either from the outside edges of dharma, or a fresh take from more traditional teachers. If you’re interested in more, check out the Deconstructing Yourself website at https://deconstructingyourself.com.

Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from Deconstructing Yourself podcast

Can You Learn Meditation from an AI? - with Shinzen Young

2024/02/06

Host Michael Taft talks with teacher Shinzen Young about Shinzen's decades-long dream of computer-based meditation instruction, his current creation of a rule-based, expert system based on Artificial Intelligence, the upcoming major upheavals in science and culture that AI will bring, the problems inherent in AI, and Shinzen's most positive vision for the future.

A Conversation with Jeffrey Kripal

2024/01/22

Host Michael Taft speaks with author and professor Jeffrey Kripal about his early aspiration to be a Benedictine monk, the prophetic dimensions of the humanities, the sudden conversion, or "flip," into a weirder worldview experienced by some materialist scientists, the phenomena of UFOs, alien abduction, altered states, Philip K. Dick, and how most breakthroughs into mysticism occur through trauma.

Transgression with Erik Davis

2023/12/31

Host Michael Taft speaks with author and journalist Erik Davis about the power of partaking in the forbidden and the loss when formerly forbidden things become normalized, particularly in the case of psychedelics; Tantric and Christian modes of transgression, power relationships and the guru, hedonism, rule-breaking, the desire for having safe spiritual practice environments, and the role of risk in spiritual development.

A Conversation with Sam Harris

2023/12/02

Host Michael Taft speaks with author, philosopher, and neuroscientist Sam Harris about aspects of meditation, the fusion of vipassana and nondual practice as the “gold standard” for practitioners, insights into selflessness through mindfulness and concentration,The distinction between moment-to-moment experiences and peak experiences, personal experiences with MDMA and psilocybin, the role of psychedelics in initiating spiritual introspection, concerns about the misuse of psychedelics and potential pitfalls, and more.

The Power of the Imaginal with Stephen Aizenstat

2023/11/04

Host Michael Taft talks with “Boss Jungian of Planet Earth” Stephen Aizenstat about diving into the depths of our authentic creativity, finding purpose in the imaginal, the perils and promise of AI with regards to the human imagination, and asks the question: is working with the imagination simply a narcissistic bourgeois indulgence in this time of unprecedented worldwide existential peril, or might the imaginal actually be a source of our salvation?

Nondual Love with A. H. Almaas

2023/10/30

Host Michael Taft speaks with teacher, author, and founder of the Diamond Approach to Self-Realization A. H. Almaas on the topic of Nondual Love, the qualities of awareness itself, the five dimensions of our fundamental nature, the differences between individual love and nondual love, the importance of being human, and how to know yourself as a “boundless ocean of nectar.”

Tantra and Embodied Awakening with Christopher Wallis.

2023/09/29

Host Michael W. Taft speaks with Tantra scholar and teacher Christopher Wallis about the word “enlightenment” in English and the words in Sanskrit it is typically the translation for; the differences between awakening and liberation; karma, samskara, and the deep unconscious; Shiva-oriented practice and the importance of including Shakti, the teachings of Abhinavagupta, and the centrality of embodied awakening.

Reverse Meditation with Andrew Holecek

2023/08/23

Join host Michael Taft as he speaks with meditation teacher and author Andrew Holecek about “reverse meditation,” the Mahamudra-based practice of using difficult experiences as the focus of our meditation, how this moves us through our perceived limits and allows us to recognize the perfection of the moment, and allows us to make any situation a profound and excellent meditation.

A Conversation with Kati Devaney

2023/07/13

Host Michael Taft talks with neuroscientist and Executive Director of the Alembic, Kati Devaney about meditation, the neuroscience of meditation, psychedelics, and more.

A Few Stray Points about Nonduality with Jake Orthwein

2023/04/18

Your host Michael Taft is interviewed by Jake Orthwein about the various kinds of nonduality, the difference between monoism and nondualism, fundamental confusions about nondual practice, the major contrast between the transcendence-orientation of dualistic religions and the world-engagement of nondual religions, as well as the crucial distinction between the two main types of nonduality.

Exploring Nondual Shaiva Tantra with Christopher Wallis

2023/03/20

Join host Michael Taft as he talks with Tantrik scholar and practitioner Christopher Wallis about the tradition of Nondual Shaiva Tantra, the full void pregnant with possibilities, savoring the transcendent in every sensual experience, the differences between Nondual Shaiva Tantra and Advaita Vedanta, the origins of Tantra and Vajrayana, sublime beauty, aesthetic rapture, and much more.

The Magic of Vajrayana Part 2 with Ken McLeod

2023/02/27

Join host Michael Taft as he continues his talk with translator, author, and teacher Ken McLeod about Ken’s new book: The Magic of Vajrayana, and issues around receiving initiations and empowerments, the experiential component, aspects of White Tara and Mahakala practices, the power of mystical poetry, and the future of Vajrayana in the West.

Read Deconstructing Yourself podcast reviews

4.9 out of 5

383 reviews

Brett W. A. 2024/01/01

True, Authentic Depth

I really enjoy this podcast because it covers one of the most fascinating aspects of the human experience (Buddhist meditation) in exquisite depth and...

Moda108 2023/07/04

This podcast brought the dharma to life for me!

I’ve listened to every episode and sometimes revisit them. An intellectual and heart-felt experience.

Knew Normal 2022/07/25

I feel like I understand myself better after listening

I’m a curious nerd about the maps and models of human consciousness and the myriad paths to understanding it personally and collectively. The variety ...

sarahsanantonio 2022/07/14

Wonderful

Michael Taft interviews on mindfulness and dharma are illuminating and have deepened my practice. Thank you! His voice is lovely to listen too also.

Pom Pons 2022/01/21

Down-to-earthly out there.

Longtime listener. I find myself going back again and again. Excellent conversations, knowledgeable, heartfelt, and magically filled with respect whil...

vanishingpoet 2022/01/11

Authentic

Thanks for an authentic podcast and for not being woke. Ommmmm. Shanti.

mg7876558 2021/09/02

Excellent

Thoughtful

Baranduin 2021/07/09

Love yr podcast

Great interviews. Love the B-52s-ish theme song.

bigboisoccerboi 2021/06/15

Wonderful podcast!

Great host, great guests, great podcast.

Omnitarian 2021/05/16

Life-changing!

This is one of the best podcasts I’ve ever heard. Recommended listening for all humans, regardless of your interest in mindfulness, meditation, or spi...

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