Ecodharma, Dzogchen, and the Politics of Transformation w/ Adam Lobel

What happens to the mind when light—and many of our ordinary sensory anchors—disappear? In this episode, I speak with Acraya founder Ian Gardner about the ancient and contemporary practice of dark retreat. We explore what extended darkness can do to perception and consciousness, the experiences that can emerge as external stimulation falls away, and the importance of preparation, screening, support, and integration. We also discuss the emerging science of dark retreat and Ian’s attempt to bring this unusual contemplative practice into a modern, carefully supported setting. If you’d like to explore dark retreat practice more deeply, Andrew Holecek has an excellent Sounds True course, Into the Luminous Dark, that offers a rich and practical introduction to the tradition. You can learn more here through my affiliate link: https://go.soundstrue.com/into-luminous-dark/affiliate#a_aid=x9ygrsbyzdoql&a_bid=dcedda22

What role do loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity play in the development of insight?In this episode, Mark speaks with Dharma teacher Dave Smith about the Brahma Vihāras, secular Buddhism, and the place of ethics in contemporary Insight Meditation. They also discuss Dave’s course Actual Intelligence, which explores the human capacities needed to navigate an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

Why do people across cultures report encounters with spirits, deities, ancestors, demons, angels, or other seemingly independent beings? And how might the science of predictive processing and active inference help us understand these experiences without simply dismissing them as “mere hallucinations”? In this episode, I speak with Zach Buck about spiritual entities, psychedelic experiences, and the predictive mind. We explore why the brain may sometimes model invisible agents as real presences, especially in altered states of consciousness, ritual contexts, contemplative practice, and emotionally charged moments. Rather than reducing these experiences to pathology or treating them uncritically as literal encounters, Zach offers a middle path: an active inference account that asks how perception, culture, expectation, embodiment, and uncertainty work together to shape experiences of spiritual agency.

In this conversation, Humanistic Integrative Psychotherapeutic Counsellor Nicholas Buscall and I explore why establishing a “good view”—a clear, grounded orientation to what meditation is (and isn’t)—can make practice safer, steadier, and more transformative. We talk about how meditation training can drift into confusion or unhelpful striving, and how a therapist’s perspective and regular check-ins can help you track your development, notice red flags early, and keep practice aligned with well-being, values, and real-world functioning.

n this episode of The Contemplative Science Podcast, I’m delighted to welcome back Brother Phap Linh, a Buddhist monk ordained at Plum Village in 2008. Before monastic life, Brother Phap Linh studied at Cambridge and worked as a composer, chef, and math tutor—bringing a rare blend of creativity, analytical rigor, and lived practice into his contemplative path. Inspired by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, Brother Phap Linh entered monastic life as a response to global suffering, grounding his work in mindfulness, ethical living, and community practice. Today, he finds deep joy in guiding others—both monastic and lay—toward greater presence, compassion, and collective well-being. Our conversation explores the evolving relationship between Buddhism, spirituality, and science: how mindfulness is studied, where scientific models illuminate practice, and where lived experience resists easy measurement. Together, we reflect on what contemplative traditions can genuinely offer modern science—and what science can responsibly contribute to the deep work of inner transformation. A thoughtful, grounded dialogue at the meeting point of practice, theory, and lived wisdom.