Buddhist teacher Gil Fronsdal explores the concept of the deathless and 
examines ways to experience life without clinging to impermanent things.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

In this episode of the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil discusses:
- What the Buddha said about attaining the deathless
- Seeking after things that are eternal rather than prone to aging and impermanence 
- Three forms of clinging/craving that lead us to suffering: beliefs, becoming, and sensual pleasure
- Considering if there is a ‘you’ beyond thought
- Letting go of our attachments to concepts
- How a fixation on ‘becoming somebody’ prevents us from being 
- Avoidance of the reality of suffering due to personal discomfort  
- Developing mindfulness over time and having compassion for ourselves when we notice grasping
- The timeless present and the end of separation
- Attentiveness as the path to the deathless 
- The American notion of freedom versus the Eastern notion of liberation
- The ultimate goal of Buddhism: to be open-handed, to have a mind without grasping

About Gil Fronsdal:
Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders’ Council. In 2011 he founded IMC’s Insight Retreat Center. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil’s talks on Audio Dharma.

This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.org

“The deathless is a synonym for Nirvana, for enlightenment, the great peace, the great happiness, for that which is unconditioned, the unborn, the ultimate security, the ultimate safety.” – Gil Fronsdal 

The Deathless with Buddhist Teacher, Gil Fronsdal | BHNN Guest Podcast Ep. 226

Somatic singer and teacher Marisa Michelson shares information on the powerful work of connecting to the body through song and uninhibited self-expression.

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

In this episode of The Indie Spiritualist, Chris and Marisa have a conversation about:
- Vocal ‘de-armoring’: working with voice, the body, and the psyche to release blocks
- Bringing somatic relationship and embodiment into the classical music world
- How Marisa discovered that singing could bring her into transcendent bliss
- Navigating information overload in our fast-paced, tech-driven age
- A roadmap to reconnect with the body and relearn the language of direct experience
- Letting spontaneity flow through the liberating practice of somatic singing
- A jaw-focused practice for releasing tension and unlocking full expression
- Trust and vulnerability to open up our bodies, hearts, and minds
- Simple somatic practices to weave into day-to-day life

About Marisa Michelson:
In addition to being a sought-after somatic singing teacher, Marisa is an award-winning composer of music-theatre, experimental musicals, oratorios and choral works, and was the founding director of the psychedelic singing ensemble Constellation Chor | an immersion in voice, movement, and spirit. Marisa has written four full-length musicals, two of which were produced off-Broadway by Prospect Theater Company. Her most personal composition project to date was her Desire|Divinity Project, a three part music-theater piece exploring the connection between sexuality and spirituality through an exegesis of the Song of Songs and a musicalization of Sappho’s poetry fragments.  She currently travels around singing with the vocal quartet, Agrol Agra, which performs Hungarian folk songs and Bartok arrangements of said folk songs. Marisa is beyond grateful to live and work and teach on acres of land in Upstate New York (Ancram/unceded Mohican land).  Marisa gives her gratitude to the trees, red-winged blackbirds, deer, hares, water and wind, dirt, bees, and non-human life for the profound support. Connect with Marisa on her website.

“It’s been such a gift for me to work with processes, particular exercises, and practices that are developing my understanding of how energies are moving through my body, how muscles are moving in coordination with each other, and how emotions are coordinating with the physical body, the nervous system, the energy body. Getting to go deeper into this is like learning a language that can then allow us to have more and more clarity in our own direct experience.” – Marisa Michelson

Journey Into The Body With Somatic Singer Marisa Michelson & Chris Grosso | The Indie Spiritualist – Ep. 140

Krishna Das explores how spiritual practices like chanting and loving-kindness can calm anxiety and free the mind from the trap of overthinking.

This time on Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das shares his thoughts on:
- Maharaj-ji, beyond the physical form
- Discovering the guru’s presence everywhere
- Our limited, human way of conceptualizing God
- Spiritual life and relieving suffering in ourselves and others 
- Loving people as they are while still being able to set boundaries when necessary
- The challenge of leaving relationships after they’ve served their karmic purpose
- Allowing the mind to settle and becoming accustomed to the feeling of -letting go
- The illusion of control and the ridiculousness of trying to control others
- Finding ways to give ourselves a break and ways to show ourselves kindness
- Why we practice: feeling the suffering of the world without letting it destroy us
- Offering loving kindness to those we are struggling to accept
- Practicing the Hanuman Chalisa as a coping mechanism and a way to change karma

“Let the mind settle a little bit, get used to the feeling of letting go. Thoughts will cut you up, cut your mind up. Just keep practicing, letting go, that’s what we can do. If we don’t do it, we’re constantly going to be the target of our own anxiety and fear. We have to do some letting go.” – Krishna Das

About Krishna Das:
Layering traditional Hindu kirtan with instantly accessible melodies and modern instrumentation, Grammy nominee Krishna Das has been called yoga’s “rock star.”  With a remarkably soulful voice that touches the deepest chord in even the most casual listener, Krishna Das – known to friends, family, and fans as simply KD – has taken the call-and-response chanting out of yoga centers and into concert halls, becoming a worldwide icon and the best-selling chant artist of all time. His album ‘Live Ananda’ (released January 2012) was nominated for a Grammy in the Best New Age album category.

KD spent the late ’60s traveling across the country as a student of Ram Dass, and in August 1970, he finally made the journey to India, which led him to Ram Dass’ own beloved guru, Neem Karoli Baba, known to most as Maharaj-ji. Krishna Das now travels the world sharing his kirtan practice and wonderful stories of his life, of Maharaji-ji, of his life on the Path and discusses bringing chanting into our lives through retreats and workshops. To date, KD has released 15 well-received albums, most recently Trust in the Heart released in October 2017.

MORE INFORMATION and OFFERINGS VISIT: https://krishnadas.com/ KRISHNA DAS ON SOCIAL: FACEBOOK: facebook.com/KrishnaDasMusic INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/krishnadasmusic YOUTUBE: / krishnadasmusic X: @krishnadas #KrishnaDas

Krishna Das: Spiritual Practices for Fear, Anxiety, and Overthinking | Pilgrim Heart Ep. 185

David Silver and Raghu Markus explore the life and teachings of George Gurdjieff, the Russian-born mystic and philosopher of consciousness.

This time on Mindrolling, Raghu and David have a discussion about:
- How a teenage David Silver was first introduced to Gurdjieff’s teachings
- Gurdjieff’s influence on the 1960s counterculture and the evolution of consciousness movements
- The call to “do only what is new and fresh” and live in search of the miraculous
- Doing the work literally and figuratively; supporting oneself and moving towards clear mentation 
- Gurdjieff’s view of humans as incomplete sleepwalkers, mechanically reacting to life
- Gradual awakening through self-observation, inner struggle, and conscious effort 
- Shedding false pretenses to discover a unified, authentic self
- How Gurdjieff’s philosophy inspired Ram Dass’s spiritual vision
- The Seekers of Truth and The Sarmoung Brotherhood 
- The transformative and ongoing practice of self-remembering 

About George Ivanovich Gurdjieff
Gurdjieff, who was born in the late  1800’s, was a philosopher, mystic, spiritual teacher, composer, and movements teacher. Born in the Russian Empire, he briefly became a citizen of the First Republic of Armenia after its formation in 1918, but fled the impending Red Army invasion of Armenia in 1920, which rendered him stateless. Gurdjieff taught that people are not conscious of themselves and thus live their lives in a state of hypnotic "waking sleep", but that it is possible to awaken to a higher state of consciousness and serve our purpose as human beings. Learn more HERE.

About David Silver:
David Silver is the former co-host of the Mindrolling podcast. He is a filmmaker and director, most recently coming out with Brilliant Disguise. Brilliant Disguise tells the unique story of a group of inspired Western spiritual seekers from the 60s, who in meeting the great American teacher, Ram Dass, followed him to India to meet his Guru, Neem Karoli Baba, familiarly known as Maharaj-ji. Two days before he left his body, Maharaj-ji instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of the Westerners, which he did resolutely until the day he died in 1997. Silver’s #1 charting MGM/UA/Warners film, “The Compleat Beatles” is the critically acclaimed biopic movie about history’s most famous band. The term ‘rockumentary’ was first applied to this two-hour movie. Rolling Stone recently described the film as a “masterwork.” Silver’s Warner Brothers’ feature film, “No Nukes” also started the whole trend of music/activism feature documentaries.

“His father basically said to him, you must not do anything old, you must always try and do something new and fresh, you must already be honest, you must always support yourself, These were all important in Gurdjieff’s life. You must be in search of the miraculous, because what else is there?” —David Silver

Gurdjieff’s Philosophy of Consciousness with David Silver and Raghu Markus | Mindrolling Ep. 614

Exploring the Soto Zen path, Rev. Chimyo Atkinson and Vincent Moore reflect on inclusivity, feminine wisdom, and the beauty of simplicity.

This episode is from the series Paths of Practice. Click here to subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts: https://www.goodfornothingideas.com/selected-projects

Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

In this episode, Rev. Chimyo and Vincent Moore chat about:
- Building a Zen Buddhist community in the Southern United States 
- Rev Chimyo’s profound experience volunteering at a prison as a Zen priest 
- How Rev Chimyo was first introduced to meditation and Buddhism
- The beautiful serenity within taking pause, being still, and doing a Zen practice
- Finding reality in the present moment and realizing that everything else is made up in our minds
- Walking the Soto Zen path and finding depth within simple practices
- Great Tree Zen Women’s Temple and holding space specifically for women in the Buddhist world
- Paying attention to what feminine energy can bring to Buddhist practice and temples
- Inclusive spiritual practice and focusing on the shared elements of life 
- The calm and connection that can be discovered through Zen labor 
- Loving others and loving the dharma, wishing peace for all people 
- Doing all daily tasks with the dharma in our hearts and minds

About Rev. Chimyo Atkinson:
Rev. Chimyo Atkinson is a Soto Zen priest that serves the Great Tree Zen Women’s Temple in Alexander, NC, as well as sanghas and centers throughout the United States and internationally. Rev. Chimyo was ordained by Rev. Teijo Munnich in 2007 and received Dharma Transmission in 2015. She received monastic training at Great Tree Temple and completed two Sotoshu International training periods (angos) in Japan in 2010 and 2011, two additional angos at Aichi Senmon Nisodo in Nagoya in 2012 and one ango at Ryumonji Monastery in Iowa in 2014. Chimyo served as Head of Practice at Great Tree Zen Women’s Temple and volunteered with the sangha at Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institute until 2020. For more information, please visit: https://chimyoatkinson.org/

“Just stop, and give not just the breath but the whole being to that stillness, that stop. Be in reality for a minute, for 40 minutes, if you can handle it, 60 minutes. Be in that stop. Experience it. Know there’s reality. Everything else you’re making it up as you go along.” –Rev. Chimyo Atkinson

About Vincent Moore:
Vincent Moore is a media specialist and creative consultant at Good for Nothing Ideas based in San Francisco, California. Vincent has over a decade of experience in the entertainment industry as a producer, performer, and writer in stage, film, and television and wrote a children's book titled, You're a Rubber Duck. He also has a master's degree in Buddhist Studies from the Institute of Buddhist Studies with a Certificate in Soto Zen Studies. Vincent is also the creator and host of the podcast, Paths of Practice, which features interviews with Buddhists from all over the world. For more information about his work, please visit: www.goodfornothingideas.com

Simplicity on the Soto Zen Path w/ Rev. Chimyo Atkinson & Vincent Moore | BHNN Guest Podcast Ep. 227

Discussing their newest project, Strawberry Moons Media, David Nichtern and Debbie Nutley get into how they truly merged creativity with spirituality and ‘making a buck’.

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.

This time on the CSM Podcast, David and Debbie share about:
- The creation of Strawberry Moons Media as a hub for conscious creators and spiritual storytellers
- Having a ‘sky view’ perspective while also staying grounded and executing dreams here on earth
- Experiencing Buddhism and meditation in a way that is accessible, engaging, and entertaining
- Debbie’s inspiration behind Pengwee and Ruby, two mindful penguin best friends who teach compassion and playfulness
- How music bypasses the logical mind, opening the door to intuition and emotional depth
- Rediscovering our natural state as intuitive, spiritual beings
- Breaking down superficiality to reconnect with the sacred and the beyond

Check out Strawberry Moons Media on YouTube, where you can find access to entertainment with meaning, mindful living tips, and mindful lessons for children: 
SMM Mindful Living - https://www.youtube.com/@SMMmindfulliving
SMM Medi-tainment - https://www.youtube.com/@SMMmedi-tainment
SMM For Kids - https://www.youtube.com/@SMMforkids

You can also keep up with Strawberry Moons on Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok: 

Instagram 
https://www.instagram.com/strawberrymoonsmedia?igsh=MWdjNmZndTA3ZTNxdw==

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/share/1RKwtGoKVb/?mibextid=wwXIfr

TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@strawberrymoonsmedia?_t=ZP-8zrN2AbH9MV&_r=1 

About Debbie Nutley:
Debbie Nutley is an award-winning children's picture book author, certified meditation instructor and trained to teach mindfulness to children. Her picture books, Pengwee's Breath and Ruby's Heart Song, both contain engaging stories involving two adorable and best friend penguins. Each story weaves lessons of mindfulness and social-emotional learning. Always finding inspiration in music, Debbie collaborated with composer and songwriter Wells Hanley to create a musical rendition of the signature song embedded in the story of Ruby's Heart Song. Keep up with Debbie on her Instagram and learn more about her books on her website.
“The whole reason why I decided to publish children’s books about mindfulness, and Pengwee and Ruby are these adorable, mindful, heart-centered penguins, they’re best friends, the whole reason I did it is because I thought it would be great for kids to learn about mindfulness at a young age. That it would be a better world if every kid knew about this stuff.” –Debbie Nutley

About David Nichtern:
David Nichtern, founder of Dharma Moon, is a senior Buddhist teacher who has been practicing and teaching meditation for over 40 years. He was one of the initial American students of renowned meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and studied closely with him soon after his arrival in the United States in 1970. He is also a business consultant with companies creating a variety of offerings integrating meditation in a larger health and well-being context. David is also a multiple Grammy-nominated and Emmy Award-winning musician. David’s journey has crisscrossed with the Maharaji/Ram Dass sangha for decades. He has produced multiple Krishna Das albums and frequently joins the Bhaktettes live on guitar. He considers himself to be a first cousin and an honorary member of the Bhakti community.

“I think we’re creating a whole new genre of something: bite-sized pieces people can check out and in 3-4 minutes get a very tangible sense of what meditation practice is about, what the Buddhist teachings are, but without feeling like you’re going to the dentist.” –David Nichtern

Strawberry Moons: A New Kind of Media with Debbie Nutley & David Nichtern | CSM Podcast Ep. 59

Ram Dass on Opening to Death | Here and Now Ep. 288

Challenging the idea that struggle and conflict are a necessary part of life, J. Krishnamurti and Dr. Allan Anderson explore a different way of living.

To start at the beginning of this 18-part dialogue on consciousness, spirituality and navigating life with J. Krishnamurti and Dr. Allan W. Anderson: https://youtu.be/rcn0gXWv9UU

This time on Freedom from the Known, J. Krishnamurti and Dr. Allan W. Anderson discuss:
- What it truly means to live and face the profound mystery of death
- Discovering the meaning of existence through awareness of the present moment
- Ways that people attempt to escape from the monotony of daily routine 
- How to meet the ‘battle of life’ with clarity and compassion
- The highest form of education: teaching that there is a way of living without conflict
- Being aware of the correct uses of thought and knowledge
- The destructive, negative energy that is created through conflict and battle
- Considering how love can exist in a world filled with inner and outer battle 
- Digging deeper into the reality of consciousness, beyond definitions

“If you could, as a professor, teacher, parent, point this out, the impracticality of the way we are living, the destructiveness of it, the utter indifference to the earth. We are destroying everything we touch. And, to point out a way of living in which there’s no conflict. That seems to me is the function of the highest form of education.” – J. Krishnamurti

This talk was originally recorded in 1974 at San Diego State University and curated by the Krishnamurti Foundation of America

About J. Krishnamurti:
For nearly six decades until his passing in 1986 at the age of ninety, Jiddu Krishnamurti traversed the globe, delivering spontaneous and captivating discourses to large audiences. Krishnamurti assumed the role of an investigator rather than an authority figure, encouraging individuals to question assumptions and explore the depths of their consciousness. His extensive body of work, estimated at over 100 million words, spans more than six decades of relentless inquiry and dialogue. His teachings, compiled in numerous books and translated into multiple languages, continue to inspire seekers worldwide, inviting them to embark on a profound journey of self-discovery and understanding. J. Krishnamurti’s legacy endures as a guiding light, offering timeless wisdom for those who dare to challenge conventional thinking and explore the complexities of existence.

About Dr. Allan W. Anderson:
Dr. Allan Anderson was a poet, author, Professor Emeritus, beloved teacher, scholar of the Oracular Tradition, and a gifted religious linguist. He helped to form the Department of Religious Studies at San Diego State College in 1969. Dr. Anderson later became chair of that department, specializing in Eastern Religions, until his retirement in 1985.

J. Krishnamurti: A Different Way of Living - Freedom From the Known Podcast Ep. 13

Through teachings on non-duality and the illusion of separateness, RamDev explains how true healing comes from recognizing our inherent wholeness.

Ep. 129 - Healing Everything

Jack Kornfield and Prof. Rajiv S. Joshi share uplifting spiritual wisdom on how inner climate change shapes outer climate healing, the environment, and the future of humanity.

Ep. 307 – Inner Climate Change with Prof. Rajiv S. Joshi

Three generals are voting on whether to attack or retreat from their siege of a castle. One of the generals is corrupt and two of them are not. What happens when the corrupted general sends different answers to the other two generals?

A Byzantine fault is "a condition of a computer system, particularly distributed computing systems, where components may fail and there is imperfect information on whether a component has failed. The term takes its name from an allegory, the "Byzantine Generals' Problem", developed to describe this condition, where actors must agree on a concerted strategy to avoid catastrophic system failure, but some of the actors are unreliable."

The Byzantine Generals' Problem and associated issues in maintaining reliable distributed computing networks is illuminating for both AI alignment and modern networks we interact with like Youtube, Facebook, or Google. By exploring this space, we are shown the limits of reliable distributed computing, the safety concerns and threats in this space, and the tradeoffs we will have to make for varying degrees of efficiency or safety.

The Byzantine Generals' Problem, Poisoning, and Distributed Machine Learning with El Mahdi El Mahmdi is the ninth podcast in the AI Alignment Podcast series, hosted by Lucas Perry. El Mahdi pioneered Byzantine resilient machine learning devising a series of provably safe algorithms he recently presented at NeurIPS and ICML. Interested in theoretical biology, his work also includes the analysis of error propagation and networks applied to both neural and biomolecular networks. This particular episode was recorded at the Beneficial AGI 2019 conference in Puerto Rico. We hope that you will join in the conversations by following us or subscribing to our podcasts on Youtube, SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or your preferred podcast site/application. You can find all the AI Alignment Podcasts here.

If you're interested in exploring the interdisciplinary nature of AI alignment, we suggest you take a look here at a preliminary landscape which begins to map this space.

Topics discussed in this episode include:

The Byzantine Generals' Problem
What this has to do with artificial intelligence and machine learning
Everyday situations where this is important
How systems and models are to update in the context of asynchrony
Why it's hard to do Byzantine resilient distributed ML.
Why this is important for long-term AI alignment
An overview of Adversarial Machine Learning and where Byzantine-resilient Machine Learning stands on the map is available in this (9min) video . A specific focus on Byzantine Fault Tolerant Machine Learning is available here (~7min)

In particular, El Mahdi argues in the first interview (and in the podcast) that technical AI safety is not only relevant for long term concerns, but is crucial in current pressing issues such as social media poisoning of public debates and misinformation propagation, both of which fall into Poisoning-resilience. Another example he likes to use is social media addiction, that could be seen as a case of (non) Safely Interruptible learning. This value misalignment is already an issue with the primitive forms of AIs that optimize our world today as they maximize our watch-time all over the internet.

The latter (Safe Interruptibility) is another technical AI safety question El Mahdi works on, in the context of Reinforcement Learning. This line of research was initially dismissed as "science fiction", in this interview (5min), El Mahdi explains why it is a realistic question that arises naturally in reinforcement learning

El Mahdi's work on Byzantine-resilient Machine Learning and other relevant topics is available on
his Google scholar profile.

The Byzantine Generals' Problem, Poisoning, and Distributed Machine Learning with El Mahdi El Mhamdi

The Future of Life Institute (FLI) is a nonprofit working to reduce global catastrophic and existential risk from powerful technologies. In particular, FLI focuses on risks from artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, nuclear weapons and climate change.

The Institute's work is made up of three main strands: grantmaking for risk reduction, educational outreach, and advocacy within the United Nations, US government and European Union institutions.

FLI has become one of the world's leading voices on the governance of AI having created one of the earliest and most influential sets of governance principles: the Asilomar AI Principles.