Deconstructing Michael, with Erik Newton

Turning the tables on the usual show format, host Michael Taft gets interviewed by Erik Newton. They talk about the meaning of awakening, the paradox of suffering, the end of seeking, the value of personal experience vs. scriptural understanding, Erik’s awakening experience, new technologies of awakening, the genesis of the Deconstructing Yourself podcast, and more.Erik Newton is a lawyer and was the head of a successful family law firm, which gave him the opportunity to take part in 1000s of divorces. As the result of his experience, two things happened: one was that he created the wildly popular podcast entitled “Together” — the podcast that explores the truth of human relationships — in which Erik uses his hard-won knowledge of the many failure modes of relationships to help couples understand how come together. The second was that he had a major awakening experience.LinksKenneth Folk on DYAm I Mindful Right NowThe Cosmic JokeMasters of OblivionThe Forest Refuge Michael’s Book on Non-DualityDaniel Ingram on DYMeditation Magick Fire KasinaPopping the Bubble of ProjectionMichael’s Article on AwakeningThe Mindful GeekShow Notes3:50 – How The DY Podcast Began6:58 – The Conversation of Awakening as a Creative Journey9:30 – The Joy of Getting Inside Somebody Else’s Mind10:40 – What is “The Path”?12:09 – Where Did the Name “Deconstructing Yourself” Come From?14:48 – Deconstructing Leads to Reconstructing16:13 – Deconstruction and Reconstruction in Buddhism16:57 – Erik’s Awakenings and Emptiness Experiences18:58 – “Heaven is a Place Where Nothing Ever Happens”20:24 – The “What Next” Factor Leads Us Back to The World21:30 – The Pros and Cons of Michael’s Style of Learning and Teaching24:04 – The Value of Academia and Scripture25:24 – Everything is Partially True and False26:43 – Michael’s Time as a Seeker28:00 – What is a Seeker?28:36 – The Slow Death of the Seeker31:02 – Awakening Can Save the World32:36 – Nothing Matters and A Lot Matters34:51 – Does It Hurt to Be Aware of Suffering?36:03 – The Game of Recognizing Emptiness and Engaging Anyway37:37 – Awake People Are Still People38:46 – A Perfect Relationship Doesn’t Exist40:21 – Popping the Bubbles of Projection41:33 – Redefining Awakening Through Science43:06 – Empathizing with Critics43:54 – Teaching for The Western Mind45:42 – The Practical Impact of Awakening46:26 – Plant Medicine as a Shortcut for Awakening47:15 – Technology’s Place in Awakening51:48 – The Power of Communication Technology52:19 – Normalizing Awakening53:46 – Nudges Towards Awakening55:22 – Teaching Meditation at Erik’s Start Up56:33 – Beginner’s Mind57:18 – Goals, Motivations, and Ethics in Meditation58:42 – Waking Up in Silicon Valley You can help to create future episodes of this podcast by contributing through Patreon.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.