Psychotherapist, former Buddhist monk, and award-winning author Donald Altman joins Lama Surya Das for a conversation about what mindfulness and meditation practice have to offer us in the modern world.
Donald Altman, M.A. LPC, has served as adjunct professor at Lewis and Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Donald also is an adjunct faculty member of the Interpersonal Neurobiology program at Portland State University.
Show Notes
Neuro-Dharma (Opening) – How do we clear out our emotional clutter? Donald discusses the brain science behind mindfulness and meditation practice and explains how it helps us manage our cluttered consciousness.
The Living Club (9:00) – Each of us listening to this conversation are incredibly fortunate to be at a place in our incarnation where we have our basic needs met, are able to study dharma and find our own spiritual community. Lama Surya and Donald discuss the abundance of blessings that we all enjoy and the responsibility that comes with it.
“It is a very precious privilege to be in the ‘Living Club.’ To be in the ‘Living Club’ is like winning the lottery in a way. We can really appreciate that we are in this club and try to help others who are in the club as well.” – Donald Altman
Courage in the New Age (14:00) – Donald addresses the need for bravery and courage to stand up for what we believe in the world today. He and Lama Surya talk about the new kinds of challenges that young people face and what mindfulness and Dharma practice offer to counter-balance those difficulties.
Finding Truth Together (21:45) – We can better communicate and connect with each other when we are committed to seeking truth together. Donald talks about ways we can accomplish this by honestly looking at our attachments and through practices like loving-kindness meditation.
“To communicate and connect at a deeper level, we need to really look at what our attachments are. This is really the core of Buddhism.” – Donald Altman
Find Donald Altman online. For more from Lama Surya Das on putting mindfulness into action, listen to this recent episode of Awakening Now.
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