221: God, The Nature of the Self and the Teachings of Buddhism

Dr. John Powers is back for another chat on the show—largely about Tibetan Buddhism, meditation practices, and the nature of self and consciousness. John shared his personal journey into Buddhism, including a transformative experience with the Dalai Lama that led him to explore meditation further—I absolutely loved this part! We also discussed the concept of emptiness in Buddhism, the idea of rebirth and karma, and the challenges of maintaining a sense of self in a constantly changing world (let alone whether or not the ‘self’ even exists!). John also explained his atheistic views on God and the importance of empirical evidence in understanding religious concepts. Finally, John and I touched on the similarities between meditation-induced states and those experienced under the influence of psychedelics. It was also really wonderful to hear how John has navigated his transition into (semi) retirement. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time once again with John and look forward to having him back on the show. John Powers currently holds a joint position at the University of Melbourne in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies and the Contemplative Studies Centre. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities and author of 20 books and more than 100 articles, mainly on Buddhism and Tibetan history. *** The Mind Mate Podcast explores the human condition at the intersection of philosophy and psychotherapy. Hosted by counsellor and psychotherapist Tom Ahern, the podcast engages deeply with questions of meaning, anxiety, freedom, identity, death, love, and what it means to live authentically in the modern world. Find out more here: https://ahern.blog/