There’s no real Buddhism in there anymore… with Richard Shankman
Posted on
Today we are joined by Richard Shankman, an accomplished meditation teacher, cofounder of the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies and author of The Experience of Samadhi; An In-depth Exploration of Buddhist Meditation (Shambhala, 2008). Richard discusses the importance for each individual to find their path to freedom, and how systems or philosophies remain mere techniques to assist us with our direct experience and knowledge of liberation. An expert in meditation, Richard shares his profound understanding of the samadhi or jhana states – advanced stages of practice often misunderstood, shedding light on ways to understand the role of samadhi in enlightenment.
We also discuss more recent developments in Richard’s practice, working with a healing group comprised of advanced meditators, and the parallels between notions of healing and purification. He shares with us an idea that form or manifestation may have a kind of essence, which we are familiar with as love. In closing, Richard shares the beauty and simplicity of his current practice, “open the heart and let go”.
Listen on:
Share post:
