Episode 37: How To Be Human
Episode 37 of M3CS’s Contemplative Science Podcast saw hosts Jamie Slevin and Dr Mark Miller share some reflections on the philosophies and teachings from nearly 40 guests this year!
For the full podcast, check out the episode here.
In this episode, we cover...
The myriad ways our guests have talked about the potential of contemplative practice.
Why contemplative frameworks are not a fully rounded guide for how to be human!
A peek into the future: what you can expect from the show going into 2023.
Since starting in March 2022, we have been delighted to welcome a total of 35 academics, scientists and spiritual teachers over the course of 37 episodes - all with a common interest in the role of spiritual practice in our lives.
Here are some of the key insights from the conversation...
Meditation is a slow-burn practice.
”There's this guy Alex Hormozi - he compared Xanax and meditation and his wider point wasn't commenting on either, he was just making the point that the point about Xanax is it's really quick. It comes with loads of drawbacks, but it's quick and it's effective for what you want right now. Meditation is not that. Meditation is long, difficult... it's hard. You have to learn the skill, you have to be cool with failure. There's maybe this metagame when you're a meditator or a practitioner of any spirituality, which is... patience.”
Spirituality is present in every corner of our daily hobbies, tasks and routines.
”I remember Ram Dass, who I love, said that he was giving a lecture one time and he said it was really far out stuff... and an elderly woman came up to him after the show and said, "I know exactly what you're talking about. I crochet!" And Ram Dass is laughing, saying like the game is so far out! She's completely jiving, completely vibing with all of these deep spiritual truths that I'm laying down, and she was having access to them through her hobby of crocheting.”
Patient practice is key!
”Almost everybody had such a measured, mature, conservative approach to spirituality and practice - I found that surprising. We didn't get very many people saying just dive in as deep and as hard as you can go.”
See you next week!
