Tom Morgan is a former financier and founder of The Leading Edge, a media platform and transformational community dedicated to sharing world-changing ideas and facilitating life-changing experiences. After nearly 20 years in finance — including roles at Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, and Sapient Capital — Tom became increasingly disenchanted with the path he was on. An awakening experience eventually led him to leave finance and enter a difficult multi-year existential crisis that forced him to reconsider success, purpose, money, meaning, and what it means to live a meaningful life. Today, Tom describes himself as a “curiosity sherpa,” seeking out unconventional thinkers, transformative ideas, and experiences that help people reconnect with curiosity, wisdom, purpose, and aliveness.

In this conversation, we explore how to follow your bliss without abandoning practical reality, navigate an existential crisis, bridge money and meaning, reinvent yourself after a major life transition, and discover a path that can’t necessarily be planned in advance.

We also explore Iain McGilchrist’s work on the left and right hemispheres, shadow work and Jordan Peterson, demons and daemons, following your curiosity, the generalist vs. specialist dilemma, whether the world financially rewards people who follow their bliss, and Tom’s vision for creating a network of transformational communities.

If you’ve ever felt trapped between making money and doing meaningful work, questioned your career or life direction, struggled to find your purpose, or wondered whether you should follow your curiosity into the unknown, this conversation is for you.



🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

• Connect with Tom on X/Twitter 
• Read Tom’s writing 
• Join the Leading Edge community 
• The Master & His Emissary by Iain McGhilchrist 
• Maps of Meaning by Jordan Peterson (In-depth book summary) 
• Syntropy by Ulisse Di Corpo 
• Ervin Laszlo 
• C.S. Lewis 
• Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned by Kenneth O. Stanley & Joel Lehman 
• The Passion of the Western Mind (epilogue) by Richard Tarnas 
• Mona Sobhani 
• Rebel Wisdom 

🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
2:07 - Working in finance, existential crisis & exploring wisdom
8:30 - Navigating hell
11:21 - Reinventing yourself
13:55 - Integrating left and right brain functioning
20:22 - Applying a mythic lens to life
25:06 - Shadow work, monstrosity & Jordan Peterson
32:29 - How to connect to your curiosity
36:44 - When you don’t listen to your daemon it becomes a demon
38:37 - Holistic living — what Tom’s life looks like now
41:36 - Why greatness cannot be planned
45:38 - Bridging money & meaning
50:19 - Navigating the generalist vs specialist dynamic
55:44 - Does the world financially reward those who follow their bliss?
1:01:29 - Creating a network of transformational communities
1:03:16 - Unpacking The Leading Edge community
1:08:00 - The problems many online transformational communities face
1:14:58 - What makes Tom angry about society?
1:15:49 - Creating a community full of love
1:16:55 - What Tom believes to be true that most people disagree with

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast 

*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional

Kyle Kowalski is an ex-marketing executive turned solopreneur who left the corporate world after experiencing an existential crisis. He founded Sloww — a digital knowledge base and community sharing insights into the art of living for students of life. An interdisciplinary dot collector and synthesizer, Kyle creates in-depth book summaries, e-books, and a wisdom-packed weekly newsletter integrating slow living with meaning, purpose, money mastery, transformational learning, and human development.

In our last conversation, we explored the art of slow living, IKIGAI, financial freedom, and the lottery of birth. This time we go deeper — into the real challenges of building a meaningful business, navigating the post-conventional shift, and what it actually takes to synthesize wisdom in a way that transforms both yourself and others.

In this conversation, we explore the insights Kyle has gained from entrepreneurship, navigating money and meaning, the process of transitioning from the corporate world to solopreneurship, and how he built his audience, monetized Sloww, and overcame imposter syndrome.

We get into the challenges of monetizing generalist and holistic content, how to create purposeful work, how Ego Development Theory impacted Kyle's understanding of himself and his work, and why the meta-crisis is ultimately a me crisis.

We also explore the post-conventional shift and its challenges, balancing knowledge consumption with direct experience, the role of relational practices in human development, and Kyle's brand new Synthesizer course — a framework for turning information into embodied wisdom.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

• Sloww website
•  Kyle on Twitter/X
•  Sloww Sunday newsletter
•  Kyle's Synthesizer course
•  IKIGAI 2.0 e-book — Kyle Kowalski
•  Sloww Premium Community
•  Introduction to Susanne Cook-Greuter's Ego Development Theory
•  Metacrisis.org
•  Is the meta-crisis a me crisis? — Kyle Kowalski
•  Wise Walk — Kyle Kowalski
•  Paul Millerd and Kyle Kowalski path comparison
•  Nora Bateson synthesis
•  How to Read a Book — Mortimer Adler
•  Maria Popova
•  Ken Wilber
•  Joshua Becker
•  Tim Ferriss
•  Shane Parrish
•  Naval Ravikant
•  Knots — R.D. Laing

🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
1:43 - Insights from entrepreneurship — navigating money and meaning
13:33 - The process of transitioning from the corporate world to solopreneurship
23:00 - How Kyle built his audience, monetized Sloww and overcame imposter syndrome
31:40 - The challenges of monetizing generalist and holistic content
43:44 - How to create purposeful work
52:34 - How Ego Development Theory impacted Kyle
56:37 - Synthesizing Nora Bateson's opinion of developmental stage theories
1:09:55 - Why the meta-crisis is a me crisis
1:16:18 - The post-conventional shift and the challenges that come with it
1:22:52 - Balancing knowledge consumption with direct experience — becoming a spiritual translator
1:29:40 - The role of relational practices in human development
1:37:52 - Unpacking Kyle's Synthesizer course
1:43:28 - Gauging interest before creating a product
1:45:45 - What makes Kyle most angry about society today?
1:51:12 - Tears of joy
1:56:34 - Final message

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast 

*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional

Bernardo Kastrup is a philosopher of mind and the leading voice for metaphysical idealism — the view that all of reality is essentially mental. He holds PhDs in both Philosophy and Computer Engineering and has worked at CERN and the Philips Research Laboratories, where the Casimir Effect of Quantum Field Theory was discovered. He founded the parallel processing company Silicon Hive, acquired by Intel in 2011, and currently serves as Executive Director of the Essentia Foundation — dedicated to presenting scientific and analytic evidence challenging traditional materialism. He is the author of over ten books including "Why Materialism is Baloney," "The Idea of the World," and the upcoming "Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell."

In this conversation, we explore the pivotal events and influences that shaped Bernardo's thinking, the simplest explanation of idealism and why all of reality is mental, and why the brain does not generate the mind — one of the most important and counterintuitive arguments in contemporary philosophy of consciousness.

We get into whether idealism can be tested scientifically, how idealism impacts meaning in life, psychedelics and self-deception, how Bernardo avoids getting trapped in his own ideas, and the relationship between intellectual pursuits, human connection, and loneliness.

We also explore suffering, happiness, responsibility, and contentment; Bernardo's conception of enlightenment through the story of the monk who set himself on fire; what makes him most angry about society; what he's most worried about; and what he believes will never disappear.

A profound and wide-ranging conversation at the intersection of philosophy of mind, consciousness studies, and the deepest questions of human existence.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

• Bernardo's personal site
•  Follow Bernardo on Twitter
•  Analytic Idealism course — free
•  Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell — pre-order
•  Why Materialism is Baloney — in-depth book summary
•  Rupert Spira
•  David Chalmers
•  Christof Koch
•  Giulio Tononi
•  Integrated Information Theory
•  Shinzen Young
•  Iain McGilchrist
•  The monk who set himself on fire
•  Song to the Siren — This Mortal Coil
•  Moving On — James
•  The Double Life of Véronique — film

🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
2:33 - Pivotal events and influences that shaped Bernardo
8:32 - From intellectual to experiential understanding
13:02 - Fear of death
15:54 - The simplest explanation of idealism
19:12 - A dream in the infinite mind or dissociation
23:33 - The thinkers who most influenced Bernardo Kastrup
26:40 - Is there a way to test idealism scientifically?
33:13 - Why the mind is not generated by the brain
37:58 - You can never convince someone of something they don't already know
39:56 - How does idealism impact meaning in life?
45:49 - Psychedelics, self-deception and symbolism
51:02 - How Bernardo avoids getting trapped in his ideas
1:00:10 - Intellectual pursuits, human connection and loneliness
1:08:46 - Capacities Bernardo wishes he innately had
1:12:14 - Suffering, happiness, responsibility and contentment
1:32:22 - Bernardo's conception of enlightenment — the monk who set himself on fire
1:37:13 - What makes Bernardo most angry about society
1:40:13 - What Bernardo is most worried about
1:45:52 - Crying tears of joy
1:53:29 - What makes "Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell" unique
1:56:35 - What Bernardo is writing about now
2:00:09 - What will never disappear

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast 

*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional

James Baker is an inner work practitioner and founder of Intentional Society — an online transformational community centered on developmental and relational practices. After spending 15 years in software development, he became disillusioned with the corporate world and decided to pursue his passions. He launched Intentional Society, and after over 150 weekly gatherings, the community has grown into a distinctive space for personal transformation and interpersonal exploration.

In this conversation, we explore the role of relational practices in human development, what Intentional Society is and the premises it's built on, and the major takeaways from over 150 weekly gatherings with a community of dedicated inner work practitioners.

We get into moving from modern to postmodern to metamodern perspectives, playing with power dynamics, breaking through social conventions and stretching boundaries, navigating the relationship between safety and growth, and the three principles of Intentional Society.

We also explore transforming our relationship to judgmental thoughts, becoming developmentally aware, the paradoxical dance between being and becoming, the future of transformational online communities, cultural evolution vs individual development, the increasing need for an ecology of practices, and a message of fundamental okayness.


🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

• Intentional Society — online transformational community
•  Follow James on Twitter
•  Becoming Developmentally Aware — Artem Zen
•  Already Free — Bruce Tift

🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
1:30 - From software development to human transformation
7:13 - What is Intentional Society and the premises it's built on
10:21 - Interpersonal development and relational practices
13:09 - Major takeaways from over 150 weekly gatherings
18:48 - Moving from modern to postmodern to metamodern perspectives
21:24 - Playing with power dynamics
24:10 - Breaking through social conventions and stretching boundaries
29:55 - The three principles of Intentional Society
34:45 - Navigating the relationship between safety and growth — Meta-Safety
43:18 - Transforming our relationship to judgmental thoughts
45:40 - What Intentional Society members have in common
49:52 - Becoming developmentally aware
53:39 - The paradoxical dance between being and becoming
1:02:55 - The future of transformational online communities
1:10:27 - Cultural evolution vs individual development
1:13:25 - The increasing need for an ecology of practices
1:19:15 - A message of fundamental okayness

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast 

*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional

Layman Pascal is a prominent thinker in the Liminal, Metamodern, Game B, and Integral spaces whose work explores post-metaphysics, nonduality, metamodernism, integral metatheory, new shamanism, the future of religion, developmental philosophy, and meta-progressive politics. He is the co-host of the Integral Stage podcast.

This episode was recorded live at Limicon 2024 and explores ideas from Layman's two popular essays "The Metamodern Business Bureau" and "Make Game A Pay for the Wall." After our dialogue, we opened the floor for participants to ask questions and share reflections.

In this conversation, we explore transforming the money and meaning relationship on both a personal and societal level, making the Metamodern Business Bureau come alive, early examples of liminal business crews, and developing a more conscious approach to business and economics.

We get into new economic experiments, finding clients who can actually pay for meaningful work, whether we need to be more careful or more courageous in our sources of material wealth, and how to influence the wealthiest families in the world to distribute their resources differently.

We also explore finding your role in the liminal ecosystem, connecting people with complementary skill sets, bridging left and right brain ways of knowing, bullshit jobs and our relationship to dopamine, and finding the economic model hidden in genuine inspiration.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

• The Metamodern Business Bureau — Layman Pascal
•  Make Game A Pay for the Wall — Layman Pascal
•  Layman's Substack
•  Integral Stage podcast
•  Linchpin — Seth Godin

🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
2:40 - Transforming the money and meaning relationship on a personal and societal level
5:52 - Making the Metamodern Business Bureau come alive
10:39 - Early examples of liminal business crews and what's missing
13:42 - Developing a more conscious approach to business and economics education
16:45 - New economic experiments
20:16 - Finding clients who can pay for your services
27:52 - Do we need to be more careful or more courageous in our sources of material wealth?
33:23 - How can we influence the wealthiest families to distribute their money?
36:50 - Do liminal and metamodern thinkers go over people's heads?
38:16 - Finding your role in the liminal ecosystem — simplifying and complexifying
41:08 - Connecting people with complementary skill sets and starting businesses
44:25 - Nominating liminal business leaders, failing forward, and learning from elders
49:30 - Group reflections
49:52 - It doesn't need to be perfect — we just need to take action
52:31 - Finding the right words to connect the liminal and metamodern space to the conventional world
57:07 - Bridging left and right brain ways of knowing
1:00:00 - Finding the economic model hidden in inspiration and locating people at the edge of Game A
1:03:27 - How to do better business, why we need marketing, bullshit jobs and our relationship to dopamine
1:13:22 - Mapping coherence and navigating divergence
1:16:32 - What's next?

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast 

*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional

Darcia Narvaez is a professor of psychology whose work explores the neurobiology of moral development, evolved parenting practices, and small-band hunter-gatherer societies. Identified as one of the top 2% of scientists worldwide, she is the president of Kindred World — a nonprofit dedicated to creating a wisdom-based worldview — and the founder of the Evolved Nest, an initiative that integrates findings across child development, child raising, and adult behavior while promoting optimal health, wellbeing, cooperation, and sociomoral intelligence. She is the author of several books including the award-winning "Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality."

In this conversation we explore the optimal environment for early child development and how our modern culture falls short of what children actually need, the importance of breastfeeding and co-sleeping, and navigating order and chaos in parenting.

We get into the surprising truth about nature and nurture, how life for indigenous people differed from modern life, whether war was always part of humanity, and how the collaboration vs competition dynamic relates to left and right brain views of the world.

We also explore contrasting views of wisdom, tools and resources for creating a more wholesome life, learning to regulate our nervous systems through play, and why returning to the evolved nest is critical not just for individual families but for the world.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

• Darcia's personal site
•  The Evolved Nest
•  Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality — Darcia Narvaez
•  Breaking the Cycle of Competitive Detachment — short film
•  Reimagining Humanity — short film
•  The Evolved Nest — short film
•  28 Days of Self-Calming — Evolved Nest practice
•  28 Days of Solo Play — Evolved Nest practice
•  Norton Interpersonal Neurobiology Book Series
•  The Polyvagal Theory — Stephen W. Porges
•  Playful Parenting — Lawrence J. Cohen
•  Rudolf Steiner
•  Chimp Empire — Netflix
•  The Master and His Emissary — Iain McGilchrist
•  The Myth of Normal — Gabor Maté

🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
2:01 - An overview of Darcia's work
5:22 - The role of safety in morality
7:29 - The optimal environment for early child development
15:42 - The importance of breastfeeding and co-sleeping
18:00 - How the modern world falls short of the evolved developmental niche
25:45 - Navigating order and chaos in parenting
35:39 - What is the relationship between nature and nurture?
41:32 - How life for indigenous people was different from the modern world
44:19 - Was war always part of humanity?
54:18 - Relating the collaboration and competition dynamic to left and right brain views of the world
1:02:27 - Contrasting views of wisdom
1:07:58 - Resources and tools for creating a more wholesome life
1:14:07 - Learning to regulate our nervous systems through play
1:17:10 - Why returning to the evolved nest is critical for the world

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast 

*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional

Bruce Tift is a psychotherapist, author, and longtime Vajrayana Buddhism practitioner with over 40 years of practice. As a therapist, he has worked in psychiatric wards and social services, and has maintained a private practice since 1979. He taught at Naropa University for twenty-five years and has lectured internationally. A student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, he has had the fortune of meeting many realized teachers along the way. He is the author of "Already Free" — a book exploring the relationship between psychotherapy and awakening through the lens of both Western psychology and Vajrayana Buddhism.

In this conversation, we explore the relationship between psychotherapy and awakening, the irresolvable paradox of relationship, and what it actually means to be psychospiritually mature.

We get into holding developmental models lightly, learning to experience story-free anxiety, stepping out of identification through immediate sensation, and why struggle is actually a way of not dealing with our lives — and what to do instead.

We also explore individual vs couples therapy and navigating the polarity of connection and separateness, using Circling to understand emotions and develop intimacy, nonduality and the Vajrayana view, a healthier approach to awakening and liberation, and the hard problem of consciousness.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

• Bruce's personal site
•  Already Free — Bruce Tift
•  Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind — Shunryu Suzuki
•  Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
•  What is Circling?

🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
2:10 - The pivotal events that put Bruce on the path
6:32 - The relationship between psychotherapy and awakening
13:01 - Bruce pulls the chair out from beneath me
16:58 - The irresolvable paradox of relationship
18:10 - Is it possible to heal and develop psychologically without psychotherapy?
19:34 - What does it mean to be psychospiritually mature?
23:30 - Holding developmental models lightly
25:55 - Learning to experience story-free anxiety
35:23 - Stepping out of identification through immediate sensation
42:30 - Why struggle is a way not to deal with our lives
53:43 - Individual vs couples therapy — navigating connection and separateness
1:06:29 - Using Circling and relatefulness to understand emotions and develop intimacy
1:10:29 - Diving into nonduality and the Vajrayana view
1:18:08 - A healthier view of awakening and liberation
1:26:11 - The hard problem of consciousness

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast 

*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional

Richard D. Bartlett is a community organizer, entrepreneur, and coach who helps people grow high-trust communities and decentralized organizations. In 2011 he was part of the Occupy Wall Street movement — a pivotal moment that set him on the path to becoming a key player in Enspiral, an organization that shares money, power, and information to help its members do meaningful work. He went on to found Loomio, a software that helps organizations navigate decentralized decision-making, and later The Hum, a non-hierarchical management consultancy. His latest venture is Microsolidarity — a community building network and movement dedicated to cultivating high-trust groups at a human scale.

In this conversation, we explore how Rich's upbringing shaped his work with community building and team organization, the importance of integrating traditional values, and what it takes to create a pluralistic community with the capacity to hold many perspectives.

We get into what Microsolidarity is and how it works, how group size changes relational dynamics, essential modalities and practices for community builders, insights from Enspiral, and how to build trust and accelerate personal growth through community.

We also explore the challenges of visionary leadership, navigating the polarity of autonomy and belonging, Michael Levin's work on the superorganism and collective intelligence, the illusion of being self-made, how to integrate vulnerability into the workplace, and creating decentralized organizations.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

• Rich's personal site
•  Microsolidarity — community building network and practice
•  The Hum — Rich's consultancy
•  The Religious Case Against Belief — James Carse
•  Nonviolent Communication — Marshall B. Rosenberg
•  Theory U
•  U-Lab Course
•  Liberating Structures
•  Internal Family Systems
•  Circling — Relatefulness
•  Open Space Technology
•  Better Work Together — Enspiral

🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
2:32 - How Rich's upbringing led to his work with community building and team organization
6:50 - The importance of integrating traditional values
8:44 - Creating a pluralistic community with the capacity to hold many perspectives
19:16 - What is Microsolidarity?
27:45 - How group size changes relational dynamics
30:35 - Essential modalities and practices for community builders
36:25 - Insights from Enspiral and working in community
44:33 - Building trust and accelerating personal growth through community
47:22 - The challenges of visionary leadership
54:51 - Navigating the polarity of autonomy and belonging
59:28 - Michael Levin, the superorganism, collective intelligence and the illusion of being self-made
1:08:40 - How to integrate vulnerability into the workplace
1:17:20 - Creating decentralized organizations
1:26:40 - Additional resources for community builders

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast 

*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional

North Burn is a meditation teacher and practitioner who has devoted fifteen years to full-time contemplative practice across Insight Meditation and Soto Zen traditions. He has spent five years in monastic communities, two years in silent intensive retreats, and several years in solitude and self-directed study. Influenced by Joseph Goldstein, Greg Scharf, Leslie James, and Tenshin Reb Anderson Roshi, he began teaching meditation retreats in 2016. He is the founder of Boundless Refuge — an annual three-month silent retreat dedicated to transforming suffering into peace through the practice of the middle way.

In this conversation, we explore what inspired North to engage with deep spiritual practice, his approach to awakening, and the distinction between Sutric and Tantric perspectives on Dharma.

We get into the pros and cons of being open about spiritual attainments, the fear of groundlessness, the benefits of intensive meditation practice, and whether you can get the same benefits from a committed daily practice as from a long silent retreat.

We also explore integrating stories into spirituality, the power of aspiration for awakening, the relationship between psychedelics and meditation, contrasting monastic, householder, and nomadic lifestyles, and the role of renunciation in benefiting our relationships.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

• Boundless Refuge — North's 3-month silent meditation retreat
•  Shunryu Suzuki
•  Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind — Shunryu Suzuki
•  Tenshin Reb Anderson
•  Joseph Goldstein
•  Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha — Daniel Ingram
•  Adyashanti
•  Buddhadasa
•  Ram Dass

🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
2:32 - What inspired North to engage with deep spiritual practice
7:41 - North's approach to awakening
13:44 - Exploring Sutric vs Tantric perspectives on Dharma
21:36 - Pros and cons of being open about spiritual attainments
29:55 - The fear of groundlessness
33:45 - Boundless Refuge — 3-month silent meditation retreat
39:10 - The benefits of intensive meditation practice
47:02 - Integrating stories into spirituality
49:31 - Are you ready for a long silent meditation retreat?
59:45 - Can you get the benefits of a long retreat through a committed daily meditation practice?
1:02:19 - The power of aspiration for awakening
1:05:19 - The relationship between psychedelics and meditation
1:18:25 - Contrasting monastic, householder, and nomadic lifestyles
1:26:40 - The challenges and questions North is currently grappling with
1:30:25 - Using renunciation to benefit our relationships

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast 

*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional

David Loy is a professor, writer, and Zen teacher in the Sanbo Zen tradition who began Zen practice in 1971 and completed the formal koan curriculum in 1988. For many years he taught Buddhist and comparative philosophy at university level. Although retired from academia he continues to lecture internationally on the intersection of Buddhism and modernity. He is the author of many books including "Lack & Transcendence," "Ecodharma," and "Nonduality: In Buddhism and Beyond."

In this conversation, we explore the fundamental problem of human existence — what David calls "lack" — and the unskillful ways we typically try to address it. We get into the distinction between the fear of death and the deeper fear of not being real, going beyond dualistic thinking, and how Freud, the existentialists, and Buddhism each diagnose the same fundamental problem differently.

We also explore the limits of philosophy, integrating personal with collective transformation, the three poisons institutionalized in our economic and political systems, and how Buddhism can help address the meaning crisis.

We close by exploring hope, despair, grief, love, and effective engagement, whether death is an illusion, how our experience of time relates to a sense of lack, and the questions David himself is still grappling with.

🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES 🔗

• David's personal site
•  Lack & Transcendence — David Loy
•  Dogen
•  Nisargadatta
•  John Vervaeke
•  Meaningness — David Chapman
•  Stephen Jenkinson on Elevating Consciousness — Episode #9
•  Transcendent Naturalism series — John Vervaeke & Gregg Henriques

🕰️ TIMESTAMPS 🕰️

0:00 - Introduction
3:08 - The fundamental problem of human existence
7:24 - Unskillful ways of dealing with lack
11:14 - The fear of death vs the fear of not being real
14:04 - Going beyond dualistic thinking
18:55 - The fundamental problem according to Freud and psychotherapy
21:15 - The fundamental problem according to the existentialists
22:40 - The limits of philosophy — teachings as a raft and a finger pointing to the moon
25:45 - Integrating personal with collective transformation
30:37 - The three poisons institutionalized
35:07 - Addressing the meaning crisis
45:00 - Hope, despair, grief, love and effective engagement
52:11 - Opening up to the great mystery
54:47 - Is death an illusion?
1:00:35 - How our experience of time relates to a sense of lack
1:09:27 - Has David resolved a sense of lack within himself?
1:15:50 - Questions David is still grappling with

*Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch the video versions of the Elevating Consciousness Podcast 

*Subscribe to the Insighter Substack to get in-depth articles on the theory and practice of human transformation through a post-conventional