In Dimensions of Practice, Sam speaks with mindfulness teacher Shinzen Young. They discuss Shinzen’s “backward history” of Buddhist practice; his use of psychedelics; his system of meditation, Unified Mindfulness; monks who don’t meditate; self and no-self; effort vs. ease; phases of spiritual development; duality and non-duality; distinct conceptions of nirvana in early Buddhism; the paradoxical nature of enlightenment; the challenges of stabilizing non-dual insight; the compatibility of emptiness with everyday activities; and other topics.

Shinzen Young is a mindfulness teacher, neuroscience research consultant, and co-director of the Science-Enhanced Mindful Awareness (SEMA) Lab at the University of Arizona.

His systematic approach to categorizing, adapting, and teaching meditation, known as Unified Mindfulness, has resulted in collaborations with Harvard Medical School, Carnegie-Mellon University and the University of Vermont in the burgeoning field of contemplative neuroscience.

He is the author of The Science of Enlightenment, Natural Pain Relief, and numerous audio offerings. To learn more, visit www.unifiedmindfulness.com.