I often talk about attention like it’s a productivity skill — something to sharpen so we can get more done, stay ahead, and feel in control. But for thousands of years, entire traditions have treated attention as something far deeper — even sacred.

In this episode, I talk with Eric Berger — known in the Buddhist community as Jasudho — a Dhamma teacher who spent nearly thirty years as a cardiologist before devoting his life to understanding the mind. After decades of Zen training, Jasudho turned toward the early teachings of the Buddha — studying Pali, practicing Vipassana, and exploring what the Buddha called samādhi: collectedness of mind.

In this conversation, Jasudho and I explore how Buddhism can be seen as an entire civilization built around concentration — a religion of attention — and what it means to dedicate one’s life to observing the mind itself. He explains how the Buddha’s path begins not with belief, but with direct investigation — using awareness as the primary tool for insight, compassion, and freedom.

We talk about what modern seekers can learn from this ancient training of attention, why stillness and discipline must coexist, and how a heart trained to listen — like a doctor’s, but turned inward — can sense the causes of suffering and its end.

This is a conversation about attention as a spiritual practice — what happens when focus stops being a tool for productivity, and becomes a path toward awakening.

*** LINKS ***

Jasudho’s dhamma community: https://satipanna.com/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit attentioneering.substack.com