Episodes

  • patient attention and what is time "well spent"?
    Aug 16 2025

    Pintu and James discuss the vicious cycle of attention, searching for value in time spent, and practicing patient attention.

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    49 mins
  • community, communitas, & conditions
    Jul 18 2025

    Pintu and James discuss community, communitas, and the trade-offs a group might be asking from you in order to feel a sense of belonging. Featuring discussions of movies, concerts, and social media.

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    51 mins
  • the hero's journey & samsara
    Jun 13 2025

    Pintu's grown a mustache. Is he a different person now? An exploration on Joseph's Campbell's Hero of a 1000 Faces, ego, and samsara.

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    1 hr
  • what is the "self" that is judgmental & the 5 skandhas
    May 30 2025

    Pintu wonders why do we judge people, things, and ourselves. What is the "self"? James describes 2 Buddhist concepts: the 3 marks of existence and the 5 skandhas. Featuring references to David Hume and Chögyam Trungpa. At one point, James will attempt to reference Adelson's checker shadow illusion, but it sounds like his mouth says "Alison". The conversation wraps with a discussion on what it means to "take care" in the world.

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    48 mins
  • an "attention stretch" meditation & the art of emptying the cup
    May 16 2025

    James discusses a basic "attention stretch" and then Pintu describes "the art of emptying the cup" which becomes an expansive conversation about the various emotions and aspects we can become filled with.

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    41 mins
  • a modern walking meditation, vipassana, and chasing satori vs pragmatic practice
    May 2 2025

    James describes a modernized 3-step walking meditation. Pintu relates his experience trying this meditation and then describes Vipassana. This leads into a wide ranging conversation on satori, limit experiences, and the goal of making meditation a pragmatic practice that can be done by anyone in a variety of different ways.

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    55 mins
  • a meditation taxonomy & a lucid dream
    Apr 22 2025

    Pintu and James come up with a taxonomy for mediation in 4 groups, and discuss how specific meditations can fit under each group. Then, James describes a recent lucid dream as it relates to the separation of the form and language.

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    42 mins
  • meditating w/ metaphor | the name of our show
    Apr 21 2025

    In this episode, we explain the meaning of our show's name and how it relates to buddhism, the 4 noble truths, and the origins of the word duḥkha/dukkha.

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    42 mins