In this episode I am joined by Dr James Cooke, Oxford-trained neuroscientist, spiritual teacher, and author of “Dawn of Mind: How Matter Became Conscious and Alive”.

James recounts how, at aged 13, an existential crisis driven by fear of hell saw him emerge into a profound mystical opening. James shares the radical changes he experienced and traces his subsequent years spent exploring and integrating this spiritual breakthrough.

James recalls his improbable journey to winning a place at Oxford University, discusses the remarkable overlaps he found there between cutting-edge neuroscience and his own awakening, and reveals the social structures of elite education in the UK.

James details the arduous and often overlooked post-awakening work of surrendering egoic structures and releasing attachments, explains why enlightenment is both a gain and a loss, and reflects on the challenges of teaching nonduality as a natural mystic.

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Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

01:07 - Why did James write Dawn of Mind?

03:43 - Making consciousness science accessible

04:41 - Catholic upbringing, an overly conscientious child

05:49 - Disturbed by hell

06:38 - Existential rumination, a crisis of faith

08:27 - Spiritual awakening at age 13

09:54 - Aftermath of James’ awakening

12:59 - Life affirming vs death affirming phases of awakening

15:16 - Letting go of attachments

17:24 - What happened to James’ excessive conscientiousness?

20:00 - Two mistakes about the no-self

21:15 - Freedom from extremes, letting go

23:39 - The dissolving self

24:44 - Is therapy necessary?

26:44 - Meditation as a gradual path

27:15 - Meditation vs therapy

28:37 - Practice in life vs joining a monastery

30:11 - Can a natural mystic really teach others?

32:37 - Alienation through spiritual language

33:21 - Enlightenment as loss

34:27 - 3 types of spiritual teacher

36:30 - James’ profile as a teacher

37:47 - Self-aggrandising nondual teachers

38:38 - Spiritual influences

40:40 - Adyashanti & the end of suffering

42:08 - Buddhist progress of insight model

43:59 - Volatile teenage years

44:57 - Extreme somatic tension

36:25 - Difficult integration phase

47:39 - Oxford University, dealing with pressure

50:26 - How James got into Oxford against all odds

54:07 - Social context of elite education in the UK

56:52 - The Oxford wound

58:11 - The mystic’s mistake, post-awakening

01:00:15 - James’ research path at Oxford

01:01:39 - Opening a path for others + psychedelic experimentation

01:04:13 - James’ last psychedelic trip

01:05:12 - Working with Beliefs

01:07:29 - Unravelling resistance & faking it

01:10:40 - Is there an end to post-awakening work?

01:13:54 - James’ experience of intimate relationships

01:17:25 - Charlatans and why awakening can be off-putting for friends

01:19:30 - Alienating terminology

01:19:48 - Feeling isolated after awakening

01:20:33 - Mimicking awakening, the nondual teaching circuit

01:22:05 - Why did James wait so long to go public

01:25:57 - Reaction of James’ family

01:26:51 - Moral perfection

01:30:37 - Why James doesn’t like the word “enlightenment”

01:31:10 - The problem with “awakening”

01:32:31 - Language phases, changing the lingo

01:33:20 - The Borg and analogies for awakening

01:34:42 - Siddhi, intuition, supernatural powers

01:36:48 - Insecure rockstars, kundalini

01:38:39 - The language game

01:39:11 - Hearing voices, the dramatising brain

01:40:58 - World as a shared hallucination

01:42:45 - Does James suffer?

01:44:56 - Gross vs subtle suffering

01:45:52 - An experience of physical pain

01:47:08 - Meditative austerities vs life practice

01:50:46 - Trainings in equanimity

01:51:49 - Ideas in Dawn of Mind

01:53:20 - An instinct for empowerment

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To find our more about James Cooke PhD, visit:

- https://www.drjamescooke.com/

- https://www.innerspaceinstitute.org/

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James