Ethics and Emptiness

Sam speaks with mediator and Zen teacher Diane Musho Hamilton. They discuss Diane’s “powerful confrontation with life and death” as a teenager; her experience studying with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Genpo Roshi; the all-too-frequent disconnect between spiritual insight and ethical behavior; recognizing vs. learning dharma; transmuting vs. relinquishing emotional energy; the growth model vs. the awakening model of personal development; the possibility and promise of stabilizing non-dual insight; the moral importance of conceptual knowledge; psychedelics; meditation instructors vs. conventional gurus; mental states vs. psychological traits; the liability of spiritual teachers as organizational leaders; the power of cultural incentives; and other topics.