Waking Up Is Not Enough: Flourishing in the Human Space

As AI becomes more integrated into our lives, and calls grow louder for ethical guardrails on its development, whose ethics are we talking about? Polly Young-Eisendrath and Michael Berger join B. Scot Rousse to talk about how AI amplifies long-standing human vulnerabilities—our hunger for mastery, our blindness to our own defenses, and our willingness to be seduced by intelligence or authority tha...

In this timely and eye-opening episode, American journalist   Diana Johnstone   joins us to unpack recent restrictions on free speech in Germany and France. She connects these developments to broader global dynamics, including Israel, Ukraine, NATO, and the shifting role of the U.S. in Europe and the Middle East. Diana also reflects on the transformation of the European political left over the pas...

If you want to learn more about how to speak freely and authentically without coddling or cancelling others, go to   www.realdialogue.org  and sign up for one of our online courses. Some of the courses carry APA-approved continuing education credits for mental health professionals and others are available just for self-study. Expand your skills and self-awareness in support of dialogue and mindful...

Why We Should Be at Ease With Ourselves and What Gets in the Way of It?  Henry Shuman is a poet, author, and meditation teacher who has guided thousands of students from around the world in mindfulness and awakening practices. Henry is a Zen master in the Sanbo Zen lineage and the emeritus spiritual director at Mountain Cloud Zen Center in Sante Fe, New Mexico. He is the author of two books about...

You may be confused about the word “consciousness” because it is used broadly to mean anything that has awareness of any kind — from a fungus to a dolphin to a human being . Unfortunately, this has been the way that we speak with each other about consciousness since Darwin came onto the scene. Consequently, as humans we do not know what our unique features of consciousness are nor how they are rel...

You may be confused about the word “consciousness” because it is used broadly to mean anything that has awareness of any kind — from a fungus to a dolphin to a human being . Unfortunately, this has been the way that we speak with each other about consciousness since Darwin came onto the scene. Consequently, as humans we do not know what our unique features of consciousness are nor how they are rel...

Most spiritual practice, especially Zen, emphasizes a kind of engaged curiosity – remaining aware of the present moment. Why? What can we get from this kind of awareness that we cannot get from just enjoying a warm brownie? How can you drop your desire to control what’s going on in yourself and around you and what might happen if you did?  In this sometimes light-hearted and sometimes serious conv...

Support the podcast:  https://gofund.me/621e367c  Dr. Dean Rickles and Dr. Harald Atmanspacher have together developed a new philosophical model called “dual-aspect monism.” This contemporary philosophy of physics attempts to transcend the hegemony of materialism in responding to observer phenomena and other puzzles inherited from Quantum Theory. In this fascinating conversation, Polly and Mike ta...

Support the podcast:  https://gofund.me/621e367c  Dr. Dean Rickles and Dr. Harald Atmanspacher have together developed a new philosophical model called “dual-aspect monism.” This contemporary philosophy of physics attempts to transcend the hegemony of materialism in responding to observer phenomena and other puzzles inherited from Quantum Theory. In this fascinating conversation, Polly and Mike ta...

Support the podcast:  https://gofund.me/621e367c In this fascinating and rare conversation, Polly and Mike speak with psychologist and Zen teacher Seth Segall PhD whose recent book The House We Live In: Virtue, Wisdom and Pluralism looks at three great philosophers – Aristotle, Buddha, and Confucius – in terms of how they teach virtues and wisdom. In a conversation about what is universal and time...

GoFundMe Page -  https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-real-dialogue-polly-mikes-podcast-on-awakening Polly and Mike talk with writer and speaker Terry Moore whose recent book  Here. Now. One : A Practical Guide to Spiritual Life  sheds light on ways to make spiritual practice an integrated part of everyday life and whose recent TED talk directs our attention to Oneness. In this conversation, Terry t...

We need dialogue with others who think and feel differently from ourselves because we so easily deceive ourselves. Every project we develop, from science and technology, to art and culture, is a long conversation with others.  In these activities, our self-protection and self-promotion, as well as our desire to defeat others, clouds our self-awareness, but we can correct that problem through dialo...

In this lively and exploratory conversation, Mike and Polly talk with Buddhist teacher and author Gaylon Ferguson, Ph. D. Dr. Ferguson has led group meditation retreats since 1976 in many settings, but especially in retreat centers. He is the author of Natural Wakefulness  (on the four foundations of mindfulness) and Natural Bravery  (on the path of fear and fearlessness). Do you imagine that some...

How are awakening and adult development affected by widely different languages and cultures? Mike and Polly have a fascinating conversation with Bruce Knauft Ph. D, Professor of Anthropology at Emory University. He is a long-term friend of, and expert on, the Gebusi people of Papua, New Guinea, as well as a long-term practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism who has studied its roots in Mongolia and the Hi...

Bill Waldron PhD is professor of Religious Studies at Middlebury College where he teaches Indian religions, especially Buddhism. His recent book “Mind Only: Why Yogachara Buddhism Matters” is an important contribution to clarifying non-dual awareness and a non-dual way of life: no “object” called “world” and no “subject” called “self.” Neither object, nor subject?? So, what is reality? Mike and Po...

Bill Waldron PhD is professor of Religious Studies at Middlebury College where he teaches Indian religions, especially Buddhism. His recent book “Mind Only: Why Yogachara Buddhism Matters” is an important contribution to clarifying non-dual awareness and a non-dual way of life: no “object” called “world” and no “subject” called “self.” Neither object, nor subject?? So, what is reality? Mike and Po...

In this episode, Dr. Akomalafe warns against colonizing our minds in the ways of colonialism: assuming we know exactly what to do to bring our situation under control or that we know exactly who we are. In this wide-ranging extraordinary conversation with Bayo, Polly and Mike discover new ways of thinking about body, life/death, and belonging while also finding a missing piece of the identity puzz...

In this podcast, Polly and Mike have a fascinating and frank conversation with Dr. Bolte Taylor about awakening and brain functions, as well as about the role played by psychedelics in today’s world. Jill raises concerns about the potential for brain injury and schizophrenia, especially in young adult users. She and Mike speak openly about the challenges and benefits of the widespread encouragemen...

At the later stages of Ego Development, people naturally encounter self-evaluated standards in place of group norms and begin to feel intensive responsibility for their own achievements, self-respect and creative fulfillment. They no longer look to others for support or approval, even though they still long for it. Full-blown post-conformity gradually unfolds into coping with inner conflicts and a...

You may believe that conformity means compliance or popularity. In this podcast, Polly and Mike talk about conformity (in terms of Loevinger’s Stage Development) as the need to feel identified with a group in which you comply with “the rules” in order be accepted and approved of. Conformity naturally begins in the 6 – 12 year old human, but it might stick around for a lifetime because a person unk...

In Part 2, Mike and Polly engage with Ken Wilber, a prominent American theorist and writer in transpersonal psychology, in a deep dive into the intersections of psychedelics, spiritual awakening, Zen, and spiritual development with contemporary issues like war and 'woke' ideologies. They explore how these diverse areas tie into adult stage development, focusing particularly on the Mythic and Confo...

In a candid and open discussion, Polly and Mike delve into a fascinating conversation with Ken Wilber, an acclaimed American theorist and writer. They explore the distinct concepts of “waking up” and “growing up,” unraveling why the latter is crucial in today’s world. Ken Wilber, renowned for his integral theory – a comprehensive four-quadrant grid aiming to encapsulate all human knowledge and exp...

Mike and Polly spend some time reviewing what they learned and what they are thinking about in relation to their podcasts #11 and #12 . What are the implications for new developments in Conscious Realism? Because Conscious Realism brings human subjectivity into the forefront of what we take to be the “world out there,” it shares a lot with Real Dialogue. Where do they overlap? Where might they dep...

In his current scientific investigations, Donald Hoffman proposes that the fundamental building blocks of reality are not particles or atoms but conscious entities. He also advocates for a radical shift in our understanding of evolution, suggesting it has shaped our perception to prioritize survival rather than truth. This thought-provoking perspective challenges our beliefs about reality and the...

In his current scientific investigations, Donald Hoffman proposes that the fundamental building blocks of reality are not particles or atoms but conscious entities. He also advocates for a radical shift in our understanding of evolution, suggesting it has shaped our perception to prioritize survival rather than truth. This thought-provoking perspective challenges our beliefs about reality and the...